I guess we all make them, but can this be forgiven?

This will be my last blog for a while. I am going to have a "blog holiday."
My first blog was in June 2005 and has been going almost steadily since then. But right now I have a shortage of ideas so feel that a break is in order.

I want to thank the many people who have visited my blog over the time, and especially those who have swelled the numbers recently.

A very special thanks to those fellow bloggers with whom I have developed a special friendship through your blogs and your special comments on mine. Thank you. It has been fun and I shall miss that.

I hope to return some time when I get some fresh ideas and photos, so bye for now. I will still follow your blogs but without comments.

All the best to you all - Dave

Tiger Moth Aerobatics

Last weekend a group of microlite enthusiasts held a field day near our home. During the event this local pilot put on a display of aerobatics with his tiger moth airplane and 'smoke.'

Most weekends we can hear and sometimes see him practicing in another part of the sky, but the 'smoke' the other day made it easier to see him.

Click on the images for larger pictures.

Passionfruit

I have an American friend who came across this fruit a few years back while touring and he was reluctant to try it because he had never seen it before.

In New Zealand we call it passionfruit and if the seeds and slight flesh are eaten when the outer skin begins to wrinkle it tastes wonderful! The Spanish name for this fruit is Maracuya.

These plants, which grow as vines and produce their fruit generously, are grown in New Zealand but do not originate here but from South America. They are also now grown widely in many countries around the world.

The plant is frost tender but an established plant will usually survive, especially if protected with a cover in winter.

The passionfruit, though a pleasure to eat as a fruit, are also used for adding flavour to drinks such as orange, as well as adding other products.

The passoinfruit flower has a very exotic appearance.

For more information abour this plant and it's fruit go here.

Archive Pictures

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These photos were taken at the Hamilton Gardens Hothouse a couple of years ago. Orchids and Peace Lillys are favourites of Jill's and mine. We used to grow orchids but after a while we propagated so many we had no room for them so gave them away and stopped growing them.

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Peace lillys are a regal flower I think, but can be expensive to buy.

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Alaska Photos

Here are some more Alaska photos taken recently by my e-pal Jim who lives in Anchorage. I was impressed with these photos of ice 'stalagtites' which give closer focus to a wider scenery.

Jim has this to say:

This Saturday it really felt like spring here in Alaska. By 8:00 am it was in the high 20’s. I decided to head down on to Turnagain Arm to see how the warmer weather was changing the tapestry there. Sheep were grazing in their customary spots at about Mile 114 so I hiked up to join them. Only a slight breeze made it cold up that high, but it didn’t bother me and it didn’t bother the sheep. The tide was going out and the ice settled into the silt in its wake. We’re pushing 14 hours of daylight in Anchorage now with a gain of 5:45 minutes a day or so. It won’t be long before it’s above freezing over night and spring will erupt in full force. Our short summer will happen quickly with all of its intensity.

Thanks for allowing me to use these photos Jim.

This Day in History - 6 April

This day, 6 April, was an interesting day in history. At the website at the bottom there were a large number of events, births and deaths etc, but I have chosen here the ones I thought were of special interest. For more please go to that website.

6 BC This day is believed by some Biblical scholars to be the actual date of the historical birth of Jesus Christ.
0648 BC - Earliest total solar eclipse; chronicled by Greeks
0610 Lailat-ul Qadar, the night the Koran descended to Earth
1722 Peter the Great ends tax on men with beards
1830 Joseph Smith & 5 others organize Mormon church in Seneca County, New York
1868 Mormon church leader Brigham Young, 67, married his 27th and last wife. (In all, Brigham Young's wives bore him 47 children.)
1889 George Eastman places Kodak Camera on sale for 1st time
1893 Andy Bowen & Jack Burke box 7 hours 19 minutes to no decision in St Louis (111 rounds, longest bout in boxing history)
1896 1st modern Olympic games begin in Athens Greece
1906 1st animated cartoon copyrighted
1912 Electric starter 1st appeared in cars.
1925 1st film shown on an airplane (British Air)
1938 Teflon invented by Roy J Plunkett
1954 TV Dinner is 1st put on sale by Swanson & Sons
1957 NYC ends trolley car service
1965 Intelsat 1 ("Early Bird") 1st commercial geosynchronous communications satellite
1980 Post It Notes are introduced
1986 Soccer ball juggled non-stop for 14:14 hours
1992 Microsoft announced Windows 3.1, upgrading Windows 3.0

Selected from many at http://www.scopesys.com/cgi-bin/today2.cgi

The end of a busy week
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My week began with two days stocktaking for a local hardware superstore called Bunning’s, of Australian ownership. This involved early starts – early for me, and an 8½ hour day both which I wasn’t used to for over five years. My work fitness was gone so this was an effort, but I enjoyed the work and the company I worked with, but suffered age aches and pains after-effects for two days afterwards.
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In the mean time I had a club newsletter to get out and a class to organise. These things all took time and effort. I wished I was younger and fitter again.
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So this week seemed to last forever, but Friday night has finally arrived. Hurray!
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Took time out to read blogs the last couple of evenings and enjoyed the relaxation and entertainment. Thanks guys!
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Hope you all have a great weekend, are enjoying the advent of spring up there in the north, and are hunkering down for winter down here in the South Seas.
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Oh, and the noughts and crosses? Just wanted to make it look like we had nothing better to do! Cheers…
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