Thursday, July 18, 2024

Enjoying a day of Winter sunshine

 

Sunny Winter day on the deck
The weather cleared up nicely on Saturday after many days of rain. The night had been very cold with no clouds, resulting in a heavy morning frost. We had glorious blue skies and the temperature rose to 18 degrees Celcius. Just perfect for me.

Frosts, where I live, are usually gone by mid-morning after the sun has warmed everything up. 

It was warm and dry enough for me to put the cushions on the outdoor furniture. I sat outside on the deck with Otto for a few hours, relaxing and enjoying the dappled shade cast from the surrounding trees and bushes and listening to the birds singing.

I treated myself to a cup of tea with some biscuits and happily read a back issue of the New Zealand Life and Leisure magazine. Then I visited some blogs using my iPad. I had a lovely time catching up on what everyone has been doing.

Afterwards I walked around the garden with Otto and took a few photos of the flowering quince that has grown over the fence from our neighbour's garden. The last time I photographed it in flower was in November last year, which was late Spring. I hope they continue to flower that long this year.

The golden arctotis, at the front of the house, has also started flowering and there are plenty of buds coming up. It seems earlier this year too, it used to start flowering around September at our last house. Maybe it's because they are in a sunnier spot here, rather than under trees.



The orange tree is laden with fruit which is almost ready to pick. Otto is helping me by keeping a close eye on the oranges as they ripen :o)

I hope that you are enjoying your week.

Hugs, Rose x

12 comments:

  1. Your description makes your back yard sound idyllic - I joined you for a while and enjoyed it too (LOL - did you see me?). Give Otto a pat for me, and have a great day. Mxx

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    1. Hi Margaret, I thought I saw you! LOL. I'm glad you enjoyed your visit :o) Otto sends you lots of purrs. Hugs, Rose x

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  2. How lovely to spend time in the sun. It's good to make the most of fine weather.

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    1. Hi Janice, yes, I agree, I had a lovely time. Rain and storms are forecast for next week, so I will be tucked up inside until that is over. Then hopefully more sunshine :o) Have a great weekend. Hugs, Rose x

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  3. All the outdoor furniture looks so comfortable and perfect - Otto thinks so too! Just right for enjoying a magazine or book on. And I had to figure out what Celsius converted to Fahrenheit was – but that is equal to about 65 F for me – my absolute perfect outdoor temperature. Will probably see that sometime in! October!

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    1. Hi Mary, thank you very much, the furniture is very comfortable. We have had it for a year now but haven't been able to use it very often due to the large amount of rain we have had. Otto loves the cushions and sleeps on them when I bring them inside too :o) The temperature is also my favourite for outdoors, and because it is Winter there is no high humidity and no mosquitoes! I don't know if we will have any more warm and sunny days until mid-Spring (October), but I am keeping my fingers crossed! I hope that you have a lovely time this weekend and that the weather isn't too hot for you. Hugs, Rose x

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  4. Here its a HOT and sunny July! Some lovely pictures you show us :)
    Love from Titti

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    1. Hi Titti, thank you :) I hope that you are enjoying your Summer and that your garden is surviving the heat. Hugs, Rose x

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  5. Your outdoor furniture looks very comfortable and I can see why Otto wants to properly check out the comfort level for himself. It seems to have been the perfect weather to enjoy spending time outside.
    Beautiful oranges.
    Hope it stays dry enough for you to be outside for a while longer x

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    1. Hi Beverley, the weather was perfect but didn't last long, sighs. We now have showery weather with not enough sunshine to dry the outdoor furniture frames to put the cushions on. Otto doesn't mind though as he can now sleep on a stack of cushions in the corner of my room, it has passed his comfort test LOL.
      I couldn't wait to try an orange off our tree, it was very juicy, but not yet ripe enough. It was a bit like sucking on a sweet lemon!
      I hope that you have a lovely weekend. Hugs, Rose

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  6. Hi Rose. I'm glad you were able to spend some time out in the sunshine. It's so important, especially during the winter season. Your patio is gorgeous! I could imagine relaxing out there for hours and hours.

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    1. Hi Julia, I really needed that time in the sunshine, it was so relaxing and peaceful. I agree with you on the importance of spending time in the sun in Winter. Thanks for letting me know that you like our patio! I find sitting there to be very restful.
      Today I spent a little time walking in the garden in the sunshine, in between showers, with Otto running around me. The days are getting cooler now with more rain. I am really looking forward to Spring.
      I hope you have lovely weather for the weekend and enjoy yourself. Hugs, Rose x

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