Memories

This photo contains stimuli to a number of memories, connected only in that they are my memories.

My father's mother had her home in Station Road, Paeroa when I was young. We were about 20 km away on a farm in Waitekauri, which many years before then had been a major gold mining centre. While our house had a return verandah, Gran's house was a square fronted villa like this one and about the same distance from the street. Nothing like the 6 m back from the 6m wide Council edge for which we are responsible at Snells Beach. More like 12 feet than 12 metres. 

The posts in the balustrade of this house are just like those which were in the balustrade of our bay fronted villa where S, our three children and I stayed until after they had all grown, finished their studies (or the first round) and left home. There are still some times I miss the old home. But when I go past and see how it is no longer the home we once loved (others now love it in a different "coat"), I am content with the decisions we made.

In front of this house is a beautiful display of a magnolia. To my untutored eye, it looks very like a "Campbelli". When S and I were students in Dunedin we always enjoyed our walks in The Gardens, where one featured tree was THE Campbelli. At least five times as big as this tree, it was a superb floral display every year that we were there as students.

I took this picture just before ending my morning run before heading to work in an increasing misty and wet day