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.
Hay making machinery.
An old pump.
A wagon wheel.
And a seat made with 2 old wooden wheels.
I'm sharing with
Once the lambs get a couple of weeks old they tend to congregate and play like children with anything that looks a bit different.
This little overbridge and drain was a great source of fun while they were in this paddock.
They were up and down and over and round. Very entertaining to watch, and it gave the mothers a nice break too.
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.
Linking up with
Wonderful signs of spring are the trees leafing up, blue blue skies and wispy white clouds.
Some trees are still waiting for that moment to move but these ones are well on the way.
My dogs and cat in Black and White ...
Luke
Holly
Toby
Magnolia's are blooming at the moment.They certainly stand out in the crowd with their big showy flowers and some have a heavenly scent too.
These are the 3 ladies showing off in my garden at the moment.
The last of our pet lambs Jemma has had her lamb.
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.
Chloe has had her 10th lamb. At 12 years old she is our grand old lady.
Early spring has been warm and so I took the dogs to the river for a play.
It's Holly's first play in the water and she loved it. First we ran this way...
Then we ran that way....
And then we stopped to pose for a photo. Roll on summer.
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.
Spring has begun and the blossoms are coming out.
The Almond is in full flower and the bees are humming. It's great weather for them, no wind or rain, so they are all out and about.
This is a flowering cherry which is also very popular the with bees, and our native birds.
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.
