It's Matariki weekend and we got our first frost this morning. -1.4 degrees celcius and -4.2 on the grass!
The skies have been clear that has been great for stargazing. Matariki is just one of the 9 stars in the cluster whanau. I thought there were 7, but it seems two more have been added when I wasn't looking.
Because stars aren't always easy to spot amongst all the other stars I just tend to look for the moon instead. I should be keeping track, my moon calendar helps me, though at the moment I have not been doing much in the garden, just weeding here and there.
Woodside is offering grapefruit, and I'm harvesting the last of the tangelos from the old tree. My dwarf Seminole is laden, but they seem quite pale. I hope they'll be ok though the tag did say NOT to let it fruit in the first year.
It's Mum's birthday today, she would have been 78. We went and had yum cha at the Lucky Fortune. Sometimes I wonder if I'm experiencing a Freaky Friday - swapping bodies with my mum and now I know what it's like to be her, older and (hopefully) wiser.
Cleopatra magnolia has just budded and will bloom in a few days, the petals are already showing their glorious cerise pink. Dutch Iris is still blooming, and we have jonquils and bergenias.
Sad news is our neighbour Lorraine has passed away on Monday morning. She was 87. Instead of flowers, we will give requested snacks to the hospital ward she was in. Lorraine was an original resident of Riverpark along with husband Dave, and their two daughters. She was baking us feijoa muffins all throughout the season and has always been our very good across the road neighbour.
And so we've been remembering many who've passed on during Matariki. It looks like the heavens are much brighter because of them.
Haere ra.
