Elections, hospitals and bush removal

Well, the parliamentary elections are over and now we just have to wait until the specials and overseas votes are counted. We won't have a final result until later in the month so it's a waiting game. I'm very surprised at a couple who have lost their seats and not so surprised at one or two others. It's been a really closely run race and nothing is set in concrete yet. Apparently numbers are down on voting this year, which is a shame. I think women especially should get out and vote if only to honour the women who fought and, in some cases died, so that women could have the privilege. 

On another note, Jacqui's partner came over at the weekend and removed a bush from along the fenceline. Hopefully he's coming back sometime to cut them all down, they've become too much for Bob to manage now. But I'm not sure when as he lives a hundred k's or more from here.

 

It looks like it might be one bush per visit as this one pretty much filled the deck of the ute. He carts it all back to his property in the country and disposes of it there. 

Even just removing the one has made quite a gap. I knew the bushes were getting big but didn't realise how much room they were taking up.

Now I should probably go and put the lawn furniture back where it came from :) I was in at the hospital for a pre op for the second cataract op I'm having yesterday and haven't got round to it yet. Was catching up on housework today. That's my excuse anyway :)

And this is a picture of the new hospital build taken from the waiting room of the new outpatients where I had my appointment. It's so good to be getting a new hospital even if it is scaled back from the original plan. One of my grandsons was a gibstopper on the outpatients build and one  grand daughter's husband is helping with this build.

 And I think I'll leave it there.

Blessings,

Diana

Tunnel walk

 The North Island family have flown home again but while they were here we went for a walk through the newly opened Chain Hills Tunnel walking and cycling track on one of our sunny summer days. They've been few and far between so we make the most of them when they come about.

 I was wanting to walk through it and was thrilled when granddaughter Chloe rang to see if I wanted to join them, I didn't want to go by myself. She said 'Mum will be by to pick you up in a few minutes'. So I grabbed a quick snack for lunch, a glass of orange and then we were away.

When we arrived at the carpark the kids were already playing on the swings next to the community hall.

Once baby was in her pram we set off. Seven of us plus Sassy, the dog.

It was a couple of hundred metres further down the road to the track entrance then up a slight rise before we came to the tunnel entrance.

We hoped the lights wouldn't go off while we were inside, well I did anyway, but there were quite a few people doing the walk and I'm guessing we all pressed the button before we entered. No one wanted to be left in the dark.

It must have been a tight squeeze for a train to get through here.

No not a toilet stop just the kids playing with the stones.

Out the other end.

And a short stop before we headed back.

Baby had woken by now and wanted to walk with Mum ☺️

A short walk through a bit of bush and we were on the homeward leg.

 Eventually the tunnel track will link up with other tracks and tunnels on this side of the city to make a good long track for those who want to make a real adventure of it.

It was an enjoyable walk with family and I was away from home for just about an hour and a half so not too taxing for us older people :)

******

Take care out there. and keep safe, there are a lot of weather related disasters happening in the world, from fires and floods to severe snowstorms and land slips.

My prayers are with the people in our North Island and the families who have lost loved ones.

blessings

Diana

A photo scavenger hunt

I am joining in a photo scavenger hunt this week with Hawthorn and friends over at I live, I love, I craft, I am me. Some of the photo's are from the archives, some I have used recently and some of you will have seen them before but I hope you still enjoy them.

1:  The setting sun

We had been up the coast to visit the blowholes and the pancake rocks. At the end of the day we headed back to daughters holiday accommodation for a pizza tea. This is the view we had of the sunset over the Tasman Sea from the upstairs sitting room :)

2:  My local wild place

This is a garden in the town where my GKB grew up, so although it is local it is not local local. It is on a hill on the other side of the city. It was established by the artist Ralph Hotere and overlooks the Otago Harbour. All of the plantings are native trees and bushes and those legs you see belong to a sculpture by Shona Rapira Davies titled They do cut down the poles that hold up the sky. A lovely peaceful place to sit and relax and enjoy the native bush without leaving the city.

3:  Mug of favourite drink in the garden

Christmas Day 2016. The family had gathered at youngest daughter's home to celebrate. Dinner was over, the dishes were all cleaned up and put away and it was time to take a cup, or glass, of our favourite drink and relax somewhere and chat. The photo below is me, my daughter and grandaughter sharing a quiet moment together in the backyard. The other two possibly had a glass of wine but my drink of choice was instant coffee, made the way I like it :) Goodness knows where everyone else was, there were at least 20 of us there for the day.

4:  My kind of beautiful

Isn't she beautiful? Well I'm guessing this is a she, cos she looks pregnant to me. Anyway I love these big draught horses and you don't see them around much these days. Don't ask me the breed, I couldn't tell you, I took the photo from the car while we were doing some sightseeing last time we were up Middlemarch way .

5:  Look to the skies

On the same trip up to Middlemarch this was early evening sky at the camping ground we stayed at. My GKB took this photo and some people have said the cloud formation looks like a giant hand in the sky. Anyway I think it is quite dramatic.

6:  Mini beasts

Well you can't see the mini beasts as they are inside the nest. 

This is the nursery web of a nursery web spider and the babies stay inside for couple of weeks. I guess if you don't mind spiders you won't think of them as beasts but if you see them magnified they are very definitely little monsters.

7:  Rain

One evening late last winter we had a shower of rain. Or maybe it was early in spring as I see new buds on these branches. Overnight we had a good old frost. In the morning my GKB took a sequence of photos. The raindrops had frozen on the bare branches of this bush and it looked rather pretty with the early morning sun shining on them. A little like the spindly little bush had been draped with a string of diamonds :)

8:  Something summery

Flowers always say summer but this is 
a photo I love, taken one hot day last summer.

Wouldn't you have thought it would be easier to just get under the table instead of clambering up on top of it to find the little bit of shade afforded by the sun umbrella? This puppy is a real character :)

9:  Urban wilderness

What can I say? An urban area in the wilderness. 

Queenstown, New Zealand.

10: My own choice

Parked up for the winter, caravans on a
 bleak winter's evening in Central Otago.

I hope I haven't been too wordy

See you next week.

Diana