FOR SUE

Photos of our garden today for Sue.  Warning: lots of photos.

Started picking tomatoes a few days ago.  Shouldn't need to buy any at the Market this week.

Plenty of Rhubarb.  We have quite a lot in the freezer.  Doug cooks it up with apple and we freeze it in  1 kg. Honey containers.

The  Riesentraube tomatoes are very prolific and hang in big bunches.  Should start ripening soon.

I am picking enough beans to give us a good supply.

These are Lebanese cucumbers.  We also have apple cucumbers.

We have five tubs of kumara (sweet potato).  If they are as good underground as above we will be very happy.

We have dug all the potatoes that were in the ground and just have four grow bags of them left.

THE WEEK SO FAR

On Monday we started our Parkinson walks for 2025.  We started with the walk from A.H.Reed Park to the Whangarei Falls, a favourite walk and ideal with plenty of shade.  

Yesterday, Tuesday, we decided to go for a drive to see a waterfall we had been told about just before Christmas, Mangere Falls.  We took the scenic route through farmland on a picture perfect day with clear blue skies dotted with the typical white fluffy clouds that give New Zealand its name of Land of the Long White Cloud.  We found the area but as we drove in noticed a Private Property sign but kept going as there was no turnaround area.  We finally came to an area of sheds and I walked across to a worker using a tractor.  I told him I thought we were lost and what we were looking for.  He pointed out that we were on Private property and he couldn't give us permission to see the falls as he was just a worker on the property.  However, after talking for a couple of minutes he changed his mind and pointed us in the right direction and told us that the chapel was open.

We found a small plywood building that must have been the chapel but didn't go in as the door was bolted although I don't think it was locked. I think the best view would have been from the chapel but we walked around the side and I managed to get a photo.  What surprised me was that the waterfall was made of pancake rocks.  It was a shame that we were not able to get closer but we had a great day out all the same.

This is what we had hoped to see (photo from the internet)

and another photo from the internet of the falls in flood

Another photo from the internet taken from near where we were.

Today we both had podiatrist appointments and decided to try out a new cafe on The Loop for lunch.  We both had what were virtually home made burgers and chips.  Doug's beef and mine lamb with a gluten free bun.  They were delicious and I know I ate too much.  In spite of that when I got home I had a fresh peach with some black raspberry vinaigrette and Blackcurrant and Acai yoghurt (my favourite desert at this time of year).

KIWI ART TRAIL

We read about the Kiwi Art Trail where 20 kiwi sculptures have been transformed by 20 different artists (two of them local).

This was enough to prompt a walk at the Town Basin this afternoon.  

I see there are only seven so we must have missed three plus the other ten are around the town so, hopefully, more to follow.

POTATOES

First of the potatoes were dug today.  A couple in the garden and a couple in a flexitub.  I think the flexitub is better as they just get tipped out and no damage from forks.  The ones that got damaged by the fork got eaten today when youngest daughter came to lunch and they were delicious. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and peaceful 2025.  Let's hope for a better year for so many things: wars, politics, famines, global warming, social inequity, weather, health to name a few.

It has not been the easiest of years.  Doug's youngest daughter shattered her leg at the beginning of May and stayed with us for a short while.  It is still far from being healed.  Doug has been having issues following problems with medication he was given after his minor stroke in August.  We just hope things will improve in this new year.  It is hard to believe it is 2025.  A quarter of the century nearly gone.

Today, Doug finished off putting a cover over the pond to give it some shade while I did some pruning.  

ANOTHER BIRTHDAY

Birthdays seem to come around much more frequently these days.  I find it hard to believe it is a whole year since the last one.  

I wanted a quiet day, hopefully catching up with a magazine I subscribe to.  It is bi-monthly and, not only have I not opened the last issue but I have only just started reading the previous issue.  I had a good quiet day but still have not picked up the magazines.

The day started with a phone call from a cousin on the Welsh border followed by a couple from Auckland and later on Australia.  I have had lots of emails, e-cards, cards and other messages with presents from two stepdaughters.  

Apart from a quiet day at home I decided I would like a walk in the bush alongside the stream so we went to Whareora Road and walked to Mair Park which was lovely and cool.  Back home a cuppa and cake then Doug cooked some fillet steak which we had with salad.  Neither of us had the room for the trifle I made at the weekend.  

On Friday I saw an advert for a plain linen dress and ordered one and the timing was right with it arriving today.  It was creased as it had been rolled up in a bag but I tried it on anyway and am happy with it - very comfortable which is the main requisite nowadays.

Photos from our walk

A birthday photo in the very crinkled dress.