Random musings

Quote for the day:

“Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path.”
by Unknown

Welcome to day 31.  I awoke this morning to the sound of the ‘Last Post” being played.  I didn’t go to the end of my driveway as I thought no-one else would be there – how wrong I was.  My neighbour told me later this morning there was quite a gathering of neighbours.  I did listen to the ANZAC service on the radio though.  Did you go out on your footpath or down your driveway? 

What I did see this morning while out on my bike ride where the many signs of ANZAC day remembrance, see below. I was amazed at the number of different ways people were paying their respects while in lockdown.

In case your missed day 30’s comments, check them out here and get up-to-date with other readers thoughts, events, and happenings.

Regenerative agriculture

Continuing on from a Country Calendar episode last weekend, Denise recommended this article which was published on Stuff website today  titled “Not your typical sheep paddock: why sunflowers and lentils herald NZ’s regenerative revolution” Don’t buy any sunflower seeds Denise I have plenty on my She shed.

Today’s feature image

Today’s photo was taken on Marychurch Road, Matangi.

Readers input

“Sue of Matangi” sent the following text.  It originally came from a 94 yr old American lady, who loved to climb mountains and who possibly lived through times of what we are experiencing now.  

AND THE PEOPLE STAYED HOME
AND READ BOOKS, AND LISTENED, AND
RESTED AND EXERCISED, AND MADE ART
AND PLAYED GAMES, AND LEARNED NEW
WAYS OF BEING, AND WERE STILL, AND
LISTENED MORE DEEPLY.  SOME
MEDITATED, SOME PRAYED, SOME
DANCED,  SOME MET THEIR SHADOW.
AND THE PEOPLE BEGAN TO THINK DIFFERENTLY
AND THE PEOPLE HEALED
AND IN THE ABSENCE OF PEOPLE LIVING
IN IGNORANT, DANGEROUS, MINDLESS
AND HEARTLESS WAYS,
THE EARTH BEGAN TO HEAL.
AND WHEN THE DANGER PASSED,
AND THE PEOPLE JOINED TOGETHER AGAIN
THEY GRIEVED THEIR LOSSES, AND MADE
NEW CHOICES, AND DREAMED NEW
IMAGES AND CREATED NEW WAYS TO LIVE
AND HEAL THE EARTH FULLY,
AS THEY HAD BEEN HEALED.

Scenes of ANZAC Day

These were just a few of the ANZAC remembrance scenes I saw while out cycling this morning.  I could have taken many more photos but …..  

 

What did you do today?  Look forward to hearing about your adventures, thoughts and happenings tomorrow – day 32. 

Oh we are just about at the end of total lockdown – I’m looking forward to a little more freedom.  Who knows, my favourite cafe may be open for a takeaway coffee – can’t wait.  Are you looking forward to being able to get takeaways?  I guess because I’m not a takeaway eater, I’m not hanging out for MacDonald’s or KFC – are you?

Remember be patient and kind to yourself and everybody in your bubble.  –  Take care Goldcard Gal  🙂

PS Little bit of humour, when I saw this image, I had a really good laugh – hope it has the same effect on you!  Thank you “Unhurried in Hamilton” for the image.  

I really like Jack’s movies, but my goodness he can be unattractive at times!  Love his hair!

Quote for the day:

“Change is not something we should fear.  Rather it is something we should welcome.  For without change, nothing in this world would ever grow or blossom, and no one in this world would ever move forward to become the person they’re meant to be.

by B.K.S. Iyengar

Welcome to day 30 and I’m still posting – who would have thought??  Another sunny autumn in paradise.  ANZAC day tomorrow, it will be strange not having any public commemorations.  Even so, we can take a few minutes out of our day and remember those who gave their lives and those people who have served overseas during times of conflict and peace keeping.  I distinctly remember when Rafer was serving in East Timor ANZAC day was very emotional for me and seemed so relevant.  

Today finally got my broad-beans planted, along with several different types of brassica plants and a mixed seed cover crop: lupin, mustard and oats.  Harvested my crop of carrots (see below) and feeling pretty pleased with them because in the past I’ve never had much luck in growing them.  I love all the different colours, unfortunately can’t remember the name on the seed packet and who I brought them from.  This afternoon started on paint maintenance of the house – sanding and applying under- coat.  All the while in the background I could hear a tui singing, high up in the kauri tree, it’s such a cheery sound.  Are you hearing any tui in your garden or neighbourhood?  

In case you have missed day 29’s comments, click here to catch up.  

Today’s feature image

Today’s image comes from the top of “Vicki & Ollie of Hamilton East” letterbox.  I had to include the whole letterbox so you could get the full effect.  Also  it is very special, designed and built by “Beth the Builder”.  

Is it going to be OK?
It is.
Is it going to be the same?
It isn’t.

This is about Covid-19.  This little ditty comes from Sam Hazledine, creator of multiple organisations, MedRecruit, MedCapital, and MedWorld. He sends out these short little messages every week. 

 

Signs of autumn

 

What have you been doing today?  Did you do anything special you’d like to share or just normal day-to-day activities?

That is it for tonight.  It’s the final of the Jason Bourne movie series, so I’m going to cook myself some dinner and get comfortable in front of the TV – might even light the fire.  

Remember to be patient and kind to yourself and everybody in your bubble.  Take care Goldcard Gal  🙂

Quote for the day:

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
— Dale Carnegie

Welcome to day 29.  Not many days to go in total lockdown.  Are you looking forward to a little more freedom come next Tuesday and perhaps extending the size of your bubble?  What will level three mean to you?  Back to work or more of the same?

Today here in Matangi it has been another enjoyable and rewarding day.  Had a bike ride this morning which involved, dropping off excess fruit, picking up mail for a friend, supermarket shopping and after some lunch mowing my lawns.  The best part was having drinkies late this afternoon with good friends via Zoom.  We caught up on the gossip – not much there and what each of us have been up too.  Using Zooom is a great way to keep in touch and see each other’s happy smiley faces.  Wonder what you have been up to today?  Do you Zoom/Skype/Whats App/Face-time your family and friends?

In case you missed out on day 28’s comments, click here.  Some of my regular subscribers have a knack for making their daily activities interesting and funny.  Thank you for taking the time to comment, it’s what makes this blog more interesting.

Today’s feature image

Thank you “Prudence of St Andrews” for today’s feature image.  Isn’t it beautiful, the way the colours blend randomly and how the yellow stamens contrast with the colours of the petals?  During this time in lockdown I’ve become a big fan of camellias.  Guess that is partly because I’ve taken the time to really look at the flowers and taking close-up photos has opened my eyes to the beauty of them and the variety of camellias.   

Signs of autumn

Zero waste ideas

I saw this article is NZ Lifestyle Block magazine.  Thought you may find it useful if you are cleaning out cupboards and looking at ways to reduce your amount of waste.

Well that is it for tonight.  Remember to be kind and patient to yourself and everybody in your bubble.  Take care – Goldcard Gal 🙂

Quote for the day:

“Winners are not people who have never failed, but people who never quit.”

Welcome to day 28.  Another foggy start and so much colder than yesterday.  My HRV system is not working in transferring the heat from the attic in my home to my living quarters.  Gee I can’t get over how cold my home is when the HRV is not working.  And to think I have put up with that coldness for so many years!  After wasting quite a bit of time chatting online to a customer service representative, the problem is still not solved.  So hopefully it won’t be too long before a technician can come and fix the issue.  Hence tonight I’ve got my wood-burner stoked up and the fire is roaring.

Who watched Paul Henry last night?  His interview with Nick Mowbray was excellent.  What an inspirational and down-to-earth young man, offering advice to wanna-be and business owners in NZ.  I could have listened to him for the whole episode.  What were your thoughts?

The sun was very welcome this afternoon. I was able to finish one of my to-do list items.  Replacing the edging of one of my raised vegetable gardens.  I debated about getting untreated timber like I’d always done, but of course we’re in a lockdown.  The idea to use what I already had at home, bricks and pavers came to me while out bike riding.  It’s not perfect but it will last a lot longer than untreated timber.  Would love to have had railway sleepers but the price of them encouraged me to think of alternative solutions.  Now I need to plant my broad bean seeds and a cover crop.  You gardeners out there, do you sow a cover crop for winter and if so, what do you plant?

In case you missed out on day 27’s comments, click here to catch up.

Today’s feature image

Today’s feature image comes from my Zimbabwean friends Meg & Mike’s garden who are across the road.  It’s always exciting to see new bulbs popping their heads up and waiting for the bubs to open up and display their beauty.   What are your favourite bulbs?

My Feijoa ice cream

I finally made my feijoa ice cream yesterday and was able to sample it last night.  It is super delicious. Highly recommend making it. 🙂

Seven simple ways to bring luxury getaway comfort to you home

My blogging friend Denise of “Magic Moments” sent me the above link thinking that some of my readers may like to add or bring a little luxury to their lockdown experience.  Let’s know if you try any of the suggestions.  I like the idea of “baby your feet with the perfect slippers”.   What appeals to you?

Signs of autumn

Today’s signs of autumn come from “Patricia-Rose”, “I-Solution” and Brad from Taranaki.  Thank you for your contributions.

How has your day 28 been?  Love to read about your thoughts, events or happenings.

Remember to be kind and patient with yourself and everybody in your bubble.  Take care – Goldcard Gal 🙂

Quote for the day:

“Change can be scary, but do you know what’s scarier?  Allowing Fear to stop you from Growing, Evolving and Progressing.”
by Mandy Hale

Welcome to day 27.  Today was my first autumn foggy morning bike ride.  And the sun hasn’t appeared all day – that is a first for a long time.  Mind you we have been spoilt with having so many beautiful sunny days earlier in April.  My Zimbabwean friend Meg said something today which made me laugh, she said “I finally understand what fine weather means in NZ.  It means it’s not raining”.   

Did you watch Paul Henry’s “Rebuilding Paradise” last night?  What were your thoughts?  I was hoping for more, but it is only episode one and I guess it is hard interviewing people on Skype or through Zoom and getting than ‘connection’ with them.  I did think Sir Micheal Hill went on the little too long about his house fire 40 years ago, but then that event was the catalyst for him to go after his goals.  I will continue to watch Paul and look forward to the variety of people he will be interviewing.  I do like his sense of humour and the fact that he reads out all positive and negative texts/emails.  

Click here if you missed day 26’s comments.  

Feature image for today

Today’s feature image was provided by “Sue of Matangi”.  She had picked these flowers from her garden just before she came inside after spending time working in it.  The variety of flowers and diverse colours make it an eye catching little bouquet.  Like nature, nothing seems to clash or is ugly.

The Pandemic Pack Collaborative Cookbook

I read about this group in the Waikato Times this morning (published 15 April, back of my puzzle page) and thought I’d share it with you.  Sixteen Wellington eateries have co-authored a digital cookbook providing recipes (adapted to be cooked at home) of their signature dishes.  Under level two and level three the group created a contactless delivery service for their restaurants.  Once the level was raised all non-essential businesses, such as restaurants and cafes were forced to close.  Jackie Lee Morrison of Lashings cafe came up with the idea of creating a digital cookbook as she knew local chefs wanted to keep sharing their food. I have purchased a copy of this cookbook in PDF format and landscape design.  Each restaurant/cafe published includes a photograph of their eatery, blurb about their business and either one or two recipes.  Some tasty looking recipes.  I make plunger coffee every morning and looking through their book have read that I don’t let it brew long enough – it’s recommended 4 minutes!  Here is one recipe that really appealed to me, because I would never have thought to put broccoli and feta together least of all on ciabatta bread and look forward to making it sometime soon.  It’s from Capitol Restaurant, owned by Tom & Kate Hutchison.

Signs of autumn

While out of my bike ride this morning I captured the following signs of autumn.

What did you do today – day 26?  Look forward to reading about your adventures, daily tasks or something else.

In the meantime, be patient and kind to yourself and everybody in your bubble.  Take care – Goldcard Gal 🙂