Rainy squalls and bright bursts of sunshine continue; great for gardens, but makes lawn mowing patchy! We do have rather a lot of grass here...
But let's talk about flowers. Salvias! Went to one of the better garden stores yesterday and managed to restrain my greed! Came home with only two.That must be some sort of record!! Salvia "Amistad" and S. "Rockin' Purple." Only "Amistad" is in flower at present, but there are buds on "Rockin' Purple" so come back in a few days...
We have hung most of our framed pictures, but the light is not the best so only a couple to show...
We corresponded for many years, sharing many things. We even coined a term for books we exchanged: boomerang - for a book to be returned when read.
I was not able to write about this earlier, due to hitch/glitsch on my site but I can now post a link for those who may wish to leave a message on the William Cole site.
That's my newly-coined word for the in-between season, when some days are sunny and warm enough to cast aside sweaters, only to have to dash indoors when a squall of icy rain sweeps in.
But daylight is lengthening and most days, the Hg creeps slowly upwards.
OK, not much to write about, but I do have some photos. Someone asked for photos, didn't he, Jon?
A "Coalbrookdale" setting. In need of some new paint, but that's an easy fix. And, in the background, the future gincuzzi. Our niece wants to get it workable again. Not sure when...
A beautiful soft pink Camellia. There is also a white one, but no flowers to show yet. *keep scrolling...I just spotted one!
Lawn daisies...lotsa!
A mystery! As it's a seed pod and the only one I found, I'm not going to try naming it! Too many look-alikes so I'll keep my eyes open for flowers. It could have been blown in on a stiff breeze...
Agapanthus, I do know! There quite a few planted along the fence which borders a laneway. I've started weeding grasses from them.
Clivia. Again, lots of them (or a similar strappy plant; flowers will tell!) This is behind the gincuzzi.
Podocarpus Henkellii. Or Henkell's Yellow wood. It's actually on a neighbour's side of the fence, but hey! I'm happy to share!
The GIANT Magnolia, still with a few blooms, but rapidly leafing-up.
Old-fashioned lavender, usually called English Lavender, and yesterday I bought a pot of its French cousin.
.
The French cousin
I've been calling this tree fern a Dicksonia...
...but which one I am not sure. And to add to my confusion, I now think it's more likely a Cyathea smithii! Here's a helpful link:
New Zealand's tree ferns, or ponga, primarily belong to the Cyathea and Dicksonia genera, distinguished by scales (Cyathea) or hairs (Dicksonia) on their trunks. Notable Cyathea species include the towering mamaku (C. medullaris) and the distinctive ponga or silver fern (C. dealbata), while prominent Dicksonia species are whekī (D. squarrosa) and whekī-ponga (D. fibrosa). These ferns prefer sheltered, moist environments and are iconic symbols of New Zealand's native flora, with their fronds symbolizing new life.
Key Characteristics & Identification
Scaly (Cyathea): These tree ferns have a trunk covered in scales, and their trunks are marked by hexagonal scars from fallen fronds.
Hairy (Dicksonia): In contrast, Dicksonia species have a trunk covered in bristly hairs.
Frond Scars: Cyathea species leave hexagon-shaped scars when fronds fall, whereas Dicksonia trunks are covered in the remnants of the broken stipes, often with a "skirt" of old fronds.
Common New Zealand Tree Ferns
Cyathea medullaris (Mamaku): Our tallest and fastest-growing tree fern, recognizable by its thick black stems and often colonizing slips.
Cyathea dealbata (Ponga/Silver Fern): Famous for the white underside of its fronds and a source of the country's national symbol.
Cyathea smithii (Kātote): Found in colder habitats, distinguished by a persistent "skirt" of old frond stalks around its trunk.
Dicksonia fibrosa (Whekī-ponga): A hairy-trunked tree fern, often found in sheltered, shady areas.
Dicksonia squarrosa (Whekī): Another hair-covered tree fern, commonly found near streams and wet areas.
I think this is more than enough for you to chew on.
While I was dodging showers and looking at tree ferns, I
found this pretty little pink violet.
And some more Arum lilies
I'm not sure if these little guys have names, but I think of them as Bill and Ben...
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.
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.
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...
I subscribe to The Conversation (among other newspapers) and noted that a team looking closely (nervously?) at changes to Antarctic ice are also looking at a Maori lunar calendar, known in Maori as maramataka. Here's a link. It may ask if you want to read this;I suggest you do.
I did have a little chuckle to note that the Eskimos have it in spades for words for snow!
Now...one or two people have wondered if I've slipped the blogging leash. Not entirely, but while I may not have screeds to write about, I do have a few snap shots.
Despite battling rough winds I did manage to get some shots of the Magnolia on the front lawn. No idea if it's a named variety, but here we go...just look at all those buds!
It's also been a pretty good time for lettuce, especially one called
"Drunken Woman" which seems a tad chauvanistic!
I'll leave you with a yellow Banksia rose whose roots are the other side of the back fence, but, true to form, Ms.Banksia is flinging herself about. So I've taken some cuttings!(She has a white sister, but I guess I'll need to go looking at a nursery for her.)
Well, that's it for now. Way past lunchtime so I'll do something clever with some pasta and tomatoes...
It's looking like a bumper season for citrus as I saw lots of trees laden with fruit. These two are along b-i-l's drive.
Mandarines
Lemons
We're still in limbo, as far as living-out-of-suitcase goes, as the ship bringing the rest of our goods and chattels has, apparently, been to Noumea and is not due in Auckland for a few days yet.
So we continue to walk the streets when weather allows and power through library books when it doesn't!
I must say, the local library system is brilliant...books can be ordered, borrowed, returned between ALL Auckland area libraries.
And down the road we currently live on there is a native bush park, which is where we're headed today, now that the sun's doing its thing.
