Trying Something New

It has been two months since I put my blog into recess.  I'm not wanting to start it up again just at the moment, but thought it might be fun to try something a little bit different in the meantime.

I am going to see if I can post a daily photo (or photos) of the ordinary stuff that happens in my life.  Nothing too spectacular, just a visual record of my daily life living here in New Zealand.

I want to post photos direct from my phone, so I hope it works!

Cheers, Margaret :)

THE CONTRASTING COLOURS OF AUTUMN TREES NESTLED AMONG THE EVERGREENS

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.

 

And Rain Shall Not Stop Them

 

I have great respect and admiration for arborists, especially after learning how gruelling their training can be.

Not only do they need to be fit for such a physically demanding job, but they also need to have extensive knowledge about trees and a comprehensive understanding of their equipment and how to remain safe while using it.

This morning, after having a gorgeously sunny day yesterday, we have constant rain with the occasional heavier bouts.  But that never stopped these workmen.

They climbed their trees and trimmed the branches, even though it was raining, and the ground crew put the dropped limbs through their mulcher.

I was afraid they were going to take down all the trees but thankfully they have not – at least at this stage!

Sorry for not being that ‘present’ online at the moment.  I seem to be having a bit of down-time from the computer – too much TV viewing of Olympics perhaps?

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a happy week 😊

Margaret.

Loving Trees

 

There is always beauty to be found in nature, wherever we may be, whatever we may be doing.  There is always something to see.

I happen to love trees and they can be found everywhere.

The diversity of trees is amazing, even if you only look at their trunks and bark.  These American Aspens have white bark marked with black,

Whereas these New Zealand Southern Beech have black trunks.

The bark of our native Kanuka is loose and flakey,

But this oak has solid deeply-furrowed bark.

However, it is the American Ponderosa Pine that is one of my favourites – chiefly because I love to sniff it!!  To me, the smell is one of sweet butterscotch and I simply adore it.

Let’s all go hug a tree today 😊

Margaret xx

Tree Fall

Have you ever tried to photograph a tree as it falls?  I have tried several times when watching trees being felled, but have been unable to capture the action of it.  They only look like they are growing at a funny angle, like the conifer in the photo above.

This tree was in our neighbour’s property several years ago, and had become a danger as it had grown up too close to overhead power lines.

I dislike seeing mature trees being cut down.  I know sometimes it is needed, but they have taken so many years to reach their Age Of Beauty and it always seems a shame to remove them. 

Margaret J

LINKED TO Timeless Thursdays

Autumn

Autumn is my favourite season, only this year I must stay at home and I feel I am missing out on it completely.  So I thought a look for some photos in my archives might remind me what autumn was all about.

Firstly, there is the glorious colour of the trees as they prepare themselves for winter hibernation.  These beautiful trees are Aspens in Arizona, but you get the idea.

Harvest is another great aspect of autumn.  These Queensland Blue iron-bark pumpkins have very tough skins.  We harvested these out of our vegetable garden in 2004.

Autumn is also when the hot summer weather turns decidedly cooler, the nights grow longer, and the first dusting of snow on the mountains appears.

Once harvest is completed, the big Garden Clean-up can begin.  Shrubs are pruned, dead leaves are raked up, weeds are gathered together – and the fun of garden bonfires begins!

One of my favourite activities is walking through piles of fallen leaves.  They crunch and crackle and scatter around you, and they always seem to have that damp earthy smell about them that I typically associate with the autumn season.

Many plants have berries on them at this time of the year – these ones are the hips of a rose.

Finally, I found this painting I had done many years ago and it also reminded me of autumn – in fact, it is titled Autumn Leaves.  It was created using watercolours and fallen pin-oak leaves.

I know many readers are heading into spring with the hope of summer just ahead, but I hope you will forgive me for enjoying these last vestiges of warmth before our winter arrives.

Let us be thankful and appreciate the diversity of nature and the beauty of our different seasons J

Margaret.

A Virtual Bush Walk

Otanewainuku Forest, in the Bay of Plenty, is a great place to see original native forest with giant trees and a healthy population of indigenous birds and wildlife.

Looking up at the fronds of a punga, a tree fern

The area is relatively remote, with little cell-phone coverage, but can be accessed by car.  In 2012 some of our family gathered together here to walk the Rimu Loop Track before settling down to a picnic lunch.  

Most of this area has never been logged

The track is 1.8 km long as it winds through the bush ('bush' is what New Zealanders call their forests!), and takes around 45 minutes to walk.

Like all walkways and facilities managed by the Department of Conversation, is now out-of-bounds for the duration of our lockdown.

The Rimu Walk is only one of several tracks through this forest

In some places we could see epiphytes growing on the trees.  In earlier times these parasitic plants were often known as widow-makers, as they would sometimes fall from the tree unexpectedly with dire results for any man standing below.

You can see the epiphytes growing up in the trees

We came across several fallen trees on our walk and some of the more rotten ones had different fungi growing on them.

Fungi growing on a rotting log

This fungi was growing on a well-rotted log

There are ancient rimu trees growing here, along with rata, tawa, kamahi and rewarewa.

Trees towering above walkers on the track

Some of the birds to be found in this forest are bellbirds, tui, black robin, wood pigeon (kereru), the rare kokako, and kiwi.

This darling little Black Robin came to check us out

There was a small picnic area near the carpark and this was where our family met up after the walk.  I remember we had bacon-and-egg pie and tomato sandwiches for lunch!

Picnic area, where we ate lunch together

I hope you enjoyed this virtual bush walk.  The last couple of days I have been spending time real-walking around the outside of our house.  I am thankful we have a yard where I can do this, and not have to walk down the street at all. 

Of course, the distance is only short so I have extended it by doing things like walking around each of our cars, circling around the garden table and chairs, walking a figure-eight on the lawn section and so on.  I try and do different things each circuit – the last thing son wants is for me to wear a figure-eight track into his newly grassed lawn!

Stay happy and healthy J

Margaret.

LINKING TO My Corner of the World

Cemetery Visit

No apologies for photographing a cemetery.  It is 18 months since my darling husband died and I sought solace by visiting his grave.  It takes me around an hour to get there, as the cemetery we chose is a provincial one situated in the town where we first met. 

This rather rickety-looking seat was in the older part of the cemetery

My father, mother, a brother, and a grandmother are also buried here, so husband is in good company!

A view across the cemetery

The cemetery is not large, being so much more intimate than the big city one, and has a very peaceful atmosphere with several large trees and all kinds of resident birds.  It is actually a lovely place to just sit for a while and ponder on things.

This area is reserved for Returned Servicemen

Whenever I leave a cemetery I like to follow Maori protocol and wash my hands before leaving, throwing some of the water backwards over my shoulders. 

Washing the hands this way is to clear any connection that has inadvertently been made with the spiritual world, and also leaves the departed ones in their places so they do not follow you.

Sounds superstitious I know, but the act always leaves me feeling purified somehow.  It gives me peace instead of turmoil.

I love this majestic old oak tree

Margaret.

Spring Is Here

This is my very first time posting a blog!  It is the first of October today and the season of Spring has arrived here in Hamilton, as evidenced by the weather.  We have been having lots of rain mingled with sunshine, as well as the strong winds that always seem to arrive around the time of the spring equinox.  The ground is wet underfoot, but the temperature is growing warmer each day, and local gardens are full of flowering cherry and apple trees.  I drove to the shops this morning and loved all the kowhai (genus Sophora) out in flower.  Kowhai is the Maori name for yellow, and the flowers on these trees certainly are the colour of golden sunshine.  Enough to cheer up anybody's day!

Kowhai trees along Wairere Drive, Hamilton

Flowers of the kowhai tree

Until next time,
Margaret