Poultry Show

14+15 May 2016- Poultry Show, Upper Hutt, New Zealand

There was a good variety of pigeons, ducks, chicken and some budgies.

My husband loved rollers. We always had some. The ones on show reminded me about the rollers we had more than twenty  years ago.

 

 

 

 

Some pigeons on show.

Some chickens

The top row middle photo shows a chicken which you can’t recognise the front from the back.

Eggs were also on display.

There was also a crafty competition

Use and decorate eggs.

Egg on the right is an ostrich egg shell.

Blogging from A-Z: Letter T

TEAPOT/TEEPOT

TRAIN/TREIN

TOMATO/TAMATIE

TWO/TWEE

New Zealand names:

TUI

http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/tui#bird-sounds

Tūī are unique (endemic) to New Zealand and belong to the honeyeater family, which means they feed mainly on nectar from flowers of native plants such as kōwhai, puriri, rewarewa, kahikatea, pohutukawa, rātā and flax. Occasionally they will eat insects too.

They are important pollinators of many native trees and will fly large distances, especially during winter for their favourite foods.

Tūī will live where there is a balance of ground cover, shrubs and trees. They are quite aggressive, and will chase other tūī and other species (such as bellbird, silvereye and kereru) away from good food sources. http://www.doc.govt.nz/tui

TUATARA

They are the only surviving members of the order Sphenodontia, which was well represented by many species during the age of the dinosaurs, some 200 million years ago. All species exept for the tuatara declined and eventually became extinct about 60 million years ago.

Tuatara are therefore of huge international interest to biologists. They are recognised internationally and within New Zealand as species in need of active conservation management.

http://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/reptiles-and-frogs/tuatara/

Blogging from A-Z: Letter P

PAUA SHELL

PEACOCK

PUKEKO

PAUA SHELL

I asked my son to send me a Paua Shell while still in South Africa. He sent me two beautiful shells.

I wanted to explain how life is, just like the shell with all the rough sediments on it. We are always polishing our lives. As soon as we find things that we can sparkle in it is like the shell that gets cleaned and polished by people and circumstances all around us. In the end, our shining beauty comes out, and it makes a difference, it makes life worth living.

People are always in interaction, and we learn from each other

Pāua is the Māori name given to three species of large edible sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs which belong to the family Haliotidae, known in the United States and Australia as abalone, and in the United Kingdom as ormer shells. Wikipedia

PEACOCK/POU

Photos taken at Staglands a nature resort.

Staglands Wildlife Reserve & Cafe offers visitors the unique and exciting opportunity to connect with nature in a beautiful, natural environment. Feed and freely interact with wildlife in this very special place – the product of one man’s passion and vision to experience nature at its best. Located in the scenic Akatarawa Valley near Upper Hutt, Wellington, Staglands is a ‘must see’ attraction for local families and tourists visiting the Wellington region. Looking for things to do in Wellington, look no further.

http://www.staglands.co.nz/

PUKEKO

Each class at the school where I am doing the after school care has an NZ bird or animal name.

.

• Species Information
• Breeding and ecology

The pukeko is a widespread and easily recognisable bird that has benefitted greatly by the clearing of land for agriculture. In addition to its brilliant red frontal shield and deep violet breast plumage, the pukeko is interesting for having a complex social life. In many areas, pukeko live in permanent social groups and defend a shared territory that is used for both feeding and breeding. Social groups can have multiple breeding males and females, but all eggs are laid in a single nest and the group offspring are raised by all group members.

http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/pukeko

More “P”s

P…

https://hesterleynel.wordpress.com/2016/04/19/p-elysium/

https://frandr.wordpress.com/2016/04/19/p-staan-vir-pa-toeka-tokkel-se-april-uitdaging-my-alfabet-van-dankbaarheid/

 

Look out! Monday Finish the Story October 26, 2015

Vultures!

Finish the story begins with: “I watched the vulture looking at me hungrily as I lay on the ground bleeding and injured.”

“Shoo, shoo, leave me alone” My voice is only croaking. The vulture flies away.

I can’t exactly remember what happened to me. My thoughts are blurred by pain and I feel like fainting again. I must not do the fainting. The vultures will see that I am lifeless and will start eating my bruised flesh. Here is one sitting next to me.  
“Hey chum, what happened to you? You look as if the vultures started their meal on you.”

I open one eye and see my friend looking very amazed at me. I still can’t remember where the vultures came from.

The last was, me sitting on the steps of the pub watching the girls, and next the vultures were landing!

https://mondaysfinishthestory.wordpress.com/2015/10/26/mondays-finish-the-story-october-26th-2015/

Another duck tale… FFfAW week of 05-13-2015

Welcome !

13th

Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers

Week of 5-13-2015

https://flashfictionforaspiringwriters.wordpress.com/2015/05/12/fffaw-week-of-05-13-2015/

Duck’s eye of few:

The river is full after days of heavy rain. The duck family escaped the flood at the moment. They are looking for a way out.

Suzy duck, told this family to come and live with them in a quiet pond.. As always, it is better to be with the familiar than moving to an unknown place. Now it is too late. They don’t know in which direction to go. The  flood was on top of them before they could reach safety. They are stranded in an unknown place. What must they do? Start flying or stay here on the path?

Hunter’s eye of view:

Lucky me! Now I can show my friends what I can do with a shotgun. Take aim, pull the trigger! Bhawa!

Off they are! All of them!

Lucky for the ducks this time, not for the hunter.

Lone pigeon : FFfAW week of 4-22-2015

For more information on the challenge visit : https://flashfictionforaspiringwriters.wordpress.com/2015/04/21/fffaw-week-of-4-22-2015/

LONE PIGEON

The train gone. The lonely pigeon waiting for the next one.

I sat waiting for 1:05 am train to start the home journey from Wellington back to Upper Hutt. The train doors open, a message inside saying: No eating or drinking inside.

A pigeon came hopping along. Hopping, because it had no feet! No feet but still looking for some morsels to eat.

How did it survive till now? Were its feet amputated by some waste that we, as humans love to just throw away? Was it born without feet or did a rat eat its feet while still young? Questions churning.

In the meantime, the pigeon happily hopped  into the train. Another pigeon came along. It also jumped into the train, chasing my special pigeon out.  I started wondering: From where is this pigeon? Where is its place to rest during the night? Is it a safe place?

In our lives it is important  to know that we have a safe place to go to. I am so glad I could take the train back home where I am safe.  Out of  the elements of nature. Not like this poor pigeon always  on the look out for people and other situations that can harm it.