Success!

Gorgeous hellebore

I've just sold my old typewriter (Imperial 66, the model I learned to type on) for $25.00 on Trade Me. I didn't buy it originally; I found it in the garage when I moved into the house. So that's $25.00 profit. Plus I no longer have to lug the thing around the house trying to find a home for it where it won't get in my way. Now looking for other stuff I can sell. Perhaps this will be my new career, selling junk on Trade Me?

Garden pics

Not too bad a day today, mainly cloudy with some sunny spots which Thomas revelled in. A fog has closed in now though, making the air very cold. I did a little bit of garden work, mainly tidying up, spreading fertiliser and compost, and getting my strawberry bed ready. Tea was a plate of lemon and sugar pancakes, in memory of my mum, who always used to make them for me on Shrove Tuesday. Today is the third anniversary of her death, and the fourth anniversary of the first big quake we had here; I'm feeling a bit glum.

More crap going on at work, which doesn't help my depression at all. We were all told at a meeting on Tuesday to come up with cost-saving ideas, the implicit threat being that if we don't, we'll all be "down the road", or at least will have our hours of work reduced. Cutting out the one-off long-service bonus was also mentioned, which made me hopping mad; I had mine several years ago, but I thought it bloody well earned and it makes me furious to know that this is being considered for others, particularly when you know how much upper management are making in salaries (and perks). And any cuts are always to part-time hours, to those who can least afford to lose income. No doubt I shouldn't be writing this; the 'thought-police' will be reading it and I'll be castigated for my 'dis-engagement' and sent for re-education.  Grrr! Incoherent rage followed by deep depression is the sum of my work day now. If they fire me I won't bother getting another job. I'll live off my savings until they dry up and then starve quietly to death.

Scandal!

Big political scandal going on here in NZ, won't bore you with the details, but the Minister of Justice has resigned over emails sent by her to a right-wing blogger to dig the dirt on the manager of the Serious Fraud Office, to discredit him because he was investigating a business friend of hers over a multi-million dollar company going bankrupt. Yes, we have a Minister of Justice who doesn't know right from wrong. 
   No one is shedding tears over her, least of all her boss the Prime Minister, who has also got wind of allegations that this woman will seek to contest his position after the coming election. She is on the far right of Genghis Khan as they say, so hopefully the NZ people have dodged a bullet. She would make Margaret Thatcher look principled and kindly!
   Of course, for the hoi polloi, the little people, it's all very amusing, only confirming our core belief that politicians are the scum of the earth. The Opposition parties are all having a field-day with expressions of shock and self-righteousness, and a merry time is being had by all. Only nine days to the General Election now and it's an open race, lots of wild cards and loose canons, with promises of more revelations to come. Bring it on!

Pics

Camellia 'Waterlily"

Not feeling too well today, perhaps the dreaded flu is on its way, so I've just posted these two pics for your delectation. Spring is really getting itself going now, it's like a runaway train once it starts.

Pink!

Lots of pink in the garden at the moment:

Cherry plum flowers

Afternoon tea - cherry plum flowers and 'Nicky Crisp' camellias

'Quintessence' and 'Alpen Glo' with Carlton ware and owl earrings

Spent today doing lots of little chores - fixing up my ugg boot slippers that I bought from the Warehouse, twice now the toggles have fallen off. That's what happens when you buy cheap stuff. Potted up my new dahlias, hopefully they will get off to a better start if they are not kept for weeks in their plastic bags, as I usually do. Put two for sale items on Trade Me (that's like e-Bay for those of you in the USA). First time for me, so yes, some anxiety there. Cleaned things, threw things out, put stuff aside for the Sallies. It does feel good getting rid of things, but there are some things that I would like just a bit of money for. It's always amazing to me how something you paid a lot for becomes next to worthless ten years later on the secondhand market when you go to sell it, even if it's still in good condition.

And have arrived at a big decision. Yes, Thomas and I will get a kitten sometime in the next two months. Thomas is so lonely, he's such a sociable chap, and I get to see my own species on a regular basis; he doesn't (except for the black psycho-cat next-door-but- one, who always fights him). I think he would enjoy having company, and a kitten is such a laugh. I blame all those cute kitty vids on YouTube! 

I've hit a blah patch in my reading lately, just can't find anything that engages my interest at all. It's either too silly and light or too heavy and dark. Ho hum. Keep trying.

Still spring, but not so pleasant

Today was what I'd call a typical spring day, more typical for us than the nice weather yesterday. A cold, cold wind, with intermittent showers and sun had me ducking and diving in and out of the garden. I did a bit though, still hacking through the twitch in the front border. Thomas enticed me out with little 'play with me' cries, he loves gardening, but once I was out there he went back inside, found a warm place and went to sleep!

Dahlia 'Veritable'

Dahlia 'Shoreward Peach'

In the afternoon I went to my favourite plant nursery and bought more dahlias (never have enough) and some gladioli called 'Waris', probably named after the Somalian model and campaigner against FGM.  I've decided that the front border will be shades of purple and white, the colours of the Suffragette Movement, so 'Waris" will be a welcome addition there. I'll have to trawl Google to see if there is a "Mrs Pankhurst" something-or-other. (We do have a nice white camellia called "Kate Sheppard" in NZ (though not in my garden), bred  for the 100th anniversary of the granting of voting rights to women in this country, and named after the woman who campaigned to get them for us). Disappointing when you think of the abysmal choices we can select in this election - and still mainly men! Fools and villains.

A nice spring day

My first daffodil

Thomas enjoys the last of the spring afternoon sun

Slept late today (no, you don't want to know how late) but then expiated my sin by going out and doing the garden. The front garden is a real mess; it's on the cold side of the house, so in winter/spring doesn't see much activity from me. Thomas had a great time chasing around like a mad cat, crashing through the undergrowth all paws flying and chasing the bits of grass I was trying to pull out. Things look better out there now, but there's still a deal to do; remove some ornamental grasses that have grown too big, and replant the front border. The day was cool but fine, and this time of year one needs to take the opportunity of a fine day - it may rain for the next two weeks, who knows?
    We have another election going on in NZ, lots of shady dealings and mutual blamings for hacking into websites, illegal donations and conflicts of interest. Why are we always governed by ratbags? Do we deserve them? The mystery to me is that the sitting government and its Prime Minister are really popular, why I don't know. I can only suppose that the people who vote for him are the same ones who supported Hitler, or voted repeatedly for Berlusconi; they want a 'strong' leader, regardless of how corrupt he is. I will be voting for the Opposition (left-wing). Their leader is a complete nong (Kiwi for fool) but the rest of the party have some good people who still have the old-fashioned notion of social responsibility.
  So, rant over now, expect to read another one when the evil conservatives get in (again).