NEWS FROM THE ISLAND - 1st OCTOBER

SPRING IS UNDERWAY and the news has to be all about flowers now and finally the gardens have got to the stage that they are starting to do their own thing and I am only here to stop it getting out of hand and to keep the lawns mown so as to show the flowers off.

The magic carpet of spring bulbs goes through it's colour palette all too quickly. The Clivia are clumping up quickly now they are established and every flower is pouring out its individual perfume - hard on my sinuses, but hey it's worth it. Here are some recent photographs, starting with a colour change series of the bulbs - but missed catching the daffodils which start it off. There was also supposed to be a photograph of the minute flower of the native Kanuka tree which covers this Island  which has the strongest, sweetest perfume of all - but this site says I have loaded enough photographs,so I'll put it in comments.

The daffodils have finished

The gold freesias comes first then the orange spraxias

Now the blues and purples enter

Crowding out the border of blue grape hyacinths lining the path

Hard to photograph the Clivia owing to too much luminance

This orchid escaped through fence into stored garden pots area

NEWS FROM THE ISLAND

IT HAS BEEN A PRETTY GOOD WINTER OUT HERE BUT still with enough rain to stop me from walking as far as I would like to.

Showing part of Bay

There are no stairs to Bay

Beautiful Lady's Bay, an all weather safe swimming beach, managed by the Department of Conservation, looks like it is going to be inaccessible again this summer for the Island tourists ( and me) since a storm took out the stairs to it four years ago.

Tractors use the walking paths through the park often making them impassable, so I left the sunlit path

and  took a detour through the dark forest of pines, lit everywhere with the pillows of luxurious moss  snuggling up to trunks or rambling through the pine tree litter.

then walked on around the remains of this huge Pinaster Pine



and on to the remains of an old farmhouse where all that reminds it was there is the old water tank. Even the doorstep, that was there a couple of years ago has disappeared into the small heap of bricks being covered by pine needles. But the  young Redwood up behind is growing into a handsome tree from being so sheltered from sea storms by the surrounding pines.

And back home where the first blossom has appeared on the new little peach tree. Maybe it will be this week that they'll patch the road to the wharf so I'm not scared to use the car after we have rain?

NEWS FROM THE ISLAND

WARNING -  GRANDMOTHER PICS. the last month has been focused around my youngest daughter's twins - now 6 weeks old as of last Tuesday.

New borns at only a day old

The girls are now 6 week old babies - Isla on left 

Sister Jodi is the photographer here

Emily is thinking - 

NEWS FROM THE ISLAND

OFTEN IT IS THE SMALLEST THINGS THAT CAN GIVE THE MOST INTENSE PLEASURE

The crowd of Spring daffodils are now just lifting their golden buds out of the lawn, another week and they will open. In the meanwhile though, out from my kitchen window I see a single yellow jonquil flower which appeared from the hedge a couple of weeks ago. A continuing spot of intense yellow reminding me of the simplicity of the art of Japanese Ikebana.

By the back door a seedling Cape Gooseberry appeared in the tub of Italian parsley. I never got around to weeding it out and it continued to grow its long lanky arms. Now, here it is winter and I just wait for the day the next fruit will be ripe. The burst of intense flavour in the mouth is just about too much for the mind to absorb or comprehend.

 

And the  4 week old twin granddaughters give a continuing intense pleasure all of their own. So much perfection in such a small package!  I continue to be amazed.  And then, later again,  

there is the other moment of magic when the two girls are asleep at the same time. Emily is on the left and  Isla is on the right.