The road in

As I go to and from the lodge in the Tangihua Forest I am constantly stopping to take photos.  The more frequently I do it, the more differences I notice.  The bush always looks different, depending on the light, the weather, the time of year and day, the amount of sunshine overhead.  I took these today, some while going in to the bush, the rest on my way home a couple of hours later.

 

 

There is a lookout not far from the lodge where you can get idea of how deep in the bush the lodge is situated.  That's the lodge roof in the centre of the photo.  I've got a blur on the lens of my camera which I can't see or clean off.  I can't decided what to do about it!  Suggestions welcome.

I've given names to a few different spots along the road.  I call this tree The Lovers although to be honest before I settled for that I was searching my brain for a nice word to describe the way children (and not only children) cross their legs when they are putting off going to the toilet.

This is the view of surrounding farmland in one direction as you come out of the forest.

And yes, I do know how lucky I am to see such beauty and to feel the tranquility of the bush on a regular basis.  I just wish I could capture it with my camera.

It's been a while ..

Yes, it sure has been a day or two since I felt I had the time or energy to blog again.  I had an accident just after Christmas, nothing too serious and my own silly fault.  You'd think I'd know by now to watch where I put my feet when on uneven ground, where a trip could result in a serious tumble down a bank and possibly into a dam.   The knock on the head meant I couldn't focus long enough to prepare a blog post and with only one working arm it would have been difficult anyway.  And sitting did not agree with my broken rib.  

Time, as they say, is a great healer and proved so in this case.  Time and the healing of physiotherapy.  

Just before Christmas I'd been offered the position of manager at the lodge/school camp in the forest next door to where I live. (http://www.thelionslodge.co.nz/) I had been thinking it over, trying to decide whether I had the physical fitness to handle it.   In my knocked about state I convinced myself that when I recovered I'd be as fit as a fiddle.  As it turned out, in my fuzzy head I had a much younger fiddle in mind. 

It's taken me a while to adjust to being so active again, to learn the ropes.  I think I'm right now.  I love the time I get to spend in the bush, the interactions with the teachers and students who come for school camps and the various groups who use the lodge at the weekend.  

Every time I go to the lodge I cherish the moment where I leave the road in to the forest through neighbouring farmland (above), come to the forest boundary and enter the bush.

I just love the times I get to sit quietly by myself, usually while I'm waiting for guests to arrive, and watch the light gently filtering through the trees.

or sitting delicately on a leaf

It's good to be back.  I hope I have time to visit my old blogging friends before too long.