Sometimes you just need a picture of a kitty.

the smallest, originally uploaded by christinelinnell.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) runs a volunteer programme that includes providing foster homes for animals recovering from illness or surgery. They provide all the food and supplies and help the volunteers take care of the animals until they're healthy and ready for adoption.

While I was in Paraparaumu I helped my friends take care of four sick kittens. They all looked pretty miserable when we got them - this little girl had us worried for the first few days - but by the time I moved back to Wellington they were climbing all over the place.

It was hard work but I loved taking care of them. You'd be surprised how fast you get the hang of administering eye drops to a grumpy kitten before she can get her needle-sharp claws into you, and how exciting it is when she finally starts eating on her own. And then, of course, cuddles!

If you've got the time and space to be a foster care provider I would totally recommend it.

On the Kapiti Coast

butterfly kite, originally uploaded by christinelinnell.

I spent Christmas, New Year's and most of January living with friends at their beach house in Paraparaumu. The town is a bit shabby and suburban but the beach is excellent, wide and flat with smooth white sand. I spent my time there going for runs, taking the dog out to chase seagulls and photographing the sunsets.

Paraparaumu Line

Not bad for a fifty-minute commute to work.

Pohutukawa

New Zealand's Christmas tree, blooming right on schedule.

Spring

And, incidentally, my 30th birthday.

Graffiti

We have a lot of taggers in Wellington. Generally they annoy me, but sometimes they take me by surprise, like this one at an Island Bay bus stop. It was painted over by the end of the week.

Kia ora Aotearoa

Today is Waitangi Day. It is also the three-year anniversary of me arriving in New Zealand. I can't describe how much this country is leaving its mark on me. Thanks for everything, Aotearoa.

Wellington

It's very easy to love Wellington, as long as you don't mind the weather. Personally I think the wind is one of the best things about it, even while I complain mightily along with everyone else. It's a city shaped by wind, by the harbour, and by the hills, and so it's a city full of cheerful sturdy strong-legged people.