Photo Journal: New Friends

Making new friends is always a nice occasion. When we saw how the little lego droid was welcomed into the inner circle of this snail all we could do was smile.

Photo Journal: Evening Picnic in Sumner

I for one am always in for eating in the open air. With winter coming up we best try to enjoy as much of the sunshine as we can. So earlier this week we took the boys out for diner at the beach. The day started relatively cold. A snail agreed on the nippiness and as soon as we opened the window in the morning he quickly came in trying to find some warmth.

Later that day it became time for diner at the beach. School uniforms off and beach clothes on, off for an evening picnic. Nice and simple: some bread, cheese, and other stuff to put on the bread and some juice.

The boys loved it, for one because the are very energetic and sitting at the table is not one of their greatest virtues. In between bites they now enjoyed the sand, water and all that came in with the tide, no matter how BIG

or small.

Me and my wife just enjoyed each other, the boys, the sound of the sea  and the beautiful evening skies which at times looked like a painting.

Photo Story: Visiting Neighbours, the Last Moarch to Leave the Nursery

On 31 December I told you about the nursery of Mrs Monarch, and how eggs had transformed into caterpillars and from there into cocoons. Today we witnessed the last butterfly leaving the cradle and I thought I share the beauty with you. Again I realized how true the words of Michael Pokocky were:

we artists can only look in wonder

at what no mortal can design

On the first picture the empty cocoon in the swan plant looks a bit grey and dull maybe . But just imagine the beauty that came out of it. An incredibly beautiful Monarch born and ready to go for its own journey.

AMAZING!

MONAVALE: A GEM IN THE CENTER OF CHRISTCHURCH

Many times when people consider visiting Christchurch they ask me where should I go. Well for those considering visiting Christchurch in this time of the year and the upcoming holiday season, I can definitely recommend a nice short walk through the Monavale garden.  The gardens and landscaped lawns roll down gently to the Avon River and feature some beautiful plantings and a Rose garden. I make it a habit to at least visit this place once a year and every year again I am blown away it. (If not because of the beauty that most certainly my hay fever will remind me all these incredible flowers). Lilies, Roses and so much more.

The central rose garden attracts many visitors every year but most definitely there is a lot to be seen outside the rose garden as well. Just look at the lily on the left.

The more you look  the more you see and each year it seems I ‘discover’ yet another beautiful corner or bed of flowers that I had not seen before.

And now with this interest in photography or let me be honest and humble, interest and joy in taking pictures, I can share this with you.

The sheer explosion of color, sight, and smell is overwhelming, especially in the rose garden. Both the overview and detail lead the visitor with an eye for beauty to one discovery after another.

A number of Monavale pictures have been uploaded to my Flickr photostream, so I will limit myself to some of the favorites of the favorites you will find there.

But if you love flowers and beautiful gardens and you are visiting Christchurch, don’t forget to visit Monavale.  And should you get hungry or thirsty, it is all there, great food, good wine, beautiful views and a very nice setting for a lunch or diner with a loved one on a nice summer afternoon or evening.

And don’t forget there’s more at Flickr >>>