Second storm hitting North Island

"Flooding and slips are expected tonight and tomorrow as saturated land throughout the top half of the North Island looks likely to be swamped by a 150mm drenching."

" it is Northland, the Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty - which were struck by heavy rain and wind over the weekend - that are in the new storm's bullseye.

Each area is likely to flood, with 150mm of rain expected to fall on already waterlogged fields and hillsides over the next 24 hours, MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said.

MetService yesterday warned people in those areas to watch for rising streams and rivers, to be wary of slips, and for those in exposed places to beware gale-force winds."

NZ Herald this morning

Rain Rain Rain

It rained and rained and rained and rained,
The average was well maintained;
And when our fields were simply bogs,
It started raining cats and dogs.

After a drought of half an hour,
There came a most refreshing shower;
And then the queerest thing of all,
A gentle rain began to fall.

Next day 'twas pretty fairly dry,
Save for a deluge from the sky.
This wetted people to the skin,
But after that the rain set in.

We wondered what's the next we'd get,
As sure as fate we got more wet.
But soon we'll have a change again,
And we shall have.........

A drop of rain

My latest Challenge

I have never attempted to knit socks before, always believing them to be difficult to master. I finally tried some, and they are really easy. These are about the right size for a 4-5 year old.

Winter Cheer

These are two camellias from my garden.

The pink, frilly and rather blowsy one is Margaret Davis and the more formal red one (sorry it is a bit tatty around the edges) is Roger Hall.

Margaret and Roger are planted beside each other. Margaret always flowers first, and as I mentioned, she is rather blowsy and a prolific flowerer, but poor Roger is very formal, a late bloomer but the blooms are immaculate in their symmetry, and not nearly as prolific. They are such a contrast to each other. I have a chuckle every winter when they bloom as their differences become more obvious.

The rest of the year they sit amiably side by side. Perhaps they are like some people I know - not terrible well suited but they just box along all the same.

Trash and Treasure

One of my favourite pastimes here is to go to the weekend markets. Some markets (usually called fleamarkets) are once a month, others every second Sunday. There is usually one in the vicinity most weekends and they provide an endless variety of goods: - second hand chattels of every description, fruit and vegetables, crafts, plants, etc as well as buskers for entertainment, and a burger stand or sausage sizzle or two as fundraising ventures for clubs, childrens trips etc.

The markets are probably much the same as other markets and boot sales or garage sales around the world!

Some of the stalls are 'professional' stall holders selling a range of new items, often Asian in origin. But the majority are people who have had a clean out and are getting rid of household 'clutter', or wanting to raise some cash. Some of the plant sellers propagate and sell plants as a sideline to their everyday jobs. Likewise the craft people.

We also have a Farmers Market which is slightly different in that the emphasis is on food and produce, home grown, often organic.

Last weekend I went to a local market - here are two photos taken there. The first photo is a general view, the second some beanies and purses with a Maori motif. The names on the beanies are names of local tribes.

I tend to buy mostly plants for my garden, you can often find unusual plants that would never be seen in a Garden Centre or Plant shop, and of course the prices are much better. I will sometimes buy fruit and veges, or a little treasure that I have seen that I can't resist. Most of the garden tools, and many of our kitchen articles at our beach house came from the markets.

Bird Feeders

These are two of the bird feeders I have hanging in the flowering cherry tree. They were made by our neighbour who donated them to me when he shifted.

The first one is made of a chain welded together, and I think he has used wire coat hangers for the cross pieces and the spike to attach the oranges to. The feeder in the second photo is harder to see, you will need to enlarge it. It is a simpler one with four spikes, made out of a wire coat hanger again, I just have one orange on it at the moment.

I use windfall oranges from our tree and the nectar feeding birds love them. I would love to be able to photograph the birds flocking around and feeding but they are so very shy I can't get close enough. We have three cats so the birds are super sensitive to any movement.

Mauao

A view of the harbour looking towards Mauao (the mountain sometimes called Mount Maunganui). Mauao is an extinct volcanic cone. The long low island on the left is Matakana Island. At the base of the mountain you can see the outline of the town of Mount Maunganui.

Mauao is the sacred mountain at the entrance to Tauranga Harbour. Its name, meaning ‘caught in the light of the day’, comes from the legend in which Mauao was once a nameless mountain, spurned in love by the beautiful mountain Pūwhenua. One night he begged the fairy-like creatures of the forest to drag him to the ocean and end his misery. But the creatures fled as the morning sun’s rays struck, and he was transfixed on the spot.

The name Tauranga can be translated as meaning 'place of rest' or 'anchorage'.

A Watery Sunrise

Nicole - Flieg nicht so hoch mein kleiner Freund

Some music to cheer up a wet day.

Well the music is good I think the words are rather sad.

Maybe some German speakers can help me - I think it is a warning not to

'fly too high' - a bird flies too close to the sun and gets burned.

Cabin Fever

"Cabin fever is a slang term for a claustrophobic reaction that takes place when a party is isolated and/or shut in, alone or together, for an extended period. Symptoms include restlessness, irritability, forgetfulness, and excessive sleeping". Wikipedia.

Hmm I knew there was a reason for my restlessness, irritability, forgetfulness, and excessive sleeping!

In the meantime the rain continues and the garden looks more drab and sadder by the minute.

On a brighter note - the Camelias are in flower so,when the rain stops, I will have some more photos to share.

And the little Wax Eyes (sometimes called White Eyes, Silver Eyes or Tauhou) are enjoying the windfall oranges I have cut in half and hung in the tree for them. (photo from Wikipedia)