Last day of winter...

 

 

 

 

 Tomorrow morning I will be extremely happy 

to say good-bye to winter 2021...

 

Winter, Day 7

I have finally made the effort to use the new method of setting up a post. 

I much prefer the previous system, but I suppose I will get used to it - not much choice, really.

 

 

  Waihi Beach on a wintry sort of day.  Mayor Island (Tuhua) in the background.

 

 

Same beach, different day. Manu enjoying the water.

 

 

 

Rainbow behind our house

 

 

Sunrise, with moon.

Sammy

Wet, wet, wet

After months of drought, water restrictions, farmers complaining (rightly) 

about lack of pasture for stock, we have had rain. 

More rain in the last three days that we have had for a year. 

Heavy, heavy rain, complete with thunder, lightning, power cuts and in 

some parts of the region, tornadoes.

Today it finally dawned sunny, with blue skies and mild (for midwinter) temperatures.

I decided to go for a short walk, just to get some fresh air and exercise.
Even took a photo of some bright berries.

Then what happened? 

Rain, complete with wet clothes and total bedragglement.

Ah well, at least the farmers will be happy.

Winter days

Today is the 1st of July, so that's one month of winter gone; two more to go (sigh).

Friday was a beautiful day - a light frost in the morning, followed by 

clear blue skies, and virtually no wind. 

Manu and I decided we had to go to the beach:

Winter Walks

A photo taken in June last year - a wintry sky but a beautiful day.

On the track to Black Hill:

Winter Walks 2

Yesterday I had to stop my car and walk back to where I could get a shot of this glorious Liquidamber. I'm glad I did; there was a lot of wind last night, and today it has far fewer leaves on it.

Early this morning, from my house. The sun is just getting up, and its light is gleaming in the west, behind an almost-full moon and a street light. If it looks cold, that's because it was!

This morning we walked along a beautiful inlet called Tuapiro Point. The sea had almost no ripples - these guys were getting an early start.

Manu enjoyed a paddle, of course:

There were lots of dead trees in the plantation at the end of the beach - they've been thinned out, I suppose.

Please click on the photos to enlarge them.

Winter Walks

Our winter officially begins on June 1st, not on the shortest day. We had some really wintry weather in May, cold enough to make the town's deciduous trees put on a proper show.

I try to get out for a walk every day if I can - Manu gets grumpy if he doesn't get his walk (and so do I).



Here's some shots from a few days ago - a walk at the beach:

 Tuhua (Mayor Island) from Waihi Beach

Looking south. The beach is just the way 

I like it - deserted!

And yesterday we had a lovely walk along the river bank:

Please click on the photos to enlarge them.

Sunday Snapshot

Winter morning, by the lake.

Hamilton, New Zealand

Pukeko

Winter. It's Temporary.

It's nearing the end of July. 

Then, there will only be one more month of winter!

On Carmi's Written.Inc this week, we're posting photos for the "Temporary" theme.

Check out other interpretations here.

Another Golden Tree

Last week, I posted about a golden tree sculpture for Thematic Photographic's Trees and Branches theme.

Today, June 1st, is the first day of winter in this part of the world. 

I went to school to write student reports, and saw this Ginkgo absolutely glowing in the low sun:

Gilded sculpture or Ginkgo?

Real tree wins, hands down!

Sunday update

So last week in my "unfinished" series, I posted the progress on our new house.

Three weeks ago:

Two weeks ago:

Last week:

Here's yesterday afternoon's shots, 3 weeks in:

Things are actually happening. It's raining - heavily. Will the builders work tomorrow?
I'll keep you posted - whether you like it or not! 

It's back to school tomorrow - am I rested? relaxed? ready?   Pffft...

You all have a wonderful Monday, and a great week

TP 202: Unfinished series

I had to have another go at this theme. The builders have finally started work on our new house, so this is an unfinished series - with, I fear, a few months to go, especially given the kind of mid-winter weather we've been having....

Two weeks ago, a bare site:

One week ago:

Late yesterday afternoon, in the fading light:

Watch this space...

Sunday Snapshot

Winter afternoon. 

It's cold but there are still kids playing on the shore, and people kayaking.

"I was just thinking, if it is really religion with these nudist colonies, 

they sure must turn atheists in the wintertime." 

~Will Rogers

Sunday Snapshot

These are the camellias which are blooming today, in my mid-winter garden. Some of them are looking rather weather-beaten after all of the wind and rain we have had this past week.

"People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us."

~Iris Murdoch

Sunday Snapshots

Yippee! Friday was the last day of school for 2 weeks - our mid-winter break. Today is lovely and sunny after a slight frost. Manu LeGrand was very keen to get out for a walk; I've been a bit off-colour the last few days and the weather has been lousy, so there hasn''t been any walking to speak of.
We headed off up to the school grounds, which is his favourite walking place, and I took my camera instead of the ipod.
Remember to click on the pics to see them better.

Firstly, some parallels for Thematic Photographic's theme this week:

and the (parallel) rugby football posts:

The climbing wall is almost hidden among the trees

The school runs a large agricultural unit ... there will be calves (donated by local farmers) on these paddocks before too long:

and we also maintain a large area of native bush. It was lovely walking through it today, with the weak winter sun coming through the trees:

And there's a non-native interloper - an early-flowering rhododendron

The cricket practice nets will not be needed again for a few months yet

and by the look of that expanse of cloudless blue, it could be quite a heavy frost tonight!

When we get home, Sofie is waiting for us at the back door, posing nicely beside a camellia bush

 

Hope you all enjoy your Sundays, wherever you are.

Sunday Snapshot 7

I'm being punished for crowing about what a beautiful, mild winter we were having! As I sit here, the rain/hail is battering at my window, the wind is shaking the house....

To cheer myself up I've picked this shot for my Sunday post this week.

I was spending the day on Capri, in late April. The weather was 

the complete opposite of what it is here at the moment!

This cheerful chap was having a break from the strenuous task of painting the benches in the Augustus Gardens, and was happy to say yes when I asked if I could take his photograph:

"The color of springtime is in the flowers, the color of winter is in the imagination." 

~Terri Guillemets