Category Archives: Lifestyle

Showing some of life in southern California.

Waking Up in New Zealand

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Tui-1 This is Tui, our daughter and grandson’s cat. She is named for the black and white tui bird, indigenous to New Zealand, and  she’s the first one to greet me every morning. I still wake early here in New Zealand, just as I do at home in California. I’m at the computer, enjoying my morning coffee, just like home. It’s interesting how we have our habits no matter where we travel.

Large pink flower I’ve been here almost a week and have settled into the routine nicely. I’m in the Mount Maunganui area on the North Island. We are a block from the beach and I feel like I’m in San Clemente, California. The other day we saw two people riding a can-am Spyder like mine. Watching surfers cross the road, surfboards tucked under their arms, makes me feel as if I never left Southern California. I do not drive here, because vehicles and people walk and drive on the opposite side of the road. I am not brave enough to try. This area has few traffic lights, but many round-abouts, and that too is a challenge for me.  Thanks to my I-phone I can instantly be in touch with family at home. I do have to remember that we are currently 19 hours ahead of California — but I find it easier to think of it as five hours behind, and one day ahead.

I highly recommend Air New Zealand, the airline that brought me here. Los Angeles to Auckland flights usually leave in the evening. Air NZ serves a wonderful dinner, and every passenger has their own movie screen for watching the latest movies. I usually get several hours of sleep before Air NZ serves a tasty breakfast. We arrive very early NZ time, 5:30 a.m, and if I stay awake until local bed time, I find I’ve adjusted nicely. It really is a very easy trip. Honestly! The flight is 12 hours, but not a difficult one.

The people here are wonderful, and very friendly, but I will leave that for another posting.  I have not posted in several days, and would like to get this one out. Today we are going to tour Comvita, a  company that produces and exports honey. I’ll take photos and report on it tomorrow. Bye for now, from New Zealand.

How a Hummingbird Changed My Plans

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P1020143My plan for the morning was to spend time reading the manual that came with my new camera. I wanted to study the chapter on short focal length photography, because I use a lot of close up photos in my blog, and still have a lot to learn. When I finished my reading, I took a few practice photos in the house, and then planned to go outside and practice some more of what I’d just learned. How quickly plans can change!

On January 20 I posted, How to Make Hummingbird Food, and this morning, through our kitchen window, we spotted one of our little flock sitting on a nest. Suddenly, instead of taking close ups, I was taking long focal shots, so I wouldn’t disturb the little mother. I turned out the kitchen light and watched her as she flew back and forth between the feeder and her nest.

P1020123-1Here you can see her, head down in the nest feeding her babies. I felt a little guilty spying on her, but she was so amazing to watch.

P1020127-1Here she is a little later taking a nap after all of her hard work. I was very careful not to get too close, and I’m happy she chose a quiet side of the house, where she can be safe and protected, hidden away in the leaves of the Night Blooming Jasmine. My job is to keep the hummingbird feeder full, while my husband Martin, keeps the water fountains filled with fresh, clean water. Being able to observe this little hummingbird is a very special reward for our efforts.