Christmas greetings

A Happy Christmas to you all, and all the very very best for the New Year.

I hope that 2010 will be everything that you wish for and more.

Lots of love from 'down under'.

Christmas Red

Our Christmas tree - the NZ pohutukawa - is in flower, decorations are starting to appear around town, people are haunting the toyshops, must be nearly Christmas.

Today I visited a place that always reminds me of Christmas. The colour is just the right shade of red, however the image may not be everyone's idea of the festive season.

Like it or not, the holiday season can be one of unexpected events, not always pleasant. It is a time when the NZ Blood Service is often desperate to ensure they have adequate blood supplies over the holiday season to cover all eventualities.

The New Zealand Blood Service is the body primarily responsible for blood donation and related services in New Zealand. It is thought that around 80% of New Zealanders would need some type of blood donation in their lifetime but only 3% of New Zealanders donate.

Today I gave my 25th donation of blood. Well actually it is more than that, but it is the 25th since their records have been computerised. I was showered with gifts - an umbrella with NZ Blood Service written all over it, a pen, a key ring, and a lapel pin!

Giving blood is not painless, it often hurts a little and I am sometimes left with a small bruise. And it takes about 40 minutes out of my day.

But a blood transfusion once saved the life of a member of my family. And may save your life one day.

.......And of course the flowers

........the scenery

Cook Islands - the food

Cook Islands - the people

Cook Island holiday - the colour!

You know its summer here when................

The tree ferns show their summer green















The flax is in flower
















And jandals in all the new seasons colours appear in the shops

Dads told to stay away from delivery room

4:00AM Monday Oct 19, 2009
NZ Herald


"For many men, attending the birth of a child is a momentous and emotional occasion. However, one of the world's leading obstetricians says the father's presence can lead to his partner needing a caesarean delivery, and even to marriage break-ups and mental illness.

Michel Odent, a childbirth specialist, also believes the labour can be longer, more painful and more complicated because the mother senses his anxiety and becomes nervous.

Babies' arrivals in the world would be more straightforward if women were left alone with only a midwife to help them, as they used to be, Odent will tell the Royal College of Midwives' annual conference in Manchester, England, next month."

etc etc

The rest of this article is here

How ridiculous! When I read this article I was speechless.

To deny the Father the opportunity to be present at the birth of their child is unthinkable. And to credit the presence of the father as a reason for a caesarean delivery defies logic.

Chatham Islands revisited.

It is nearly a year ago that I was lucky to be able to visit the Chatham Islands. For more information about the islands, and more photos visit here and here and here

Samoa Tsunami

Our sympathy to our Samoan and Tongan neighbours.

Read more about the earthquake and tsunami here.

And updates at the NZ Herald site here.

And the Woman of the Forest

The man of the Forest

This photo was taken in 2006 at The Lost Gardens of Heligan, in Cornwall, England.

Heligan, was the seat of the Tremayne family for more than 400 years, and the site of beautiful gardens. However at the end of the nineteenth century they were neglected and became severely overgrown with brambles and ivy. The trees grew tangled and unkept and it resembled an impenetrable jungle.

It remained abandoned from 1919 when many of the gardeners went off to the First World War until 1990 when the derelict gardens were discovered by Tim Smit and John Willis (descendant of the Tremaynes). The restoration of the gardens has been an ongoing project involving many many volunteers.

Tomorrow - his slumbering partner in the same forest. They are known as the mud man and mud maid.

Farewell Sir Howard

Cobweb lace

Telling it Like it is!

Colour all around me!

Australian Imports

Here are three of my favourite plants in my garden, all Australian.
















































The first is a Bottlebrush - the origin of the name is obvious! The second photo is the Australian frangipani. Although the flowers are insignificant, the scent in the evenings is heady and tropical. The last single red flower is a Waratah. This is a stunning flower which is highly sought after by florists, it makes an excellent cut flower. My little two year old tree is only about one metre high and it has produced this single flower.

Flashy Foliage

Wellington

The photos above show the Beehive which is part of the Houses of parliament, and two views of the waterfront and harbour.

Last weekend we treated ourselves to a few days away in Wellington.

We had a lovely time, it was beautiful warm spring weather and the city and harbour looked magnificent. Wellington has a reputation for being very windy but the air was calm and still.

The flight there and back was the clearest I have ever seen. We flew over the volcanic cones of Mt Ruapehu, Ngaruahoe, Tongariro and could see Mt Taranaki in the distance.


Wellington is at the very bottom of the North Island, Cook Strait separates the North and South Islands. It is the seat of our Government and the head office for many of New Zealand's large businesses.

We visited the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa, as well as a newer museum on the harbour front - Wellington City and Sea. Te Papa had an exhibition of Formula One cars which was of great interest to my other half.

And of course we sampled food at some of the restaurants - Thai food one night, Japanese the next, and on our last night we visited Indian friends who cooked us a meal.

You know its spring when........

The Clivia, which has cowered in the shade all year, bursts into colour.



















The bird of paradise plant reaches for the sky...........
































and the plum blossoms arrive before the bees have realised that spring is here!