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My daily walk takes me down Flinders Road. Look at this blaze of blue
on a clay bank; and that view. Throughout our wet, bleak winter, we looked forward to a beautiful
spring blossomtime. The cherry trees show it was worth waiting for. This owner certainly takes great pride
in her corner plot, including these gorgeous camelias.
Further on,
along Martindales Road, these kowhai branches drip with gold, while this site awaits its long promised development. It's off my route, but near the end of the road by the quiet council flats, this great spread of flowers really draws me to come and have a
closer look. Turning around and strolling along Station Road now, I realise I have always liked the vivid green of new oak leaves, especially when the
light shines through them.
Most of the year, this tree on Rollin Street is just like any other: full of leaves. Then, for just a few weeks, we, and the bees, enjoy all this. On
past the paddock and we see that October is the month of wisterias! Our own hasn't many flowers yet, but someday will look like this one. I can't
wait.
Into the back straight now, Bridle Path Road. I'd love to meet whoever planted this beauty of an oak tree, and thank him, or her.
Past Morgan's valley, ''All at once I saw a cloud, a host, of golden
daffodils'' wrote William Wordsworth. I wish I'd taken this picture
earlier when they were at their best. It's a smaller version of the
display in lower Linwood Avenue.
Isn't the Heathcote Valley a beaut place to live? It's handy to the city, yet with the country at our doorstep. New born lambs here, opposite the
Heathcote Valley School.
Looking up towards Mount Cavendish now, let's hope these hills will
always be green, with trees and animals here, for our grandchildren to
enjoy. My favourite eucalypts are the red-flowering variety, but, by gum, these giants have their own very nice display.
These rugged, gnarled pepper trees are all around the valley, and if
you look carefully, you'll see their tiny red berries. A real contrast. Looking down onto the railway line, it's not a brilliant display, but there are myriad tiny yellow flowers all around the Lyttelton tunnel mouth. This scene needs a passenger train!
Walking
past the bowling club, I realise our land doesn't seem to have many colourful natives. Kowhais however contribute much to our neighbourhood palette.
Look at this plant, I think it's a yukka. I wonder how it got there. Perhaps it was planted by an early resident. All this from a tiny seed. Such
variety.
Cutting across our domain, with early light on our Castle Rock. Some blossoms are so prolific. It's good to see native trees growing up on
the hillside.
Back up on Flinders Road at last. I see these eager echias have shot up like blue rockets against the background of our hills. Finally, it's home to
breakfast. The bees are having theirs on our American lilac by the kitchen window; and I say to myself, ''What a wonderful world.''
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