SOPHIE

Although I refer to Sophie as a Labrador she is actually a Labrador/Retriever cross.  She has been feeling the heat with this hot, humid weather so, this morning, she had her first ever haircut.  I think she looks great.  She had the works - haircut, shampoo, blow dry, perfumed and nails clipped.

"Before" photos:

and "after" photos

Walking Sophie

Over winter Doug stopped walking Sophie as she had a bad leg but it is a lot better and I have been joining them again for walks which we now take  alongside the Hatea River from Whareora Road to Mair Park.

Twice in the last week we picked up what I now know to be a Giant Dragonfly.  They were both on the path and the first one was the largest but I didn't have my camera with me.  When we lifted it up there was a wasp underneath it and we noticed that the back part of the Dragonfly's body had been eaten away.  It was magnificent with a body the size of my little finger.

The second one we found was smaller and seemed to have less gold but I did get a photo.

Just prior to seeing the Dragonfly we saw a couple of Tui and I managed to get a photo of one (black with a white tuft of feathers under the chin)  Actually the black turns to wonderful multicoloured sheen in sunlight.

Sophie waiting (patiently or otherwise) while we look at the Dragonfly.

I liked this peeling trunk of a young kauri tree.

This is as far as we walk and Sophie has a swim in the river before we return.

During the week Max' son came up to visit his father and after walking along the river we went to the kauri board walk in A.H. Reed Park  and this is a photo him with  Doug beside a much larger kauri tree.