DAY-DREAMING EN CENTRAL OTAGO.

Otago Witness, Issue 2604, 10 February 1904, Page 63

DAY-DREAMING EN CENTRAL OT AGO.

Dear Reader^ — Xo woids of mine can describe to you this fair scene, and I am afraid that my pen is not yet so fluent that it can picture it to you as it appears to ae. My theme is a small, sparsely-inhabited country district, -with houses few and far between and surrounded by hills and mountains of every description. On every side my view is restricted by these mountains, which at tho present moment are veiled in a thin transparent mist. Through the mist I can •easily discern deep gorges and narrow ravines, that tend to make- the appearance of the mountains wild and uninhabited, yet, oh, so beautiful! Now the mist has vanished and the Great King of Bay has arisen, to awaken the inhabitants of this sleepy place from slumber, and warn them that worktinae is nigh. Ah! at last I hear tho sweet notes of the birds as they chant their morning hymn of praise, and, perched on the topmost boughs of the trees, enjoy to the utmost the pure balmy air of this summer morn. Now as the bright rays of the sun fall on the country I can perceive Nature' j handiwork in everything. Those projecting rocks covered with vcrdur-c, with a background of green flax and feathery toi-toi resds, and yond Q r clump of manuka with a xich profusion of wild blossom, were placed there by no mere man, but are one of the many wonderful freaks of Nature. It would bs very delightful for a party of picnickers to climb the hill and r-esc under the manuka and other shrubs, after their bracing walk. Innumerable ferns, flowers, etc., may be found peeping from under the rocks, and growing among the tussocks, and no one could resist the charms of a real picnic among the hills. My wandering feet have led me to a projecting rock, from which I can watch the clear water taking its course thorugh pebbles and stones, mosses and grasses, yet never pausing, but wending its way to the sea, to bs buried .in the blue waves of the ocean. Oh, what a soothing effect the sweet music of the clear babbling ■water has upon my restless soul, and what a feeling of resignation comes over me as I yield myself to its gentle influence ! How quickly this spot was transformed from drowsiness to activity and life? Everything and everyone is wide awake — the flowers with their many brilliant colours and dainty perfumes beautifying the world ; the children clamouring for breakfast ; the horses and poultry waiting to be fed ; the cows to be milked, and the little lambs on the grassy slopes and plains frisking and playing, as if it were their only duty in life. Quietly and sedately the mother sheep watch their offspring, and eat a tuft here and a. tuft there, and yet as I gaze at them the thought runs through my mind that they in their quiet way enjoy the beautiful summer weather quite as much as their lambs do, in "a noisy yet harmless manner. At last I stand beneath the willows that surround my home, and must hasten to my daily duties. I must put past my dreaming cap and say farewell. Dear ]ove]y bowers of irmocer?c-e amd ease, Ssats of my youth, when every spcrt could please, ' How often have I loiterec? o'er thy green, "Where humble hnppir.css endeared eceh scene! RAMBLER.