We were nicely rewarded with a unusual sunset indicating the possibility of rain the following day. All in all this was a ecotour where we cleaned up a little patch of Marlborough with my friends from USA.

This morning I have a visit from the representative of the Queen Elizabeth trust coming to discuss improvements to our covenanted wetland.

It was one wild southerly day; wet and windy yet very rewarding for my friendly client and Will of Driftwood Ecotours. We went to see if any more arctic waders had arrived which they probably had but self preservation and common sense prevailed and we returned as quickly as we arrived!! Saw one flagged bird briefly I think orange over yellow but will confirm in better conditions. Had the privilege of seeing a white heron at our departure point.

yesterday was a much calmer day and one of reflections on and off the water. Our environment is always under threat and I ‘m constantly picking up rubbish on the river and wondering why people dump all sorts of trash into the river. However I never dwell on it for too long as it makes one negative and I just enjoy the reflections and birds this river constantly provides.

It’s a busy week with the inaugural Indulge Marlborough Wine and Cuisine festival starting on Thursday. Highlights include Anna Coddington, Paul Urbana Jones and our local girl Sarah Brown all singing plus chef’s Johnny Schwass and Chris Fortune. Also we shall have the pleasure of Justin Marshall as one of the guests.

Have planted more trees enhancing our wetland environment and reducing our client’s carbon footprint and looking for more ways to be sustainable.

cheers Will