Autumn equals fungi time!

My good intentions to blog have been undermined by a sooner-than-intended upgrade to Windows 10. Once upon a time I upgraded to new operating systems without blinking but Windows 8 left me floundering and I've been reluctant to try again. Great to see that Microsoft has listened to the world and I'm very relieved that my Windows 10 upgrade went smoothly. I've just about finished installing software (all going well except for Adobe Premiere Elements v8 which I've had to remove) and transferring files so that I can finally retire my trusty Windows 7 workhorse.

I've decided that I can't be productive when I don't try new features so I'm going to take a few months' break from blogging about Rakiura once I've finished processing the backlog of photos. Instead I'll blog about my exciting adventures on the computer. I'm too addicted to Mother Nature's offerings to shun her completely but I'm hoping I can spice it up with some fancy new ways of showing her off.

Autumn time is usually a fun time for me as I explore my bit of bush for the fungi popping up. I'm amazed at how the spores sit in the ground just waiting for the right conditions to come along. How do they know that our calendar has ticked over to March, especially when Spring and early Summer were cold and wet? Here's a selection of the amazing fungi that's around - I'll label those that I can but I could well be wrong...

Entoloma hochstetteri (Blue pinkgill)

Weraroa virescens (Spindle pouch)

Ringed fungi of some kind - gill structure shown below

?Hygrocybe rubrocarnosa (Rare waxgill)

?Mycena spp

Hmm... maybe Tremella mesenterica (Witch's butter jelly)

Coprinopsis spp (Revolute inkcap)

Close-up of above

Another kiwi

Cor, over two months since my last blog and my apologies for those who have come looking for new posts. Since I changed to a new phone plan, I've found my reduced data allocation is largely gobbled up by Windows updates, especially as I prepare to install Win10 on one of my devices. With a new data allocation happening today, heavy rain outside and no work to go to, putting up a blog is my highest priority!

Island life is quietening down after a busy tourist season. With such an early Easter most of the tourists have gone now and with them, the call for casual work at accommodation providers. I've enjoyed my cleaning jobs and another birthday has seen me one year closer to retirement. It's hard to wait when I can see so much that needs doing on my section but I now have the winter to redirect my energies.

My deer-proof fence (DPF) MkI wasn't! I reckon the males caught their antlers in the bird netting and then thrashed around creating a hole big enough to jump through. The deer must have strained to reach the rhubarb and snapped the wire that was holding the bird netting up. Grrrrr. The rhubarb got hammered again so it was out with the old and in with DPF MkII...

Mum Whitetail

Spiker Whitetail

Pruned rhubarb

MkII version of the deer fence - it now has wire netting in front
of the bird netting

Hoping this will keep them at bay

If this doesn't work then I'll give up with a vege garden and take down all the barriers!!

I've been dog-sitting Mac and Beau while their owners were off-island. I've had limited experience with dogs and not quite sure what you do with them when you're not walking! Luckily both dogs were on their best behaviour. I thought that they would react noisily to deer being on the property so was very surprised to find Mac sitting quietly and observing Mum Whitetail and her twins feeding a few metres away.

Can you see the three whitetail deer?

Beau and Mac digging to China on Golden Bay Beach

The days are noticeably shorter from mid-February onwards and the end to daylight saving means that it's dark after dinner now. I needed a torch to help a friend get back out to her car and was waiting by the car door when we were surprised by a kiwi that almost collided with my leg! We watched whilst our feathered friend probed around the front of the car then headed off back toward the garage. Magic! I haven't heard any calls for a while but often see kiwi footprints or probe marks outside so it's more likely my double-glazing blocks out their welcome sound.

It's Autumn and of course the fungi know that! Great to see a wide selection of colours popping out of the ground - I'll put some pics up on my next blog.

Kiwi cruising

This week's cruise ship visitors had a mixed bag of weather; they arrived yesterday morning in bright sunshine and just a gentle breeze - just perfect for wandering around the village.

The Silver Discoverer moored out in Halfmoon Bay

Low tide on Halfmoon Bay - lots of seaweed to collect for the garden

Looking up Main Road - 2km from home!

The wind got up during the night and dawn brought low cloud and drizzle for our visitors' guided tour to Ulva Island. Our choppy ride over in the water taxi was a tad bouncy but the tenders coming from the Silver Discoverer were open zodiacs so a lot more exposed than an enclosed water taxi. With a front moving through at speed there were times we thought the guided tour might be called off but the Weather Gods blessed us and passengers started arriving on Ulva Island - a tad wet in the rain and spray but full of enthusiasm.

Lots of people and narrow paths make for a bit of congestion so I steered my group past a couple of others and we headed off to the Sydney Cove turn-off. Another group got there just before us so we changed plans and took another track; what a turn of luck though as partway along we came across a kiwi! Especially exciting as it's the first kiwi I've seen over at Ulva Island - and also the first Stewart Island kiwi that I've seen in daylight. We watched him/her for a few minutes and I managed to sneak in a quick pic before he/she disappeared into the bush on the other side of the track. Woohoo!

Nigel watching the kiwi cross the track

With huge grins on our faces, and with the sun coming out, we completed our short tour of beautiful Ulva Island. The island was set aside as a nature reserve in 1899 and I reckon it's one of the best examples of temperate rainforest in all of Aotearoa. I love its diversity - not only of the trees and birds, but especially of ferns, mosses, shrubs, lichens, orchids...

Zodiacs leaving Ulva Island jetty on the way back to the
Silver Discoverer on far right

My patch is a heap more modified than Ulva Island but there are still gems to be found when you look closely...



Lobelia angulata (above and below)



Thelymitra venosa orchid (above and below)

Visitors

Summer is all about visitors and January is peak season for cruise ships, trampers and those just wanting to chill out. Although it would be lovely to have sunshine to welcome them, the people I've spoken to have taken our inclement weather in their stride. The Coral Discoverer made its fourth visit this month and possibly won't be back for a year or two; our guiding team had the pleasure of having lunch with the staff and passengers on board before showing them round Ulva Island - with a cold easterly blowing most birds had sought refuge on the lee side of the island so just as well the plants stayed put!

The Coral Discoverer at anchor in Paterson Inlet

On the tender approaching Coral Discoverer

The tender after being lifted to deck level

Looking from the boat to Sydney Cove, Ulva Island

Off to Ulva Island in the tender - good view of the tender 'cradle'

Ulva Island jetty with the Coral Discoverer tender mid-picture

My visitors at home are four-footed or winged...

Whitetail deer out from the deck - a spiker (?Dad) to the left, Mum at
the rear and Bambi by the incinerator

Lots of kereru around at present

Another pic of our lovely native pigeons

My visitors pale in comparison with those visiting Beverley's garden; her mature kowhai tree had 16-20 kereru perched in it the other day.

The top half of Beverley's kowhai tree

The Bluff Coastguard were here last weekend on a PR visit; they appreciate the fundraising efforts of some Islanders and were giving free rides out in their rescue boat. I went down after work and got these shots as they took another group for a ride.

Summer time - yeah right!

It feels like mid-Winter except it's still light. The fire's lit, I had soup for lunch and I am wearing two layers of polar fleece to combat the 11°C air temperature. Not exactly Summer down this neck of the woods! The good news is that I don't want to stray far from the fire so what better excuse than to write a long-overdue blog or two.

I have been busy with Summer activities though; picking blackcurrants, cutting grass and trying to coax my green peppers into edible size. The plant is brought in every night and only goes outside on warm days - there's about 15 peppers with the largest about 60mm long.

An outside day for my pepper - early January

Woohoo! First sign of pepper success!

I've had a bumper crop of blackcurrants and the rhubarb is growing well again so that means jam and relish making. I have a lovely recipe for rhubarb relish which complements the cheese sandwiches that I have for lunch most days. I've also made rhubarb and blackcurrant jam (which I prefer to straight blackcurrant jam) and blackcurrant concentrate - so yummy drizzled over the Greek yoghurt that I've been making.

Another kilo of blackcurrants from 6 plants - yummy

Rhubarb relish in the making - isn't it colourful?

The finished product - 3 jams and 5 rhubarb relish

There is still a heap of currants to pick but I was waiting for a fine and sunny day so that they keep better; I've been busy working most days so harder to find the time for topping and tailing the currants; the concentrate works well but I'm running out of freezer space. Blackcurrant wine could be the answer in the future!

Orchid hunting has taken lower priority and the lack of sunshine means that the Thelymitra (sun orchid) haven't opened on many occasions. Still, they have a beauty all of their own in the rain...

 

I'm a bit rusty with names but I think this orchid is
Caladenia lyallii