Thursday 17 December 2015

'Tis the season

It's not Christmas carols that remind me the Big Day is fast approaching.  My arum lily does that job for me.  


Not far from home the pohutukawa trees with their crimson flowers are living up to their title of the New Zealand Christmas. They are an unmistakable symbol of Christmas for New Zealanders at home and abroad.




Monday 14 December 2015

Manuka in bloom

According to Maori folklore a long, hot summer is ahead when the manuka flowers early.  It's in almost full bloom at the moment and that is a bit early.  


That won't be good for the family from a farming point of view but we will have the perfect place for spending those long hot days.

Tomorrow my twin grand-daughters turn 17. Today my son and daughter-in-law are working flat out finishing a wooden deck alongside the dam, where the girls will gather their friends for their party.  The deck will for the base for what we will grandly call the Lake House.   It won't be flash but it will eventually offer shade from that hot, summer sun.  It's a work in progress.  


Danny and Heather have already built a wooden jetty for launching the raft they had a lot of fun building.  It makes the perfect runway for energetic young people to launch themselves. 



A couple of days ago the emphasis was on erecting and tweaking a flying fox.

 

My younger son has arrived home from Brasil, his girlfriend arrives later this week.  So this year all my family will be here for Christmas.  There will be camping beside the dam and lots of water based activities.  I am already happy imagining the fun the little boys will have with nets catching frogs and tadpoles.  

Let's hope the weather is agreeable.  

It's been nearly a month since my last post.  The break wasn't planned, my interest just waned.  I'll just wait till it waxes again.  Which probably makes no sense to anyone except me.