A Flood Averted

Elaine and Sue in Coronation Park below The Pines
We have just had the heaviest rain for a number of years. The last time it rained like this the stream overflowed around the house and water entered the bedroom. After that I fixed the 200mm pipeline from the dam which had become damaged. This can take much of the water from the dam with the overflow going down the furrow.

This afternoon the dam filled and overflowed the bank and came streaming down the pasture and some flowed through the wood shed but otherwise we were saved from real damage to our carpets.

There was damage all over New Zealand but we escaped the worst. Waipawa recorded 92mm in just a few hours though my rain gauge only recorded 72mm. I can't account for the discrepancy.

This is the intake box for the pipe. You can just see the 'dent' in the water in the picture above it.

The water from the pipeline that would otherwise have flowed around the house and into the bedroom.

Island Wedding in the Pines Garden

On Easter Saturday we hosted an Island wedding ceremony in our garden. For this time of the year the garden looked pretty good. I picked pink liliums and stuck them in the agapantha clumps to give colour. Also all our hanging baskets of Busy Lizzies and the flowering tuber Begonias were placed on the bank behind the 'alter' to give a colourful touch. For the table, I used a lovely old crocheted tablecloth that my mother brought from Bangkok, and the strongest chair we had to support the 'traditionally built' bride for the signing of the marriage register.. The vows too were mostly traditional, with some cracks like, 'Will you promise to bring him breakfast in bed on Sundays?" The photos as usual for NZ were taken in a most informal way with the bride and her bridesmaid sitting on the lawn. The bride was given away by her 10 year old son and her 1 year old baby boy who made a gallant effort to walk her to the altar.. Not what we have been used to, but all very colourful and a happy occasion. The bride was so delighted with the everything that she gave me double what I had quoted and the celebrant asked if we would be happy to host more weddings and the photographer asked if she could book our garden for pictures.

The day before I had gone down to the rugby field to ask the youngsters on their buzz bikes to please not ride there during the afternoon..