Sunbathing

Red-billed gull, Chroicocephalus scopulinus, a New Zealand native.

My car needed a warrant of fitness so I took it to a testing station in Christchurch. I had the choice of sitting in a stuffy waiting room with a TV blaring, or standing in a sunny courtyard. The sunshine was deliciously warm, soaking through my clothing, making me truly warm for the first time in a week. On a roof at the end of the street a crowd of seagulls were enjoying the sunshine too. My car passed the test.

When I left home the sky was overcast and there was a gusty nor’west gale blowing. After a couple of hours in the warm calm conditions in the city I returned home to find there was still a gale, and the clouds were even heavier than this morning.