Tuesday 3rd to Monday 9th July – Enjoying the World Cup from afar

Tuesday 3^rd July – SPCA

There seemed to be plenty of strange requests and stroppy callers this afternoon.  I experienced my first person hanging up on me.  As in the UK, there is a massive issue with the stray cat population around Auckland.  There are far too many unneutered cats around and just not enough good homes.  What adds to the problem is when members of the public assume that the SPCA is responsible for ALL these cats and can choose to move them elsewhere when they cause a nuisance, or when someone wears tired of feeding them.  There is always a lengthy waiting list for space in the cattery for a cat to be rehomed but when you try to explain that to people it is not greeted well! People of Auckland – stop feeding cats in your area unless you are looking to take full responsibility for them and their welfare. They don’t understand when you change your mind!

Wednesday 4^th July – England’s first knockout game in the World Cup

It was a 6am kick-off for England vs Columbia.  Simon had arranged to head into work late and I was hopeful that I could watch the entire match before going to the Hunua’s.  It was painful! Having led for the vast majority of the game, England let a late equaliser in which took it to extra time.  As the minutes ticked by, it was looking ever more likely that it was going to end in a penalty shoot-out. We certainly didn’t look capable of scoring a goal from open play, though Columbia looked dangerous at times.  I wasn’t able to watch any longer. Only partly because of the tension! If I was late meeting up with the other volunteers then I wouldn’t get access through the locked gates into the ranges, so any chance of tramping would be out.

I hit the road but managed to listen to the drama unfolding on a very crackly AM frequency on the radio.  When one of our players missed their penalty first I was convinced that we were heading for more shoot-out heartbreak. But then, Columbia crumbled and in combination with an excellent save by our goalkeeper, we only blooming won!  We’d done it, we broken the England penalty shoot-out curse to reach the quarter finals!

These guys were waiting for me to celebrate the football result

I was buzzing when I arrived to meet everyone in Hunua. It took me ages to calm down! I requested to be sent up Ernie’s track for my tramp today. I knew the start was a steep climb, but I hadn’t made it up to the viewpoints yet and the sky was clear and blue.  

What a beautiful view over the Hunua Ranges

It was well worth the effort.  We were all extra-motivated today in the knowledge that a feast lay waiting for us on our return. It was Robin’s Birthday and as she always makes such an effort for everyone else, we all made a special effort for her in return. I had made some chocolate brownies for the first time ever, others brought cheese, bread, quiche and fruit.

There were even candles for the Birthday Girl's (centre) cake

Friday 6^th July – Bird survey

This week is New Zealand Garden Bird surveying week. I had been waiting for an opportunity to do my count all week and this afternoon was stunning. I grabbed my cup of tea, binoculars and bird book before heading into the grounds for an hour to be impressed by the number and range of birds to be seen. Having a large pond in the garden makes it a popular spot for Mallards and Pukekos, keeping a tally of the exact numbers took some doing!

A bonus - the first time I have seen a pair of Silvereyes outside the house

I was reminded of one of the downsides to being so far from home for so long. I received some sad news from one of my best friends that their relationship was breaking down and it brought home how helpless you can feel. Apart from being able to listen to their troubles there isn’t a lot you can do from New Zealand. I couldn’t even offer her a cup of tea and a hug - or a drunken night out to cheer her up!

Sunday 8^th July – England’s Quarter final

Our entire weekend revolved around needing to be awake at 2am this morning to watch the World Cup Quarter final between England and Sweden.

After a relaxed Saturday I got a few hours’ sleep before my 0150m alarm woke me up. Simon had intended to get some shut-eye but instead ended up on Facetime to close friends in the UK and then caught the Formula 1 British Grand Prix qualifying.

This is how you can watch the World Cup in the middle of the night in the Southern hemisphere!

As I turned on the TV and flicked through the channels, imagine our horror to discover that the game wasn’t being shown anywhere!  Our normal channel of choice, Prime, wasn’t back on air until 6am but there were about three channels showing Wimbledon replays! This is how little New Zealanders care about football! Simon made a mad search about on his iPad and managed to download an App showing the game, so here was our set-up on the sofa under a blanket (right). 

Thankfully, the game was not as painful as our last sixteen game and through we went to our first World Cup semi-final since Italia 1990!!! Time to celebrate…. By going back to bed!

Monday 9^th July – Bird Rescue

There have been a high number of bird escapes at the centre lately.  Not good practise when the whole idea of the hospital is to rehabilitate birds that are already injured!  As such, the Managers had sent out an information email reminding us volunteers to be extra careful to avoid letting the birds out and establishing a recording system so that they can identify the main culprits. As a result, I wasn’t best pleased with myself this morning when I nearly lost a naughty duckling!  As I was transferring three medium-sized ducklings into the bath, one burst through the lid and made a dash into the undergrowth. Don’t these birds realise when they’re onto a good thing? They get as much food as they can eat here! I had to confess my error to Lyn the Manager who suggested leaving the other ducks in a box as tweeting ‘bait’ to attract the escapee back.  Thankfully this had the desired effect, but it was an hour or two before the cheeky duckling made his return appearance and we managed to herd him up. Phew! That’s a mark by my name, but Lyn was very understanding on this occasion and there was no harm caused to my feathered friend.

The creek leading to the waterfall

Looking around at other opportunities to explore in the area, I had seen a recommendation to visit Oakley creek waterfall. I’d finished a little early at Bird Rescue so today seemed as good a day as any.  The tricky part was finding a parking spot near the entrance. It is situated very close to one of the main routes into the City. In the end I found a way in via a University campus nearby. I don’t think it was the approved route to the falls, but I slid my way down a slope between some trees and found my way there. 

Oakley Creek Waterfall

It was pleasant enough, but a bit of a pain to get to if I’m honest!

I headed to the gym in the evening. First I did most of my program before meeting some gym buddies for the core CX class. I then got persuaded into staying for body attack, which I haven’t done for several years. It was a stark reminder of how bad my knees have got – I used to be able to do all of that running and jumping around type of aerobics but now I get shooting pains under my knee caps and have to resort to the low-impact moves. I don’t enjoy it half as much, as I feel I’m not getting the full workout. Instead of feeling energised, I was left feeling old and disappointed in myself.