Night Raider

 

Look who I caught in the act this morning when I pulled my curtains. 

Mr Snail (or was it Mrs?) was making a quick getaway after a night-time raid on my strawberry patch, which sits immediately below the window.

With the warm damp weather, the snails and slugs have been out in force the last few days.  I know they are part of Nature, but why do they have to munch so much?

I can see I am going to have to resort to some slug bait to control the invasion or I am going to end up with no garden.

I remember one year, a while ago now, going out at night and “harvesting” snails and feeding them to the hens the next morning.  The chickens eventually got tired of their snail diet and I had to drown the things instead.

I’m afraid I’m not so organic anymore – these days it is much easier to use slug bait and be done with it.

Do you have a favourite method of getting rid of these slimy little night raiders?

Margaret 😊

 

Pile Driving

 

Construction has begun on a new industrial building back behind our place.  We were notified last week that work was about to begin, and we have been left in no doubt that it has!

The Pile Driver has been working away, hammering in the long steel girders needed for the building to be able to rest on stable ground.  It has been quite fascinating watching it at work (what we can see of it), and the power/force of the machine involved is quite incredible.

Our house gets the shivers and shakes each time a pile is thrust into the ground, a result of our soil being so sandy (we are next to the river).  But it is taking me a while to get used to the noise – it reminds me of the low jaw-shuddering grinding whine that the old dentist’s drills use to have (thank goodness technology has replaced them!).

We are having typical spring weather at the moment.  Sunny one day and rainy the next, but the temperatures are definitely getting warmer and we seldom light the fire in the evening anymore.

May your day be filled with serenity and cheerfulness 😊

Margaret.

 

Fifty Years Ago

 

Fifty years ago this week, I got married.  If my husband had survived (he died 5 years ago), it would have been our Golden Wedding Anniversary.

It is difficult to know whether one should celebrate such an event alone, but getting married changed my life (for the better!) and I have chosen to celebrate it.

Arriving at the Church with my father

My new husband and I cutting the wedding cake

My wonderful children have been amazing.  I received beautiful flowers (with heavenly-scented stock amongst them), and taken out for a celebratory dinner.

Dinner at The Helm

Tears of Happiness

I feel truly blessed – and totally spoilt!

Cheers,

Margaret 😊

 

Searching For Health

 

My life has not always been a healthy one.  I almost died from meningitis as a toddler, have experienced cancer twice as an adult, and had various other health issues that have generally been more persistently annoying than life threatening.

Over recent years I have struggled with arthritis, high blood pressure, being overweight, several digestive issues (why are they all given different names as they all deal with one body system?), adverse side effects from medications, and lately a viral infection of the liver. 

Carrot and Celery Juice has become a staple in my diet now

I am soon to enter my seventieth decade and the thought that I may live another twenty years (as many of my ancestors have done), with less than good health, is a thought that fills me with an odd kind of dread.

I believe in a Creator God who made our bodies so incredibly perfect that medical science is still trying to figure it all out.  I also believe that, given half a chance, the body has an amazing ability to heal itself from almost any ailment. 

Sometimes it needs help to get started on this journey, and this is what I am attempting to do now by transitioning from a typical “Western Diet” to a more natural one.

I am not interested in following any set “diet” plan, or sticking rigidly to an exercise programme.  These things may be useful to some, but I prefer to listen to my own body and make my own choices. 

After all, we are all different – we all have different needs, different beliefs – we are all individuals who can make our own choices in what we do.

God may control the quantity of our life, but He has given us control over the quality of life we have.

Let’s enjoy Life every day, as long as we can 😊

Margaret.

 

Well Done, France

 

The menfolk in the family are not happy.  The Rugby World Cup kicked off today in Paris, France, and our All Blacks played the French rugby team and managed to lose quite convincingly.

I thought France played well, but the fact that we lost such an important game (after losing an equally important game two weeks ago to the South Africans) does not go down well with a lot of All Black supporters. 

I won’t repeat any of the comments I have heard made!

A scrum, at a time when we were actually ahead on the scoreboard

I enjoy watching rugby and will enjoy watching other World Cup games that are on when I am awake (the getting up in the wee hours to watch rugby is not my cup of tea). 

Every weekend the last several months I have watched Super Rugby competition games, and now have been watching the Provincial Championships (we have a SkySport subscription, so I can watch it all from the comfort of my armchair).

Rugby is about the only sport I follow, and, strangely, I don’t really mind which team wins.  It is more important to me that the game is not tainted with cheating or a biased referee (both of which happen at times).

Do you have a sport that you like to follow?

Cheers,

Margaret 😊

 

Magpie Treasure

Along our fence we have hung several hanging baskets that we (or, rather, my son) has filled with annuals.  They look so pretty when in bloom and give us lots of joy.

They make Nature happy as well.  Some of the baskets have a coir lining and the birds love the free nesting materials on hand.

The sparrows usually make good use of the wiry strands, pulling out each one before flying off with it.  But yesterday and today I have witnessed a magpie doing the same.

Only it doesn’t take individual strands – it pulls out tufts and keeps pulling until it has a beak full of nesting treasure before flying off into the trees.

I managed to take this photo through the net curtains.  I’m sure if it had been aware of my presence, it would not have hung around.  They usually fly off the moment they see any movement in a window.

Have a happy day 😊

Margaret.

 

Up, Down, And Down Again

 

What a bumpy month August has been, healthwise.  I’m sorry I haven’t been posting, or visiting other blogs, but I simply haven’t felt up to it. 

I’m still undergoing tests so not really sure what is going on, but it seems possible there is more than one issue happening at the same time.

Hopefully September will be a better month, especially as it signals the start of Spring.  Many birds around here have been getting quite territorial and amorous for a couple of weeks now, so no doubt it won’t be long before we start hearing little cheeps around the place (especially from the noisy sparrows!).

And this last week, our resident blackbirds have begun singing their Dawn Chorus.  What a welcome sound that is.

My little garden has been giving me much joy.  My first Iceland Poppy shyly opened its petals this morning, hovering over the Violet and Sweet Alyssum which have been scenting the air for some days now.

I love to sit out here when the day is warm and the icy winds are not blowing.

Welcome to Spring 😊

Margaret.

  

HEADER PHOTO FOR SEPTEMBER 2023

September’s photo is of the Rangitaiki River in the Bay of Plenty.  This scene was taken from Thornton, where the river empties into the Pacific Ocean (this river is not to be confused with the Rangitikei River lower down the North Island).  In the background can be seen the volcanic cone of Mt Edgecumbe.

This photo was taken back in 2008 so no doubt the view has changed since then as the river has suffered a few floods in that time.