Central Plateau, North Island

Central Plateau, North Island
View from a friend's farm

Friday 23 January 2015

Did You Know #3

 

New Zealand is a small country,   268,021 km² , or    103,733 square miles , compared with Colorado, which is 269,837 km², and listed as the 8th largest  in US at 104,100 square miles.

Here we have rivers, lakes, mountains, snow,  long coastlines, tar-seal and gravel roads, sheep, cattle, pigs, deer,alpacas, and more.   In a day’s outing, we can see all of these.

The other day, we went for a short drive, and here are some of the views. I am linking up to    TexWisGirl  for the Good Fence link.

Barbed wire and battens

 

hydrangeas at the gate

This  old piece of machinery has no doubt many stories to tell, well worn, rusty, and there at the side of the road for all to see, reminisce, and enjoy.This was maybe towed by a pair of horses, with the farmer walking behind.imagine the miles they walked together.

Old Farm Machinery

Our days merge together, with medications, hospital visits, and I’m hopeful for a referral to a specialist at Wellington Hospital soon, This is because I rang a long time school friend from 1954, who is a retired orthopaedic surgeon  in Dunedin. He was the most helpful of all medical people for some time, and  with his reply phone call, we might finally see a surgeon who specialise in spinal problems.

The mountains in the South Island had a sprinkle of snow last week, here we have had a few cool mornings, some heavy dew, leaves are falling, the lawn is dry and brown, the vege garden is prolific, beans, cauliflowers, courgettes, lettuce, radish,chives, parsley, carrots, and then there are the strawberries, plums, apples still ripening, feijoa bushes in flower and  with tiny fruit, and the hose is in use every day.

Quotation of the day, by H Jackson Brown, Jr.,

“Remember that creating a successful marriage is like

farming: you have to start over again every morning”

Greetings from Jean

24 comments:

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

HI Nancy Hope you get your health problems sorted soon. These are lovely fences.

bj said...

Beautiful photos of lovely country. Love these....
Like the quote, too. :)
xo bj

bj said...

O, and I am now following along with you thru Google Friends Connect.

TexWisGirl said...

oh, these are marvelous views! lovely country you reside in!

good luck with the specialist! i hope you can get in and he/she is helpful!

Shug said...

You seem to be surrounded by God's awesome and majestic beauty. Wonderful! I always enjoy seeing fences and your photos do not disappoint. So very pretty. My first time to visit, so I'm not sure about the situation medically speaking....However...God knows and I believe He sent me here to pray for you. This I will do...
Blessings..

Carol Mattingly said...

I love your quote. And wow do you have a garden. That sounds like tons of work. I am praying Hugh gets relief from his new doctor when he gets to see him. You would think with all of modern technology they could find better solutions to back and spinal problems. Take care. Carol

Out To Pasture said...

Thanks for the pics and updates. I hope Hugh finally gets to see a spine specialist who can provide a remedy. Oh, and when a read about your feijoa bushes being in flower, did it ever take me back to my days of working at Prince Henry's Hospital in Melbourne and very kind pharmacist, Miss Smith, who brought me some feijoada fruit she had grown. That was over forty years ago. Havn't seen any since, but I still vividly recall their delicious strawberry/kiwi flavour! Lucky you to have your own.

fromsophiesview said...

When you said snow was in the South Island I was looking out my window at the snow falling down here. It's January with Feb just around the corner which means freezing temps.
Take care and I hope your weather improves. I have heard about it on the news this year.
Ron

eileeninmd said...

Hello Jean, these are fantastic shots. I love the fence shots, the flowers are so pretty. And the old piece of farm equipment is a cool shot. Well done. I hope everyone is well, have a happy weekend!

Georgia said...

Just had to twist my mind around the seasons in the two hemispheres again to think about how it is for you now. My thoughts and prayers are with you and Hugh too. All the best. Love G

Leeanne said...

beautiful photos, we sure live in paradise. best of luck with the health issuesxxx

LV said...

So glad I was able to visit your lovely part of the world. Dearly loved all I saw in New Zealand.

Michaele said...

I love when you share about your part of the world. There are just too many questions to ask - so keep it coming! Good luck with the doctors.

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Janet said...

Love your quote for today! New Zealand sounds so lovely. I hope to get there one day.

Nancy J said...

Thank you all, from my heart.Hugh had a reasonably OK day today, we went shopping!! Trousers,( for the man) 2 tops for me, lunch at a café, no photos at all.I know I have said this before, but from each of you , your words, thoughts, vibes , wishes, and prayers mean so much beyond any thanks I can find. Our friendships are beyond measure. Hugs to all, Jean.

Barb said...

Jean - that quote is so true! Glad you may soon have a referral. Sometimes, it IS who you know... I like hearing about your garden and fruit trees as I sit looking out at the snow. Lovely summer photos, too.

Jim said...

Thanks for this Jean! Now I have an idea of the size of NZ. What a diverse country it is!
Hope you get in to see the specialist....sending convincing positive energy your way.
Your property looks and sounds wonderful and very abundant! Enjoy.

Fundy Blue said...

Hi Jean! I enjoyed reading your info about New Zealand, and your comparison of it to Colorado really gives me a good concept of its size. I've always wanted to see NZ. I love the photos of the fences. They have a late summer feel to them. There are lots of old rusted farm pieces around here on the high plains, and I often wonder about the stories of the people who used them. I'm sorry that Hugh is going through spine issues, and I hope all gets resolved as soon as possible. Take care!

Susan Heather said...

Love today's quote - I do hope you can get Hugh's problems sorted out. Great to hear your old school friend may have helped.

Daily watering here as well although we did have a good heavy shower on Thursday which meant no watering that day.

KB said...

So NZ is almost the same size as my state, but it's an island so you have coasts in addition to mountains! That puts things into perspective for me!

Lovely fences... so beautiful.

I do hope that the medical system will finally work for you, to help Hugh. Call in old friends or anyone with clout you can think of!

I love that quote. Thank goodness we can start over every day :)

Allie said...

I'd love to get there someday - NZ is on my wish list! Love your pics. Saying some prayers that things will work out for Hugh....

Gayle said...

So sorry about the health issues. I've been gone so long and missed it all. Hang in there my lady.Looking forward to some photos of your life.

Susan Heather said...

33 is even hotter than we have had. I do hope that Hugh is doing all right. Take care and keep cool. Hugs, Sue