A Shetland pony can be an obstinate cantankerous little horse, I was Eleven years old when my parents purchased one such animal for me. Tim the Shetland pony was a blue roan and a whole lot smarter than an eleven year old green horn. I helped my father build a paddock to house Tim close to our house, and had to do all the work of keeping Tim myself. My father was an excellent horseman in his own right so my and Tim"s progress was well guided and watched over.

Sure lots of children my age living in a farming area had a horse then it was no big deal. What I remember was the lessons I learned from keeping a horse and from Tim.

One of my jobs during the weekend was to collect pine cones for the house fires during winter. Our home had a small chip fire in the kitchen that heated the hot water and could be used to cook on. It also had a large open fire in the lounge.
On Sundays during the Autumn dad would help my fit a split to Tim. A split sack is two chaff sacks  laid over the horse's back lapped and stitched together so to make two large bags on either side of the horse, to access the sacks a opening was cut to make a pocket on both sides. Then held on with a surcingle strap.

I also had a small sugar sack with food and a bottle of cordial tied to the front. Once this was ready I would walk Tim up the road across an old wooden bridge over the Tadmor river then onto a gravel road. We would follow this road for about half an hour Tim grazing the roadside and me dreaming of what ever eleven year old's dream of.  We then would turn away from the river and into a large pine forest crisscrossed with four wheel drive tracks. Once I found a spot with windfalls or pruning I would retrieve my tomahawk from the split sack and start filling the sacks with cones.
The tomahawk was my pride and joy I still have it, re-handled several times over the years but still with its original head. I remember saving my pocket money for months to buy it from Mr Shirtcliff's store. Every time I use it it reminds me of the value of working towards a goal and what my parents taught me by making me save for it.
In the world we live in now parents would be critisied for allowing an eleven year old to buy and tomahawk. In the same vein sending a young boy off into the bush with with an axe and a horse possibly wouldn't go down to well ether.
It took hours of scrambling over windfalls and knocking cones with the back of my tomahawk to get both sacks full. All the while Tim would follow me grazing as he kept me in sight. If I left his sight he would whinny and start urgently looking for me. All I had to do was call out and he would settle down only after getting right up to me and pushing with his head. We both looked out for each other, I remember it being very reassuring that someone else was with me miles from anyone.

Once the sacks where fulled and my lunch was eaten and more importantly to Tim all grass was sniffed tried and eaten, we would turn for home.

When I returned home dad would help me undo the sacks and drag them to the woodshed and tip them into a large wooden bin.
What did I get for a Sundays work, mum and dad would thank me and comment on the amount I collected .  I was making a contribution to our family and the appreciation was genuine. Was I paid for it? no I was not this never entered my mind it was my input in to the collective family

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Level Two

Today after lunch I collected my tools,  three sacks and two dogs and made my way to the back of the golf course. This is through my back gate and is part of four hundred and fifty hectares of open land. I am in the process of clearing eight large pine trees and the ensuing foliage, cones an associated debris.

I had intended to just full the sacks with kindling wood and return home but got sidetracked with collecting pine cones so I was away from home much longer than expected.

When I returned I found we had visitors a friend and her three children. The friend was sitting outside with Sally drinking coffee and the three children where to my amazement seated in the lounge frowning at our television.
Hi i inquired how are you guys? The three looked a teenage boy possibly thirteen  a  girl of ten and a boy of six. the teenager grunted, and the ten year old spoke hay your TV is broken.
 Is it,
yep you cant get Sky.
 oh I see that's because we don't have Sky.
 Yea sure spoke the grunter.
 No we don't,
 then what do you watch, asked the ten year old.
 Well to be honest I haven't watched TV this summer. The six year old laughed and his look of disbelief was real.
I bet you play PS don't you the teenager asked, what you know play station two or Xbox?.
 Oh yes I said and I've got a version of Play station you have never seen.

Jumping up the ten year old was now animated can we have a go? sure follow me. I walked to the kitchen the teenager blew past me like an Olympic sprinter  from chair to kitchen in a split second.
It has two levels i said the first level is just a lead in but needs to be completed before you can progress to level two,
 not if you have the cheat keys said the six year old.
 Ok so here it is. You need to go into a yard and first travel all the paths they are straight forward but two are a bit hard to find. You have to count the fish in the pond but it is hard to find, you have to be careful because at this time of  day the sun will show you to the fish and they will swim away if you scare them.You need to find a tree with a climbing rope tied to a branch and pull yourself to the top. From there you will see two things, one is a view you need to remember what it is I will ask you later to check.
The second thing? asked the 10 year old jumping up and down is  it a dragon?
No it is the path to level two.
Level two is a gate and beyond that is wilderness you have to complete an exploration. I haven't finished this level yet do you want to know what I've found?  yes three voices in unison.
Well there is a stream to cross or you can walk down it. It leads to a swamp and then finally a pond, in the pond are ells. There are a lot of trails I've  found them all but it took a year. There is a lot of water on two side an ocean in fact I've been in it and always got out and home safely, wow times three.
 There is a lot of bush you need to get to it and explore it in the bush are birds and rabbits, but again if you are too fast they wont show themselves to you. In one large tree a harrier hawk has a nest you have to count the chicks I know the answer. On the edges of the golf course is long grass in this you will find golf balls you have to collect them and return them home with you or to get bonus points you have to find golfers and give them the balls.
Do you want to have a go I asked  yes Yes yep.
Well here goes I stepped out side and pointed to my back yard and said here its is go.......

They left not long after and from my drive I'm sure the teenager said to his mother "fucking weirdo".

Still I don't mind I'm just about to set off with my dogs to complete the next section of level two.

Its getting dry down here.

The driest summer in fifteen years here in good old Wellington. We have a total fire ban and now a complete ban on using any water outside.It reminds me of how summers used to be when I was a child. long still hot days and warm nights.

What I've found is how an increase in a few degrees of temperature  affects the way you live. I suppose it is an obvious spin off but I have to keep pinching myself when I go to close the back door late in the evening and find myself drawn out into the warm darkness. I stand on my deck and the world is alive with insects I haven't heard in years crickets for one. I look up and relive that childhood marvellous moment of millions of stars lighting the sky. You can't buy moments like this for they cost nothing but time. They deserve to be lived  to the fullest. During the day and night you just do, not making mental adjustments to compensate for the conditions as you do when it is cold. I go out for the evening and don't have to take warm clothing, I walk from the movie theatre to my car and it is pleasant. I go for a ride on my bike and just leave, then return in the same clothing. We adapt so quickly us humans.

The thrill is called living in the moment. Not thinking about before, not thinking about what if, but just being in the present and all it has to offer.