I have had a bit of a blogging break recently. With my arm and much of my hand encased in plaster, I couldn't take any photos for weeks, and typing wasn't exactly easy either. But I did keep reading blogs, and in this post will share just a few of my favourites. Call it a bit of springtime inspiration if you live in the right part of the world- or autumn consolation otherwise I guess!
We'll start locally with Pohangina Pete who takes exquisite photos, some shared from his overseas travels, and some taken somewhere quite nearby, little things I might have noticed myself if I had looked- like this
apple in winter or this
detail on a building down Main St.
And next we'll jump across the Tasman, where I know a whole bunch of bloggers who often have me wishing I could take a quick jet trip to explore that wee island out west of us. One of them is Simon, who loves to head out into the local National Parks whenever he can find the time. Here is one of his latest forays, to
Penrith Lakes, man-made; and here is a record of what he saw at
Goulburn River National Park, shortly after he returned home from a trip to England that had been slightly extended by a certain volcanic eruption.
Now I will jump continents to a newly discovered blog by George. You can see some of the reflections he has captured here on the waters of the
Inner Harbour of Baltimore, and also see some of the visions he has recorded of the modern buildings. Art and beauty and inspiration. And while we are in the US of A, I have been a regular reader of Kelle Hampton's blog,
Enjoying the Small Things, for months. She shares many beautiful photos of her two young girls, and here is just a r
andom sample. She leaves me wanting to notice and enjoy the 'small things' every day in my own life.
I can't quite leave the other side of the world without paying a visit to Robert, the Solitary Walker, (who in fact led me to Blogger George.) Robert has been walking the
South West Coast Path in England in recent days, and writes so persuasively, and adds such photographs that you wish you were walking with him, even if it is raining.... Then there's ornithologist Maalie, who spends a bit of his retirement having 'well-earned holidays' bird-watching in odd places all over Europe; but who has recently bought a
kayak to explore a bit closer to home.
I guess I do tend to dabble more in blogs with photos, but there are more text based blogs that inspire me as well. (Can you spot the 'lapsed Catholic' peaking out from the next two?) Recently
Paul Brian Campbell SJ, who often shares little tidbits of inspiration, shared a bit from a
poem by Mary Oliver that I love:
"this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice can speak."
And Becky Eldredge, in her blog
"Everything is Holy Now" recently quoted something about the very concrete-ness of being Catholic, that almost made me wish I still was one....
"
Catholics are a sacramental people. We see signs of the presence of God around us in every moment of our lives. We know, of course, that God is greater than we can imagine and beyond all that we can touch, but we are also convinced that creation, from the most ordinary--water, oil, bread--to the most unlikely--the stranger, the enemy, the cross--can reveal divine love. "
Anyhow, that is enough for now..... more another day perhaps.
Today I joined a few old buddies from the PNTMC for a short tramp on the Coppermine track in the Ruahines, inland from Woodville. It was especially good to see Sally, who over recent years I have just met occasionally, usually in Melody's New World. 
Although there was easy walking along much of the track, there were quite a few places where the track had fallen away, and there was very narrow footing above slips. The last section of the track to the old mine has a serious slip and the end part of the track, to where the mine used to be, is no longer maintained at all.
It was only a brief detour downhill to the Magazine where they stored explosives when the mine existed. Now it is empty save for a large puddle, and according to the sign, some cave wetas. I decided not to venture in to find them.
It was the right season for some hooded native orchids to be flowering. I think I had wandered past many, until one member of the party pointed them out to the rest of us. Then we saw profusions of them in places!
It was a pleasant day, with hardly even a breeze, and sunshine. This view looks back towards the Ruahine range on our way out. 
The walk out was very easy, downhill, and there were several little streams to notice. I am sure they were there on the way up too, but I was too busy concentrating on walking then!
I have to admit now that I took the 'soft option' on this trip. On the route back, our party divided and some took the loop track that was going to take them another two hours. I used this week's anaemia blood test result as an excuse to be in the group that decided to take it easy! We headed back to Ballance. Here we divided again, and again I took the soft option. One dedicated soul decided to run back along the Gorge track, and we would pick him up later at the Ashhurst end. Another dedicated soul decided to walk in/out along the Gorge track for a period. While the other three of us decided that coffee/hot chocolate at the Ballance cafe sounded absolutely perfect. These rustic tractor remains rested in the cafe carpark.
As we got ready to depart the cafe carpark, after our onerous hour spent relaxing, this motorbike passed noisily by on the nearby road, then there was a sudden backfiring noise, and no more motorbike noise. Fortunately, nobody's first aid skills were needed, but a part had come adrift off the chain it appeared, and this motorbike was going nowhere fast....
