In which we find a Storm, a Power Cut and some Sun

This week-end was always going to be stormy, that's why I decided to forget the garden and stay inside to catch up on all those things that are neglected when I'm enjoying myself in the garden. Blogging is one of those. It was a chance to explore web sites through Blotanical too. But....

A survivor

Yes, it was stormy, very stormy. No, I didn't explore blotanical and no, I didn't blog. Unfortunately you can't blog with no power. High winds on Saturday morning broke (yes really) a 33,000 volt power cable that supplies our district. As if that wasn't enough a tree blew over onto another cable just along the road from us that evening and we ended up with no power for most of the week-end. So much for using the computer. Don't worry about the dark images, there's brighter ones to come!

Storm passed

Fortunately, when it did stop raining on Sunday and after a few hours work dealing with storm induced problems in the nursery, I was able to do a little gardening and snatch the odd image like that of these tulips still flowering despite the wind and hail.

And this is a Kowhai (Sophora hybrid) tree almost in full flower. The artwork behind is a representation of a geological fault:

A flowering cherry in need of remedial pruning, something I overlooked when savaging the fruit trees this winter:

Fantails (Rhipidura fulginosa) feed on small insects which they catch on the wing. This one seems more interested in the wisteria buds:

Honestly, what on earth is this flowering beside a metal delphinium leaf?

Elm trees are one of those plants that have insignificant flowers but beautiful seed husks. Here are the insignificant flowers. The seed husks will follow in a week or three:

More tulips, this time framed by out of focus myosotis (forget-me-nots):

But most of the week end we were inside, looking out:

And down:

And across the valley at a cabbage tree (Cordyline australis) in front of a wet willow, in front of a dark hill:

The beauty about New Zealand weather is that it generally just can't stomach being wet and cloudy for too long. NZ weather just doesn't do boring so between bouts of rain we usually are blessed with the sun. Let's face it, we're blessed!

Cheers

Terry