Is this machine recording?

The cicadas have started in earnest, with their glorious deafening song. I had a hint of it on Wednesday as I rode Scenic Drive in the pre-dawn. A glorious ride, with Tui, Kereru, Kotare and Riroriro as companions. The cicadas were there, but not truly on song, still just hinting at what was to come.

This morning, it was as if the switch had been flicked on. In Birdwood Road, Massey they were deafening. Just a wonderful accompaniment to the bath like warmth of the dawn. Then for the rest of the ride, around Whenuapai and back into town, everytime there was any cluster of trees, there was song.

A cluster of trees, a glade if you like, a thicket, a copse - all such English terms, and to my mind they completely fail to capture that raw essence of New Zealand bush, with it's verdant growth and tangled underside. Nothing gentle there.

I love this time of year, the humidity and the prickling of one's skin as you start to exercise. It's foreign to where I grew up, and I welcome it every year.