NOW FOR THE COUNTDOWN

All my plants went out this weekend. We have been lucky in that it has not skyrocketed in temperature and is too warm for plants to acclimatize to being out. I usually put shade cloth over them for the first few days, but the trees had leafed out a lot and they were well shaded enough to not need it. The cactus, in particular, love being out, particularly since they get a chance to bite unwary hands that reach out to pet them. How silly of people.
I love roses for that and the black locust trees too. All these biting snarling things. I wonder why?

The trip is getting closer!

I have my e-tickets and the bookings for the tour in OZ are done. Now begins the dance of the packing.

Music please.

What gets to go,
What gets to stay.
How will this fit?
What does this weigh?

One big suitcase with two climates in it and a medium backpack that I will be using to travel each of those climates. It will be winter in NZ and summer in OZ. So now I have to whittle it down to essentials and pick.

Long underwear is a must for winter in NZ. Cutoffs and sandals a must for OZ. Lots of socks, turtlenecks and sweater type stuff and on the other end, short sleeve tops and shorts.

I guess I will figure it out while there and purchase the missed items as I go. That falls under the category of "Souvenir". I can go with that.

I had a great day today, visiting old friends at the animation company I used to work with. I enjoyed seeing all the beautiful work they were doing and marveled at the amount of talent that is packed into one building.

The day was sunny and not too warm and I walked the distillery district in the early day's sunshine. It really was quite beautiful.

GREAT WEEKEND IN VANKLEEK HILL

We had a great weekend alright! Our family got together to celebrate both a new cottage and my brother Rene and Petra's wedding.
We stayed at a wonderful little B&B about 12 minutes drive from Van Kleek Hill, called Dream on the ridge. The hosts were wonderful, the food was superb and the bed very comfortable. The weather was too cold to enjoy the pool, but the birds and the forest were very welcoming. I saw turkeys, skunks and a lot of ruby throated hummingbirds. There were also rose breasted grosbeaks and woodpeckers fighting with the goldfinches for first dibs in the feeders.

I walked in a planted forest that felt like a cathedral. I'm sure a million people say that, but it was so peaceful and lovely. There were the remains of a turkey, probably caught by a coyote. The barred feathers were very neatly spread in a circle.
Grouse were around because I saw one near the guest house. Boy, that sure was a nature full weekend.

We saw rain 9and lots of it), sunshine and cloud, but all of it quite cold. Today it is very warm indeed compared to those few days ago.

My trip to New Zealand is getting closer. I am struggling to make sure I learn enough about my new camera. I want to not make the mistake of erasing things or corrupting files. Very scary when it is so far to go back for more.

A real spring day

The smell of the garden and the trees is heady. There are blossoms everywhere. I watch them as they come in waves. First the snowdrops. So quickly come and gone, but they are a herald to the rest. The the grape hyacinths. Their fierce blue is in a stark contrast to the lime greens of new growth. The daffodils with their family circles, all the faces looking out to the new and fresh world. Then the tulips (those that survive nipping off by the squirrels) come in with dignity. They lay their leaves around themselves like cloaks cast off to show the wonderful clothes they have come in.
No wonder we are all so taken with this parade. It is colour we have not seen for 5 months.
Even before the flowers came up, the promise of spring came with the lightening of the shrub's twigs. Some take on a redish colour as they gear up for leaf making. I found it wonderful to read someone speaking of the leaves of the horse chestnut spreading out like little umbrellas and tilting up to be solar panels! They are!
Today, with the warmth we are having, I sit by an open door, listening to the robin singing away. He does have the backdrop sounds of an ocean of cars, passing in waves, but he seems untdeterred from his task of announcing spring.
I have been told.

Wind

Today, the wind has been playing the scaffolding flutes next door.
the sound is a low moan that rises in intensity and pitch when the wind picks up.It's quite beautiful and melancholy.
This week was a wash as I have had a head cold and couldn't do much other than commune with my pillow. I pecked at my painting but it didn't hold my attention very well.
A baby dove (I can't believe that the doves have fledglings already and it's the first of May) has been hanging around our front yard all this week. I finally got a picture of him the other morning. He is wary of us but not afraid. He just keeps a respectful distance.

I wasn't outdoors at all till this afternoon. A gloriously sunny, warm and windy day. A walk around the gardens to see where everything is at tells me that there is a riot of garlic going on. No rose aphids or whatever bug it is that doesn't like garlic.
The bugs I DO have are the red lily leaf eaters. There they were, fornicating away on the new growth of lilies, laying little orange egg stuff all over. Last fall, I went out and ripped up all the lilies, in an effort to get rid of the bugs. I know they live in the soil, so I am determined to keep ripping out everything till they are gone. But what a loss!
They were so majestic. Turk's cap lilies.
The bugs eat all the leaves up till they look like ragged clothes, then the bugs eat the flowers. UGHHH!