by Juliet Batten | 30, Oct, 2011 | Uncategorized
It’s peak greening time – halfway between spring equinox and summer solstice. Everything is growing apace. The nikaus are brightly spreading their fans,pohutukawas are pushing out new, light green foliage,and everywhere, the cabbage trees are flowering.A... 
by Juliet Batten | 28, Oct, 2011 | Uncategorized
To walk around the streets is to be greeted by flowers. I love yellow roses, and these ones, just popping out of their buds, are sheer delight. A corokio hedge has been newly cut, but its flowers are determined to bloom.I love their little star-like forms,... 
by Juliet Batten | 24, Oct, 2011 | Uncategorized
At the bach, I’m pulling out some wild flowers – onion weed mainly – and delighting in others. This little blue flower is growing down the driveway, making me stop to admire the intensity of the blue (the photo does not do the colour justice). Does... 
by Juliet Batten | 23, Oct, 2011 | Uncategorized
Spring sets the birds a-fighting.I hear the urgent flutter of wings, and there they are, up in the air, flying furiously at each other.I would have thought that there was plenty of territory and plenty of food, but these young blackbirds would not agree. You can see... 
by Juliet Batten | 20, Oct, 2011 | Uncategorized
As I walk the streets, I discover blossom abounding everywhere.Blossoming branches are painting the sky like fluffy brushes.Blossom is frothing out of bushes and on to the pavementsending its fragrance into the air and attracting a myriad of beesLike spring snow it... 
by Juliet Batten | 18, Oct, 2011 | Uncategorized
In the sharp light of spring, I’m seeing things I didn’t notice before. Today the bromeliads were shining in the light, their centres red and bright.They are happily drinking, having caught plenty of rain in their centres.This one shows the contrast... 
by Juliet Batten | 11, Oct, 2011 | Uncategorized
The magnolia, that I’ve been watching putting out its buds, has now flowered. The next phase has been leafing. So many trees put out blossoms on bare branches, but leaves need to follow, for it’s the leaves that supply energy to the tree and allow the... 
by Juliet Batten | 6, Oct, 2011 | Uncategorized
Spring growth is accelerating. This is the melia tree coming into leaf, so delicately. Two weeks ago it was showing little leaf buds only.And the flame tree makes me smile, in the way it is putting out just one little leaf cluster – you can see it to the...