So, that storm the size of Australia didn’t quite make it to Northland, although we did have lots and lots of wind (somebody local is missing an item of laundry; last sighted blowing across the driveway paddock, in the general direction of Maungatapere…) and some solid downpourings of rain, which wasn’t very pleasant to drive through on our way home from Auckland on Friday night, that’s for sure.

Plus it was quite cold, so I had to dig out my beanie to do my gardening in yesterday, just to keep my ears toasty.  With my new slightly wrap-round very dark sunglasses that I bought on Thursday (to replace the ones I lost last weekend; another addition to the long list of Sunglasses Fi has Lost/Broken) and my black t-shirt, black tracky-pants and gumboots, apparently from a distance (according to Bruvinlaw) I sort of looked like The Edge, minus the goatee beard.

I spent most of the afternoon in the garden, planting some new Cape daisies (I love the golden colour of “Nuanza Copper” as per below; a bit different to the usual purples, mauves and pinks Cape daisies usually come in), some more gazanias to trail over the rock wall lining the driveway and three more lavender -they love the dry slopes on our back garden.

And I finally got round to planting the heritage tomato seeds sent to me from Up North and stashed them out of the wind in my new mini greenhouse (which the  Other Harf has sensibly wired to the side of the garden bed, just in case of weather exactly like this).

As well as all this garden toiling, I blitzed Miss 10′s bedroom, where she has been hoarding defunct “activity” books, old magazines with most of the pages cut out, dead felt tip pens and miscelleanous tat from The $2 Shop in various boxes and drawers and in the middle of the floor.

Three rubbish bags-full later, it looks like somebody else’s room.

Somebody much tidier.

This morning, after reading in bed (From Dust to Gold, the Inspiring Story of Bendigo Station, home of the world famous Shrek the Sheep – I can highly recommend it, so far) I was left to my own devices (the Other Harf took Miss 10 and the nieces into town to see Despicable Me) to attempt the next assignment (“Metering and RGB”) on the online photography course I’m taking.

Unfortunately the weather conspired against me when it came to this part: “Choose a sunny, semi-shade spot where the light will be consistent for the next 30 minutes.”

Hah!

So I gave that up for a laugh, and after typing a quick email to my tutor to advise him that the weather in Northland just wasn’t playing ball, and would he forgive me if the assignment was a wee bit late, I dashed round the garden in between showers and snapped some quick photos of the new daisies, the first of the kowhai, plus the gorgeous yet shy blue borage, peeping through the fenceline in the rear paddock.

Anyhoo, that’s the weekend, so far. Better go and put dinner in the oven: roast chook with garlic, lemon and tarragon, mmmmm!