A Mass of Heaving Humanity

It was another wet, dreary day and the rain clouds were hanging low.  You can tell it’s mid winter when the trees are standing stark and bare against the sky-line.  Actually, here in New Zealand, it’s only the exotic introduced trees which lose their leaves in winter, our native trees are evergreens, as can been seen by the dark green covering on the hills. 

Some of the trees are bare in winter

We had to attend an early afternoon appointment in the lower valley.  Why don’t we go early and have lunch at the Food Hall in the Mall, we decided.  On reflection, it was a very brave decision to make.  It didn’t take too long to work out where all youngsters were on a wet day in the school holidays, they were in the mall too.  Young ones were with their Mums and baby brothers and sisters in buggies, and the teenagers were milling around trying to look cool.  The Food Hall was a mass of heaving humanity, and we were lucky to find a spare table.  As we ate our rather disappointing Chinese meal, we reflected that the food always seems to look better than it tastes in these places.  Guess if we want ethnic food it would be more sensible to go to a restaurant.  Still, it was very reasonably priced, so we really shouldn’t complain.  Most of the kids were eating McDonalds or Burger King, that always seems to be the number one choice for youngsters.

Let’s do lunch in the Food Hall

Later in the afternoon we stopped off to check out a new fishing and camping store.  We don’t do fishing, but there was plenty in the camping side of the shop for Robin to drool over.  He was pleased to find an item or two he was after, so once he gets the correct measurements, he knows where to come back to.  Right next door was a large pet shop.  Oh, look at those little cuties.

Bunnies at the pet shop

The attendant must have thought we were a couple of softies as she tried to talk us into taking a rabbit or two, home.  These were dumped at the SPCA, we were told, but have now been vaccinated and de-sexed, so they are all ready to go to a new home.  The attendant did her best with her sales spiel, offering us a guinea pig – or perhaps a rat?  No thanks, she was told firmly and we wandered over to look through the large glass windows at the dog grooming area.  The dogs certainly seemed to be enjoying their bit of pampering.

   Dog grooming at the pet shop

I did relent and buy a little something at the pet shop.  No, not a new pet, but a big cone of wild bird seed to hang outside under the trees.  (It was on special, so it must have been a bargain).  But the birds will just have to wait until this rain finally stops, perhaps Robin can climb the ladder and hang it up tomorrow, weather permitting. 

For the birds