Central Plateau, North Island

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

Thursday 3 January 2013

January Views

 

Last January we were in Auckland for a few days, and the brilliant colours of flowers there  were  stunning  ,   most of these were overhanging the fences or walls at the edges of the footpath.

Hibiscus Blooms.

Hibiscus shades 

Golden Hibiscus

Red hibiscus

Mauve hydrangea, with some darker petals below.

pink shades

Golden, tinged with deeper apricot/orange.

I cannot remember the name

orange and gold shades 

 

January 1st 2013

Snow in Central Otago, on the Lindis  Pass,   between  Omarama and Tarras.

This   photo is courtesy of the Internet.

Very unseasonable, wonderful for the tourists, not so good for the  farmers .

Lindis Pass snow Jan 1,  2013

Quotation of the day by George Carlin

“Weather forecast for tonight:   dark.

Continued  dark overnight, with widely scattered light by morning.”

Greetings from Jean

16 comments:

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

I love all of those colorful flowers, they make me feel happy.

Have a wonderful 2013.

FlowerLady Lorraine

Kat said...

Beautiful photos, as always! We have hibiscus here in Florida but I have never seen one with more than a single color. That first photo with the various shades is stunning!

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

The flowers are really lovely, hibiscus and hydrangeas are one of my favorites!

*´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•` ¤HAPPY NEW YEAR NANCY!

Lindsjö taxar said...

Very up side down the wheather with sun and snow.
our snow is gone now. Tomorrow out with the dogs...today they didnt feel well

Nancy J said...

Hi Lorraine, Kat, Kim and Lindsjo, those flowers were all in Auckland, much further North than us here.Almost sub-tropical, and irresistable, when I walked past. Yes, weather is crazy,we do sometimes, not normally, get snow in January,usually in the South Island,but this disrupted travel, and delighted so many . Cheers from Jean.

Barb said...

Such opposing photos - warmth and cold. When we visited NZ in your spring we met every imaginable weather change. It was wonderful.

Michaele said...

That is a great quote of the day. Still smiling. I love how your blog shows and speaks of places I have never heard of.

Susan Heather said...

Those flowers are wonderful colours.

Avalon Cat Cartoons said...

Beautiful photos and colors.
Happy new year!

Nancy J said...

Hi Barb,Michaele, Susan, and Avalon Cat, this morning we had 6Celsius, quite cool for NZ in January.this year I have hopes to show more of our landscape, places I have visited and new ones too, and if there are no bright flowers in my garden, I hope I can show some from other lovely gardens .Cheers from Jean p.s.Avalon Cat, I have visited your blog site and will join, lovely comment thank you.

Jim said...

Jean, the colours of those flowers are incredible! Hibiscus is a beautiful plant and I remember them everywhere in Bermuda one Christmas. We have one plant we put out in summer and take in during the winter.
Look at that snow? Far from you? George Carlin, one of my favourite comedians.

Nancy J said...

Yes, Jim far away, between Omarama and Tarras in Central Otago, a long way, with 2 hours by road, 3 plus by ferry, then 8 plus by road again. Google Earth would show you, maybe not with this week's snow. Bermuda, it would be such a great place for those tropical blooms. Cheers from Jean

Willard said...

The flowers are so beautiful and the snow scene is a wonderful contrast to them.

We have a small amount of snow here and the weather is cold, but it is beautiful with a lot of sun the last few days.

Brian King said...

Wow! Those are some gorgeous colors! Nicely done! We won't see anything like that for several months.

Nancy J said...

Willard and Brian, your comments are music to my ears!!I am always humbled when photographers of your calibre look at my blog, and then leave wonderful words. Truly, I learn so much from your photos, the details you include, and more. Thank you so much. Greetings from Jean.

Julie Fukuda said...

This is the season for Camellia sasanqua now. Single or double or multi-petaled and just about every shade of red and pink and white and variegated. It must have been a good summer for setting buds because the blooms just keep coming. Flowers any season are a joy.