Hi-dee-ho good neighbor!

You have heard me say many times that New Zealand is 'the land of the long white cloud.' And that is true. ( But I have never really understood whether the Waitakere Range actually gives rise to local long lines of white clouds, and other more menacing colors besides, or if those lines form off-shore and merely use the Waitaks to conceal themselves until they are ready to pounce and unleash their worst on us.) 

Be that as it may, I think that our portion of suburban N.Z. is also the land of the 'long nice fence'. No yard here is complete until one is installed. They come in many varieties, materials, and  levels of sophistication. They sometimes come unadorned, but may also be the backdrops for nature's best and are sometimes unusual. 

My post today looks at fences. (No pun intended) Your heart may not have skipped a beat in anticipation at that news, but consider that this subject might at least be better than the post I did on benches. So, try to be optimistic.   

Here is a definition: 

fence

/fɛns/

noun

1. 1.

   a barrier, railing, or other upright structure, typically of wood or wire, enclosing an area of ground to prevent or control access or escape.

Notice that it says, typically of wood or wire. It doesn't say, exclusively of wood or wire, so the dictionary definition clearly states that a fence may be constructed of a wide variety of materials. I wanted you to be clear on that point since I found one very unusual fence that I will show you.  

I read somewhere that the first line of a novel is extremely important. If it's a good one, the author may be successful in holding the reader's attention long enough to sell him on the idea of continuing to the second sentence, and third, and so on. Well, I placed this picture at the the start of my series of photos of fences in hopes that it will encourage you to continue to scroll...hope it works. 

When I walked past this fence, and spotted this young person watching the world go by, I immediately thought of Tim, the Tool Man Taylor and Wilson, his neighbor, conversing over their shared backyard fence. I wish I could have used the child's face in the picture, but I also want to maintain privacy. 

Ever since that time, I have admired many of the fences I have passed and have even stopped to click a few into memory. 

Here is my visual offering for today. 

(I'm glad I don't have to edit the cats' faces.)

A hedge is an upright structure, of a sort, so a hedge is a fence! 

 Arram and I were returning after having purchased some eggs from the Palomino Superette. One of the 'unadorned' variety but it does boast a palm tree at one end. 

The definition of a fence doesn't state how high the fence must be, and since we have already agreed that a hedge is a fence, then, a short fence, typically of wood, with a hedge next to, and rising above it, must also qualify. 

 The convergence of two very typical fences in our back yard. 

Our brown picket fence may not be the classiest, but it's ours, and we're proud of it!  

 A fence outside Queens Wharf in Auckland.  This one gets close inspection by some tourists. 

This is most definitely a barrier enclosing an area of land. Therefore, it's a fence.

So is this. 

This last one may be a bit of a stretch.... 
But, it is a barrier, and an upright structure, and is made in part, of wire.  Although it is too short to really enclose an area of ground, it does, by its presence, prevent access or escape. 
Therefore, I believe that these baskets of oyster shells legally constitute a fence. QED   -djf