Autumn Garden.

Yesterday I notice the bright colours on Nyssa Sylvatica so went with the camera to record them. Of all our Autumn trees these leaves are probably the brightest. While the colours of Autumn are wonderful I shudder to think of all the work that involves. Anywhere in the house garden area that they fall I have to pick them up. On the lawn is fine I can use the mower, but that leaves large areas of path and gardens to deal with. R blows some away with the leaf blower. Maybe I am getting lazy...but I need to be careful where I stand and walk at the moment.
   That brings me to the subject of feet. Yesterday I went back to the podiatrist. My foot has healed fantastically, so we talked shoes and exercises and prevention of reoccurring. We talked shoe rotation ( not left to right, but pair to pair.) and not walking sideways on slopes. Not going bare feet or in socks especially on our concrete floors and not standing on cold surfaces.( so no ice skating then! ) I may resume my daily walking cautiously and build up the time. So it looks like I have to become a right fusspot over my feet!
         Last weekend the weather here in NZ was dreadful. We are lucky that we just got rain - 114mls of it. Other parts of NZ had flooding, wind damage and slips . It started the leaves afalling and washed garden plants very clean. See how the Aeonium schwarzkopf is all bright -  the cobweb  have been washed away.

There are a few bright spots left but only those with tough little flowers like these wee Zinnias.

Or ones protected by the house walls. This is a succulent in a pot.

There are a few patches of straggly old Chrysanthemums too which get no care but flower all the same.

I have (being VERY careful where I place my feet ), spent 2 hours each afternoon lately doing the last bit of Kiwifruit thinning I needed to do. I could not bring myself to throw the few great big fan shaped fruit  on the ground so have collected 2 buckets full. I am glad I did because the results of a 30 fruit sample came back telling us our brix level ( sugar level )is sitting at 6.1 % soluble solids. If it is 6.2% it can be picked for export. That is a real surprise as when I last checked it was 5.3%. So despite all the rain , which dilutes the levels, the colder nights have raised it quite rapidly. That means in about another week it may go on the list of orchards that are ready to be picked.( similar time to last year - and we thought it was going to be a late year. ) We shouldn't however get too excited because with SO MUCH WET WEATHER the picking schedule is way behind and packhouses don't have enough fruit picked to keep working. ( no body is allowed to pick wet fruit or pick in the rain. ) For one thing if it is very wet the tractors and bin trailers will get stuck and make a huge mess. So we need a breeze, lots of sun and cold nights please.

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This morning in the mail I received a summons to do Jury service in June. ( why do they keep asking me? ) Last time I refused, so although it is very shortly before our trip I suppose I will have to consider doing it. It is no longer a novelty just a huge inconvenience.( the travelling in morning rush hour; finding parking and hanging around wasting time. )

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I read a very disturbing book. Has anyone else read it -  if so what did you think?

"The Road, " by Cormac McCarthy.

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 The only sewing I have done is a little handquilting on the only UFO I have. A blue and yellow trellis piece that is almost done. I need to get some home baking done today as we have finished almost everything.( no it won't just be Cucumber sandwiches )
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Finally , are you going to watch the Royal Wedding this evening? I am. I will see lots of parts of London I hope. What really annoys me is that on National radio this last week almost all the men that have mentioned it are complaining bitterly that the women in their households want to watch and they are going to be deprived of their sport or whatever they usually watch on TV. To me that is incredibly selfish as there is so rarely anything like this for women to watch. It has got nothing to do with whether I am a royalist or a republican? I wish the young couple well. They seem sensible modern young folk who want to be more in the real world and that has to be good for UK and the Commonwealth.William may be the last King there ever is .( cost being a huge burden ) I think we should vote to skip Charles and let Will have the next turn. QE 11 could live another 15 years. The wedding is no bigger waste of public money than the Rugby World Cup or the Olympics.