Our weather and seasons

We are located at about 42 degrees south of the equator and about 15km from the coast. Being an island, our climate is moderated by the ocean, is generally temperate and can change at short notice.

 

A little bit of wind

A little bit of wind

We had a very windy night with some impressive lightning and thunder. At one point it sounded like the thunder exploded directly above us.... an unfriendly way to be woken up.
Power went out for 36 hours and cellphone / internet for 48.
The tunnel house was somewhat damaged, mostly due to the door coming open or disintegrating.
September 13, 2013
  wind  storm  weather 
Nor'west summer

Nor'west summer

Last light on the first day of the new decade. Nor'west clouds formations are typical of this time of year.
November 20, 2012
Spring!

Spring!

Spring is here! And it's springing from every fruit tree with an abundance of white and pink blossoms. The sun is shining and the bulbs are coming up through the grass. And all through the day the native birds sing their melodic springtime soundtrack to welcome the nice weather.
September 01, 2011
Nor-west clouds at evening

Nor-west clouds at evening

A changeable day as the southerly front moves in.
October 28, 2009
Snow in October

Snow in October

After a week of damp and cloudy, the weather reached a wintry climax with flurries of snow and a good dumping up on the hills. The ground was wet and boggy for a few days and the streams gushed noisily.
October 09, 2009
  snow  spring 
September

September

Another month of change. September offers cherry blossom, warm windy sun-filled days and evenings by the fire.
September 25, 2009
Cloudy with chance of....dust?

Cloudy with chance of....dust?

Yesterday it looked cloudy and misty like it might rain. It was a bit mysterious though, because when I went outside the air felt dry, and I realised that the murky haze wasn't misty but more like smoke or dust.
Well, turns out that it was dust, covering all of North Canterbury. It 'baffled experts' yesterday and they couldn't figure out what it was. But Olmec said it smelled like dust, and he was right. It was dust that had blown over from a dry lake bed in Australia. It rained red drops of the stuff in Tasmania before the remaining dust made it to New Zealand. Strange...

September 15, 2009
A hot day at the river

A hot day at the river

When it gets hot it's time for a dip down at the swimming hole. A 5 minute drive down the road to the Leader river for refreshing, clean clear water. Perfect way to cool off.
January 31, 2013
  summer  swimming  river 
Sprinkling (at high pressure)

Sprinkling (at high pressure)

Details   It has been really drying out and we have been busy moving hoses to  water as many trees and veges as possible.
We have a well with a pump that delivers 25mm of water at high pressure. While I was trying to come up with a way to apply this water gently to the garden I came up with this simple circular terminus mister (click for photo).
It effectively produces a 4 meter high column of mist. Wonderful on a scorching afternoon.
Date   December 05, 2010
Tags     summer  water  garden  sprinkler 
Blackberries

Blackberries

Wild blackberries are a bit of a curse round here, growing rampantly wherever they can. However at this time of year they redeem themselves somewhat by offering up sweet berries.
In addition to the thorny wild plants, we have a thornless variety in the garden that produces larger, more accessible berries.
February 16, 2010
Plums

Plums

A bumper crop of plums this year. We have been eating them, freezing them, giving them away and trading into the community.
With several trees yet to ripen there is no end in sight.
January 08, 2010
Summer Flavours

Summer Flavours

Details   Now is the time of year when the hard work in the garden is recovered. All the planting, weeding and watering has been converted into tasty veges.
Date   December 30, 2009
Tags      
Flower Garden

Flower Garden

The front garden in bloom.
December 21, 2009
Autumn bounty

Autumn bounty

It's harvest time and wine is brewing. This year we got our first real crop of pumpkins, a few of which are pictured here. Also, impressive grape production resulted in 4 litres (7kg) of fermented fruit and an equal amount of cider. Winter is shaping up to be tasty.
May 18, 2013
  autumn  wine  pumpkin 
Last of the apples

Last of the apples

Details   The last 2 apple trees are now ready for picking. For some reason, these are some of the cleanest apples we have had this year.

Both of these trees have been improved with supporting / companion plants such as bulbs, foxgloves, lupins and strawberries.
Date   May 18, 2011
Tags     Apples  harvest 
Autumn

Autumn

Autumn is here and I couldn't resist making this autumn bouquet, combining flowers and leaves in an array of autumnal hues. It brings some nature into the house and gives a nice feeling of the seasons passing.
April 18, 2011
  autumn  flowers  leaves 
Cherry tree

Cherry tree

The bright autumn colours of the wild cherry tree.
May 10, 2010
  autumn  cherry   

A wild storm

Today it was calm and mild and not very cold at all. But then around midday, I heard a strange rumbling sound that didn't quite sound like traffic on the road. It was a bit deeper and had more of a rumble to it....almost like thunder.
March 12, 2010
Flavour of the day - Raspberry

Flavour of the day - Raspberry

Details   Over the past few weeks we've been getting the odd handful of berries off our small patch of raspberry canes.
Today I noticed they were dripping with fruit. Some so ripe they fell off as I brushed past the plant.
It's going to be raspberries and ice-cream for desert.
Date   March 08, 2010
Tags     Raspberry  Berries  Cane Fruit 
First decent snow in a while

First decent snow in a while

Details   A nice clear day after several wet, dismal snowy ones. We're going to have some cold nights now but it's a nice way to recieve moisture.
Date   August 07, 2016
Tags     2016  August  Snow 
Brimming with rain

Brimming with rain

The first serious winter storm hit with a snowy wet blast and dumped over 75mm in 24 hours. This is exactly the kind of situation the extensive network of swales was built to handle. During the day I made numerous excursions out into the cold to assess and marvel at how the water was collected, channelled and redirected, distributed and absorbed.
June 20, 2013
  winter  snow  swale 
Rainbow

Rainbow

We caught the edge of a cold wet front that was moving up the coast. Late afternoon sun produced a stunning rainbow.
June 27, 2012
Bellbird in the snow

Bellbird in the snow

It's a fine day after the first snow f the year and birds are out in the orchard getting into the last of the fruit.
June 08, 2012
Snow

Snow

Nothing says winter quite like snow. Despite being cold and inconvenient it's also magical and exciting.
We are warm by the fire and watching the snow drifting down outside.
The cat is not too sure. This is his first snow experience and he seems a bit nervous about the white stuff falling out of the sky.
July 25, 2011
  snow  winter 
Blossoms before the storm

Blossoms before the storm

Spring blossoms on the plum tree before an approaching storm.
August 20, 2010
  Spring  Blossoms 
Frosty

Frosty

Clear calm winter days usually result in severe frosts. After all the rain and with things still being so damp there has been some impressive ice.
July 11, 2010
  Frost  Winter  Ice 
Solstice Gathering

Solstice Gathering

In an attempt to break up the gloomy monotony of the long dark winter months we organised a family get together.
Lots of food, good company and the obligatory bonfire.

The burned circular area has subsequently been dug and mulched in preparation for planting in spring.
July 03, 2010

Shortest day

The winter solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year.
The good news is that it's going to get progressively lighter day by day (until the end of the year).
June 21, 2010
  Winter 
August, Plums and more

August, Plums and more

Blossoms are exploding everywhere in the orchard (and out along the roadsides). First come plums followed closely by almonds.
Bumblebees swarm all over the trees, pollinating the flowers to ensure a bumper crop.
Finally the wind takes the petals before tiny fruit emerge and develop.
August 19, 2009
July

July

Is this the end of winter? Lengthening days, cool mornings and working in the garden.
July 18, 2009
Fireside Evenings

Fireside Evenings

When it's cold outside there's nothing better than sitting round the fire drinking tea and eating toast.
After that, when the water has been heated, relax in a hot bath.
July 08, 2009