Cards sent from friends and a lovely vase of Pohutukawa ( New Zealand Christmas Tree ) on the fire, are the only signs of Christmas approaching around here.
Today is wet so I got much needed catch up time; GST return done and bills paid, food shopping done ; lovely fresh veges picked ( peas, beans and courgettes - yum )and now time to blog.
I think some good luck has been granted me. Last Friday at the final lunch for my P & Q group I won the lucky number - the prize was a wee bear sitting in a coffee mug.( photo ). Yesterday the mailman bought me a package.DH gave me a funny look ( cause we had agreed not to spend money on ourselves at the moment ) and said " Did you order this book?"
"No I didn't! I think I might have won it !" Sure enough I had.
It had a letter telling me of my win. ( I only had to put my name on the back of an envelope !)
Kiwis have already had the opportunity to see the TV series Hunger for the Wild ( this book is based on it ). If it comes to others overseas I am sure you would love the New Zealand scenery and food content so do watch if you get the chance.
So aren't I the lucky one. It's a lovely book - smells nice, has recipes, story and great photos.
As it is hot here at Christmas time I think it is lovely to try and make decorations,have food and gatherings that suit the climate. Outdoors when possible. Snow doesn't feature so why should we pretend it does. I may still go and cut a Christmas tree from the shelter belts on the orchard, but am so far happy with our lovely Pohutukawas flowering all around the property.
I just have to mention last Monday. We both spent all day at a First Aid Course, doing CPR on dummies ( on a not so clean concrete floor ! ),applying bandages etc etc. We have to do it ( at $80 each ) as a requirement for Globalgap - which is what we get audited on to be allowed to Export Kiwifruit. ( things have got a little crazy), but apparently you customers in Europe and other countries demand it of us...... I bet you don't!
I've just had a vision of you giving mouth to mouth to a Kiwi fruit. The world has gone mad with stilly regulations hasn't it.
ReplyDeleteCan't for the life of me work out why you'd need a first aid qualification to grow kiwifruit - however if the directive has come from the EEC as your customer base it's totally understandable - bureaucracy gone mad with knobs on!
ReplyDeleteAnything to do with the EU needs a disaster warning attached to it!
ReplyDeleteRe your red flowered plant - it looks similar to bottle brush plants, is it?
What possible good will CPR do for a flagging economy! Or the Export of Fruit!
ReplyDeleteThe Pohutukawa brings a lump to my throat Ali. It is beautiful.
Valeri the 2 plants have the same colour and type of flower, but aren't related. The Pohutukawa is much nicer in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThe NZ Christmas trees get huge and have much thicker foliage. In the Quarry Park behind us I counted more than 40 young trees in flower. We have lots in our place too, some redder than others and not all flowering at once which is good cause rain can spoil the flowers quickly.
In northern parts of the country they grow along the coast line and flower at this time of the year, making a brilliant sight.