Wednesday 30 December 2009

early morning walks in the summer heat

Because the hot weather has returned, many people are walking late at night or early in the morning. They're both fascinating times; at night you can stroll around the streets and listen to the sounds drifting out of the open windows of the houses, and in the morning you can enjoy the freshness of the day before everyone is about.

The other day we walked in Yarra Bend park and Penny enjoyed a swim in the river and then a roll in the grass.



The best part about the walk was that we were right above a freeway and the traffic was roaring past, on the way to work, and we were free to wander. In this picture Penny is standing by the fence that edges the freeway, which is sunk below the level of the park.



Today we returned to Darebin Parklands. Seeing the water was low (and there hasn't been any definite information about where to swim), we stopped at a spot that would normally be too rapid for her. I could even join her in the middle of the creek without getting my feet wet!




10 comments:

Unknown said...

Lucky, Penny! The weather is warm! I wish... It's raining over here and it's overcast and cold. Brrr. I loved the two photos of Darebin Parklands. Very artistic, truly gorgeous. Clean water is a luxury for us from the Station Fire area. This was a nice change. :)
Twink!

parlance said...

Do you live in the area of that huge fire that occurred in October? If so, you have my sympathy. I think your area is like ours. It's horribly windy and dry today, which is possible bushfire weather, but I haven't heard of any yet. (It's lunchtime.)

JD and Max said...

Hi Penny - ooh, it's cold and windy and bleak where we are at the moment. It's GREAT for exploring BUT we keep on thinking our humans are getting treats out for us and then realise that they're just putting their hands in their pockets to keep their hands warm - humph!

Female human says she enjoys so many 'simple' things as a result of having us, such as taking a walk in a place she hasn't been to before. Even though the weather is miserable she gets so much fun watching us play whilst we're out.

We hope you and your human have a great New Year!

Schnauzer snuggles - JD and Max.

Unknown said...

Yes, that's exactly where we live. We live right next to Angeles Crest National Forrest, where the Station Fire destroyed a little over 160,000 acres. The air quality is still terrible and our homes constantly fill up with more ashes. We don't worry any longer about fires though, it's the rain we need to control. I hope you guys fare well during your dry and windy brushfire season!!!
Hey, we're a few hours away from 2010. Happy New Year, Penny and loved ones!
Twink!

Unknown said...

We've joined the early morning/late evening walking brigade too! Gosh - didn't realise how lucky we were in Auckland to have such mild, pleasant weather most of the time that you could walk the dog any time of the day you fancied!

That park looks gorgeous - am quite jealous! - we are still getting to know our local parks and so far, it's been a bit disapppointing from the off-leash point of view as most parks only seem to allow dogs off in a tiny, fenced enclosure - so unfair! - when the rest of the park is empty and no humans are using the bushy corners anyway! Also, most people seem to encourage not taking dogs to parks at all coz of the risk of paralysis tick (do you have those in Melbourne too?) - but we feel that it's a bit mad not to let dogs go to parks!

Hsin-Yi

curator said...

Ah, I dimly recall what it was like to have sunshine and warmth for the season. (I lived in Melbourne for a year as a kid.) I wish you a wonderful New Year and pray no more terrible fires happen to hurt anyone.

parlance said...

Twink, I know what you mean about the rain! Those burnt out areas just wash away when it rains. I sure hope you're not having floods.

All the best for the New Year.

parlance said...

JD and Max, you dogs are great for teaching us humans to appreciate what we have! Happy New Year to your whole household.

parlance said...

Hsin-YI, it sounds as if you are still finding out about your new home! We don't have the paralysis ticks down here, but I've heard of them and I think I might have heard that we have to start being careful because southern Australia is now moving into a warmer climate.

What about beaches? Can you go there early in the morning or late at night? It seems to me it might be easier to watch out for ticks.

Surely people don't keep their dogs away from parks altogether?

I do remember when I went on a holiday to NZ I thought it looked like dog paradise!

parlance said...

Curator, it's lovely to know you lived here for a year! What a small world it is!

The sunshine is lovely, but for the last decade we've also become aware of the dangers. It's strange, we're hard-wired to want to go out in the sun, it makes us feel more cheerful when the sun shines, but really it's rather dangerous to us delicate humans for part of the year.

I wish you all the best for 2010.