Pink and Purple all around me!

These are all plants growing in my garden and flowering at the moment.

Starting from the top they are:

Tillandsia (airplant)
Rock-Orchids(Dendrobium)
Cinararias
Bluebells
Magnolia (Vulcan)
Lavender
Echium

Kowhai Tree

There are two trees that for me herald Spring.

One is the Flowering Cherry - these are not native trees and there are many varieties, most of them are also grown in other countries. My header has a photo of a common one.

We have two on our section, a weeping single flowered variety and a larger tree which has a double flower. They are deciduous.




















The other tree seen here flowering profusely in September is the native Kowhai. It is semi deciduous losing most of its leaves in the winter, one of the few natives that do.

In spring, before the leaves appear it is covered in masses of beautiful deep yellow flowers. They are much loved by a nectar feeding native bird - the Tui.

There is a Maori legend associated with the Kowhai tree:

It is said that the Kowhai sprung from the shreds of the cloak of tohunga Ngatoro-I-rangi of the Te Arawa waka on its arrival to Aotearoa. The legend says that a young tohunga asks a girl to marry him while they sit under the bare branches of a Kowhai tree in the month of August. She replies that she will only marry him if he can perform some brilliant act. “I will show you what I can do. I will cause this tree to spring instantly into flower before your eyes.” He uses all his powers and the tree bursts into bloom, his final touch causing a ring of yellow blossoms to appear around the dark hair of the girl. Ever since, say Te Arawa, the Kowhai has flowered on bare and leafless branches.

Kowhai is the Maori word for the colour yellow.

Out My Window

This photo is especially for Gail at Squared Off who has pictured the view outside my window as I sit in the office blogging.

Its a view of a rather scrappy piece of garden, a straggly poinsettia in the front which needs pruning, to the left of that are the bare branches of a small frangipani which hasn't grown its summer leaves as yet. Beyond that you can just see some bromeliads which are in pots, and some succulents, one of which is called Mother-in-laws tongue.

But - notice that the sun is shining! Its going to be another beautiful spring day.

A Meme

Gail at Squared Off has sent me this meme. And thank you too Gail for your kind comments.

I am finding it hard to stick to one word answers!

And - I am a little 'meme shy' but here goes!

Where is your cell phone? window sill
Where is your significant other? work
Your hair color? grey :(
Your mother? missed
Your father? also missed
Your favorite thing? digital camera
Your dream last night? none
Your dream/goal? travel
The room you're in? office
Your hobby? gardening
Your fear? not being able to travel
Where do you want to be in 6 years? still having adventures
Where were you last night? home
What you're not? young
One of your wish-list items? plane tickets
Where you grew up? Waikato
The last thing you did? fed the cats
What are you wearing? gardening clothes
Your TV? flat screen
Your pet? asleep
Your computer? crashing regularly
Your mood? happy
Missing someone? always
Your car? with daughter
Something you're not wearing? watch
Favorite store? cafe
Your summer? beach
Love someone? family
Your favorite color? blue
When is the last time you laughed? when I read this
Last time you cried? ages

I will pass this meme on to anyone who wishes to undertake the challenge!

PS An amendment - my favourite thing would have to be my camera.

Spring

Spring has finally arrived, in fact, with daylight saving beginning this weekend, it is more like summer!

The Toast Lady

I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
___________________________________________________________________________________

It was 1980 and I was in the 'home' or 'Annexe' (or maternity Hospital as many of you know it as) having just given birth to our last child. In those days we were kept in hospital for a week or even longer sometimes, so there was a lot of time to fill in. We weren't sick, just often a little bored! In a ward of eight mothers there were always others to talk to and I became friendly with the person in the next bed - in fact we are still close friends today.

Every breakfast time brought an entourage of people from the kitchen bearing food. First the cooked food, then at the end came the lady bearing the toast trolley. She was a funny little person, tightly permed hair, in her 60's (I thought that was old then - have a different perspective now!!), with a very very sour unsmiling face.

One morning I had the audacity to ask for an extra piece of toast. You would have thought that I had asked for the moon! My reception was chilly to say the least and I was denied my extra piece.

Well - what a challenge! Together my friend and I hatched a plan - we were going to sweet talk this lady and extract all the toast we wanted. (I told you we were bored!)

So the next few mornings we made an effort to be so very very friendly to her - we met her down the hall, greeted her with a smile in spite of not getting one in return, made small talk, complimented her on how well she did her job, and how hard it must be to make the toast just right and to please everyone etc etc.

Slowly she thawed and after a few days she was transformed into this unrecognisable person - smiling, friendly, and giving a second piece of toast to whoever wanted one!

Looking back I sometimes feel a little ashamed of our behaviour really as our compliments were so insincere and our motives were suspect.

However - all she wanted in life was to feel appreciated and she obviously didn't before then.

My friend and I often wonder to this day if our efforts changed her outlook to her job and her interaction with the patients in any way.
__________________________________________________________________________________

I've Learned....................

This was one of those emails that arrive in my inbox from time to time. Often I delete them, sometimes with impatience, for a variety of reasons. They are cliches or corny etc.

But this email was different, struck a chord, and has caused me to stop and reflect on some of the events that have occured in my life.
___________________________________________________________________________________

I've learned.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned .... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the farm on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.


I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I 've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned .... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned.... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned.... That I wish I could have told my Mum that I love her one more time before she passed away.

I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned... . That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

Andrea Bocelli - Canto Della Terra

Andrea Bocelli came to New Zealand for just one concert two nights ago in Auckland. We were lucky enough to be able to attend.

The Czech National Symphony orchestra were supporting him.

It was truly an amazing evening.

Christian the Lion - the full story (in HQ)

An amazing video clip

Fred Dagg - Gumboots

The rain of the last few weeks reminded me of this song which was popular in the 1970's.