Queens Birthday Roadie

A quick trip to the slightly warmer climes of Marlborough, ostensibly to look at houses and sections...but the scenery gets me every time. I love the drive up and down this coast.

Wish we had stopped to get a pic of the H-U-G-E elephant seal which has taken up residence on the side of State Highway 1 though. 

F-O-U-R metres long !! Amazing sight, just a bit hard to stop safely.

So Autumn didn't stick around much

WINTER IS HERE

Well it feels like it anyway. The last of the leaves are clinging to the branches, and the temperatures have dropped significantly. Getting out of bed in the mornings is getting harder.

There have been amazing sunrises and sunsets all over the country, frosty mornings, threats of snow, some glorious days and plenty of crisp clear nights. 

 sunrise 21 May

 clear nights

 bare trees, some already laden with the promise of spring

Camellias beginning to burst into flower to brighten the wintery days

and these I almost forgot I had planted !

Autumn is HERE

Well gee, its been ages since I was here.

Things have happened - like my laptop decided one night that it was not going to start, and that once restored/repaired it became evident the hard drive was heading closer and closer to the point of no return. So ! New laptop it had to be.

Its been a couple of weeks now and I have almost everything back up and running as it should. Still trying to work out how to get email messages out of old email programs which don't like outlook, and wont share.

I have a new role at work with a longer contract to add a bit of security to my life.

We went for a drive to Hanmer Springs one afternoon and will have to go back and spend more time there and do more than just buy fudge and have coffee. 

The weather has turned !! We went on a roadie at ANZAC weekend and found a-m-a-z-i-n-g autumn splendour on the Lewis Pass, and in Tasman and Marlborough.

The feijoa trees are growing fruit like there is no tomorrow. There has been baking; upside down feijoa cake, feijoa muffins, pancakes. There are figs too but we have no ladder and the birds have been feasting instead of us.

Autumn is in our garden too - its getting hard to keep up with the leaves.

And its been Mothers' Day - and I was spoilt; smellies, a book, a necklace handmade in our favourite part of England, and yummy dinner.

What will the next few weeks bring ? Stay tuned.