taking the autumn air

Autumn is certainly here, the nights are drawing in and getting decidedly colder but the days are beautifully clear and calm, on the whole, with lovely blue skies and high white cloud. Sometimes there is a bit of a wind and today and yesterday the breeze was definitely coming off the snow on the mountains further inlands.

I decided to go for a wander yesterday over Wingatui way, through the track and down by the paddocks. I left it just a little late as the sun was getting low and was on the other side of the shelter belt, thus leaving me in the shade a bit of the time. That wasn't a problem really till I decided to turn around and come back and a bit of a breeze had come up, nipping the ears and the nose and causing just a little bit of ear ache, but that's what happens when you forget your hat. The shadows were getting long but there was still enough sun to make it quite a pleasant walk. It was so peaceful, a dog out walking with its human, just a wee Jack Russell having fun, were the only others I saw. No I tell a lie, there was a mum and dad out with their 2 kids, one on bike and another in a pushchair, all enjoying the autumn afternoon.

There were horses in the paddocks naturally, as this is horse racing territory with stables and horse studs in the area. And there were also about a dozen or so sheep further along and in another paddock some young bulls lounging around. Still further down the track I came across a big black sheep with a young chocolate coloured alpaca for company...very cute.

I finally have a new pair of shoes for walking,  how long has it taken, almost 12 months. "Tone walkers" - they are supposed to build the muscle tone in your legs as you walk, and you can certainly feel them working the leg muscles when you are out and about. I've also been to physio for my back and she has given me all sorts of exercises that are not only helping my back but other parts of the body as well, all I have to do is remember to do them all and I have to confess I haven't done any for a day or two, but tomorrow is always another day.

of jonquils, roses and snow

Well it has finally happened - the first snowfall of the season. It is only on Maungatua and as far as I am concerned it needn't fall any lower, but it is there. So winter is not far away, I think this is still autumn but it is hard to tell. I have some of next springs bulbs up and flowering already, jonquils which will probably continue to flower all winter, and looking over the neighbours fence at us is a pretty pink rose with some buds beside it. I thought roses came out in the summer...oh well

I have been out in the garden, or what passes for a garden at my place, pulling out some weeds and old dead plants. About a month ago a tomato plant pushed its leaves and flowers up above the dahlias so we let it go to see how high it would grow - far too late for the plants to set any tomatoes of course. It got to a good height, about 4 foot, so we might try a real plant next next year. If something self sown, or sown by a little boy throwing what was left of his tomato into the dahlias, did that well it will be interesting to see what will happen when we put in some plants and lovingly tend them... haha

We have had some gale force winds in the last week and I ended up chasing the GKB's deck chair around the section and had to bring that and a couple of garden ornaments that hadn't found their way into the garden yet, inside and park them in the hallway for a day or so. While looking around the next day I found a solitary jonquil, very tenaciously clinging on to life while bent and growing horizontal to the ground. It is now residing in a little vase of it's own on my kitchen windowsill...a promise of summer to come.  

Central bunnies and Dunstan gold

I have just finished cleaning and tidying the room the 2 little boys use when they are here - for playing in, not sleeping. I found among other things, a bright red plate with what looked like someones science project growing in it, lurking under the couch. Anyway that is a job I have been putting off and it is now done - just looking at the mess was daunting, mainly toys scattered about amongst cushions and blankets but daunting all the same. It only took about 20 minutes when I finally got round to it.

What has this got to do with bunnies or gold you may ask? Well nothing really except that Easter has just been and gone and  I believe the Easter Bunny was very good to these two wee fellows :D) And Easter is a season of golden promise.

But we, the GKB and me, did happen to be in Central Otago when the big Easter bunny shoot was being judged in Alexandra and went to have a look at what all the fuss was about, not realizing really what we were walking into. We had wondered why we couldn't get a car park anywhere and had to park down a side street and could see a couple of marquees in the playing field so went to be nosy. Thousands (22,904 according to the paper) of bunnies lined up on the field waiting to be counted and judged. Probably hundreds of hares, lots of ferrets - I loved the creamy brown coats on some of them - six turkeys and a goat. And a little black rabbit ...

The presentations were being done as we walked through and a young bloke from Aussie was getting a bit of stick for not being able to understand proper English, but it was all in good fun and he got a prize for being the competitor who had travelled furthest to compete.

I know a few young blokes in Aussie who would probably love to make up a part of team sometime in the future, it's real man stuff, helps to keep the rabbit population under control in a small way. Oh did I mention there were also several dozen of those Aussie pest, the 'possum among the count?

And Dunstan Gold. Beautiful autumn colours on the poplar trees. I love these trees. Although close up they are not very inspiring to look at and you would probably never pick them for a landscaping project the wow factor in the autumn couldn't be any better. If you are lucky to see them en masse in the autumn, and if you are lucky enough to see them from above and from a distance they are the most glorious trees about. They turn bright golden before the leaves drop. To me they look like golden fingers stretching to the heavens and it is not hard to believe that God's creation is reaching up to Him in worship. Every branch is pointing skywards, each little baby branch is reaching skyward, the leaves all reach to the sky - absolutely beautiful.

Strangely this year, and I guess it has been such a funny season, some of the trees were bare of leaves at the top, were golden in the middle and still had some green growth at the bottom, but still lovely in a quirky way.

So that is my bunnies and gold story from my Easter break away in Cromwell in Central Otago. (An extra week would have been good, oh well...)

autumn leaves

The days are getting shorter. The mornings have a bit of a nip in them now and dew is starting to form on the grass and on the cars left out overnight. The leaves are beginning to change colour on the trees. Autumn is definitely here.

I went walking through the park a few days ago while out and about. The park is lovely just now, summer flowers are fading and the leaves are starting to drop. The sky was a brilliant blue and there was no wind, just lovely. It made a nice change to pavement pounding...which I have been doing a bit of lately.

After a trek up Baldwin Street a couple of weeks ago I have decided I am less fit than I thought and will have to up the ante if am going to walk the full length of the rail trail next year. I thought we were only doing a section at a time, and we are, but alas, it is a long section and will probably take 3 or 4 days to complete. Oh dear.

Finally, my beautiful sunflowers are looking back at me instead of over the neighbours fence. Good one! :D)

...a bit of a jumble...

A few weeks on and another devastating earthquake, this time near Japan, followed by a dreadful tsunami. It is so heartbreaking to watch it as it happens. And now the threat of nuclear contamination of the atmosphere...but number one son and his beautiful wife are safe in the southern part of the country, thank God. We had a good long chat with them this evening before he had to go back to work. All I can do is continue to send my prayers up to our mighty God and Creator.

Youngest daughter has come and borrowed 'the bike' because she wants to lose some weight. I think it now resides in her bedroom. As for me I still don't have a set of wheels of any kind and so I am pounding the pavement as well as walking the banks of the Silverstream occasionally. I found out to my dismay that my sneakers have sprung a leak a couple of days ago, got very wet feet while walking after the rain. Still haven't got around to buying a decent pair of walking shoes. Sis has also informed me that her daughter will be accompanying us on our walk on the rail trail and is doing some training - she is a phys ed teacher!!

Earlier in the season I planted some sunflower seeds and now they are all through and towering over me, they must be about 8 foot tall, but they are all looking over the back fence into the neighbours yard. Following the sun, I'd like to follow the sun myself. I'll have to think of somewhere else to put them next year. The spring bulbs are poking through the ground, I think it must be the jonquils as they seem to come up quite early, I wonder whether they shouldn't really be called winter bulbs because they flower during the winter. I should get some crocuses to go with them...autumn is here bringing some lovely sunny days but cool mornings, winter is just around the corner. I'm looking forward to seeing the autumn colours on the trees.

KIA KAHA Christchurch

It hasn't been a good week for our little country. The earthquake in Christchurch has been so devastating for so many families. Day five after the quake today and it was hard to look at it on the telly, and to see the devastation and then to hear the names and see the photo's of peoples loved ones who had died (especially the babies and the young people) - too much to cope with. Then to open the paper to be confronted by the pages of news and photo's, I just had to flick through and I'll go back again later in the weekend and read it. It's too emotional. Then there is the guilty feeling you are left with because you can't bear to watch it, but the folk in Christchurch have to live through it whether they want to or not, they can't just turn it off as if it were a bad movie. Of course there are the good luck stories and the lovely wedding that took place on Friday, of one of the girls who was rescued from a trashed building. And it was heartening to see the rescues in the first couple of days, but it seems a long time waiting now. Praise God for all the help from the international community, it is so good to see the solidarity when distaster strikes, we can't thank them enough, these wonderful men and women who have put themselves at our disposal. My heart goes out to everyone who has loved ones missing, from Christchurch, from New Zealand and from countries all around the world. Our own family has been extremely lucky, everyone accounted for and well, praise God. Kia Kaha Christchurch - Stand strong -the rest of the country stands with you and you will prevail. Kia Kaha!!

cheeky keas, Greymouth heritage,Taramakau and Cobden Beach