Kia Ora

Ann’s started her planting in earnest. In addition to the salad stuff already planted she now has capsicums, basil, broccoli, butternut pumpkin, cucumber, watermelon and chilli growing. She's also started growing her own mushrooms.

Our annual bonsai show was one of the best we've put on, but dreadful weather meant the trees (140 of them) outnumbered the visitors. Peter was interviewed for a local newspaper.

Peter did some work on a large hawthorn we dug up last year.

The clocks went forward a few weeks ago so we now have lighter evenings which is great for walking the dogs and working in the garden in the evenings.

Ann is now back in school for Term 4. Luckily it’s only 10 weeks and two of those weeks are short as we had Labour Day and she breaks up for summer on the Thursday before Christmas.

Peter went over to Waihi for work and had a look round the town whilst having his lunch break. Waihi is a gold mining town with lots of reminders around the town of its' heritage.

Just off the one street is the current mine, it was once a hill overlooking the town and was mined from the late 19th century with shafts going down 600m underground. Now it's a 'little' hole in the ground.
Spotty trying to get out the gate. No - we don't know why - just concerned at first as to whether she would get her head stuck - but she didn't.
	The girls had a relaxing afternoon a few weeks ago when it rained all week-end.
We’re still having to put up extra fencing. We have some new neighbours who’ve brought two dogs with them, and the Jack Russell is able to squeeze through the fence – which he does so regularly. He then wees and poos on our lawn, winds Maxie up and trots off back to his garden!

The month ended with a heat wave. Our thermometer has been recording temperatures of between 24 and 31 degrees. So the evenings have been busy sorting out the watering system for some of the bonsai and getting the hosepipe back in action for the rest of the bonsai trees, the vege beds and the fruit trees.

News from Home

Michael, who’s now taller than almost everyone except his dad and grandpa, is sporting a fashionable extra piece of footwear for a few weeks, courtesy of cross country running.