Tall white Japanese lily

Towering lily plant

Close up of the flowers

Just thought I'd post some photos of this self sown Japanese lily (also known as an Easter lily, but since it comes from Japan why not call it a Japanese lily?). Yes that's right, self sown. I left it to grow since it was in an unused planter (which used to hold my frangipani before I split it into 2). It is really tall as you can guess from the photo with our water tank behind, almost 2m in the pot. While the lillies have no scent, they do look lovely. And they self seed readily, requiring almost no care - an ideal plant for me!

Some South Island photos for your enjoyment

Akaroa Harbour

Moeraki boulders (yep it was high tide!)

Looking across Foveaux straight to Stewart Island from Riverton, Southland

Dramatic Milford Sound (actually it's a fiord - carved out by a glacier)

One of many spectacular rivers in the Fiordland National Park

Beech forest and mountains

Beautiful Lake Wanaka

D enjoying the crystal clear water at the Blue Pools, Makarora River, Haast Pass

One of many waterfalls

Fox Glacier

Mt Cook/Aoraki

Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere (Franz Josef Glacier)

Mahitahi (Bruce Bay) South Westland - where rimu forest meets the coast

Spectacular bridge along the Arthur's Pass road

Hops in sunny Motueka, near Nelson

Hope you enjoyed viewing these photos!

Abducted by aliens?

OK so I've been offline for a while.........and you were probably wondering why..

no, I wasn't actually abducted by aliens (so far as I know!). We were on holiday in the beautiful South Island (photos to come).

Meanwhile, this is what happens when you leave scallopini (patty pan) squash to their own devices......!

Giant scallopini sqush

It weighed in at a staggering 1.7kgs! Yes we did eat it although it wasn't particularly tasty! I stuffed it with a mix of spicy mince, rice, tomatoes and cheese, and the chickens got our (substantial) leftovers.

Has been incredibly dry for weeks but we've had a little rain overnight and drizzle today. The sweetcorn in the above picture are nice and ripe.