BUSY WEEK

Life is always busy but has been more so this last week

Last Saturday E who I flatted with in the 1960's came to stay.  She now lives on the Gold Coast and was brought up here by our mutual friend A  whose daughter was taking her and her husband up to Waimate North.  The five of them came to lunch and it was great to catch up.

E's nephew has just come over from Adelaide to open the new Bunnings store in Waipapa so he and his family came down on Sunday to meet up with his Aunt.  Seven of us had lunch on the deck and had a pleasant afternoon.  

Us on Sunday afternoon

Monday was the Parkinson Walk and we did a lovely walk we had not done before.  Naturally, E came with us.

As usual we went to a cafe after the walk. On Tuesday E. came with us to a shared lunch for Doug's Art Class and in the evening we took her to see the lights at the Town Basin 

and in a nearby subdivision.  I have caught both cycles of lights on the blue phase.

On Wednesday she headed back to Auckland to catch a flight to Dunedin the following day to stay with her family down there.

Thursday saw us driving up to Waimate North to spend some time with A, her husband, daughter and partner.  

Friday was to be a day in the garden but we had a call from a friend of Doug's from the Air Force so we had a pleasant few hours catching up with them.

Today, Saturday, we went to the Market and Supermarket as usual then had a call from Doug's former son-in-law and he came for a few hours.

Hopefully, tomorrow, I will be able to get some gardening done and make a start on e-cards.

RAUMANGA FALLS

Yesterday's walk was to Raumanga Falls.  We were very lucky as it rained all day on Sunday (very welcome for the garden) but was fine but cloudy yesterday morning.  After the walk we had our Christmas get-together and everyone contributed a plate of food.  I had intended to take a photo of the table but forgot.  There were 16 of us.  

We had just started to eat when the heavens opened.  If it had happened on our walk we would have all got drenched.  

The Falls had plenty of water after Sunday's rain.  You can't get close for a photo.

I took these photos on the way back.  It was  a little cooler in the bush.

The Park before the bush 

LAKE WARO

With fine weather predicted last Monday the Parkinson's walking group went to Hikurangi to Lake Waro.  It is a pleasant walk around the lake with an extra walk for those that are able around the rocks.

There was a pair of black swans with their young although the cygnets are too small to be seen in my photo.  

SUMMER

Yesterday was the first day of  the Meteorological summer. The days are getting longer. Sunrise 6 a.m. Sunset 8.25 p.m. The temperature is in the early 20's centigrade which I am happy with.  Monday is forecast to be 25 degrees.

We had hoped that our early potatoes, Cliff's Kidney would be ready for Christmas. 

Noticing they were dying down I dug the first root yesterday. The potatoes aren't huge but there were plenty of them and they were delicious.

We are back to going to the Growers' Market on Saturday mornings.  Didn't need much as our garden is producing enough greens to keep us going (sugar snap peas, beans, courgettes and cucumbers will be ready in a day or so.  We just bought tomatoes, avocados, spring onions and a punnet of lettuce seedlings to keep the supply going.  We then went to the supermarket and were home at about 8 a.m.

GREEN DRINKS

Last night we attended a Green Drinks function held at the Hundertwasser Art Centre Afforested Rooftop.  There was a speaker telling us about the rooftop itself, how it was set up and Hundertwasser's vision, another on  the Northland Regional Council's Predator Free programme and particularly on the pekapeka, New Zealand's bat.

Although there were black clouds around the weather stayed fine and we both enjoyed the evening.

We arrived a few minutes early so had a stroll around the Town Basin.  

I didn't see the title of these - a bronze and a wood carving.

the Hundertwasser building through the trees.

The Town Basin quiet between daytime and evening visitors.

The stairway leading up to the Afforested Rooftop

Photos of the view from just below the Cuppola

The evening sun on the building as we were leaving.

It was the second Green Drinks evening we have attended having been included since doing the composting course.  Both were very interesting.  

TODAY'S GARDEN

My garden is my Happy Place.  When I go down to get the newspapers first thing in the morning I love checking the garden to see what has come up and what needs cutting back, removing or weeding.

I like the way it changes day by day.  Here are some plants from today's garden:

Cucumbers - Lebanese and apple

Tomatoes from a neighbour - she wasn't sure what variety.  one of two that she grows.

I also have two plants of a small bush tomatoe that I got at the Market.

Sugar snap peas doing well

Rhodohypoxis - I can remember buying this in Thames - would be about 30 - 40 years ago.  

The garden alongside the drive - more yellow at present

 

I do like this Echium Cottage Charm which has self-sown through the garden this year.

One of several Alstroemerias

This lavendar got a hammering and split in the last storm but we have staked it and have our fingers crossed that it will survive

I like these little poppies

I don't know the name of this - it came from a neighbour who got it from another neighbour

The lovely red rose that we have several of throughout the garden

I love this little old fashioned alstroemeria.  I call it the Christmas one.

Potatoes flowering.

HALLOWEEN

Well, yesterday (31st) the rain finally stopped and the wind eased  in the early afternoon.  About 4.30p.m. I had just put my feet up to read when the doorbell rang and it was a young lad, the grandson of our neighbour across the road, Trick and Treating.  He went away with his haul.  I was just going back to read when the bell went again and it was his sister and a friend Trick and Treating once again.  Brother had, obviously, been sent over first to check on our reaction.  

All went quiet then for a couple of hours and we were just watching the News when the doorbell rang again.  This time Doug went and it was a young lady with her two young children with special bags for their haul.  That was it as far as Trick and Treating went.

A couple of years ago we had a lot of teenagers coming around and ran out of supplies so last year we stocked up and no-one came so we gave the treats to a young boy a couple of houses down the road.  He and his grandfather live with a friend so they would all have shared.

As far as the weather is concerned it has stayed dry today and the lawn is drying out.  Amazingly, all my vegetables have fared well in spite of the wind and rain.  First thing this morning I staked a lot of the foxgloves and cut some that had snapped off in the wind.  Apart from that we have been in town all day so that is all I have done  apart from getting 3 loads of washing done and out drying.

I collected these foxgloves and borage this morning as they had broken off. The foxglove has a distorted stem which gives it a lot of extra flowers.  I must remember to move my finger out of the way with this new phone.

nothing much has happened here.

The forecast has improved and apart from a few showers on Friday and Saturday it is now forecast to be fine until Tuesday.