The Bottle Brush puts its sparkle on

A little late for the glitter of Christmas but welcoming in a new year, the Bottle Brush flowers have a special sparkle.

Click to enlarge the photo and see more of the sparkle.

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Waxeyes on Sunday

And here the photos I took on a lovely sunny day as the Waxeyes (Maori name: Tauhou) worked their way amongst the brushes on the Bottle Brush bush, supping on nectar.

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They are skittish, tiny birds but very pretty and very welcome in the garden. Thank goodness for the kitchen window!

Wordless Wednesday

Banskia flower. Tui enjoy nectar from these too.

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday Triumph

A good many years ago Cable Television infrastructure was installed underground in our suburb. It took a lot of digging and many disruptions to other underground services (water, gas and power) and we were left with ugly, little green boxes on the edges of our sections.

One neighbour had the misfortune to be at a junction point and so he received a more sizeable ugly, green box.
He is a passionate gardener and negotiated a deal with the contractors around the unsightly box. The result was the planting of a camellia bush and over the years it has grown just as he wanted it to and it now obscures the eyesore.

Cable television was a major flop and the green boxes remain but I think this Camellia is a real triumph of beauty over blight.

A good day for a jaunt

Yesterday was the sort of day to go for a jaunt.  It was sunny and warm, the sky was blue with only fluffy white clouds and the wind frisky but not as stormy as previous days.

 With holidays about to end we set off across the hills and onto the Western Hutt motorway, across the first bridge over the Hutt River and on to a specialist shop I needed to visit.

 My shopping was successful and off we went again down through the suburbs, out through an industrial area and then alongside the Wellington Harbour on its eastern side.

 We followed the road as far as it goes out to Eastbourne and enjoyed the contrast between sea on one side and steep bush covered hills on the other.  The Bougainvillea’s were strident in their pinks and reds in people’s gardens

 

and every so often I think I spied a Northern Rata flowering. ( The Rata is in the same family as the Pohutukawa)

 

A short distance back along the road we came back to Williams Park in Days Bay.  I visited this beach and park many, many times as a child.  

We wandered in the park, taking a path behind the duck pond that has been there ever since I can remember

and then stopped for some lunch at the Pavilion café in the park.

 After lunch we strolled across the road and out along the wharf where the East West Ferry berths and where young people still like to leap off the wharf’s side and into the deep harbour waters.  The chill of the water does not deter them, nor does the height that they leap from.

 I stood and gazed out through the Heads of the harbour, off to the horizon which seemed so very far away and wondered about voyaging out there, off on an adventure to another land which would take many, many days.  I am not planning on taking any trips but it was nice to briefly dream and to let my thoughts drift with the sea around me.

 

On the way back to the car I heard a crashing sound above me in the native trees and there above was a very big fat Keruru.  This one was not as shy as others I have photographed and I managed this shot.

 

There were simple pleasures to be enjoyed yesterday.

 

Wordless Wednesday

Hacked

It seems that the word “hacked” is high in our minds nowadays as computer systems, passwords, websites, emails, mobile phones, money machines and other technological whizzy things fall prey to people who have very negative intentions.

I have to suspect that something or someone via Yahoo is sniffing around on my blog and some random emails with a “yahoo” in the address have appeared this past week. And other bloggers are reporting similar invasions.

However some more positive hacking has happened here over the weekend. The pesky agapanthus plants have taken a hit. My Dad, who was a keen gardener, would often comment that while he may not have successfully removed a pest plant he “had given it something to seriously think about”.

I’m hopeful that some of the more desirable shrubs in this spot can now reclaim their patch and offer us enjoyment we have been missing.

A real head turner

This stunning pyracantha “turned my head” as I drove past it on my way home yesterday. Today in duller overhead conditions I went back to take some photos to share.

Pyracanthas are renowned for their brilliant berry displays in autumn. It is surprising to see such a brilliant show because we have not had many crisp autumn nights so far but whatever the reason, this specimen has burst forth into golden glory. It positively glows sitting alone with a dark fence behind it.