Evening Bell For Barry

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Silent the old town

the scent of flowers

floating

and evening bell

Basho

Barry Fraser
The Explorer

April 3 1943 - July 20 2010

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Vibrancy

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 Vibrancy

 anthurium

while I am familiar

with many of the plants 

here in Kauai

because they grow at home,

the extra rainfall 

on this island

and the smaller diurnal range

of temperature

plus a milder winter

and a less intense sun

bougainvillea

make for colours that pop -

such vibrancy

this bare tree

is garlanded 

with plump yellow blooms

like pom poms

I don't know its name...

hibiscus

The mountains

in the centre

of this island
are where you find
Mt Waialeale
which is the rainiest
and the wettest spot
on the planet

spider lily

Mt Waialeale
receives 472 inches
of rainfall a year
that is 39 feet
or 12 metres

orchid

the trade winds
blowing off the ocean
keep this island
cool in summer
usually 23-29 C
or 74-85 F

terminalia

the rainfall
is more prevalent in winter
when the days
range from 18-26 C
or 65-78 F,
although the climate
is termed 'localised'
meaning
that it may rain one minute
and be sunny shortly after

red ginger

The great thing about the climate
on this island
is that if it does rain
you can drive for 10 minutes
 and be in the warm sunshine...

Oh Happy Hula Days

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Christchurch Flower Walk

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and so

we continue around the block

on our flower walk...

enjoying the pinks

of camellia

and a funky

'cabbage' flower

the blues

 

and whites

and the magnificent
magnolia

an architectural wonder

blue petals

unfolding

to reveal

pollen tips

native gems

and exotic lilac

climbing clematis

 

and

clusters

of dazzling

little firebursts....

and now

we are back at home

convinced that Christchurch

is indeed

the city of flowers

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City of Flowers

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Christchurch

The city of flowers

On my first morning

in Christchurch

I bundle up

with many layers,

jacket and hat

Yes it is cool

even though the flowers

announce spring

and I walk around the block

 a route

I had taken

many hundreds of times

as a child

and admire the colours

of the azaleas

and rhododendrons

 

and the blues

of the blue bells

 

I once could tell you

the names of my home town flowers

 

 but now colour

is enough

 

 but I recognise the protea

with its red spiral suns

 

I walked or biked by this gate

innumerable times as I grew up

 

always wondering

who it was

 

who live at Number 75

with the enchanting entry

 

 these pea like

cascading tree flowers

made me think

of the native New Zealand

kowhai

 

and this is it

a quite different bloom

 

delicate blossoms

and flowers

brightened a chill walk

filled me with joy

and tenderness

and hope

surprise

when I encountered

a new tree

I'd never seen before

and made me realise

that Christchurch is really

the city of Flowers...

and I am not yet home

from my walk,

so will you join me tomorrow

for more flowers

of this beautiful city...

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Bromeliad Walk

Bromeliads in Spring

The Bromeliads

in my Bromeliad Hospital

have responded to nurturing

and care

The children

called pups 

were removed

from last season's parents

when flowering finished

and after recovering

from their separation

have branched out

thrust themselves into life

and flowered

 

bringing vibrant spring colour

and joy

to my deck

Bromeliads like this one above

store water in their tanks

made from the tight fitting overlapping

of their base leaves

 

along the street

I notice another bromeliad

calling for attention

 

proud of her achievements

 

the woven burgundy

herringbone structure

and

the beautiful green flower

tucked into her pocket

there are many bromeliad varieties

in fact their inflorescence

is regarded as the most diverse

of any plant family

 

There are many colours and shapes

and it is said

they are the most widely patterned

and colourful

of any plant in the world

Originally from

the tropical Americas

the bromeliads belong

to the Pineapple family

 

The Incas

the Aztecs

and the Mayans

all used bromeliads for

food

protection

fibre

and for ceremony

 

The bromeliad
can hold its flowers for months
so is popular
as an indoor plant

Bromeliads are beautiful

 flamboyant extroverts

and one of the signs

of an approaching

sub tropical summer...

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