Kia ora and Mānawatia a Matariki – Hello and Welcome to Matariki!
Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars (also known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters) that rises in midwinter and for many Māori, heralds the start of the new year. New Zealand is in its third year of officially celebrating Matariki with a public holiday (21st June) and lots of activities and star gazing around the country.
Well, the month began with Ann slipping in some mud and bashing her knee and thumb badly. X-rays didn’t find any fractures thank goodness but standing, walking and gripping things were a real struggle for the first couple of weeks. She’s having weekly physio which is helping. It happened whilst she was walking Sox and luckily there was a ‘knight in shining armour’ in the shape of a man driving past who quickly reversed when he saw Ann on the ground. He put Sox in the back of his car and lifted Ann up and helped her into the front and drove them both home. It’s a lovely reminder that there are still kind strangers out there.
The Hamilton Bonsai Club had its AGM and Ann was voted in as Vice President. The meeting was also a buy and sell of members’ trees. We managed to sell about a dozen trees.
We also drove up to Auckland for the day for the Auckland Bonsai Show and NZ National Bonsai Convention2024. We didn’t attend the actual convention demonstrations but did see the show trees and visit all the traders. Ann bought a pot for her Chinese elm (will post a photo when it’s been repotted).
It’s been fairly quiet at the Hamilton Gardens – well it is winter – cold, wet and windy weather. On one of his shifts all Peter managed to sell were two maps!
Peter had his rheumatology appointment and got the results from the MRI of his knee. He’s now been prescribed Methotrexate, ibuprofen and folic acid – the same medications as Ann takes! What a copy-cat!
Peter spent time cutting the pittosporum hedge. Some of the plants have died (where they are in too much shade from ours and the neighbours’ tall trees) so we’re thinking of ripping the whole hedge out and having a fence erected in its place.
Peter helped run another Intermediate workshop for the club – working on the deadwood on the large privet and repotting the redwood at a new angle.
Peter has been repairing some of our raised beds and lining the sides with old dog food bags under the supervision of Sox.
The village fire station has a collection of firefighting memorabilia, so Peter has donated one of his diving finds to the local fire brigade. The fire hose nozzle was found by him on the wreck of the N G Petersen in 1983.
The girls’ beds in the laundry are getting old (about 15 years old we think) so Ann bought a couple of new, very expensive $11 K-Mart ones. It took a few days before the girls finally tried them out.
Of course with all the rain our water tank overflowed yet again!
Even in the cold and wet Honey has to sit on her bench in the village and watch the world and their dog go by.
And Sox still sits in the window watching us ‘abandon’ her!
