Photos

Sorry about the two photos the same ,I'll add a couple more to compensate !! cheers

Christmas greetings

Seasons greetings to you all ,especially today which is the summer solstice [it was light till 10pm tonight] I feel particularly guilty at this time of year ,I want to make individual contact with you all ,but there are just so many that I get swamped ,and you are ALL at the top of the list !if you have sent me a card then I am very appreciative and humbled .
Tonight is family night on the blog ,last w/e was Cams graduation and after the ceremony we all went for a lovely dinner at an Italian restaraunt ,a great time was had by all .Where Cam goes from her ,Cam only knows [but I don't think that he knows either !! watch this space ] Cass and Manu are having their baby in April ,close to MY birthday on the 10th .Cam and his brother Rupert are coming here for a couple of days over xmas so that I don't get lonely or have to drink on my own !! Cambrian ,the village is looking beautiful at the moment ,all the young trees have got their clothes on again ,having got them burnt off a month ago .
I hope that you ALL have a great season ,I would love to see you all in Cambrian ,but I don't think that it will happen . Love to you all ....Bob ....xxxxx

Working with WWOOFers

I have a young Englishman from London with me at the moment ,Alex by name ,keen man by nature ,so we have got just an amazing amount of work done ,I have most of my wood in for next winter ,60L of elderflower champagne made ,another batch of beer ,bread baked lawns mown,I'm really quite exhausted ,but he's off next week to run a marathon in Austin Texas ,what's the world coming to ???
What's NZ coming to for that matter !!what's the betting that the rich-poor divide will be a gaping chasm by the NEXT election ,don't say you weren't warned! at least I have my beautiful rhododendron for consolation ...cheers all .

Having fun

Wow,doesn't time fly when you are having fun ..or mowing lawns in the springtime ...My week in Auckland was just fantastic ,had lots of time with Mum ,enjoyed Margaret and Raenas company once again and caught with lots of old army friends after 40 yrs .
But the payback came when I got home and the lawns had grown with a vengence, I have quite a lot of lawn and I see it as a form of exercise ,but I also do Antons and others ,so by the time I get to the end ,it's time to start again !!! However the place does look good even if I say so myself .I'm very glad that I invested in a good weed-eater .
This is probably the time of year that I like best ,after all the bare months of winter all of a sudden everything is doing something ,be it birds ,buds or flowers but it is really satisfying to see everything come back to life ,then god sends a frost to just to keep you in check ,the young oak trees are particularly succeptable,I feel it like a punch in the kidneys .However they do come back again after a couple of weeks .
Overall life is its normal idylic self and if any of you out there want to come and share some of it you are more than welcome ,Cam came home for a week ,that was especially great .
Now on a more serious note ...Think VERY hard before you re-elect this govt. !!! If you do ,expect to be sold down the river by lunchtime ,everything will be sold of to benefit the top 16%,so if you are not amongst them [not many of my friends are !] then vote for someone else ,the Wall St sit-ins didn't just happen on a whim ,nor did the French revolution .Don't say that you weren't warned . Cheers all ....Bob
The photos are just things that I wait for all winter .

Visit North

Hi...it's about 2.30 Friday morning and would you believe that it's trying to snow !!!!I hope that it doesn't succeed ! I've just had the most marvelous week in Auckland visiting my mother who is in a "Home" in Ellerslie ,we went for long wheel chair walks around the streets smelling the flowers and chatting to passersby,cities really are just one big botanic gardens ,or hothouses in the case of Auckland .That took up most of my time but I did manage to fit in a dinner with my old TF pals that I hadn't seen in 40 yrs !!!! it was exciting and frightening at the same time ,from 26 to 66,I'd be fibbing to sat that we hadn't changed at all !!!
Mum is as well as can be expected of someone 98 who is not mobile ,she gets quite frustrated at times ,but can still play scrabble and is quick off the mark with her "tables". She is in a very lovely home called "Mercy Parklands" and Margaret gets to see her frequently so we are all very fortunate .
I am fortunate to have Cambrian home with me for the week ,but less fortunate that the weather is crap and the lawns are a foot high.Once again the place is waterlogged ,but I'm sure that that will save me a lot of watering later in the month ,most of the trees are in leaf now and looking sumptuous ,I hope that the weather doesn't knock them around too much .Here are some photos of the family ,I am always sorry to miss people out in Auckland ,but one day .... love to you all ...Robert

Spring rains

Three inches of rain in two days [78points for the young] what a magnificent effort ,and couldn't have come at a better time ,but it does point out where your weak plumbing points are !!! gorgeous day today ,rather like a sauna ,but with birdsong and aromas ,nothing like a spring shower to bring out the smells ,particularly the balsam poplars .

Let's sing again ! Tulips from Cambrian.

Unfortunately the folks around Tauranga won't be feeling like singing ,my heart goes out to them .I can only hope that it raises our awareness of the dangers .
The spring has well and truly sprung ,now I need some WWOOFers to help me get all the daffodils out from amongst the bluebells .Anyone local that wants to visit can be assured of a cuppa [at the very least]. The smells of the spring flowers and trees is amazing ,especially the balsam poplars .
On a completely different note ,Cam tells me today that he has handed in his final thesis,the end of four yrs hard work ,I'm obviously very thrilled for him .

DEFINITELY spring now .

"Evening" Well no snow this week ,but lots of daffodils .Rae went back to Wgtn this afternoon ,but we surely had a lovely 10 days.Always good to have family visit . A few bluebells are poking through ,but lots of pretty little fritalarias have popped up .
Next w/e would be about right to catch the bluebells [as long as it doesn't snow]

Family visit

A few Tiki touring days in Dunedin with my sister Rae ,all the galleries and the albatross colony .
Home on Saturday in the sunshine ,then woke up to 7cm of snow on the Sunday ! I have my work cut out keeping Rae warm ,but a beautiful day today, Monday, and lots more to follow ,hopefully .The first bluebells have poked their heads up and quite a lot of fritalarias are out ,I love them ,they are so delicate .

Out of winter ....into spring

Just a few shots before I head away tomorrow to collect my Sister Rae from Dunedin .We'll stay a couple of nights with the boys in Dunedin and have a look around .The weathers been great in Cambrian this week ,no snow at all ,maybe just a couple hailstones ,so I have been busy planting oak trees and larches .Cheers