Happy Hallowe'en!

Anyone for croquet?

Down the garden path

This was the path to the Mediterranean garden.



The garden owners had installed numerous seats in the garden which seemed to be divided into places to drink coffee and places to drink wine. This was a wine-drinking spot.



And this was the view from the wine-drinking bench.

Weeping Willow

Flower by Wire

Abutilon, Again

Greenfingers

Despite all the gorgeous colours to be seen on our recent garden visit, it was all the shades of green that caught my eye again as we emerge from winter.

Lake View

Our gardening club visited another amazing garden this month. It started off as ten acres of bare farmland and ended up in a lovely mix of wet and dry planting with paths meandering through olive groves, past masses of bluebells and along long lines of lavender.

This was the original farm pond, now used for irrigating the garden. It's occupied by metre-long grass carp which keep the weed under control.

Sheep

For J as she packs her bags.

Strelitzia, Milestone Cottages

For more photos of our trip to Mangawhai, click here.

Fantail, Milestone Cottages

Bromeliad, Milestone Cottages

Kanuka Blossom, Milestone Cottages

Cherry Blossom, Milestone Cottages

Abutilon

The gardens at Milestone Cottages, Mangawhai Heads, were inspired by a visit to an old palace in Rajasthan.

Thanks go to Margaret for identifying this fascinating flower.

Sentinel Rock, Mangawhai Heads

Tiki, Mangawhai

Snail Trails, Mangawhai Harbour

Oystercatchers, Mangawhai Harbour

Happy birthday Ian!

Boathouse, Mangawhai Harbour

Mangawhai Harbour

Quarter Finals

It's goodbye to the rest of Pool A as NZ and France enter the play-offs...

Red-Brick Church

Buddleia

Calla Lily

Red Hot Poker

Rambling Rose

The first of a few shots of flowers taken around and about our temporary neighbourhood...

Pebble Pile

White Rabbits!