Mother Nature at her best

With our summer not really performing to the best of its ability I have been trying to focus on the upside.  Well the rain means not having to water the garden, and the plants are all thriving.  So I grabbed my camera and snapped away at some of the colour that Mother Nature had provided.

TOF planted a white Gardenia last year and this is the first flower, and it smells devine!!

Not completely sure what this is called but I think it is a Lucadendrum, spelt horribly wrong according to spell check,  even spell check didn't know what I was on about!!  This tree is laden with these gorgeous purple flowers.

This is a Climbing Lily from my Grandmother.  She has been gone for years now but she keeps popping up each year in my garden, and her name was Lily so it only seems fitting that this is how she visits each year.

Don't you just love all the vibrant colours that nature gives us.  My garden is a mix of planted and self seeded.  I quite like to just let it happen, don't do rows of certain colours, mine is a mish mash of everything.  Even veges are planted amongst the flowers due to TOF running out of vege patch.

No garden tour is unaccompanied round here.  Out the back I get support  from the dogs and the chickens but out the front my main man Tex is on the job. It's all so much hard work so after a few steps its a stop drop and stretch routine!!

So today even tho' it was a wet one I felt like a trip out to the beach.  Good old reliable Raglan is a pleasant 40 minute drive from home so off I went.  Raglan is a great little place to visit, and was humming with people today, mainly tourists and pensioners, so not sure what group I belonged to, but armed with a camera, probably looked like a tourist!!!  I would love a batch at Raglan and my favourite place is a road that runs from the bottom of the main street along the coastline to the harbor.  Best I buy Lotto or Big Wednesday then!!  Checked out the one and only Op shop and had a wandered around the variety of quirky shops that Raglan has on offer.  Yes I did spend, 2 necklaces, a felt flower for my winter hat, and Big Ears.  I will take a photo and pop it up another day.

I love the old palm trees in the main street, they have been there for ever.  Hamilton gets a bad rap at times but its a good central location.  40 minutes west you have Raglan, 90 minutes east and you have the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty.  If you really need the thrill of bright lights in the big city, traffic jams  etc you go 90 minutes north and you are in Auckland.  And in winter if you want to slap on your skis for a snow session you go 2-3 hours south and you find Mt Ruapehu and her sisters!!!  We won't get hit in a tsunami, haven't had any earthquakes, and no water spouts for us!!! Yep the Tron is the Bomb!!

But enough already, on my way home from Raglan I went and saw Sue W.  She is about half way between Hamilton and Raglan so an easy drive.  At Webberville I was welcomed by her girls.

The welcome mat can be a little soft and warm under your feet!!!

After a cuppa and a chat we ventured of outside with the dogs and chickens as chaperons!!  Picked some beautiful plums off Sues tree to take home with me.

the entourage

Clyde

bunch of goats

Queen of the stump

Maximus Giganticus

prick of a flower

chicken lickens

the ducks

Jinx

So regardless of the weather I had a bloody great afternoon.  Have to stay home tomorrow and finish off some projects and stuff!!  But friday is SuesDay so woo hoo to that!!