I LOVE MY SUNDECK

It is a cold morning but I love my sundeck

SEEDLINGS

On Friday I ordered some seedlings from Awapuni.  I like their plants - they come in newspaper wrapped bundles.  I ordered four bundles of snap dragons (2 of a tall one, 1 of a medium and 1 of a small one for a container).  I also ordered a bundle of pak choy and 1 of cinerarias.  With this order came a free bundle of broccoli.  They were dispatched yesterday and I didn't expect delivery until this afternoon or tomorrow morning so had a list of jobs for today.  Of course, the plans of mice and men.......................  they arrived first thing this morning so that after the household chores including a couple of loads of washing I planted the pak choy and then the broccoli.

These photos were taken as I had planted most of the pak choy.  Doug is busy digging up the hydrangea plants that I have cut back.  As we were running late we just had a bowl of soup for lunch and were just getting back in the garden when friends arrived.  We have just had a coffee with them and  I will now get the washing in, pick some silver beet, have a shower and then it will be time to start on our evening meal.  The rest of the plants will have to wait till tomorrow.

I lit the fire at 7 a.m. and it has been going gently all day.  I see it is 9 degrees outside and the forecast is still 2 degrees celsius for tonight.  I changed to flannelette sheets today, winter is here.

Doug has finished repainting the Dolphin and put it back up.

COLDER

The wind was quite cold today.  Our Parkinson's walk this morning was around a park, along a couple of streets and down to view a dam that has been built as a safety valve to store water in case of an extremely heavy downpour when it will slowly release to, hopefully, prevent a flood in the city

The sun was lovely but the wind bitterly cold.

The vegetable garden is coming on nicely and we have been eating the silver beet (Swiss chard) and had kale for lunch.

The outside painting is nearly complete - the gate is finished and today Doug painted the Dolphin white ready for a repaint.

I see the high for today is 11 degrees C. while the low is forecast to be 4 degrees and 2 degrees tomorrow.  We have started having our main meal at midday so will have a nice bowl of vegetable soup shortly.  I lit the fire at about 2 o'clock so things are nice and warm.

It will be good to start on the indoor jobs (lining the walls, carpet down in the new sunroom etc).  Already it has made a big difference.  The veranda was very cold with the wind but now it is enclosed the sun streams in making it nice and cosy.  It is Kim the cat's new favourite place along with her new deck.

The photo is taken looking down from the window above as I can't take a photo from ground level as she hears me coming and runs to meet me!

THE ROYAL WEDDING

The Broadcast started at 9 p.m. and the actual wedding not until 10 p.m. so we did not expect to watch it.  We watched an earlier programme at 7 p.m. on the first 100 days of  Meghan's introduction to Royal Life.  We did not watch the following hour long programme about the planning for the wedding but at 9 p.m. I put the television on again to have a look at the build up to the wedding.  We were so enthralled we watched until 12.30 a.m. when they were driving through Windsor.

Meghan looked radiant in a lovely simple dress and I particularly like her small bouquet and read this morning that it was made out of flowers that Prince Harry had picked.

The sermon by the Reverend Bishop Michael Curry was all about LOVE and stole the show.




We wish them the very best for a Long and Happy Life together.

QUARRY GARDENS

The Quarry Gardens is a subtropical garden in an old quarry created by volunteers.  It is where we went for our weekly Parkinson's walk this morning.  Doug stayed home as his neck is still very sore. One can walk around the gardens themselves or up the hill and I went with the smaller group who tackled the hill.

There was fog in the morning at home which had cleared but as I drove the short distance to the Gardens it got thicker but quickly dispersed to leave a lovely sunny day.

There was work going on at the top of the carpark so instead of going across the bridge I was able to photograph it and the gardens behind.  Going up the hill I didn't get to walk through the actual gardens.

Before we went up we saw the new sculpture by Chris Booth

 Whangarei Quarry Gardens was generously gifted funds by a local philanthropist to go towards a permanent sculpture for the gardens.

Gardens manager David McDermott said the sculpture represented a new chapter in the gardens' story, one which staff, trustees and volunteers were excited about.

"The impressive scale, considered materiality and symbolic kaupapa of this work aligns beautifully with the gardens' aesthetic and vision. We wholeheartedly thank the donor for her generosity. We also thank Chris and Rata for sharing their passion and craft while on the site at the gardens," McDermott said. 

Booth said the piece was fifth in a global series of Varder living sculptures. Varder is an old Nordic word for cairn.

Varder I and Varder II were built in Denmark in 1998, 20 years ago, and are still being consumed by the greatest recycler, fungi, as planned.

Varder I had moved only about one metre in that time.

Varder III and Varder IV are in the Netherlands, III is 14 years old and IV is 2 years old.

We got high up quite quickly.  Our cars look small looking down.

Lighthouses

Doug has now painted Sophie's gate at the front door.  Very useful in keeping her in when deliveries are made.  He has also painted the two lighthouses he made.  He stopped today to get the lawns mowed before the rain came and also went to the Osteopath as he has hurt his neck somewhere along the line doing the painting.  The rain did come - not sure if it is still raining as it is dark now but it is forecast to continue for the weekend with a heavy rain warning for tomorrow.

Before and after with the dog gate repainted.

and the repainted lighthouses that Doug made.
                                       
                                          Before

                                         After

There is still the gate to paint when the weather clears as long as his neck improves.

TODAY'S CARTOON IN OUR LOCAL PAPER (KAITAIA)

FIRST ANNIVERSARY

Yesterday was our First Wedding Anniversary.  How time flies.  Friends took us out for a delicious lunch.  

Doug's Latest Task

Many years ago Doug's youngest daughter gave him a concrete dog.  Doug being Doug, he painted it.  When they shifted up here the dog came as well and was getting a bit worse for wear.  The time has come for a rejuvenation.  He has had a new paint job and new eyes ( I suppose the equivalent of a cataract operation for us).

The poor old fella looks a lot better - well he would have to wouldn't he.

FINISHED

Doug has been busy, as always and has almost finished the front entrance.

He still has the gate to keep Sophie in to paint then he can move on to the inside jobs.  Well done Doug.

MY PASSION FOR TREES

I received an email from my step daughter in Australia this afternoon and she mentioned that they have just watched a programme called My Passion for Trees by Dame Judi Dench.  She commented on what a good programme it is so I googled it and came across a short video on the Crowhurst Yew.  It was fascinating but I was surprised to see it as I grew up just three miles from this tree and had never heard of it.  In Lingfield we had a large oak tree that was hollow inside but I had no idea that just outside the village was this magnificient specimen of Yew.

This is the link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCQ62deoq_8

and this is the tree



I do hope the programme is shown in New Zealand