“The end of the Golden weather”

Summer is almost over in New Zealand, but mid-February I went on holiday. Eight days of morning swims, long walks, barbeques, sun and sand and best of all lots of time relaxing with my two humans. Bliss.

Then I returned to Auckland and a small four legged thing arrived and has taken over the posts on my blog (as well as my house, my toys, my bed and a lot of my human’s attention). It has even made my dad run away to another country to escape it’s barking, although mum tells me he went for work, but I see a pattern… the puppy arrived, barked and dad went away, dad comes back, the puppy barks and dad left the country again. My dad still hasn’t returned.

Anyway it’s time to blog just about me, and tell you about my last holiday.

Mum, dad and I went to Omaha, on the east cost of the North Island of New Zealand. Omaha is about an hour north of where we live. I’ve been going there ever since I was a puppy so I know this beach well. Let me show it to you…

This is looking towards the northern end of the beach (click on the pictures to make them bigger),

and this is looking towards the southern end of the beach.

The building you see is the surf lifesaving club rooms.

The sand spit runs in a North-South direction and is approx. 3km long so the Eastern side of the beach is really good for walks. On the western side of this sand spit is an estuary with a boat ramp, and lots of nice walks along the water side of the golf course. The mid-day sun is to the north (not like you back to front people who have your mid-day sun to the South).

Are you going to follow me for a closer look?

Which way shall I go?

I know - I will go to my favourite bit ... the waves.

The waves are so much fun. I have to jump and swim over the big ones to get my toy.

While I'm out chasing my toy my mum is looking at the ground to see what patterns and shapes she can find.

These shapes are mine!

I get to meet lots of other dogs on the beach.

In summer dogs are allowed on the beach off-leash before 9am and after 7pm.

There is so much open space for me to run and play!

I love it when dad is about to throw my toy into the water!

 Sometimes we start our beach walks at the southern end,

 and pass this Maori carving guarding the entrance to the beach.

 It often seems like we have the beach just to ourselves.

Here is another Maori carving in the sand dunes.

 A few shells that smell interesting,

and a bit of driftwood.

Time to go into the water again,

which is always done with such style!!!!

My best polar bear impersonation...

I get to play with some of my new friends...

and then it is just me and my shadow.

Back again.  Another morning, another swim

and the chance to watch someone surfing

(although the waves get much bigger than this)

The same beach another morning...

 I never get tired of fetching this.

Every morning we walk up and down the beach.

Mum walks straight, and dad and I zig zag into and out of the water.

 Here I am at the Northern end.

Behind me is a rock wall (to protect the end of the sandbar)

and behind the rocks is the estuary.

Well I hope you enjoyed my beach tour.

Another time I will tell you about some of the

things we did and the places we went after my

morning swims.

Bye for now,

Riley



Flowers.

Enzo has discovered my favourite plant – a Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata) which is a semi-climbing rambling blue flowered plant that originally comes from South Africa. This plant covers one of our fences and is approx. 2 metres deep. I love it because I can hide inside; chew on the branches, check if any cats have been through and without even knowing it take flowers to mum.

Now Enzo has decided it is his hiding place too, so he races in and out. Of course we both went in to play – which had mum worried, as she didn’t know what we were up to and couldn’t climb under the Plumbago to get Enzo out!

In the last photo you will see what my new brother ended up looking like. He had flowers over his face, on his chest and in his paws. I heard Mum muttering something about there being “flowers for Africa” (where does that saying come from?) before giving us both a good brush and comb.

Sending you woofs,

Riley

Introducing my very own little puppy…

Enzo

Now you might be able to guess where my family got the idea for his name, but Enzo’s name also contains three of the four letters of their first Golden Retriever’s name, and has "NZ" in the middle – which is where we live, so his name is extra special to them. Of course your first two ideas about where this Italian name comes from are also correct.

He came home last Saturday, and this is the first time I have had to write about him. Enzo is a mini-me, he follows me around, barks lots when he wants to play or go outside, plays with my toys, has very tasty food (I’d forgotten what puppy food tastes like!) and makes us all smile.

If you read my earlier posts ( I'm getting a puppy and Puppy photos ), you will know that I first got to meet Enzo when he was five and a half weeks old! I was allowed to visit the ten puppies (although I had to be on the other side of the fence), and all the other Golden Retrievers that lived there, so when mum and dad came home on the 20th of February smelling again of puppies I knew something was up.

Picking our puppy on the 20th of February.

 

This is the one!

They told me how hard it was to choose. The process took them so long that the puppies even had a rest while they were deciding. I wish they could have brought all ten puppies home as that would have been so much fun, but after much playing, looking and thinking they picked the one with the black collar that kept following them around and snuggling into mum's lap because they fell in love with the mischievous look on his face, and they said that he reminded them of what I looked like when I was young.

Then last Saturday my humans disappeared for a while and left me home alone. Little did I know that it would be one of the last times I had the whole house and back yard to myself.

Pick up day (8 1/2 weeks old) with his teddy and mum.

 

The car ride home on mum's lap, while dad drove.

Getting used to our front yard

and to me.

I think we are going to be great friends!

Since Saturday Enzo has and I have had lots of human visitors – young and old, he has been to the vets for his nine week injections and check, and we have taken so much of mum’s time that she has hardly taken any photos, or visit your blogs or do things for herself especially as dad had to go overseas for work.

Anyway it is time for mum and I to play with him. I'll try to get mum to take some more photos for you, and hopefully she will find some "spare time" to visit your blogs and type to my thoughts (as I am unable to type with my big paws) about my little puppy on this blog.

Bye for now,

Woofs,
Riley

Wordless Wednesday - He's home.