Tree lovers and haters
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![]() How soul-less are those who live by bureaucratic tosh rather than use their brains with an enlightened heart. |
Having spent the last several weeks in North Carolina and Virginia, I must admit they are perhaps two of the most beautiful states in the USA. This has much to do with the trees everywhere. Absolutely everywhere, including in the cities, lining freeways, around buildings - just everywhere and everywhere! I had not long been home when I heard a truck pull up outside our house. A quick glance out the window told me I was needed out there. The tree butchers from the local council had arrived! Many years ago I had approached the council, not just once but repeatedly, to ask that they plant some trees on our berm. The street needed more trees, looking particularly barren and not very special. One day they turned up and left behind a very small specimen down by the nextdoor neighbour, but no more and certainly not where they really were needed. So eventually we planted a few more ourselves. They are now tall and strong, maturing nicely, and looking quite lovely. So when the truck pulled up I went out to lean on my gate. Three men got out of the truck. I was told that branches overhanging the road where they would interfere with cars needed to be cut back. I was told “we’re just doing our job” to which I replied “…and I am just keeping my eye on you.” Out came the chainsaw. Immediately the criterion they had just given me was violated. “So what make of car might possibly have been able to hit that while still remaining on the road?” I asked. There was no answer. As the man with the saw stood on the footpath eyeing yet another branch, I added “and of course, we have cars driving along the footpath every single day here!” He changed his tune… it was the posties on bikes, he said. “Sure, we have posties well over 2 metres tall riding bikes here every single day”, I informed him, my sarcasm getting away on me. Another man reached back inside the truck for some papers and started reading aloud the council by-laws. The third man stood there looking uncomfortable. The man with the saw, having swung on another branch to see if it could be dragged down to possibly bother the mythical posties over 2 metres tall, sensibly decided against any further action. Fortunately the others followed his lead by getting back into their truck and then drove away. They had overlooked a dead tree standing on the berm of a neighbouring house, but less than half a mile away there was more evidence of their handiwork. A cluster of beautiful native trees in a small reserve was decimated, ugly stumps being all that were left behind. |








A perfect Freesia from my garden…
One of my hobbies is working with images in Adobe Photoshop, especially repairing and restoring old photographs, but also creating something special from those which I take with my Olympus C-5060 wide zoom digital camera. Here I have combined several interests together ~ growing flowers in my garden, digital photography, image manipulation, Biblical Christianity, and Judah’s Journal. The result is presented here: one of my favourite verses combined with a beautiful rose from my garden.

It isn’t all that big just yet. At least, not nearly as big as it will get in time. But already towering above the roof of the house, our very own “NZ Christmas Tree” is quite a pretty sight just now. Although we are currently having “the summer that didn’t happen” and the coldest one on record, these Pohutukawa trees have been flowering prolifically and for quite some time almost everywhere. Some have already dropped their red stamens, creating a dense scarlet carpet all around them. Before that the ground was a bright golden yellow from the fallen Kowhai blossoms. Now when it rains, little streams of red run along the gutters and into the drains. I wonder what colour carpet we will have next. My roses are a mass of blossom so maybe pink and white will be Mother Nature’s next redecorating decision.

Yes, that is I. No, I am definitely not up there with the greats! I was a high school student when that photo was taken - coloured sepia by me to age it suitably! The violin was handed down to me from my father and he was given it by an Australian passenger on board ship en route from Southampton (England) to Melbourne in the early 1960s. The Australian owner had taken it to Europe to have it valued, the maker’s name being Giovanni Paolo Maggini (1580 - 1630), but was told it was not an original - instead, just an excellant copy. He was so disillusioned that he wanted to give it away to someone who could play one. My father happened to be in the right place at the right time.





The Story of Two Wolves 

The first day of March is the first day of Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. We have had no cause to complain about our summer this year - it has been warm, sunny and for the most part, fine. When I have been missing from my computer, I have mostly been out in the garden, encouraging things to grow. So now I have lots of flowers with which to decorate my Journal.

Hello visitors from Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, NZ, UK and USA.






