It's the height of summer here: close to 30oC most days. The garden is loving it, with free food all over our front and back yard. Cucumbers, zucchinis, salad greens, herbs, tomatoes, berries, plums, and flowers for the bees. The grapes are hanging voluptuously, but are still hard and green. It's a good feeling when our preparatory garden work bears fruit, literally. (Not sure what happened to the beans this year - I'm trying hard not to think about their disappointing crop.)
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| Hawera plums |
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Luisa plums
(note the insect-damaged leaves, but the fruit are wonderful despite it). |
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| The oregano flowers are usually covered with huge bumblebees. |
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Poppies and alyssum for the bees, with a young tamarillo tree
behind. |
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| Luscious blackberries ripening on our driveway fence. |
The vegetables would be pretty sad if we weren't watering them, although the fruit manages fine. It's the kind of weather that makes us do outside jobs and exercise either first thing in the morning or after dinner, and fall into the (neighbour's) pool at about 5 pm.
The heat and humidity drains me. So last weekend I packed up the car and took the children, plus a friend, camping at the Rotorua Lakes. Just an hour or so of driving later we were at the gorgeous blue lake, surrounded by verdant bush and cool blue water. The air was several degrees cooler, as well. So we swum, and swum, and swum.
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| Evening swim at the Blue Lake. |
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| Lake Tarawera - I love that volcano looming in the background. |
While we were there, we took part in some Falconry at Wingspan - fascinating!
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| A female New Zealand falcon |
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