A Day in the Sunshine

What an absolutely stunning day it has been today. It is almost spring in New Zealand, and we are seeing the beginnings of new life on bare trees. The sun was brilliant, so what better way to spend the day than out and about?

Firstly, I had some recycling to get rid of. So off to the Refuse Station we went (my mother and me).

Gone are the days when it was known as "The Dump". The smell would permeate the car when we were still a good mile away. The next sign that we were drawing near would be the screaming and diving seagulls. We would turn in from the main road with all the windows closed against the smell (not that it did any good) and take our place among all the other people there. Rubbish was not sorted in any way. It all got "dumped" over a big concrete ledge and from there it was bulldozed into enormous pits which were eventually covered over.

Now it is a very slick operation. There is no smell and no seagulls. Rubbish is separated now as people are more environmentally aware. There is the green waste area where only garden waste is disposed of. This is converted into compost which is then sold in bags.

I had an old microwave and my mother had an old heater, neither of which work any longer. So off to the electrical disposal bins we went. There was an enormous pile of scrap waiting to be sorted through for recycling nearby.

The recycling bins are dealt with very quickly and rarely allowed to overflow.

Yay. Recycling out of the way and now onto nicer things. Like stopping at a small plant nursery along the way home. The refuse station is rural, and so is this little nursery. It was a good excuse to call in. I saw a lot of things I wanted, but nowhere for them at present :-(

The view looking back toward the long driveway entrance to the nursery. The nursery is surrounded on all sides by a kiwifruit orchard.  They did not appear to have started leaf budding yet. In summer when they are in full leaf, it is very beautiful here.

These guys pulled up next to me. They were very friendly and well behaved. They stayed in the car, even though they could have easily jumped out. Don't worry, although the sun is shining brightly, the day was not too warm for them to be left in the car.

Magnolia saplings with furry flower buds, and camellias behind them.

According to my currency converter that is $US14.11 or 9 UK pounds. How do our NZ prices for these plants compare? These were lovely, healthy plants, probably about 3 feet tall.

or $US2.08 and 1.33 UK pound.

This erica was such a pretty colour.

It is late afternoon now and time for me to start preparing dinner. I am going to have Ethiopian Lentils With Sweet Potatoes, a recipe which I saw on DebbiDoesDinner. I am back at work tomorrow, so I will cook extra tonight so that I can take a meal  and not have to buy something. I wonder how long it will be before I can cook a vegetarian meal without having to refer to a recipe? It is a steep learning curve for me, and one which I am doing mainly by myself as I don't know any vegetarians to go to for advice. Any hints and tips you have will be gratefully received.