A Cheese Scone

 

It has been a very grey day today but thankfully no rain.  

I went down to the Lake again this morning for a short stroll, and, after returning to the car, I stood and watching these Canada Geese as they sailed past in perfect formation.

Just down the road I called in at Café Fresca and treated myself to a cheese scone and a hot chocolate.

The scone was delicious but far too much for a morning tea, so I took half of it home with me and finished it for lunch.

This afternoon, I seemed to spend all my time on the phone talking to people.  Finish one conversation and start another!  I guess it happens that way sometimes.

Hope everyone is feeling great 😊

Margaret.

 

Catch-Up

 

My goodness, is it really over a week since I have been on blogger?  I guess that is what happens when you don’t much feel like doing anything.

From dreary weather at the start of the week, yesterday was a gorgeous blue sunny day and I managed to get a lot of washing dry out on the clothesline.

Today looks like it is going to be the same.  I may even be tempted to spend some time in the garden.

Sunlight streaming in the dining room window

For a while now, I have felt like my income isn’t being managed very well.  I have enough to meet all my needs, so the urge to operate under a budget was almost zero (you do that when times are hard!).

But one of my sons has persuaded me to do a free trial of YNAB (You Need A Budget) and now I am getting into it, I realise how much more I could be doing with my money.  

It operates a little differently to a normal budget, and I’m really quite impressed with it!

This week I have visited a sister-in-law who recently returned from a three-week holiday in Australia.  She came home with some amazing photos and great memories.  Isn’t it wonderful that post-covid we are now able to travel around again?

Now it is getting cooler, most nights we have the fire going.  Both cats were always a little frightened of the fire, but as they grow older they appreciate the warmth more. 

Mittens always sleeps in my room, but Millie is getting braver each night and slowly getting closer and closer to that lovely source of warmth.

Have a great day 😊

Margaret.

 

The Elm Tree

 

It is about this time every year, in late autumn, that I always remember our Elm Tree.

It grew on a property we lived at for nearly five years, and every late autumn the tree would treat us to its bounty of golden leaves.

Sometimes I wonder if it is still growing, and if the people living there now appreciate its beauty like we did.

Sometimes I miss my little greenhouse too.

Today has been the usual sort of day.  Did the dishes, tidied the house, made the bed – all those little daily things you do automatically.

Then I made a visit to the supermarket for a few groceries before discovering one of the cats had brought up a hair ball on the sheepskin rug, so that had to be washed. 

I planted the sweet alyssum seedlings I bought, and removed some of the dead leaves from the silverbeet plants.

And I made an appointment to have a consultation with a hairdresser about my hair.  It would be around ten years since I last went to a hairdresser, so maybe it is time I updated my appearance a little!

Margaret 😊

 

Bottoms Up!

 

When I was a child, we used to say that “bad” weather was only good for ducks.  Nowadays, I appreciate the days when we have some rain and I don’t need an excuse to stay indoors and do very little.

The last few days have been dreary.  We have had overcast grey skies and light drizzle with heavy showers – once again (and I am not complaining), the worst of this latest storm is missing us.

This duck, at our local lake, was totally unconcerned with the weather and continued searching for food.

After doing the usual daily housework, I have been sitting at my computer and continuing to publish my family history on ancestry.com.  I seem to have amassed an incredible amount of information over the last fifty years!

Millie (our fluffy black cat) has been keeping me company – she discovered a bed sheet on the airing rack and pulled one end down to the floor and curled up inside it.

It means I will have to rewash the sheet, but she looks so cute and comfortable that I haven’t wanted to disturb her.

Coronation Weekend is looming, and I will be staying up that night to watch it live on TV.

Whatever the weather, big smiles and happy hearts can make the day bright and cheerful 😊

Margaret.

 

A Quiet Weekend

 

I have never known a cat quite like Mittens for being able to show her emotions clearly on her face.

This is her Expectant Face as she sits patiently waiting for her dinner to appear.

It is Monday today and we have dreary weather, with overcast skies, wind, and the odd bit of rain.  It is the edge of an ex-tropical storm that is making its way down the country.

The weekend was fairly uneventful.  I was feeling tired so never achieved very much, certainly nothing worth writing about!

The weekend's highlight was Saturday evening, when we watched our local Chiefs rugby team play the Canterbury Crusaders.  The match was here in Hamilton but we viewed it on TV, not joining the 24,000 people who packed out the stadium to capacity.

It was a good game.  Both teams were evenly matched and the score hung in the balance for most of the game, but in the end we won 34 to 24.

Have a happy day 😊

Margaret.

HEADER PHOTO MAY 2023

My header photo for May 2023 is the Hurunui River in North Canterbury.  One of Canterbury’s braided rivers, it is 145km long and flows from the Southern Alps down to the Pacific Ocean.  Brown trout and eels can be fished here, along with seasonal runs of sea-salmon and whitebait.

This photo was taken in early winter, 2012.

Grumpy Face

 

Mittens and I have both had our Grumpy Faces on at different times this last week.

Mine was the result of not feeling up to doing anything much as I came down with a bout of bronchitis.  I used to get it fairly regularly, but haven’t had it for the last few years and the bug decided to make up for that lapse in its attendance!

On the mend now, but both sons have come down with covid and I am really hoping I can dodge that one.

Mittens displayed her Grumpy Face one night when it was raining.  She does NOT like the rain!  She sits up on her cat-scratch perch and glares at the world (and us!) like we are all to blame for it.

We had our first white ground frost this last week, and a couple of sessions of strong wind has seen a lot of leaves fall from the trees.

Today it is fairly calm and the sun is streaming in the windows.  I had them all open earlier but have closed them now so the house can warm up.

Fresh air and sunshine are the best things out for lifting spirits (and banishing Grumpy Faces!).

Cheers,

Margaret 😊

 

Tummy Clock Woes

 

I am one of those persons who have an inbuilt Tummy Clock to tell me it is time to eat!  My mother suffered from the same ailment and my father used to say he could set his watch by her need to eat at a particular time.

Daylight Saving ended early Sunday morning and our clocks all went back an hour.  It means I can now get up in the dawn instead of the dark, but it takes a bit of discipline to get my tummy clock back in sync with the clock time again.

It only takes a couple of days to re-set, watching the clock and not eating “early” because it feels like the right time to eat.  The cats have the same problem, although it is probably worse for them – how do you explain to an animal (or a young child, for that matter) that their meals are suddenly now at a different time?

Millie says its no substitute for a nice dish of jellimeat

Once again, the weekend involved a lot of watching rugby on TV.  Our local Chiefs team are currently leading the table for the Super Rugby Pacifica competition – it would be fantastic if they can keep it up, but there is some stiff competition out there and one can never take things for granted.

Hope your weekend was a great one 😊

Margaret.

 

Slimy Selective Slugs

 

Here it is, the first of April already.  The year seems to be going by very quickly.

My little flower seedlings are beginning to flower, but some of them are minus their petals.  The viola plants look fine, and the sepals are present, but the petals themselves are missing.

I thought it might have been bird damage to begin with, but I think we actually have some slugs with very selective taste buds.  I saw some silvery trails on some leaves, so have put down some bait to see if we catch anything.

This yellow viola was a rogue seedling that self-seeded itself from last spring’s blooms.  The slugs don’t seem to be attracted by it, or maybe the climb up the concrete to reach it is too strenuous for a slimy slug.

I’ve been to a very large funeral this last week.  I always find it amazing that you know somebody for a good part of your life, but you never know all that they are involved in.  Funerals are great places to discover new things about a person!

My little Suzuki Swift car has had its annual service and only needed the usual top-ups and filter replacements.  It is always nice to be told that nothing was found that needed repairing or replacing.

The weather is a little dull today, but more sunshine (and colder nights) are expected this coming week.

Margaret 😊

 

HEADER PHOTO APRIL 2023

For my header photo this month, I am staying closer to home.  Hamilton Lake is also known as Lake Rotoroa and covers about 54 ha (around 130 acres).  It is a naturally formed lake with a shallow average depth of around 2½ metres, although it can reach 6 metres in places.  Being in the middle of the city, it is a popular destination for walkers and those who love to sail (big yachts and models).  In my younger days, it was also a popular place to go swimming but sadly the water quality now prevents that.  The resident bird population doesn’t mind that, however, and several species will nest here.

In the background of my photo can be seen Mount Pirongia.  Once the largest basaltic volcano in the North Island, it is now (thankfully!) classed as being extinct.

Carrots

 

Several months ago I sowed some carrot seed in one of my trough  gardens.  They germinated and then struggled and didn’t grow very well, so imagine my surprise when I went to remove them and discovered carrots beneath the surface of the soil.

Not a great many carrots, but enough for a couple of meals and a sample of what fresh carrots really taste like.

Our nights are slowly growing cooler but the days are still reasonably mild and warm.  I took advantage of that this morning and hand washed two fancy tablecloths that need to drip dry – I’m not keen on wringing out old fabrics or ones with lots of embroidery on them.

Some silverware also got polished (not my most favourite job) and a cupboard was organised – so I feel like I have had a productive morning and can now sit outside with a cup of tea and enjoy the afternoon.

Stay happy 😊

Margaret.

 

Being Social

 

Strange how sometimes things can seem to get too much to cope with.

This past week I have entertained visitors, gone visiting myself, had morning tea in town with an old friend, and last night was able to meet up with some Australian relatives I’d not seen for several years.

Each event has been enjoyable and I wouldn’t want to not have done any of them, but this morning I am feeling so tired.  Probably just a reflection of the state of my health, but I am feeling I shouldn’t ignore it.

So, today, I am doing nothing!  Going nowhere.  Seeing nobody.  I’m even seriously considering turning off my phone for a few hours.  Tomorrow will be a better day!

Time to put the kettle on for a nice hot cup of tea 😊

Margaret.

 

Cabbage Trees and Other Bits

At this time of year, our native Cabbage Trees (Cordyline australis) are in bloom.  Their scented flowers later turn to berries that make a great food source for birds.

These trees are found growing throughout the North and South Islands, and are popular transplants in various places around the world (I believe in the United Kingdom they are known as Torquay Palms).

They are commonly called “cabbage trees” as the heart of them was sometimes used by Maori and early pioneers as food and is said to taste similar to cabbage.  Unfortunately it kills the tree so it is not recommended to try it.

As a child I remember weaving small mats out of their long fibrous leaves, and in later years would use those same leaves (as they died and fell from the tree) as a great source of kindling for our fire.

I have had my sons moving furniture around for me this morning.  First a bookcase to change positions, and then some drawers and a china cabinet needed shifting.

That made space for the sofa-bed to go into the spare room against the wall where I wanted it.  The only problem was they couldn’t get it around a corner and through the hallway door.  Just that tiny amount that wouldn’t quite fit!

In the end, Son got a hammer and punched the hinges through on the door and removed it.  The spare room door wasn’t a problem as they were able to face it front-on.  The door has been put back, and the sofa is now in place and I am happy with the arrangement. 

I have almost finished my packing for the road trip next week, and will write about that in the next day or so.

Time now for an afternoon cup of tea and a biscuit 😊

Margaret.

 

A First Taste of Summer

 

The garden is slowly recovering after last week’s unexpected heavy frost.  Things are starting to shoot away again, although we doubt whether the grape will recover enough to fruit this season – but Nature is amazing, and it may do so.

We have had our first harvest off my Camarosa strawberries and enjoyed them for our dessert.  I prefer my strawberries to be soft and juicy, but these were still a little firm although definitely ripe and full of flavour.  Perhaps it is the variety?  Or maybe we simply haven’t seen enough warm sunshine yet.

We have another grey day today, although there is no prospect of rain and it isn’t really that cold.  Just one of those drab days where one needs to find something to occupy the time.

I think I will go and make some cheese scones for our lunch 😊

Margaret.

 

Is It Spring Yet?

 

By the calendar, official Spring doesn’t start for a couple more days but Nature is not a calendar watcher. 

Spring has definitely arrived here, with birds nesting and everything putting on new growth.  Even the lawns are growing faster (ask Son, he is back to mowing them every 7-10 days!).

We are still having typical spring weather though, with cool nights and warm days.  The fire still gets lit most nights but that probably won’t last for much longer.

My little garden gets sun all day long and everything is thriving.  I have stopped removing the strawberry flowers to let them set fruit (I wanted the plants to grow a little before fruiting), and they are looking great.

Today I did some much needed tidying up in the garden, planted some lettuce seedlings, and sowed seeds for nasturtium, salad burnet, and radishes.  I now have dirt under my fingernails! 

Have a happy day 😊

Margaret.

 

Beer, Pizza, Rugby, and Garlic

 

The boys in the family got together last night to enjoy a beer and pizza together (pizza so I never had to cook for them), before settling down to watch the Irish rugby team thrash the All Blacks.

It was not the result they were looking for and all the yelling sent both cats fleeing outside for most of the game. 

For the first time in rugby history, Ireland beat the All Blacks on New Zealand soil.  My friend Susan (originally from Ireland) will be thrilled!

Out in the garden, I have two tiny green shoots of garlic peeping through the earth.

Joy is watching your garlic growing 😊

Margaret.

 

Another Senior Moment

 

Guilty as charged!  I seem to be having a lot of “senior moments” lately, usually as inane as losing my phone, but this morning revealed the worst one so far.

Younger Son was visiting and commented that my fuel tank was open and the petrol cap was missing.  My first thought was, “Oh no, someone has stolen my petrol.”

But it was me to blame.  When I fuelled up yesterday I obviously forgot to put the cap back on.  I remember placing it on top of the car, so that has disappeared somewhere along my journey back home.

Thank goodness for Wonderful Sons!  The two of them got together, found a new cap for me at a local auto shop and put it in my car.

So, I learned two new things today:  always check the cap is on before you drive off, and who knew that modern petrol tanks have a mechanism that stops all the petrol sloshing out of an open tank as you drive!

Keep smiling 😊

Margaret.

 

Salty Vegetable Soup

 

First, thankyou my lovely blog-friends for all your good wishes.  I am finally feeling much better, although I still get tired very easily.  But that will pass and I am happy to be back to near normal again.

Our weather here has been very turbulent today.  We have had three thunderstorms pass through, accompanied with heavy rain and squally winds, but thankfully it is not too cold.  Further south they are receiving snow, so they will be feeling much cooler down there.

I thought it would be a good day to have vegetable soup for our dinner tonight.  Soup and fresh buns, followed with a slice of steamed pudding sounded just what was needed for this winter’s day.  However, I just taste-tested it and I have put too much salt in the soup. 

One of the things with home cooking from scratch is that occasionally you have a meal that is not as good as it could be, but most of the time it is still edible.  This soup is still edible – just!

Hopefully the steamed pudding will turn out alright.

This evening we will be watching one of the semi-final rugby matches for Pacific Super Rugby – a game between our local Chiefs and the Crusaders from Canterbury.  It should be a fairly even-matched game so I’m looking forward to seeing it.  Who knows, we might just win!

Until next time,

Margaret 😊

An Exhausting Week

 

It is a week since I last posted here but it feels like months ago.  My body has been fighting something, and throwing chills, headaches, shortness of breath, and utter exhaustion at me. 

I thought it might have been Covid, but the Rapid Antigen Test came back as negative so I presume I have simply picked up a bug of some sort somewhere.

Thankfully, I am on the mend again.  I still tire easily and everything takes a lot of effort, but any improvement is welcome!

Winter has arrived with lots of rain this last week.  This morning we had 100% humidity and a thick blanket of fog sitting over the city – one of the joys of living on predominately swampy land beside a river.

However, it cleared by lunchtime and we had some blue sky and sunshine before the clouds descended again and brought another round of rain.

Mittens and Millie are not impressed by rain.  They sit at the door and glare at it, before venturing out to do what they need to do (which lately has been bringing lots of mice back into the house).

Then, Cat Duties fulfilled, they will curl up in a nice warm spot and sleep off their adventures.

Have a happy week, my dear friends,

Margaret 😊

 

A Couple Of Firsts

 

We have had our first frost this morning – a fairly light one but enough to make the grass turn white and the tops of our cars to sparkle in the rising sun.

As the temperature dropped last night we also lit the fire for the first time. 

This morning, after my washing is hung out, I am heading out to buy some groceries and fuel up my car.  I don’t like to let the fuel gauge go below halfway, so it is time to fill up with petrol again.

A friend of mine was moaning that it costs so much to fill the car now, but they run on almost empty before filling up.  It costs less to do it more often! 

Although I admit that I also don’t run around as much now as I perhaps used to.  I have a prescription to be picked up and have put off doing that until I had another reason to take the car out.

We have another frost forecast for tomorrow morning so it looks like late autumn is starting to turn into early winter.  I hope the cold kills off the pest-demic of paper wasps that we have had recently.

Keep smiling 😊

Margaret.

 

Disappearing For A Few Days

 

Thought I’d better pop on here to say I am going to be away for a few days.  It is time for another Girls Only time away!

Myself and two girlfriends are leaving early tomorrow to spend some time at the beach, and I am really looking forward to it.

It will be a screenless few days as there is no internet access at the place we are staying, so I am not even attempting to take my laptop with me.

Mittens says she will miss me while I am away

I was speaking with my daughter this morning, and there is a large wild fire burning out of control near the city of Flagstaff AZ, where she lives.  Their home is not in any danger, but I feel for the people who are having to be evacuated with the prospect of possibly never seeing their homes again.

It is a traumatic time for anyone who faces this situation, and I find this fire particularly sad as I know the area involved quite well. 

I hope the fire will soon be brought under control and that everyone will be kept safe.

See you all again next week sometime,

Margaret 😊

 

Changing Our Clocks

 

At 2am this morning our clocks all went back an hour as Daylight Saving came to an end.  It always takes me a few days to adjust, and really throws the pet’s feeding schedules out of plumb.

For myself, I find the best and easiest way to adjust is to become a clock-watcher for a couple of days.  If the clock reads 12 noon I know it is time to prepare lunch, that sort of thing.  By the end of the week my body will have readjusted itself and I can return to running on instinct.

We had thick fog again this morning, along with 100% humidity and a temperature of 14 degrees Celsius.  The sun is breaking through now (mid-morning) so the fog is retreating as the day warms up.

The moist warmth hasn’t prevented me from changing and washing my sheets.  They will dry today or tomorrow, and are quite safe if they have to stay on the clothes line overnight.

I knew a woman once who used to race around washing her sheets every time it was going to rain, as she loved the smell of it on her bedding.  I prefer the smell of sunshine on mine.

Happy Weekend everyone 😊

Margaret.