Summer solstice

This is just a short series of pictures taken from the top floor of the Palms, which is the building perpendicular to the Atrium and to the left of our balcony. I took the first shots just before 6 a.m. on December 21st, which is just before the official summer solstice.  I took them early because I didn't trust that there were not be clouds hiding the eastern sky on the solstice, and I was right.  It has been fully clouded over every morning since that day. I'm writing this on December 26, 2023.   

I wanted to document how far south (past east) the sun had reached.  Jeanne was on our balcony watching the sun come up and said that it appeared exactly between the two trees you'll see. My perspective was slightly different of course. I was one floor up and probably 30 feet out from our balcony's position. That accounts for the sun appearing to rise from just to the left of the left-hand tree of the pair.   

On the winter solstice, in June of 2023, I took a picture of how far north of east the sun had progressed. As you have seen, I now have a shot of how far south of east it's positioned on the solstice. Today Jeanne and I measured the difference in degrees from the winter to the summer solstice positions using a plastic protractor I bought at the $2 Plus Store. It turned out to be about 73 degrees.  I think that's quite a lot, considering that the horizon is 360 degrees around.  

I've enjoyed doing our little bit of research, but now I've got a problem.  I've got to devise another study that will further justify the expenditure I made on these 'high-tech devices.'  

                                                                                                                                        -djf

 

Thanks, Allie.

Yesterday, my daughter Allison sent me a little blurb that she saw somewhere online about making pohutukawa syrup. Since the pohutukawa is called New Zealand's Christmas Tree, it is fitting that I should try to make a holiday drink from it. And as always, I'm on the lookout to try some new or exotic comestible.  

I headed for the nearest tree about 8 a.m. this morning. (12/22/23)  It's behind our local Pak'nSave supermarket, so I combined a bit of shopping with the harvesting.  

I purchased fresh garlic, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts for Jeanne's Holiday pesto project, and gathered 50 blossoms, full of the red stamens for my syrup. 

It's a very dreary-looking day, so the colors of the tree are not as nice as they could be, but this is my syrup tree.  

Here are some of them, ready for processing. 

Gorgeous, aren't they? The stamens feel similar to a pine needle, but are not pointed. Nor, in case you're tempted to ask, are they related to pines.  

It takes a while to pull all those stamens out, but less time if you snip them with a scissors. I used both methods doing my two batches. 

It's extremely easy to make this syrup.  Basically, you make pohutukawa stamen tea in a sugar solution.  Here is a bowl of it now, steeping.  I will strain it tomorrow and adjust the sugar content.  

I made a somewhat larger second batch and poured them together to brew. 

Jeanne suggested that I not make this into a  heavy, pancake-type syrup, but leave it much lighter and use it as a drink-mixing syrup instead.  We'll mix it with club soda and plenty of ice.  Today, two days before Christmas, the temperature is supposed to hit about 80 degrees F., and a tall, cool glass of this will be welcome this afternoon, as we watch our world go by from the balcony.  

So, a logical question would be, "What does it taste like."  

It tastes like the blossoms smell.  

I know that is no help whatsoever.  I'd have to say that it reminds me of a rose-flavored, or Hawthorne-flavored candy.  Neither of those are related to this tree however.  A pohutukawa is a member of the myrtle family and therefore related to a clove tree, but neither Jeanne nor I could find a clove-like flavor in it.  It is what it is.  I'll have to leave it at that.  

Dianne, we could make some next year for you and Kathie.  And if you aren't here at the right time of year, I could freeze the stamens. I'll bet it would still work. I think that almost anyone would like this taste, although it is different than anything else that I've ever tasted.   

This is one of three bottles that I filled with the finished syrup.  

  

Well, that's it for this edition of of my blog.  I hope that you've enjoyed it. Later         -djf

Update:  It's afternoon now and I thought I had finished this post. However, Jeanne and I have just enjoyed our first pohu, or should I call it kawa soda?  It's very good. I put some ice in an old-fashioned glass, added 50 ml. of syrup and then filled the glass with club soda. Terrific. The really interesting part is that Jeanne decided that one of the flavors was that of muskmelon. I think she's right.  -d

Eden Gardens, part two

Hello again.  Last week I started my post with a few pictures that I took near our own African Garden. I then showed you photos from Eden Garden.  I'm going to follow the same sort of plan for today's effort.  

Roy, one of our maintenance men, has been tasked with the job of assembling new outdoor furniture.  His temporary workshop and store room is the gazebo that I showed you last week.  Let's start there.  

It'll be great to have additional seating.

  

I don't think I've ever shown you some of our wildlife here at the Gardens. This first cat is lounging along the 'river' of rocks that I showed you last week.  

This one is enjoying it's chosen spot along the edge of a carpark.  

And now, let's return to Eden Garden.  

As you may recall, I told you once the Eden Garden was developed from an old quarry.  Mt. Eden is one of 50+ volcanic cones around the Auckland area, and it once had a great deal of 'scoria' removed  from one area for use in building projects.  This is evident in the way the garden is now laid out.  

The ladies in the previous picture rang a similar bell before they started climbing the steps. 

As you can see, you can get a very good workout, if you want it, by exploring all the ups and downs that are presented.  

We are back at the cafe and ready for some lunch.  I snagged a table and added some additional chairs for our crew, while Jeanne and some others placed their orders.  

Although the skies looked somewhat threatening, we stayed dry and had a great, relaxing lunch. It felt good to get off our feet, have a bite, and indulge ourselves, each in our chosen recipe for imbibing caffeine.  

Next week's post is still in the planning stage, so I can't tempt you with any previews.  Just check in.  I'll do my best.     -djf

Eden Garden for the gardeners

I think that summer might have finally started. I walked out of the north entrance of the Atrium about 1 p.m., on December 8, 2023, and was immediately engulfed in the micro-climate formed there.  The Palms, Atrium, Mews, Ferns, and Rosecourt buildings, in that order from my right, surround the area and protect it.  I passed the gardens outside the patios of the residents facing this area as the sidewalk approached the bridge leading to the African Garden and the Fernery.  The temperature had jumped 10 degrees since I left the building, the humidity increased substantially and the scents of rapidly growing things all but knocked me over.  

(The pictures of this area were taken at about 7:15 p.m. You'll have to imagine a bright sun directly overhead. )

Okay, I'm exaggerating. I did not reel, I did not even teeter, but my attention was certainly grabbed, almost assaulted, by the smells. 

We had some rain yesterday and now it is warm with a direct and powerful sun.  The plants seem to be responding by growing so hard that they must almost hurt. The air was filled with an amalgam of odors, some sweet and some, rather rank. A curious, but not unpleasant blend.  

I leaned on the bridge rail.  There is no water below, only an artistic pseudo-river of smooth blackish rocks that curves away up to the Mews. Heat was rising from those rocks and stirring the smells of riotous living among the green life-forms that surround it.  

I lingered there a while. I hated to leave. This was the first time this year that I felt totally immersed in summer. I did finally pull myself away because I was tired of standing and spent 15 minutes or so in the African Garden gazebo. 

There, a breeze found its way through and cooled me. It was now just balmy, I was comfortable and the hot-house sultriness was no more. 

Even in summer, the winds that usually blow from the southwest carry a coolness they pick up crossing the Tasman Sea. It's very welcome. Without it, we'd scorch under an 'inten-sun-ty' that is unknown in my former home of northern Michigan. I sat on a bench and thought about a recent trip we had taken to another plant-rich location.    

A couple of weeks ago, on a day that was pleasant, but certainly not yet summer, a group of us were taken to Eden Garden. Waitakere Gardens sponsored the trip, saying 'Thank you,' to its gardeners by providing a van and driver to take the crew to see the sights in this volcanic quarry turned oasis. I was invited along as the spouse of a very energetic gardening enthusiast.  

The following pictures were taken there.  

Some of you have seen photos of Eden Gardens before. I did a post a few years ago when Allie took us there on Mother's Day for high tea.  I tried not to duplicate the pictures that I took that time.  I hope you enjoy seeing them. 

Lush

Fragrant

Sophisticated

Helpful

Whimsical

Fanciful 

We will continue next week with more pictures from Eden Garden, and I'll be able to tell you if our long overdue summer has persevered.   -djf

    

Holy Macro!

I like looking closely at things. Maybe that's due to my ever increasing age. I have one pair of glasses I use when viewing my computer screen and another I use while reading. Both are the inexpensive magnifier kind. When I look at pictures or video, they let me see the detail.  

You probably have younger eyes than I do, but maybe you also enjoy closeup shots, especially of nature. My camera has a macro setting that allows for all sorts of closeups and I intend to share some of my latest with you today. 

I've been able to see both an old bee and younger ones. I think I can age them by the appearance of their wings. I also think I can see variations in the way they fly because of their physical conditions. I don't know if I'm right in my judgements, but I base them on the following pictures.  See what you think.   

Here are a few flowers that I walked by in the garden next to our library and cafe. I didn't see any bees here. 

I like  what I call 'flame-colored' roses best.  They seem to produce their own light internally.  

I took these flower pictures and most of the bee pictures and video on November 23, 2023. The orange tree bees I took about two weeks ago.  

For some unknown reason, that missing petal grabbed my attention.**

**  His name was Albert Otradovec.  He was Jeanne's uncle and he sold us our first house and 20 acres for a very good price back in 1975.  He told me lots of stories about life when he was a young man in Gourley Township. His favorite expression when telling a story seemed to be, "For some unknown reason," which he would say with a bit of a Bohemian accent. He was a great guy.  When he died, I decided to appropriate his saying and honor his memory each time I repeated it.  I know that I've used it many hundreds of times in the last 50 years. Jeanne knows what I mean whenever she hears it.  

Most of my photos today will be of bees. We're coming into summer here in New Zealand and the bees are starting to really work. 

This is a honey bee from our own hives. 

I think this is the first bee I've ever caught on camera in 'sol y sombra,' sun and shade, that is.

Most of taking photos for me is pure luck. The shutter clicked in 1/1600 of a second for this one. Obviously I had no part in planning anything.   

This is what I was talking about earlier. I'd like you to to pay special attention to this bee's wings. Look at how short and jagged they are. This must be an old bee.  For comparison, just go back up to my last bee picture, the one in flight away from the white flower and see how well formed its wings are. Yes, I know that they are different kinds of bees. This is a bumble and the other is a honey. Still, wings are wings and they must become damaged with use. 

This is the same bee, the one with the stubby wings from just above. 

Look at how the back end of this bee seems to be held lower. Its rear legs are very low.  I think it is forced to fly this way because of the reduced lift of its wings.

This is another bee, one with longer wings.  I've included it because of the way the light is reflecting off its wings.  

Another great look at its wings. This taken at 1/800 second exposure. 

Now, consider the angle of this bee. Its back end isn't held as low with the rear legs dragging like the bee in the picture two frames ago. 

Here is a bee that appears to be slimmer than the others I've shown you.  And look how much pollen, etc., is sticking to it.  

One of our blossoming orange trees.

This is a rather odd view of this bee. It has bent its abdomen down and its wings, which grow out of its thorax, appear to almost come from its fuzzy head.  

Here's a better look at this bee.

Finally today, I have something really interesting to show you.  

It occurred to me yesterday that if my macro setting would allow close-up pictures to be taken, maybe it would also allow close-up videos to be taken as well.  I experimented and found that it did. Well, now all I needed was a subject.  

As it happened, I found a bumble bee that had been stopped in its flight hiveward by a large pane of glass. I knew it was heading home since its corbiculae, or pollen baskets, on its hind legs were huge. It sat down for a rest apparently and began to clean itself. I began filming it without realizing that I would see anything special.

It wasn't long before she (worker bees are female) began her clean up. First, it appears that she smooths one corbicula with the bottom of her wing. Then, she starts to clean her mouthparts and wow, I had never seen a bee's tongue before.  It's quite a structure.  

I have included a picture of it below so that you'll be able to identify it when you see her stick it out, which she does repeatedly.  I never knew that a bee's tongue is fuzzy on the end to make nectar harvest more efficient.     

Her tongue is contained within a sheath, which she normally carries tucked up under her head, but that she can swing forward for feeding. 

Once the video starts, I suggest that you pause it immediately by clicking anywhere on the screen and look at the task bar on the lower right. There is an icon that looks like a gear and is the 'settings' control. Clicking it will allow you to choose a playback speed.  I chose the .25 for as slow as possible, but you can do as you like. You can easily see her tongue, even if viewed at normal speed. Then, select the 'full screen' option by clicking on the square at the far right end of that same task bar. Bigger is definitely better when you're trying to see a bee's tongue.    

Here we go...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPZaHt3rwB4

I hope that you've enjoyed yourselves today. I'll end the post today with a couple of last macros. This is a crane fly that Jeanne spotted on the back of our drapes one day, after we had left the balcony door open.    -djf

I love the look of these flies. Their bodies look like machines.           -djf

The make me think of the ornithopter scene from Dune.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYPuhItRqVk

You could I suppose, argue that the ornithopters are more dragon fly-like than crane fly-like.  Had a dragon fly come by the day I took this picture, it would be displayed here instead of Mr. Crane.              -djf