It's the first day of spring, yahoo!

Okay, I have to start this post by apologizing for my title. It's not really the first day of Aotearoan spring that I'm going to show you today.  It's not the official first day, the one on the calendar.  But, it is the first day since the official start of spring here that feels to me like the first day of spring ought to feel.    

I have a favorite T-shirt that says on the front, "In my defense, I was left unsupervised."  I would therefore point out that since it's my blog you're reading, and my pictures you're looking at, you ought to cut me a little slack when viewing what I put before you and understand that I need to indulge in a little poetic license every now and then.  Good.  Enough said.  

Jeanne and I came over to Devonport today on a bus trip from Waitakere Gardens.  We went to the Naval Museum here, which was nice, but I've got to tell you, I enjoyed having lunch afterwards in an English pub in downtown Devonport and then sitting on a bench in the park at the beach even more.  The weather was glorious.  Check it out.  

This is the 'iconic' view that says 'Devonport' to me.  It's right across the street from where our bus let us off.  All 49 of us scurried off in different directions. Although you do understand I hope, that when I use the term scurried, I am referring to my almost 72 year-old perception of time and space.  Most of Devonport's residents, had they been watching us, would have termed our dissemination from the bus as leisurely, lethargic or sluggish, if they were nice people that is, and ponderous, snail-like or torpid, if they were not. (I love the thesaurus.)  

Or maybe they would just have said we were 'slow as,' if they weren't the thesaurus toting sort.  

My lady and I soon passed this amazing tree.

And not long afterwards, this astounding 153 year-old Moreton Bay Fig.  Notice that all those slim 'trees' toward the outside are not in fact separate trees. Those are air roots from some of the branches.  

Jeanne fueled us up the morning of our adventure with oatmeal, aka porridge, served over sliced bananas with raisins and pumpkin and sunflower seeds sprinkled over the top.  She enjoyed hers doused in yogurt, while I preferred mine lightly slathered in molasses.  I mention this because the meal we had in Devonport was less healthy, but definitely to my taste. 

Here's the front door of the Patriot.  

We each added a half-pint of Guinness to our order and found it perfect.  

We arrived before the bulk, or even the beginning of the lunch crowd, which suited us just fine. Our drinks and food arrived very quickly.  
 

We wandered beachward after lunch and passed this fountain.

When I got back home and loaded these photos onto my computer, I tried to make an 'artistic' sort of picture.  What do you think? Not very artistic, is it?  Oh, well.  

We are here at the beach.

Looking out across the bay toward the Pacific.

And these views clearly are toward the city.

You see a ferry crossing in the foreground. I've taken it a lot.  It's fast and smooth, and it's the way I usually get to Devonport. Further, amazingly, for folks over 65, with a gold card, it's free.  

The Sky Tower is 2.25 miles from us.  It looks like there are three people outside today. 

Well, I've shown you all a number of pictures and I think you probably noticed how blue the sky was in most of them.  What you couldn't experience though was the breeze.  I've come to love New Zealand's almost constant winds. Today's was particularly nice. 

Balmy is a word I once used in a post to describe the feeling of an soft and refreshing night breeze. I felt it as I took some pictures of Jupiter from the croquet court at the Gardens around 11 p.m. But  balmy also means, not surprisingly, aromatic and fragrant. (the dictionary is just one click away from the thesaurus.) 

Did you know that crushed seashells have a smell?  It's true.  The top layer of the beach we were on was composed entirely of finely pulverized bivalve shells and as I walked on them, the heat carried up their unique tang. This mixed with the scents of all sorts of trees, flowers, and at one point, the aroma that wafted from a young woman walking by who I think was wearing an excessive amount of coconut sunscreen.  The combination of it all, as I sat there, well fed, on a bench, in the sun, next to Jeanne, was definitely a balm to my body and soul.  

Do you blame me, now that I've shared all this with you, for getting carried away with my title? My first taste of spring has whetted my appetite for the summer to come. We're currently back to winterish conditions, but I'm confident that a change for the better is coming.   -djf