First Adult of the Season!

What a surprise to find an adult praying mantis on the Felicia flowers where I have not seen a nymph.

There was a very gusty, dusty nor’wester today. I went to Christchurch to get my groceries and was home before it got too bad. Coming home was a bit rough. I stopped at my favourite place to take a shot of the farm track to add to my collection. The wind was so strong I had to brace myself against the fence to avoid being blown over. Those of you who like to follow my farm track series might be interested in the extra shot. Although it looks gloomy the sun was shining at the time. That's all dust.

At home I hung out my washing and it dried in 20 minutes! Bringing it in was hairy, with fragments from the hedge stinging my arms and head. The insulation was blown off the pipes from the high water tank. More exciting was the antics of the dead branch that broke off in last winter’s snow, but didn’t fall. The thick end was dislodged and the branch is now dangling. This means a sizeable area is now out of bounds. It’s a big branch, and too high up to capture.

In addition to all this the power went off for several hours.