behind the hedge and over the fence...

A few weeks ago my GKB and I went up to the caravan for a few days of R&R. My GKB likes to get out and do a bit of fishing on the lakeside and I like to just sloth around, although I do sometimes join him, as long as I can continue to sloth around once we get there. (I do go for walks around the town and on the lakeside as well, so it's not as bad as it sounds). I like to take magazines or books with me and enjoy the peace and quiet of Central Otago. Mountain air, hawks circling, and blue skies.

While we're there we usually buy fruit from the orchards, either pick our own or from the roadside stalls. Cherry picking is interesting.

Every couple of days we like to go to a big orchard up the road a bit that has a great barn sized stall that the tourist buses all stop at where they sell fruit, fresh and dried, and also 'Manuka Honey' to  tourists at inflated prices.  **TIP: If you are ever over here touring, buy your 'Manuka Honey' from the supermarket, it's the same stuff and a lot cheaper.**

But they do have delicious real fruit ice creams, oh yummy. And we have to have at least a couple a week, we don't get them at home, and anyway you have to save something for a treat!

There are one or two tables to sit at under the trees and there is a lovely garden hidden by a large hedge. We were sitting at a table enjoying our ice creams one day when a man came rushing out from behind the hedge, 'I've got to get my camera," he said "what a hidden gem."

Now my GKB and I had been behind the hedge several times. What's changed we wondered so went for a walk ourselves. What's changed? The plants had matured, some statues had been erected and it was nearing the end of the summer, so roses were still in bloom as were some of the other summer border flowers.

Very pretty. So the photo's above are from 'behind the hedge'.

Back home again I have been out, ahem, walking occassionally, and had forgotten about this lavender garden in the photo's above. I haven't been over that way for a while. It is still being developed, has only been going for about six or seven years, but you can see how it will look when  it has matured. They hire the gardens out as a weddng venue and it is one of the places we looked at for eldest daughters wedding.  

I enjoyed looking 'over the fence' and seeing what has been done to the public area since we went and looked.

Then when I went around the corner what should I come across but some alpacas lazing about in a paddock enjoying the warm autumn sun.

These were also over the fence, the reason for so much grass in the foreground, which is a good place for them I reckon, they tend to look down their haughty noses at you and are very good spitters!!

Wishing you all a great weekend.

pounding the pavement...

Well it hasn't been a bad week, as far as the walking goes anyway. I have pounded the pavements from the centre of town to home, a couple of k's I guess. It's quite different walking on the footpaths to walking along the Silverstream, no give on the surface. Different things to look at too. And more traffic.

Earlier in the week I walked halfway around a country block, it was great. The sun was shining, the trees were in bud and blossom and only a little traffic. Coloured sheep and alpacas were out looking down their aristocratic noses as I went past their paddock. Walking past the timber mill brought back memories of the plywood factory about 40 years ago, I love the smell of freshly hewn timber.

Today I walked down the Silverstream to the bridge, out on to the road and back home down Bush Road, 3 kilometres in half an hour, not to bad for me!! Horses were communicating across the paddocks to each other and a couple of ducks flew overhead. The Alpacas were out with their coloured sheep mates, and I am sure I saw a water rat scampering up the bank of the ditch at the side of the road. Talking of horses there are some appoloosas grazing in the Bush Road paddocks. I didn't see any deer today - or ostriches!! It was good to get home again to have a drink, it was 22deg (I wore the GKB's Speights cap) and I was talking to a cyclist at the intersection who was on her way to the nearest shop to get a bottle of water. Fancy cycling around the plains without a water bottle.

And I have even been on the bike, for half an hour yesterday. Also been to the cricket grounds with the youth group and kicked a ball around, chased a frisbee and chucked a tennis ball. I slept well last night.

Anyway, this week I think I have not done too badly at all. I love getting out into God's book and seeing the sights and smelling the smells, some good, some not!!

And I did walk around the Botanical Gardens with the GKB a week or so back...