A happy wander

It's been a while and today I'm back in the hills. It wasn't demanding and it was unexpectedly mild. There were a few icy places that sent the heart racing a few times but there were no drop-offs or steep slopes with ugly run-outs to worry about.

It was a happy 5 hours with some bonus snow and ice. That made me smile and reconnect with why I live here. I appreciated anew the wonderful Canterbury landscape with it's mountains, hills, plains, and rivers, it's the flip-side earthquakes.

Last night I experienced my first quake in my new home. It was centred nearby so felt sharp and rattly. Neither the little pope or I enjoyed it but we were fine. He hid for a while before appearing on the bed with big pointy ears. He scanned the ceiling seeking answers to the intrusion then curled up and fell asleep.

It will take a while for me to get understand and get used to how the house sounds and moves in a quakes. It's single level, nearly new post-quake build on good land, and is a light weight build. They're all good things on these shaky isles.

Today's gratitude: To be out again in the hills. What a wonderful playground :-)