My hive at home is waiting for a swarm, hopefully soon, as I can`t wait to have bees right at my back door ! There is a high fence for them to fly up and over before hitting the neighbours place and is sheltered from the cold southerly winds by the fence and an orange tree - also, it can not be seen from the road. I am also looking forward to showing my Grandaughter Lia the bees on a closer level, she is keen so I want to encourage her. I had better warn the lawn mower man ...
The Kowhai, (Sophora tetraptera) are in bloom - one of the first signs of spring in Aotearoa. The Waikato river that flows through Hamilton where I live, was once lined with this smallish feathery-leafed tree - old Maori memories say that the river water tasted of Kowhai .. The nectar eating birds like Tui, Waxeyes and Korimako enjoy the sweet delight hidden well down in these bright yellow flowers - the leaves come out after flowering and it is semi-deciduous here in the Waikato.
We don`t have many brightly coloured native flowers here in NZ, so the Kowhai is extra special .
2 comments:
Thanks for stopping by my blog. You have a very pretty blog with all the photos of the flowers and that honey looks delicious.
I don't know a lot about New Zealand and I enjoyed your posts on your other blog about growing up in the countryside.
P.S. How do you pronounce your name?
Hi,
My name is Esther Ellen Keen. I found you on my friend Marcia Meehan's blog "Bees in the Antipodes". Marcia is an amazing person and I am blessed to know her. Of course we've never met face to face, because I live in the USA in the state of Mississippi.
Even though you are 31 and I am 61, you are a kindred spirit. I can't tell you how alike you and I are. I love old time crafts and learning about how to knit, sew, crochet...I just love to learn.
I grew up in the country in Alabama and know a little about old time skills, ie. gardening, sewing, knitting, crocheting... Right now, I'm trying to get a movable chicken coop made so I can have a couple of laying hens. Supermarket eggs can't compare to fresh. There's a real difference.
I like the rug you made. I just read about cutting old tee shirts and making rugs out of them. My grandmother had braided rag rugs that she had made.
Well, anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I enjoyed reading your blog and listening to the music. (Also my kind of music).
Keep up the creative work. What would life be without the thrill of making something ourselves, or the thrill of discovering something new in nature or a new skill or new friends.
Life is a wonderful adventure if we never lose our childlike wonder.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with others. Knowledge is nothing unless it's shared.
I wish you well.
Esther "Ellen" Keen
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