Finally, a day of sunshine!
There were a few clouds around but it was sunny and warm. The strong wind was a nuisance but we could
overlook that and appreciate the sunshine.
I went out with son this morning and we bought some concrete pavers
for the new garden he is creating. He
has been hard at work the last few days repairing fences and digging out tree
stumps, before leveling the soil ready for laying out a new lawn and garden.
It was so enjoyable being out and about, that after we
returned home I went out again. This time
by myself, and I visited Hamilton Gardens.
These public gardens are an extensive collection of many different
themed gardens and it takes several hours to see all of them.
 |
| Turtle Lake, at Hamilton Gardens |
Today I visited Turtle Lake and the Chinese Scholars Garden –
I will write about the latter in another post.
I am not quite sure how Turtle Lake got its name, but it does have
turtles in it. I have seen them several
times before but they are notoriously hard to photograph. I had to be content with a photo of them cast
in bronze sitting on a rock.
 |
| Bronze turtles on a rock |
In 1998 a boardwalk was built around the Lake and it makes a
pleasant place for a quiet stroll, or somewhere to sit and contemplate life for
a while.
 |
| Garden Seat near Turtle Lake |
Half way around the Lake there is an artificial
waterfall. I like to stop here and watch
the ducks and golden carp and have a good look for the turtles.
 |
| Turtle Lake waterfall |
There are some patches of water lilies growing in this
lake and I managed to find a couple of flowers blooming.
 |
| A water lily |
By now it was time for a late lunch, so I headed off to the
Hamilton Gardens Café and bought a small quiche and a piece of cheesecake,
accompanied by a drink of hot chocolate.
 |
| Turtle Lake Pavilion, with Hamilton Gardens Cafe in the background |
Before leaving the Gardens I visited the Information Centre
and picked up some brochures of interesting things to see and do around the
city.
I also bought a key-ring.
Recently I read about purse-charms, which I hadn’t heard of before, and
found a perfect charm in the shape of a souvenir key-ring which I have now
attached to my handbag.
 |
| My new Purse Charm |
Hope you have a great day,
Margaret.
So nice that you had a sunny day. We had rain and tomorrow more rain but hopefully after that we'll have a few dry days. There's still things I want to get done before winter.
ReplyDeleteYou had such lovely views by Turtle lake... and that waterfall!!
I'm glad you found a pretty purse charm. Perfect match for your purse!
I love my new purse charm - thanks to you for the brilliant idea!
DeleteGosh those gardens look lovely. How long have they been there. I can't remember them from the year I lived in Hamilton. Sounds like you had a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how old the Gardens themselves are. Turtle Lake was formed before 1997, when I first knew it. Back in the 1960s the site was actually a rubbish dump. They are still opening new gardens, the next one is due to open next month.
DeleteAh, yes well after when I was there then. That will explain why I hadn't heard of it. I love how they are transforming dumps and quarries around NZ to places of beauty.
DeleteWhat a beautiful place for a stroll. Good for the spirit!
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely place to visit! A sunny day gives new energy. I liked the purce charms!
ReplyDelete