Some see rubbish, some see garden art. I have just been for a wander around my Mum's garden, to photograph the old pieces of farm machinery that are displayed here and there.
The Kowhai is one of New Zealand's favourite flowering trees. They are a great source of nectar for the Tui and other birds and stand out with their beautiful golden flowers.
There are 8 different species of Kowhai in New Zealand, I have 2 of them in my garden. Some can grow up to 25m (82 ft) but this one is one of the smaller varieties.
As our unofficial national flower you will find images of the flowers throughout New Zealand in design work, paintings and carvings.
A lovely spring afternoon and the sheep are enjoying the new growth and the warmth. The paddocks take on a "super green" look as the grass starts to grow faster with the extra sunshine hours.
There is always one who is happy to pose.
Over the fence the cows are getting rounder and preparing for calving which should be starting in the next week. I was standing behind a netting fence when I took this, so a double fence shot for this one.
I spotted her in the afternoon trying to deliver the lamb. I could see the tip of his nose and 2 front feet so thought he would be out soon. Sheep don't usually take long to lamb once the baby is in position, however Jemma was pushing and getting nowhere. After a while I headed home and returned with my husband to check on her. She was still in the same position and needed help. With a bit of work we managed to deliver this huge boy. Jemma was exhausted but was still keen to clean him up from her sitting position.
Next day both Jemma and her lamb are looking great. He is the biggest lamb in the paddock even though he is one of the youngest. She has recovered and seems very proud of her wee man.
The floral stars at the end of winter are the Camellia's. They put on a great show through winter and into spring, withstanding all the changeable weather and brightening up the garden.
This is a selection of the different varieties flowering in my garden at the moment.
This old barn has been on the farm a lot longer than I have. It has broken beams and rusty iron.
It has posed for artists once or twice and is being used to store old bits of fencing, so it's still a bit functional, but it's best not to linger too long inside.