N for NEED - Day 14 Alert Level 4

 No for NEED - need for focussing on wellbeing. Need for connecting, getting active, taking notice, learning and giving. 

What a stunning blue sky day after a nasty frost. I truly love this plant when it is flowering. 

A stunning walk with Grant around the area. I really will miss these daily outings as he starts back at work tomorrow. I am going to try and keep a walk or bike ride as a regular after work activity. 

I'll also miss our lunches in the sun...

Another real positive out of this time of pause - I have really committed to recording in my journal. It is a great journal and I love the focus it is giving me. I am being so much kinder to myself. 

How good does that look. Grant started painting the walls today, that I had water-blasted. They look AMAZING!!! I am really looking forward to us chipping away at this over the next few months...

And how awesome to finish the time in the garden tonight with picking a stunning vase of camelia. They really are an awesome flower. I can't believe our white camelia was literally browned off this morning with the frost, so plan to enjoy many vase fulls of these before they drop... I NEED flowers in vases... they are such a wonderful addition!

M for Monday - Day 13 in Alert Level 4

M for Monday, marvellous Monday, or is it. I think I enjoyed the weekend so much that I really didn't want it to end. When I checked my calendar last night I just wasn't ready for the online hours that Monday had in store for me. I started the day with FitOn. Yesterday was my first rest day in weeks and I really needed it. This morning I woke up so sore and stiff, that getting downstairs and into my workout took really dedication... and I did it.

I took a break to walk and look at the fabulous results of our weekend's work. 

Between my online sessions, I managed to fit in making a batch of savoury and a batch of date scones - YUMMO.

An a very special friend catch up to end this Marvellous Monday - yes you really were marvellous!!!

L for Learning - Day 12 Alert Level 4

 L for Learning, learning, learning...

I love it, absolutely love new learning. Today, I think my greatest learning was how much I love water-blasting. I literally spent hours blasting the outside furniture, steps, walls, under and over the deck. I came in absolutely soaked and freezing. 

Once I warmed up, I headed to the kitchen for a bit of a bake-fest. So flipping awesome. I thoroughly loved it!

K for Kowhai - Day 11 Alert Level 4

 K for Kowhai...

I just love looking out my window and seeing the feeding frenzy taking place on the Kowhai. It seems as if it is being engulfed by the birds earlier this year as it is barely flowering. 

Out to the garden early and oh what a wonderful surprise checking on the seeds. It looks like I have a fabulous strike of asters and peas. 

Next up on the gardening agenda, was a trim of our native weeping Pussy Willow (Salix caprea 'Pendula'). What started as a little tidy up to remove the dead branches underneath, quickly turned into a literal overhaul. 

Truly opening this up was wonderful, and I water blasted the sticky sap off it. Fingers crossed we don't have the wasp problem this year. (And fingers crossed it survives the very harsh prune back.)

It is so awesome to see the magnolia bursting into life. And the hyacinth clumps are starting to flower. 

Then it was time for a little water blasting of steps and paths. Oh how I love water blasting...

It really is so rewarding to see the difference. 

All too soon it was time for driveway drinks. We were very sensible and kept a very safe distance apart. Even the driveway ducks kept their distance. 

So I started the day enjoying the birds in our kowhai tree and I finished the day soaking my kowhai seeds ready for planting. 

And we finished the night with a stunning port roast... YUMMO

J for JOY - Day 10 Alert Level Four

 Agh yes, JOY, there is so much JOY to be found at Alert Level Four. Today is no exception. The morning started with another fabulous FitOn session, then it was into online mahi.

Another awesome patch of the section was tidied by Grant. This area has been quite overgrown and we've never really seen the need to clear extra space. How good does it look though!

And a walk around the garden and I discovered this little treasure I purchased from Hokonui alpines last year. It's a little daphne. I absolutely love the colour. 

A real treat at this time of lockdown was a necessary essential service patrol out in the forest. Oh how exciting to get out and take a picnic lunch. Shame about the weather but it was such a JOYFUL time to be out and about. 

An end of the day catch up with my amazing friends from Teacher's College topped a truly JOYFUL day!

I for inspire - Day 9 Alert Level Four

 I for INSPIRE, inspiration, inspirational, interesting, intriguing...

What a day today, I've been online for many, many hours today. Taking regular breaks and walking around the garden has kept me sane-ish.

In these times, it really is so important to take these breaks, to get out of the office, the house and around the garden. 

Inspiration was everywhere to be found in the garden today... When I took a break and Grant and I walked around the garden, Grant noticed flowers on this newbie. This is a plant I purchased at the Larnach Garden plant sale. I seem to remember it was a Michaelia, but not sure. What ever it is, I LOVE it....

I love seeing all of the hyacinths popping up... can't wait to pick them and have hyacinth perfume through the house...

My trilliums are popping up everywhere.

Another highlight in my day today was working with our team to unpack our strengths. 

Identifying strengths using the VIA strength survey can really help in so many ways. 

Working adults that know their own strengths are 9 times as likely to be psychologically flourishing as those who are unaware of their own strengths. Those that often use their strengths are 19 times as likely to be psychologically flourishing as those who seldom use their strengths.

(Hone et al., 2015)

Have you identified your strengths?

H for Hope - Day 8 Alert Level 4

H for Hope, and happy, hedges, heroes, home

What a day! The day started with work online, then a midday break for a bike ride.

What a ride... 29kms in the stunning sunshine, and the not so stunning swirling wind... I swear we biked into far too many head winds today.

I'm absolutely loving the time to cycle, and breathe the fresh air, and the time to notice different sights. 

Looking back across the dairy farms...

Paused on the bridge over the silver stream... interesting cloud formation today...

Lunch on the lawn in the sun is a precious treat. I am just loving the time at home.

...and there it goes, 29km around the Taieri. That's about as far as we can go without going out onto the main roads... Looking forward to lots more rides...

So much hope as we continue in level 4, so much hope that we might change levels on Friday with still no cases of COVID in the South Island...

 

G for Golden - Day 7 Alert Level 4

G for Golden, glorious, glow, goodtimes 

What a Golden day - 20 degrees, and you really can feel spring in the air. 

Online again, and a whole lot of sorting in my office. So happy to have a sustainable set up.

Today was all about walking rather than biking...

What stunning walk on a glorious day. 

It is just so awesome to walk in the local area. It was great to see so many people out and about exercising on a glorious day. 

Stunning blossom displays on our walk...

Intriguing to see how much you notice when you are walking, things I've driven right past and not paid any attention to...

We had a great walk around the Grange, Mosgiel's newest retirement village. Maybe one day in the distant future, this is where we will reside....

Home for a walk around the garden and oh what a stunning display. My miniature daffodil clumps are amazing this year. And the hellebores are just starting to flower - much later than usual...

Rounded off a glorious day with a Roast chicken dinner and nice rose - glorious....