origanum rotundifolium

This is one of my all-time favorite flowers. I bought the tiny plant because it was in the dry-tolerance section of the plant store and it bloomed into this incredible and complicated looking flower. One day I hope  to have a huge hanging basket full!

Our Beautiful World

Macro Monday2

black and white splashes

Weekend in Black and White

Grey Dey

unknown beauties

I have absolutely no clue what these pretty blossoms are called but I took all the photos at Hollard Gardens and  I do think they are gorgeous!

Nature Notes    Outdoor Wednesday

Wednesday Around the World

artwork in the sky

I'm not sure if I'm in the majority or minority when it comes to being in awe of the clouds on a bright, clear day, but I find clouds wonderfully artistic. Judge for yourself.

Mosaic Monday

Blue Monday

weta

If you've seen any of the Hobbit movies, you might have noticed that the special effects were courtesy of a company called Weta Workshop. Here's their webisite link. 

And this little guy below is where they got the name. This is a tree weta (I think) that found its way onto our back porch. Hubby scooped him up for some photos before releasing him. 

He's not real pretty and, although he's far from tiny,  he's not the largest sort that is found here in New Zealand. If you are interested in more info about them, click here.

Saturday Critters

mt taranaki sunset

Skies are full of beauty, especially at sunset.

Nature Notes   Little Things Thursday

In Heaven  Good Fences

sugarloaf islands at back beach

These islands surround an extince volcano. They got their name from the bird guano that made the islands look like the sugar drops Captain Cook put in his tea. Click here for more info on the islands.

Outdoor Wednesday

Wednesday Around the World

hydrangea remains

Even though the color of this blossom is gone, it still imparts beauty to the world.

I ♥ Macro

Macro Monday2

Focus on Life

double rainbow

This is one of the treats brought by the remains of cyclone Lusi today.  You can click here for more rainbows on my other blog.

Sunlit Sunday

Weekly Top Shot

beach riders at sundown

Skywatch

Photography Friday

In Heaven

cosmos in black and white

This is a favorite bloom from a past garden. 

How Does your Garden Grow?

Little Things Thursday

pastel sky

My Sky    Nature Notes

Our Beautiful World

quirky business

I'm pretty sure you won't see something like this in the city!

I never thought much about coffins, but this builder who is on welfare the dole is ambitious enough to try to start a business. Strange but admirable. I'm not sure this would be allowed in the States--too many regulations.

Rurality Blog Hop

Signs, Signs

Alphabe-Thursday Q

patea, nz

Once the Patea Freezing Co-Op was South Taranaki's primary employer. It closed in 1982. In the 1920's, Patea was the largest cheese exporting port in the world. The Grader Cool Store received cheese for grading from all over South Taranaki and as far south as Oroua Downs near Himatangi. After grading it was loaded into coastal ships at the grader wharf for transport to Wellington where it was transhipped into overseas ships for export. The port closed in July 1959. (Wikipedia) Click here for more history of this port town.

This wall has faint remains of rail tracks used to load boats.

Weekly Top Shot

Focus on Life

cloudy sunset

Rurality Blog Hop, Outdoor Wednesday

Skywatch Friday

rocky coast

I think this part of the coast is fascinating with its lava flow lines and rocks. On the other side of the sea wall (photo below) is a great sandy beach.

Blue Monday

Mosaic Monday

gulls and low tide

New Plymouth has a great walkway/bike trail along the seaside. The 11km walk covers a lot of wonderful scenery that we take a little at a time. On Sunday, we walked along a part that we hadn't been before and I got some really great low-tide shots.

This was the original swimming pool for the city.

Sunlit Sunday

Saturday Critters

jasmine

Hubby bought two jasmine plants for me not long after I got here. They have moved with us and hung in there pretty well but I think they finally found a place they really like. 

 I finally found the right amount of light and shade for them and they have bloomed so well this summer! They smell great, too!

*edit* For those who asked, the 'right amount' of light is just a few hours of morning sun and complete shade the rest of the day!

Focus On Life

How Does your Garden Grow?

gulls in a row

Photography Friday

driftwood kiwi in National Park

National Park is a town, not a park. It was a park but became a town.

Here's a link of how it was made.


Find Beauty Friday