Monday, February 7, 2011

Waitangi Day and Sweltering Summer.....

Summer will soon be over and the days are definitely shortening
but summer goes out in a burst of heat.

February is always our hottest month.
There is a warm wind from the north
and the air is hot an humid.


This is the fruiting season.
I stick to the shadows when out walking and feel grateful for trees.


Yesterday was Waitangi Day.
It was Tainui day down at the lake.
A very big crowd and lots of noise and music and very hot.
My tribe is Ngati Pakeha
and I was in the minority.


The hydrangeas are changing colour, telling us Autumn is not too far away.


I linger among the shade of the trees
and just between you and me,
I'm rather looking forward to a little coolness.
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5 comments:

  1. Such lovely pictures on your hot day, Joan. My desk calendar actually says that it is Waitangi Day in New Zealand. It looks like a fun celebration.

    I am yearning for the colors of summer right now looking at your hydrangea, both in the post and your heading. So lush. We had four more inches of snow this morning, but, February means change will come soon here as well.

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  2. Was it as hot there as here? 36 degrees, too hot to do anything except flop down with a book and turn the heat pump on (it's only in one room, when I went upstairs to bed the heat made sleeping very difficult)

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  3. Yes, sticking to the shadows, that's exactly what I find myself doing in these hot days. I'm thankful for every tree that lines the pathways. I like the way you have captured the subtle changes in the hydrangeas.

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  4. Hello Joan! It is so amazing that you've got so much sun and warmth in February as your hottest month, and I'm freezing up here in the "Northern Hemisphere" ! But it has grown a little milder here now, while it is growing cooler where you live. Still, winter will probably come back in March here. Spring is arriving slowly.(I love the photo of the shadowy hill under the trees).
    Isn't it fantastic, this communication we have today? When I was a young girl (or teenager!) I had pen-friends all over the world, and it took some time to communicate - even in an "air-mail" - and now it takes only seconds to know how you are in New Zealand! I never stop being enthusiastic about this global net! My dear grandmother would have considered it to be witchcraft!
    Cheers
    Grethe

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  5. The last photo on this post is amazing ... it is so similar to the place I visualise when there is chaos around me and I want calm ...unbelievable. Your photos are just lovely.
    Thankyou.

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