Iris Flowers

My Iris are looking great this year so I thought I would share these pictures with you.

Manuka Bushes

New Zealand Native Manuka bushes do well here and are flowering well at the moment. It was interesting to see these shrubs being sold in Japan as something very special. Maybe people in other countries also find them special but, other than these cultivated varieties, they are often considered to be a weed in New Zealand.

Flower Arrangements

These two arrangements were done by a ikebana teacher for an exhibition we had in Gisborne. Using two almost identical containers for the top picture and a triple container of Estelle's for the second picture. People do not often buy two containers to use like this but they can lead to wonderful arrangements.

Backgrounds for Flower Arrangements

These backgrounds all rest, or are balanced, on small suitably shaped containers set behind them. The square one and the beaten one are mine while the flower shaped one was made by Estelle and all were fired in our anagama. The peonies in my last blog would look great in any of these.

From a Special Garden

Yesterday I visited a very special garden and an old house that is being lovingly restored. Peonies do not grow well in my garden so it was a thrill to see these ones looking so gorgeous.

Two Tall Containers

The pleasure of having a large anagama kiln is that tall containers like these will fit so easily. The arrangements were done by an Ikebana teacher for an exhibition we had in Gisborne some time ago.

Two Buckets by Estelle

These two buckets were made by Estelle and have been shown in several exhibitions of our work. In Japanese they are known as "Oke" and, although made of clay, often look like traditional wooden ones.

Not All Flowers Are White.

Sadly the blossom trees are all finished as we had a cold southerly wind that stripped the last blossoms away. The white wisteria is looking even better now as it has come out more and is even more pendulous.

Again Some White Flowers

Estelle's favourite flowers were nearly always white so there are many different white flowering shrubs and plants in the garden. I am not sure about the spelling of the name of the lower flower but it is of the "cystus" (?) family. There are others in the garden but not large ones like this. The top picture is of a dogwood called "Eddy's Wonder".

Two Pots from 1st. Firing of Kamaka Anagama

These two cut sided vases of mine were recently returned to me for my collection. They were from the first firing of our anagama and were really not appreciated at the time as the firing was not to our expectations. Peter and Diane Stichbury who helped us with this firing liked them and took them off. They have now returned them to me, along with several other pieces which are all part of our history.

WW2 Spitfire at Neighbours

Last evening there was a different sound in the air. My neighbour had arrived home with a World War Two Spitfire. It is what's called an 80 or 90% true restoration.
It was the first time I had seen a Spitfire other than in a photograph. Sadly there was no chance of getting a flight as this plane has only one cockpit. There is no knowing what type of aircraft Gerry may arrive home with so life is always interesting for me.

Matsui Museum, Japan

These lovely pots together with Bingata dyed materials and large wooden chests were wonderful to see. I am sure that Ali Baba would have found these pots very acceptable.

More Views from My House

Two pictures from my house. The top picture is of a small wild garden by my back door , the other is from my dining room window. Both these gardens basicly look after themselves by self seeding or permanent plantings and need very little maintenance.

Growing Grass

With frequent Spring showers the grass growth this year has been phenomenal. Having had problems with my old mower I decided to change to a new large ride-on mower which I find to be very good. My old tractor was taken as a trade-in but I heard yesterday that it had been sold on to a collector for restoration. This is great news as I had had it for forty-two years and it was about twenty years old when I bought it. It was very reliable and I was sorry to see it go but it seems to have gone to the right person.