LOOKING AHEAD...

Yes, indeed...today, I bought "a few" bulbs for Spring colour and perfume. I did search on-line for some old favourites, but I think I was a little tardy and all the nurseries I checked were "out of stock."

Ah, well, maybe I'll be lucky next year. What's that?  You want to know what I couldn't find? Freesia "Burtonii." Not so easy to find (although I'd bet the house-keeping budget that canny gardeners  have been growing these treasures for generations!) 

I shan't whinge, but it's a great loss to many that they are so hard to find, having been pushed out by newer colours with longer, straighter stems.

But today I bought (for starters) Hyacinths, 2 of each in white, yellow and blue. And bag of mixed double daffodils. And, because I still had a few shekels and my eye had said "buy!" I also got an Angelonia in a glorious dark purple.

Angelonia

Mixed daffs

Hyacinths

These pictures are from the Web, obviously! But I do hope I'll have some stunning images to show you in a few months!

We drove across the highway to do some other shopping this morning and I made a mental note to take a camera next time, as most trees are beginning to show the season's colour change.. The oaks across the lane from our house are yellowing and I think I saw a liquidamber this morning. And the giant magnolias still have big cream flowers, but I notice a lot are seeding.Might need to wear a pith helmet...

                       

                                          Again, from the web.

                                               Liquiamber

And one day last week we took a ferry ride across the Waitemata Harbour to Hobsonville to visit The Man's cousin. What a fabulous catch-up! We swapped old stories and laughed a lot and agreed that we must keep in touch. So, lunch at ours next time.

And that's about all I have time for. 

         

BACK IN THE SADDLE....

 ...  or,as Ms Minnelli would have it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPBIYCN_4WY&list=RDMM&index=6

We've been out and about, getting used to riding buses and trains. The traffic here is mind-boggling!

But we'll skip that bit and get on with the story...

An old school friend in Taupo had suggested we head down there for a Memory Lane Trip.

He booked us a hotel (right on the lake front!) and the next day drove us over to the places we'd lived as children. That unleashed a veritable avalanche of memories!

Still some stands of old native bush.

Mangakino Stream, which ran into the Waikato River which, in early 1950s, became Lake Maraetai...

And this is the lake today. Gone is the old fenced-off swimming lagoon and gone, too, the Speed Boat club house. The town had a very strong following of racing boaters and throughout summers races were often held here. To the right (not in shot) is the golf course.

This taken and sent to me by a friend in 2023. It's drone shot, looking West to the township. The golf course is on the left.

Last week, we did a trial run to the City by train. Easy-peasy! So we repeated it two days later and met friends from England who'd arrived on a cruise ship and were staying ashore for a week before flying back to England. Via Doha!!

Bob, Dinah and Peter

               Kathy, Dinah and Peter

And back at home again we've made a start on revamping the garden. We might still get some mini tomatoes, but most of the salad leaves have bolted and will be replaced when I manage to get some seedlings. !And that nursery trip will also include bulbs for Spring flowers-YAY!

At lunchtime I came in from the garden looking like a kangaroo...my sweater's pouch-pocket was bulging with, not joeys, but feijoa windfalls. Yummy! 

We've managed to rescue one edible peach which looked and tasted like a Golden Queen and an apple tree has a reasonable crop, but they need to be a bit bigger and I suspect the birds might beat me to them!

But I'm loving having a garden in "easy" soil after long years of struggle.

left to right: basil,parsley,nasturtiums and angelonia- and- sweet- peas.

 

STILL FAFFING AROUND...

 

Well, not exactly wasting time...in looking for one thing I came across other things, as one does.

This "other thing" is a photo of an old hippie vest, made for a local "vestival." 

Back in the 60s, when kids were flocking to love-ins in places like San Francisco and open-air concerts  at Woodstock, the denim vest was pretty much de rigeuer.

We marched against nuclear arms, we demanded an end to the Vietnam war, we loved everyone and some of us fried a few brain cells!

Today, it's difficult to find original badges so most of what you see here are paper.

We've had a "bumper" crop of cucumber and zucchini. When I say "bumper" I'm thinking of those big, lumpy fenders on the dodgem cars at fairgrounds. So tonight's supper will probably be stuffed zucchini. Something like this https://www.sbs.com.au/food/the-cook-up-with-adam-liaw/recipe/stuffed-zucchini/wnk8451hh

And that's about it for today. 

Bon apetit! And give peace a chance!

NEW YEAR ...WITHOUT RESOLUTIONS.

Nope! Usually, by the end of January, one can hear the shards of broken resolutions falling all over the place! So I avoid the dangers.

I hope those of you who stayed awake to ring in another year all had a jolly time. 

I felt for the animals as the fireworks flashed and banged til after 2am. Maybe I'm just an old grouch...

Now, remember when I asked for help in identifying a seed pod I'd picked up? This one 

which Jon identified as a Vireya. Well, yesterday, I picked a flower from it! 

Vireya

apples

strawberries, under netting

tomatoes, NOT under netting, but fingers X'd

foxgloves, all but finished, but I'll save seeds

fuschias and a mended duck.( poor duck was in several pieces and still looks worse-for-wear, but he/she is safe)

The very fancy herb planter, utilising the armrests from a broken lawn chair...waste not, want not!

WINDING THE CLOCK BACK...

 ...for a few facts about K'gari

Still called Fraser Island by many (most?) Europeans, I like its old name of K'gari. 

Sadly, it seems only to hit the headlines when someone is attacked by a dingo. Despite warnings, campers on the island still allow kiddies to "feed the nice doggy."

But there is more to K'gari than dingoes.

https://theconversation.com/kgaris-unique-ancient-lakes-once-dried-out-could-this-happen-again-270371

What else is happening around here? Not a lot that would interest you lovely readers! Domestic stuff.

And now I must gird my loins and venture into the silliness of shopping...need more Drunken Woman seedlings as most in the garden have bolted.

A SUNDAY STROLL ALONG THE ESTUARY

 I'm a bit slack, I know. But I did take a camera the other day...

Pahurehure (pronounced pa hoory hoory) Inlet is an easy walk from here. Our suburb is made up of small streets, closes, places, groves and most have wide green spaces between the streets. This link might interest some of you.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conifer_Grove#Facilities

And here are some of my photos. Did I manage to get a pic of a tui? Of course not! But we heard them, high in the trees.

The jetty

Mangroves

Pohutukawa tree;there were two tui up there.

Not sure whether planted or fly-tipped,but birds love them.

A back lane, behind our house.

 

I'd never seen such a dark blue hydrangea! we have some pinks and I've bought some Aluminium sulfate ...

Trachelospermum jasminoides

Magnolia (M.grandiflora, I think)

and this

IN WHICH WE HANG SOME PICTURES...

I wish the pixies would stop fiddling!

 I can't blame the cat for everything ...

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...

Two by a New York friend, Victoria McKenzie.http://vhmckenzie.com/  

Glorious sunshine now, so I'm off to see what else might happening outside...