ONLY DAYS FROM MOVING IN!

Yes! Our shipped goods will/should arrive at the new house on Wednesday!

So...blogging will, once again, take a back seat. All fingers are crossed (which hinders accurate typing even more than a slight excessof grape juice). Did you see what I did there?

Why are the fingers out of normal alignment? The weather, of course! Yesterday, we had some heavy rain and probably hail. We were in the Big Tin Shed hardware store where regular rain sounds like hail , but a woman coming in as we were going out mentioned it. I'm pottering today, doing laundry and hoping to get it dry and packed to be taken to new digs.

You want photos? Yeah, I'd like some, too, but the big camera was on charge all night and I haven't put the battery in yet. I tried a whole raft of new AA batteries for my old camera, but just kept getting a change batteries message, so that's slated for a trip to the camera shop...hopefully a good clean should sort it.

new kitchen (currently doubling as a tool bench...

new bathroom...just about big enough for a house-warming party!

                                 Bathroom from other end

                                                    

                     The outdoor setting; will scrub-up nicely

                                            

                                        The dining area

Now, I'd better nip out to the greenhouse and make sure my Drunken Woman * is not getting too hot and dry...

                                                      

                          Here she is, looking lush. Not "like

                          a lush."  I wonder who named her?  

"Drunken Woman" lettuce is a slow-to-bolt, Italian heirloom loose-leaf lettuce known for its striking appearance: bright green, ruffled leaves with deep bronze or red-tipped edges, resembling someone with rosy cheeks from drinking.  

 

                                    

STILL LAGGING SOMEWHAT...

But I'll begin with some colour...

I'm seeing this glorious hot pink/cerise colour whenever I go out. Of course, at 70kms an hour I can't be sure of identifying it! But I've looked at lots of images and am now pretty sure it's Prunus Campanulata. It gets a bit tricky after that, as I've read that this beautiful tree, much-loved by our native nectivores, is banned in Northland  (the province north of Auckland) on account of its prolific seeding habit.

  But what I'm seeing may be the permitted variety "Superba." It's common name is Taiwanese Cherry and it's one of the earliest to bloom and boy! does it go all-out! Will I plant one in my new garden? You betcha! But we might have to eat stale crusts for a week or two!

Oh! Maybe not...we have carrots, fresh from a farmers' market...I found a ruler, marked in the pre-metric days. 9"

I'll just leave that there...(Down! boys)

The blackbirds have been having a high old time in the vege garden, then the bird bath...I guess I'd better refill it or the cheeky beggars might come indoors to use our facilities!

And while we're still talking colourful flowers, I was smitten with some eye-popping Leptospermum "Red Falls" when we spent some time wandering in the Botanic Gardens a few weeks ago.

https://www.theplantcompany.co.nz/shop/product/shrubs/leptospermum-red-falls

 Most New Zealanders know the plant as manuka or "tea-tree" and some of you who like honey and have money probably know it's a major honey source for birds and bees. Before the fairly recent breeding of brighter colours, manuka flowers were white, sometimes pinkish. 

Did I hear someone say "more, please."?

It's a little too early for Kowhai, but Spring is not far away...