Footsteps In The Frost

I woke this morning with a cold nose - a sure sign that we had a decent frost.

About an hour after sun-up, when I felt warm enough, I went outside and investigated. 

Hamilton does not seem to experience the severe frosts I remember from my childhood, but it was still minus 1 degrees Celsius when I took this photo over our back fence.

My car was shrouded in a white blanket.

The grass was satisfyingly crunchy underfoot. 

I loved the way the sweetpea leaves were sprinkled with tiny droplets of ice.

I like a good frost - it kills a lot of bugs!

This one soon disappeared as the sun warmed up.  It was followed by a sunny day, even if it stayed a little chilly (we reached a high of 11 degrees).

I hope your day is a happy one.

Margaret  xx

Rainbows

Well, the rain arrived overnight and everything is now sodden under foot.

But today we have had the odd burst of sunshine.

With lots of showers still hanging around, I have seen five separate rainbows today (one was a double).

They appeared when the sun shone as well as during rain showers.

I dodged raindrops to buy my normal Tuesday groceries. 

The treat for today was a chocolate eclair. 

I also bought some Drunken Woman lettuce seedlings and got them planted up in a pot.

Keep smiling 😃 

Margaret  xx

January Skies in 2024

 

January is our mid-summer month and, here in Hamilton, is usually the sunniest and one of the driest months of the year.

We average 230 hours of sunshine, a maximum average temperature of 24C (76F) and an average low of 15C (59F).  Rain can be expected around 20% of the time, and relative humidity averages a little over 70%.

Overall, the weather in January can be quite pleasant most of the time.

Some of our local hot-air balloon enthusiasts agree with me, and we have seen this sight out the window on several early mornings this month.

Enjoying a balloon ride soon after dawn

Most of our days have been blue skies with fluffy white clouds, and lately our temperatures have been in the late 20sC but thankfully dropping back into the mid-teens during the night.

Cloud building up on a sunny afternoon

We have also experienced some rain, and even a bit of thunder.  This photo was taken about ten minutes before a torrential downpour.

The sky was much darker than the photo shows

It is not very often I get to see lenticular clouds, so was thrilled to see this one recently.  They usually form over mountainous areas so I am picking it was actually sitting somewhere above National Park, roughly 150km away “as the crow flies.”

I was sitting beneath our umbrella!

January seems to have passed by very quickly, but I feel it has been a productive month.  I have achieved a few things (decluttering, organising etc.) that I have been wanting to do for a long, long time.

Life is good 😊

Margaret.

 

Thank You

 

Thankyou to whoever sent the sunshine to us yesterday and today.  What a difference it makes to my attitude!

Yesterday I was able to visit a dear friend for a couple of hours and that certainly helped make me feel better too.

Then I went down to the lakeside for a while.  This view is looking across the lake towards the hospital.

I never walked far, spending most of my time sitting in the car watching the birds swim by and all the different people walk/jog past.  What a diverse-looking species humanity is!!

Then this morning I spent a couple of hours out in the garden, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine after the hard frost we had earlier in the day.

Sometimes, I quite enjoy just sitting and watching the world go by. 

And I don’t feel grumpy anymore! 😊

Margaret.

 

Dark Skies

 

Do you ever get grumpy with the weather?  I’m afraid today I have been!

I woke up cold, with frost on the ground, and hurriedly dressed and scuttled out to the living room where there was a nice warm fire burning.

The sun rose, the frost disappeared, and within two hours the skies turned a deep inky blue and it poured with rain.

The showers have continued on and off all day.  The ground is wet, my spirits are damp, the whole day seems to have been a bit of a disaster.

Just as well there is always tomorrow to look forward to 😊

Margaret.

 

Horizontal Rain

 

This photo may not show it that well, but most of today we have been having horizontal rain.  As if that isn’t bad enough, the strong wind has an icy bite to it that sends one rushing back inside if you dare poke a nose outdoors.

One of our neighbours has had to brave it though, as extra strong wind gusts have been lifting one of the panels on his verandah roof and he had to tie it down.

The blue thing is a hose - no watering plants needed in this sort of weather though!

It is getting dark early and we have lit the fire to keep the house warmer. 

The two cats have been funny.  They both dislike getting wet (like most cats) and won’t head outside unless absolutely necessary.

But they still have energy to burn off, and this results in them turning the hallway into a racetrack.  The noise is akin to a herd of baby elephants!

It always amazes me that a cat can be so delicate and quiet when it wants, and then deliberately be able to make excess noise by somehow thumping their paws down harder on a surface.

Time now to go and make some dinner,

Margaret 😊

 

The Weather

 

Sometimes weather can change rapidly.  I knew there was a storm on the way today (although, once again, it is forecast to go mostly around us), so was up early doing the things I wanted.

First up was a short walk in the wind beside Hamilton Lake before heading for the supermarket. 

Back home, I managed to get some lettuce seedlings in the ground before the rain arrived late morning.

It got steadily heavier into the afternoon, and there was a bit of surface flooding around the place.  It is now evening and the rain is still steadily falling.

Many places around the country are under warnings to prepare for heavy rain and strong winds, thunderstorms, and possible tornadoes.

I’m not sure if the storm is really bad enough for all these warnings or if officialdom is becoming paranoid about warning people of possible adverse conditions.

Maybe some people need to be told everything, but I just hope that a Cry Wolf situation is not being created as that could have disastrous results when we do have the occasional severe storm pass through.

I watched a replay of the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle last night.  What they can achieve now with drones is nothing short of amazing.  Loved it.

Margaret 😊

 

Thunder Clouds

 

The seasons are changing and it seems more people are succumbing to coughs and colds as we head into winter.  Covid is quietly on the rise again and the hospital is having to open more dedicated wards to cope with the extra patients.

I’ve been sniffling this weekend myself (thankfully not covid, just a cold) so have been taking it quietly and resting lots, drinking heaps of water, and taking vitamin C.  I’ve learnt over the years that my body responds best to that sort of treatment (garlic used to work for hubby, it does nothing for me).

Part of the problem is the swinging temperatures we are experiencing – with nights from cold enough for a fire to warm enough to throw the blankets off the bed.

This week the warm moist temperatures are putting us under a thunder watch.  We had a loud storm pass through at dawn, and all day there have been the odd rumbles. 

This evening I could see this cloud bank building up and couldn’t resist taking a photo.

I’m also happy to report that the slug bait seems to have worked.  I’ve not found any dead slugs or snails, but the violas are now flowering happily and make a pretty sight on the deck.

That’s all for now, folks 😊

Margaret.

A Fire In February

 

February is normally the hottest driest month of the year, but not so in 2023.  It wasn’t cold last night, but it was certainly dismal and dreary and we welcomed the sight of our log fire as we hunkered down for the evening.

Cyclone Gabrielle (now classed as an ex-cyclone) has been causing devastating damage, equivalent to (if not worse than) that caused by Cyclone Bola in the late 1980s. 

The government has now declared a National State of Emergency, only the third time in the country’s history for this to happen.  It means that local Civil Defence centres can now officially be helped by national resources.

Many rivers have burst their stop-banks.  Roads are closed.  Landslides have been frequent.  Trees are down in every area.  Thousands of residents are without electricity.  Many others have been evacuated from their homes.

I doubt there is anyone in the North Island who does not know somebody who has been impacted in some way, and for many places the situation is still worsening.

Hamilton itself has escaped the worst, with most damage being caused by trees coming down in the strong winds.  We went to sleep last night with torrential rain and howling wind, but by 2.30am the rain had stopped and by 6am the winds had died down as well.

This morning we have even had some sunshine, although the clouds are still black and there is the occasional strong gust of wind.

Our TV is on and we are watching extended coverage from around the Island.  It is sobering – more so as we are still waiting to hear that certain friends and family are safe.

Sending arohanui (much love) to all those affected by this storm,

Margaret.

 

AN UPDATE (2pm):  We are hearing of so many communities that are now totally isolated, places with no communications networks available, areas where electricity may be weeks before it is restored, people being rescued from flooded homes, others who have lost everything.  Also, reports that Napier has received three months' worth of rain in 24 hours. This really has become a major disaster for our little country.

A Plate Or Two Of Pottage

 

With Cyclone Gabrielle making its way onto the country, many people are hunkering down and expecting the worst.  For regions already sodden with the heavy rain of two weeks ago, more heavy rain could spell disaster.

Red warnings for gale-force winds and torrential rain have been issued for the top of the North Island and the Coromandel Peninsular, but it appears all the Island will be impacted by strong winds.

For us here in Hamilton things are not currently looking too bad.  We missed the worst of the last storm, and so far we only have an orange warning for strong winds over the next couple of days.

Today we have overcast skies and the wind is steadily rising.  There has been a little bit of rain at our place but nothing worth noticing, although that is meant to change in the next hour or so as we head into the afternoon.

I don’t normally make soup in summer (in seems wrong somehow), but this morning it felt like a great idea.  It was!

Son and I enjoyed our hearty pottage soup for lunch – it warmed the cockles of our heart, it did (what a funny saying that is).

I call this soup pottage because it doesn’t have a set recipe.  It is a sort of chuck-in-whatever-is-around type of soup.  In this case it was a shin bone, carrot, onion, leek, celery, pearl barley, mung beans, yellow mustard seeds, seasoned with turmeric, salt, and pepper, and boiled up for a couple of hours in some water.

Very yummy 😊

Margaret.

 

Lots Going On

 

It has been a busy two days.  Yesterday I went to the supermarket and then visited an old friend that I had not seen for many years.

She is 89 years old and still as bright as a button.  It was a joy to spend a couple of hours with her, discussing all that had passed in our lives since we last met fifteen years ago.

And then today I spent most of the day visiting one of my sisters-in-law.  I am finding that being a bit more social is so much nicer than just sitting at home all day!

I also had a doctor’s appointment this morning.  We had to meet to discuss the hospital informing him that they were turning down my cardiac referral because there is still a six month’s waiting list – I’ve already been on the list for four months.

But there is a matter of mis-communication somewhere, because I actually have an appointment next week for a CT Scan, authorised by the hospital cardiac department.

My doctor was so nice about it all – so nice in fact, that he refused to charge me any fee for our consultation.  He has endorsed my desire to lose weight, and accepted without question my concerns that all of my current health issues have only arisen since I had the covid-19 vaccines.  Who knows?

So sad to hear the Chateau Tongariro is closing its doors
And so happy that I got to stay there last December

We have had unsettled weather here today, with rain, wind, sunshine, and a little thunder.  A lady in the doctor’s waiting room was telling me her family in Auckland had just received notice that their house has been red-stickered (uninhabitable) and were coming to stay with her.

I have been able to catch up with most of the family and friends I know who have been affected by this weather.  They are all okay, but a couple of them are living in towns that are still cut off from the rest of the country.  One said they would be good as long as food deliveries were still able to be made to their local town, which at the moment isn’t possible.

This storm really has been unprecedented in its severity and the number of people it has impacted.  The obvious cause is Climate Change, but the Tongan volcano sending 10% of the earth’s moisture into the atmosphere must also be having an impact.

What goes up, must come down!

Margaret 😊

 

My apologies.  I got my information slightly wrong - the Tongan volcano increased atmospheric moisture by 10% 

FEBRUARY HEADER PHOTO

This picture is one of rural countryside half-way between Te Awamutu and Waitomo.  The photo was taken in 2008 but I doubt the scene has changed much since then.

 

I Bought A Fitbit

 

I am beginning to think that losing weight is a bit like giving up smoking – you have to really want to do it. 

It is all very well saying you would like to slim down or give up tobacco, but it isn’t until you really really want to that the motivation kicks in.

Finally, I have arrived at that point.  I’ve known for ages (like, years) that I need to lose weight but my efforts have always been airy-fairy attempts that result in my giving up before anything is achieved.

This time I am determined it will be different. 

Hence, the purchase of a Fitbit Charge 5.  I researched the different ones, and this one appeared to be the best on offer for the use of Seniors.  It will track my heartbeat, count my steps, and check on my sleep patterns.

It does heaps of other things as well, but those are the ones that are most important to me.

I have been wearing it for a couple of days now and finding my way around how it works.  It’s fun!  And I really love the little message it sends me when it tracks that I haven’t been moving much – “time to move!” is a great message.

After steady rain yesterday, today we have had some sunshine.  It has now (as I am writing this, in the early evening) turned to rain.  It was forecast to arrive twelve hours ago, along with severe thunderstorms, so we will see what the night brings.

Auckland, the  largest city in New Zealand, was declared a State of Emergency last night because of the torrential rain and flooding they experienced.  Rainfall for the 24 hours there (245-400mm depending on where you live, which is nearly10-16 inches), broke all previous records.  

Unfortunately, three people have also died as a result of the weather, and another person is still missing.

Other areas are also experiencing severe rain issues.  Many roads are closed because of flooding or land-slips, and several communities are completely isolated.  It is going to be a big clean-up.

Take care and be safe, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Margaret 😊

 

A Little Bit Wet

 

For the last 18 hours our temperature has sat at a constant 18 degrees (Celsius), and it has rained continuously for almost as long. 

Millie has found the ideal way to spend a wet day and has only moved once to go and have some food.

I haven’t been snoozing but have to admit I haven’t been exactly busy either.

Last night we watched rugby again – the All Blacks against Japan (Japan played a great game but we still won) – and this morning we watched a live replay between Australia and Scotland (Australia just won that game).

Now (late afternoon), we are watching a live broadcast of T20 World Cup cricket.  Bangladesh is playing Zimbabwe in Brisbane – and their weather looks to be the total opposite of ours today!

In between the two games I sat at the table and coloured in a lot of the line drawings I have in my journal.  This book has been in use now for three years but I will finish filling it this month.

I like to make little sketches (most of them you could probably call scribbles!) with my daily notes, and colouring in some of them adds a lot of oomph to the overall appearance of the journal.

The next 24 hours are forecast to remain at a steady 16 to 18 degrees, with more rain and the threat of thunderstorms.  That translates as more humidity – ugh!

New Zealand is still under a La Nina weather pattern, causing our coastal waters to suffer a bit of a marine heatwave.  The result is a forecast of expected above-average temperatures in November – the Waikato has a 75% chance of being hotter than normal.

We’ve been through it all before, so no doubt we will survive it again 😊

Margaret.

 

Winter in Hamilton NZ

 

On average, July is the coldest and wettest month of the year here in Hamilton – it is our main month of winter.

New Zealand is broadly classed as having a Maritime Climate in a Temperate Zone.  The maritime part is because our long skinny country sits between the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea, and we are Temperate because we are situated just below the Tropic of Capricorn.

In reality, our weather ranges from near sub-tropical in the far north to near sub-Antarctic in the far south.  It means almost anything can be grown in New Zealand.

Hamilton is an inland city, no more than an hour from the coast, and situated in a large relatively open area of country.  It generally experiences high humidity, warm summers, cool wet winters, and occasional frosts and very rare light snowfalls.

We are surrounded by peat swamps, have a lake in the middle of the city, and the Waikato River flows through our heart.  All that moisture combines together and gives us about 92 nights of thick fog each year, crowning us with the title of Foggiest City in New Zealand.  Sometimes the fog will last all day, or roll back mid-afternoon only to return again by the evening.

An average July will bring Hamilton around 120mm (about 5 inches) of rain, give us 90% humidity, a fair amount of strong wind and some heavy frosts.   Being more sheltered, we don’t receive the gales that coastal areas do – giving us another national title: City with the lowest average wind speed. 

However, the lack of gale-force winds doesn’t stop the odd tornado coming through – not as severe as other places around the world, but we do carry the dubious title of being home to the most severe tornadoes in all of Australasia (that was something I didn’t know before!).

The last time we had any appreciable amount of snow here in Hamilton (not in the mountains or further south) was in 2014.  It caused a lot of excitement and put pressure on our electricity consumption, but not much else.

Hamilton’s average high temperature in July is about 14 degrees Celsius (57 deg.F), with a low of around 4 degrees Celsius (39 deg.F).  Sunshine, which occasionally peeks through between grey dreary days, averages 4 hours a day.

Thunderstorms can occur at any time of the year, and give Hamilton yet another title: the most thundery city in New Zealand (there are other areas that experience more, this is just cities).

We don’t call our wet winter the Rainy Season as we receive rain all year round – it is just a bit more frequent and a lot colder at this time of year.

Today, the first day of July, the day dawned cloudy with a red sunrise.  Now, this afternoon, there is a stiff wind blowing, lots of clouds in the sky, and occasional bursts of sunshine.  There is a small chance of rain tonight, but tomorrow is meant to be much the same as today.

Hope your day is a good one 😊

Margaret.

 

HEADER PHOTO FOR JULY 2022

Broadgreen House is situated in Stoke, near Nelson.  It was built of cob (a mix of straw, sandy soil and small gravel) in 1855, and is now used as a museum to showcase family life in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.    The site is also home to the Samuels Rose Garden.

Timmy The Rat

 

Maybe I am just a Big Softie.  Even though I am not fond of pet rats and cannot bring myself to pet them, I am still sad when one of them passes away.

Timmy Rat died peacefully last night, safely cuddled by his two brother rats.  We had been expecting him to go (he was very elderly, being over two years old), and he faded quickly the last 24 hours.

Son will bury him this morning in the garden, alongside his predecessors.

The weather forecast today is for partly cloudy with strong winds and only 20% chance of rain.  That will make a big change to the last few days, with all the heavy rain, strong winds, and thunderstorms.

We have had so many thunderstorms pass over us that I have lost count.  Some were a little further off and we only got the edge of them, but a few also came right over top of us.

Cataclysmic crashes of thunder that make the whole house shiver and shake are guaranteed to wake you up at 3.30 in the morning!

Looks like Winter has arrived 😊

Margaret.

 

A New Bed For Mittens

 

It seems to have been a rather busy week, but lots of things have got done.  The garden is all cleaned up and ready for winter, and the house has been getting some cleaning as well.

Son has sorted out his firewood pile and brought wood inside ready for our first fire (he takes care of the fire during winter).

I went shopping one morning and actually managed to find some slippers – a pretty pink, they fit me perfectly, and only cost $12.  Brilliant!

I also purchased a little bed for Mittens and tucked it underneath the desk in my room.  It took her about 15 minutes to find it and curl up to see what it was like.

It must have received a Tick of Approval, because she has been sleeping a lot in it the last few days.

Millie sleeps on Son’s bed on a special blanket, so it was nice to give Mittens something of her own (the two cats are siblings but seldom share anything).

New Zealand has moved to an Orange Alert (down from a Red) at midnight last night.  Apart from wearing masks at some venues and on public transport, it almost means “life as it used to be.”

We still have folk in hospital but officials are saying the peak has passed and our restrictions and borders can now be relaxed more.

Our family has been fortunate in not having caught the virus, except for my 18 year old step-grandson.  He spent the required isolation period at home and then returned to work, commenting it was a strange way to spend his birthday – feeling fine but stuck at home.

It is a lovely sunny autumn day today.  Ex-Cyclone Fili has been battering parts of the North Island but we have escaped with nothing worse than having a bit of wind and some cloud yesterday. 

I do feel for those in the Hawkes Bay who are still recovering from a storm three weeks ago.  More heavy rain is not something they really need right now.

Take care and be happy 😊

Margaret.

 

It Rained!

 

Yesterday morning our drought broke with a vengeance.  Hamilton City recorded an official 84.2 mm (about three and a quarter inches) for the 24 hours, with the heaviest fall being 34.2 mm in one hour.

We did not receive as much as Auckland did, but there were still many spots of flooding around the city.

There was almost continual lightning and thunder for most of the morning (and we are forecast for more of it tomorrow), and some of our spouting had trouble at times coping with the volume of downpour.

Thankfully it had eased off a little by mid-afternoon when I had an appointment for my covid booster shot.

I still got caught in the flooding though.  What I thought was a bit of surface flooding on one corner actually turned out to be a bit deeper than that.  I reckon underneath my car is now very clean!

It is five months since I last had a covid shot, so I have gone a way over the government’s recommended three months interval but nobody said anything to me.

It has left me feeling quite tired with a slight headache and a sore arm, but I feel I am coping quite well with it.  Should be right again tomorrow.

Stay well and keep smiling 😊

Margaret.

 

A Yowch Money Moment

 

I think I may have discovered the fastest way to spend money when you don’t really want to – get your car repaired!

The engine light was refusing to go off, so the car has been in the garage for three days and came home again yesterday.  $616 for the needed part, plus freight, plus labour, plus GST (goods and service tax), and you can see what I mean.

After the initial “ouch ouch ouch” moment, I felt thankful that I was able to pay for it without any issues.  My little car is my ticket to being able to move around freely, and I am happy to have trusted people I can take it to in times of need.

Spring is Coming!

The country has been getting buffeted with a couple of storm fronts these last few days, but we have so far managed to miss the worst of it here in Hamilton.

We have had heavy rain showers and a fair amount of blustery strong winds, but nothing exceptional for a winter weather system.

South Island friends have sent me photos of the snow that was falling around their home – sometimes I am glad that we are far enough north that our climate is warmer, and we can mostly escape those conditions.  I must be getting soft!

Wishing everyone a pleasant, peaceful, and happy day 😊

Margaret.

 

Just For A Change - Fog!

 

Just for a change from our heavy frosts and sunny days, today we have had heavy frost and thick fog. 

It has been so heavy and murky that the street lights have been on for most of the day.  

The fog lifted slightly around midday but never broke up, and now it has settled back down again like a great silent white curtain covering everything.

It may have been sunny on the other side of Hamilton, as I was told Auckland had a sunny afternoon.  Fog can be very localized in our city, and as we live between the river and a peat swamp the fog can be quite bad here sometimes.

I checked my phone before, and the temperature was six degrees, feels like four, with a humidity of 98%.  And they are forecasting showers for tomorrow.  Winter!

The fire got lit at lunchtime, once we realized the sun wasn’t going to appear, and I have spent a quiet afternoon sitting in front of it doing some family tree research on my laptop.

Millie kept trying to jump up to sit on me – she lands on the computer and bounces off again, leaving me with all sorts of weird messages and symbols on my screen.  

Mittens had the right idea though, she curled up on her fluffy blanket on the bed and ignored the world around her.

It is son’s turn for cooking dinner tonight (I think we are having nachos), so I can continue to vegetate for the evening in my favourite chair.  Might even be time for a little pre-dinner tipple.

Be happy 😊

Margaret.

Under The Weather

 

We watched Al Jazeera weather this morning and New Zealand was barely visible, having literally disappeared under a huge storm system that is currently covering most of the country.

The worst of the rain seems to be hitting Christchurch at the moment, with an extreme risk of flooding, and I am hoping all my friends there are coping alright. 

Our weather this last week has turned more wintery.  One day we even had heavy frost with thick fog, clearing to about 30 minutes of sunshine and followed by showers.

The night of the lunar eclipse we were lucky though, as the skies were crystal clear, and we were able to see the super blood moon – at least, I saw it with the shadow halfway across and the colour turning orange-red, and decided that was enough and went to bed!

Millie giving me cuddles

We have two cats in our household.  Usually I talk about Mittens, but her sister Millie is our mouser and gave me half a mouse for my breakfast this morning – it was not appreciated!

She has also taken to sleeping in my lounge chair, but when she found me sitting there decided it was time to curtail my screen-time and sat on my laptop instead.

Grrr, now my touchpad mouse won’t work and I have resorted to a ‘normal’ mouse.  She must have pushed something and I will have to get son onto it and get it reset.

Well that is one way to get me off the computer!

Hope everyone is having a happy weekend,

Margaret 😊