12/28/13
12/26/13
flowering maple
I have lots of shots of this flower and had to look it up. It's a flowering maple or abutilon hybridum.
12/22/13
new zealand christmas tree
Here's wishing you a very joyful and happy Christmas!
12/20/13
the fence post
As Dave noticed on my everyday birds post, this fence post, just outside my computer room window, seems to be a bird magnet of some sort. Most birds sit on the post, but this little swallow was happy to sit beside it.
12/19/13
it's beginning to look a lot like summer!
The snow is melting on Mt. Taranaki (also known as Mt. Egmont) and the skies are looking mighty blue.
Alphabe-Thursday E (Egmont)
12/18/13
everyday birds
I get excited when I see a new or different bird in the yard garden, but they don't overshadow the everyday birds that honor me with their presence and entertain me with their birdy behavior. And some of them are quite numerous and noisy!
A sparrow fluffing herself up, two starlings fighting for the best seat on the post, a tiny waxeye (or silvereye) that flits around, a finch--one of several distinct colors--and a baby thrush who is just looking for a snack.
12/14/13
12/12/13
welcome swallows
There are many of these tiny swallows that hang around at our house. They eat the bugs that our compost barrels attract. I have counted 14 at one time, flitting though the sky. I wish I could catch one in flight--they are so graceful. They put on a show for me each evening.
12/6/13
chess lover's fence
12/5/13
up above the clouds
I love the different water colors as the ocean gets deeper off the southern coast of the northern island of New Zealand. I believe that little town is Patea.
12/3/13
12/2/13
it's officially summer!
The seasons in New Zealand have been simplified and it makes perfect sense, since the weather is always unpredictable. Click here for more details.
12/1/13
st patrick's catholic church
The churches here in New Zealand have quite a variety of architecture. This one looks a lot like a traditional Maori Marae (meeting house).
11/30/13
11/26/13
purple pimpernel
I'm not really sure this tiny flower is a pimpernel but it looks like the scarlet variety and it's fun to say 'purple pimpernel'. If you know its real name, please let me know.
11/23/13
11/22/13
11/21/13
canadian geese in nz, eh!
These Canadian geese were feeding beneath a rhododendron at Lake Mangamahoe last weekend. They are certainly a long way from home!
11/20/13
feeding the little ones
I thought we had a new kind of visitor on the lawn until I saw Mama Starling feeding them. I was surprised, and excited, that she chose to do it so close to the house. I snapped a few shots that evening and forgot about them until Hubby told me that he had taken their picture the next morning before work. :)
11/19/13
evening skies
I've never really lived without neighbors before this last move--not by choice, but by circumstance. Now that we have clear views of nature for miles, I spend a lot of time making Hubby look out the window at something I found. The sunsets are pretty spectacular and we are always taking photos as the sun sets behind the trees. Here are a few peeks at our Taranaki sunsets.
11/17/13
black swans at lake mangamahoe
Usually, we only see five or six black swans at this lake, but today there were so many, I couldn't count them all!
This is just one group that we saw.
11/16/13
giant chess board
One of the festival gardens had this giant chess board set up in a shady corner of the property. It looks like fun.
11/15/13
blazing azaleas
Here is more of the spring color in King Edward Park in Hawera.
11/13/13
napier-art deco rebuild
In 1931, Napier, in Hawke's Bay, was hit with a 7.8 earthquake that flattened the city. It was rebuilt in the style of 1920's art deco. Each year, on the third weekend in February, they celebrate with Art Deco Weekend, where you can join one of the many walking tours of the city.
ABC Wednesday - R
Thursday Challenge - city