A stroll on the floodbank

It's a lovely blue sky day today after some very cool and wet 'back to winter' days, and quite warm, so I decided to go for a walk along the Silverstream. 

The trees and bushes were in full bloom, so I thought I'd share some photos of some of them.

New Zealand native - cabbage tree (Cordyline australis). This has a white flower but I think I've missed them. It looks like they've died off already.  A friend planted this, she was given it as a gift but it didn't fit with her garden so she planted it over the fence on the flood bank. I'm quite partial to the cabbage tree although some people find them ugly.

Another native - kowhai. Beautiful yellow flowers. The birds love these flowers for their nectar.

Rhododendron over the hedge in someone's back garden.

Ornamental cherry.

And coming home the wind came up as you can see. Another ornamental fruit tree.

The householders are pretty good at keeping the patch in front of their homes tidy. Can you see the fellow mowing the grass?

And if you look carefully you might spot a cyclist heading away into the distance.

Things are getting back to normal here. I have started back at the shop and hopefully will get to church tomorrow; someone is picking me up. Bob's short term carers have finished and he is pleased to be able to shower without supervision :) A physio is still coming in two or three times a week though. He's also doing one or two light chores and baked some buns yesterday. It's just his speech he needs to work on - we're still waiting to see a speech therapist.

And that is it from me.

keep well until next time,

Diana

Touching base

Jacqui has a good crop of strawberries, I wonder if she has enough to share, though? Hmm..

Autumn has arrived and the weather has settled down to some extent. There's very little to no wind, mornings are cool and we sometimes need some heating on while we're having breakfast. Then at the other end of the day we can be sitting with the fan blowing the air around to cool us down. It's pleasant enough to sit out on the swing seat and read for a bit in the afternoons as well and that's always a big plus in my mind :) The picture below is taken from my granddaughter's office window, a city view, with the leaves just starting to turn.

The house next door has sold. Not the one with the new roof but on the other side. It has been empty for two years since the old couple both passed away. The family have been clearing it out and getting it cleaned up for sale. It took two years of family coming to get it done, about three months of intense daily clearing out of papers and personal items then weekends there was always someone there doing something. It taught me that I need to clear clutter out of our house before it gets too much for us and not leave such a big job for our kids. A young fellow has bought it, he looks to be in his 20's, and it'll be interesting to see what he does with it :) It needs a lot of work inside (and we wouldn't mind if he got rid of some of the trees on the fenceline). Just saying.

 

I'm looking forward to my sister coming over from Aussie next month. We're heading over to the West Coast for our primary school reunion and staying a week altogether. I wasn't going to go as both the girls I was really good friends with have passed away and I haven't really kept in touch with anyone else. And the old school building is gone so I can't even wander around there and reminisce - we'll just have to make do with photo's I guess. But sis was really keen and I didn't want to let her go by herself. I'm quite looking forward to it now and I'm sure I'll enjoy it once I'm there. One of our cousins is flying over from the Gold Coast to see us! He was thinking of coming over for a holiday anyway and thought he might as well come while we were at the reunion, he spent his early childhood there as well and wanted to do a nostalgia trip. So that's a bonus. 

This is the programme, or part of it, there is also a lunch 

on the Sunday. There's plenty of spare time to go gallivanting and looking up our old haunts, if they still exist :)

Not a lot has been happening, we're both in good health at the moment, have just had our six monthly checkups. And life goes on in it's own little rythm.

Keep well until next time,

Diana

That was a week, that was

We had a storm blow through the country this week. It was quite devastating with a lot of property damage and one person dead after a tree branch fell on him. I know it is the spring equinox and we always get wind at this time of year but I can't remember it being this bad before.  The whole country was affected, with the wind starting in the south and travelling north.

We have trees down

Roofs off.

Fences where they shouldn't be.

Telephone poles snapped.

And debris all over the place.

We were fortunate that the only thing to happen to us was that my irises ended up horizontal to the ground and needed to be tied up and we had to pick other peoples rubbish up from around the yard. The worst day of the storm was also rubbish collection day.

The wind started gently enough on Monday and gathered in intensity over the course of the week with the worst of it happening on Thursday and finally abating on Friday. Thousands of homes are still without power and we have been asked to conserve water in our area. And now we are being told there is more to come.

But today, Sunday, our church ladies were due to have a high afternoon tea, so we did. It was a good way of  getting to know each, being a new church. And putting names to faces. So scones, savoury and sweet, and cake was the order of the day along with tea or coffee. Kelly and Maria did a wonderful job and it was a pleasure to sit at such a beautifully set table. Bone china, lovely glassware and dainty silver teaspoons and butter knives..

A great way to finish off a horrible week.

Until next time

Diana

Edit: we didn't go out looking for storm damage, the photos are from various members of the family taken in their areas. Thankfully none of us sustained damage to our homes or properties but daughter's partner lives in another town and he was without power or water so drove through to her place for a shower and a hot meal then headed home again. A lot of work to  be done where he lives he said.

A nice day for a short walk

The sun was shining, there was only a slight breeze, a pleasant day for a short autumn walk. I went to the top of the street and turned right which takes me out into the countryside. Well almost. It's rural shall we say. Plenty of autumn colour, the leaves are starting to turn now.

Autumn coloured hydrangeas.

Half grown calves watching me .

A few yards further down the road there is a small orchard.

The traffic was starting to get a bit heavy and no 

designated walking paths so I didn't go much further,

 just beyond these trees.

Nearly home again, about 30 feet to the corner 

and we're back in town.

I love living on the edge of town, I have the best of both

 worlds to pick from when I go walking.

I hope you've had a good week. 

Until next time,

Diana

 

Some sky shots

Archive photos taken over the last year or so.

 An angel?

Definitely a horizon.

Tree silhouette.

Same tree, different perspective.

New Zealand swamp harrier.

A super moon.

joining up with everyone at
Five on Friday.
and 
friday foto friends

The week just gone by

A friend rang me during the weekend to see if I wanted to join her for morning tea at the local art groups' exhibition. I did and we enjoyed seeing the paintings as well as having a good

 chinwag over coffee and cake. Some of the paintings were for sale but we didn't buy anything this time. Mind you there 

were a couple I really rather liked. Really, really liked :)

There are a lot of talented people out there.

And staying with the coffe break theme, my GKB and I went over to Wal's Plantland one afternoon for tomato plants and potting mix. There's a nice cafe cunningly placed at the end of a tunnel/hothouse  and while we didn't buy any extra plants we did enjoy a late afternoon tea which meant I didn't need to cook that evening. Bliss.

Staying with plants, aren't the blossoms on this magnolia magnificent? This tree belongs to a neighbour and 

my GKB had to wander partway up their drive to 

take the photo. Spring is certainly here :)

I took this photo while out walking one day. I love the moody clouds, rain threatened but hasn't happened yet. And that was several days ago. I rather think we may have drought conditions this summer as winter has been rather mild and not a lot of rain.

This is another pic I took while out walking. I had tried to get a shot of a flock of sparrows having a peck at the dirt on the road in front of me but they didn't cooperate with me at all and flew off :) This little thrush wasn't so shy, she just sat there and let me snap away. I love thrushes, their lovely colour and speckles on the breast. So cute.

Just to finish off  we went outside one evening and found we had this little fellow visiting us. He didn't stay long once he realised he had company. It's amazing how fast hedgehogs can run when they get up on those little legs and start to move.

Joining Amy and friends for
Five on Friday
and
Friday Foto Friends

Bird dance

My GKB was out practising with his new 

camera about a week ago and took this photo.

The bottom one is cropped to see the dancing bird more easily.

I'm pretty sure it is a starling.

As you can see too, the buds were quite fat on the tree, 

it's been very mild up until this last week 

but now I have had enough of winter :)

Taking five

Five totally unconnected paragraphs but I hope you'll enjoy them.
Joining Amy at Five on Friday

1). Daylight saving finished at the weekend and with it the good weather. Almost overnight. I can't believe it. Even so the temps are still in double figures but 24 C. one day and then talk of snow the next - not my idea of fun. But I am not going to complain as we have been having unseasonably warm weather for this time of the year. It couldn't go on for ever :) It has been a very dry summer and not good for the gardens, even the weeds didn't grow much - but my little mother's sunflowers alongside her garage did. I love this photo of her looking at them looking back at her. It almost looks like they're having a conversation.

2). We've been taking ourselves out for coffee about once a week, my GKB and me. We are not very adventurous when it comes to what we eat and it is usually a case of cheese rolls or scones. I decided to try hot pancakes and maple syrup a few weeks ago, I have wanted to for a while, but I was very disappointed. I won't be ordering them again. These date scones below were very nice though, heated and butter spread on them. I always drink tea or hot chocolate (in winter) and my GKB has discovered that he quite enjoys a flat white, even though they are never hot enough. It was still warm enough to sit outside when this was taken.

 

3). Just over a year ago we were at a family funeral and someone mentioned that it was a shame that we only got together these days at funerals. There are five sets of cousins and some of us haven't seen each other for over forty years. And so because I was retired and on the spot I was elected(?) to organise a reunion of some sort.  So this year I am starting to get into it. We have decided to have a dinner in the town where our grandparents and parents lived and where most of us grew up as well. Greymouth on the West Coast of New Zealand. It will all take place at Easter 2017  and we are having it in a hotel just around the corner from where I grew up and not far from where some of our cousins lived as well. So far quite a few have shown interest (from Japan, Indonesia and Australia) which is good, as it's a bit daunting in a way to be given the task of bringing it together.

Greymouth CBD

4). My GKB enjoys taking photos and quite often the ones I put up here are his. I love the one below that he took one day while sis and I were walking and he was wandering and waiting. It is very moody I think and the clouds look like the beginning of the Taieri Pet, a cloud formation that appears over the Middlemarch area when certain conditions occur. We never saw the 'Pet' though as it didn't form fully. Anyway I like the starkness of the tree against the cloud and sky.

5). I've been feeling a bit tired lately, I think it's the start of year activity beginning to catch up with me. We have been really busy since Christmas with visits from two of my sisters and two of my nieces and their little ones. We have walked quite a bit on the rail trail and there have been one or two other functions happening as well. And I have thoroughly enjoyed it all. But...I think I need a bit of a rest because my brain doesn't seem to be functioning as it should. Blow it. So if I don't post quite so often in the next little while you'll know why. 



Maybe I'll just be away a few days or a week or two but I will check in occasionally to see what everyone is up to. 
Life is very busy at the moment :)

joining Martha at:

Martha's Favorites

and Amy at:

Five on Friday

with love, 

Diana

Spring in my town...

I went out and took one or two photos today

 around the town I live in.

Spring has arrived and I will not say any more except

some were taken in public places and others in private yards.

The camellias are at my little mother's place and I love them.

camellia

daffodils and snowdrops

flowering cherry, pear and magnolia

hedges and edges

planter box

I hope you enjoyed the spring flowers as much as I do.

************************

Seeing as it is spring I thought I would show you these 

pretty Colclough tea cups, saucers and plates. 

They are the same colours as some of the spring flowers.

This is the set my little mother gave me, I had coveted it for years. As you can see it has several pieces missing and so I am 

on the lookout for replacement pieces. 

************

This week I am joining Stephanie at:

roses of inspiration

and Martha at:

Martha's Favorites

See you next week.

Take care until then, 

Diana