The llamas are taking it easy and so are we. They are lazing on the deck and we are reading. I managed to do a little weeding before it got too hot.

Under the shady trees we watched the quail survey the scene from his favourite post. Tuis in the totara, kereru and the ubiquitous minah birds competing for puriri berries. The kingfishers love the power lines and there are often a row of them sitting there.

The pukekos seem to have retreated back into the cow paddock after creating havoc in the garden when we aren’t around. They uprooted a few little plants and discarded them. The most important thing is to keep them out of the water trough as they can turn it into a revolting turgid stink hole in a matter of minutes.

Sometimes I think the heat slows the birds down too. The rosellas are not as noisy and busy as usual. Even the plovers are less screechy.