Hello March

Photos from the garden, perhaps hinting at autumn.

Today it is heading past 24C and we have sub-tropical air wafting over us, so the humidity is up again.

Autumn past, leaves cast.

The Cotoneaster leaves offered a wide palette of colours while the Nandina offered its scarlet intensity.  The past autumn with its crisp nights, clear sunny and calm days meant a more striking autumn season here in the garden.

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The confused face of autumn

Here in the garden it is definitely autumn.   The deciduous trees are dropping leaves or are about to begin that process.  The blazing Japanese Maple (acer palmatum sango kaku, Carol-bark maple) has all but finished its stunning display and the last leaves are falling.

However next to the tree is Feijoa Bambina which has three poor sized fruit on it, after a stunning flowering period in spring.   It mistakenly thinks it is spring with this dramatic single flower appearing and other flower buds showing.

So much about gardening involves puzzlement and surprise.

Playing with autumn light and colour

A new “smarty pants” camera means a lot of playing is needed to learn how it works and how to get satisfying results with it.

The Japanese Maple tree has provided me with a great subject to play around with on the camera.  I also love to explore light as I take photographs.

So some of these following images are taken with the sunlight behind me, some with the leaves backlit, others a wonderful example of the sheer beauty this tree has offered to us in the past fortnight.

Autumn shows it hand.

We planted a Japanese maple in our garden almost 20 years ago and it offers delight during every season.  Spring and autumn are the most spectacular times for this tree to display its beauty.  We have not enjoyed settled weather at all this year until late April.  Since then we have had some splendid autumn weather and perhaps chilly nights, no wind and warm days account for the amazing colour display we have been enjoying.  Members of the household agree that this has been one of the very best displays we have seen on this tree.

These photos were taken on 25th April 2017 and show the branchlets turning fiery red but the leaves a mix of green and coloured.

Three days later I took some more photos.  Look out for these in my next post.

Wordless Wednesday

Katydid

What Katydid….nibbled on my roses. (With apologies to author Susan Coolidge)

Today’s Tui

This morning, in the early morning autumn light

My favourite photographs from March

My camera has been quietly resting for the last few weeks but I have been out and about on a few days in March this year.

Here are my favourite photographs from March. I really like the contrasts between the brown bleached hills and the lush greens seen in the trees and leaves of other photos.  Nature showing so much of its best around or near my home.

The big dry on the Belmont Hills

Early morning at home

Silhouette of a Fantail. A fleeting moment of stillness.

Kereru feasting on Karamu berries ( I think)

The stunning work of a small spider.

This ball of feathers is a fantail preening – so little stillness with these delightful birds

Wordless Wednesday

My place to stand

Maori (New Zealand’s indigenous peoples) have a concept Turangawaewae.

Tūrangawaewae is one of the most well-known and powerful Māori concepts. Literally tūranga (standing place), waewae (feet), it is often translated as ‘a place to stand’. Tūrangawaewae are places where we feel especially empowered and connected. They are our foundation, our place in the world, our home.
Source: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/papatuanuku-the-land/page-5

Since the death of both my parents and now more recently the death of my brother, the place of my first months of life has increasingly become my Turangawaewae.

On a recent visit to Greytown, Wairarapa I went down River Road that leads from the house I lived in to the banks of the Waiohine River.

The river was grey-blue and running reasonably fast due to rain falling in the nearby mountains.
The trees on the banks were in autumn colours but the white light and heavy cloud dimmed those on this visit.

My mountain was somewhere amidst these mists.

The rain was falling steadily but it was a time to pause and reflect, to absorb the feelings of connection, and foundation.

A place to draw strength from this land beneath my feet and then continue along my life’s road.