February is Sunflower time again at Tongariro River Motel.  How can anyone be depressed when surrounded by such ‘happy’ flowers?

What beautiful fine weather we have enjoyed in Turangi – despite Dan (TV news weather man) misleading everyone by continually providing gloomy forecasts threatening rain most of last week, we hardly had any.  Just wonderful hot still conditions often exceeding 30 c in the shade.  This balmy weather has helped make the flowers bloom (and the cicadas hatch).

But the main thanks is to Wendy.  She is the lovely lady that brings all the seedlings to us.

(Photo of the Landscaping Management Team – Wendy on right with SWMBO and Pumpkin on Security Duties?)

Regular readers will understand it is impossible for me to be completing much needed research (?) on the river and watering the garden at the same time.

Just so inmates know who the team really is at TRM, you all realise SWMBO is the Manager of everything that happens in the Central Plateau, Ross – the Warden – hides in the laundry, while Wendy is the gardener and her hubby Wayne (aka  WG) is usually painting the roofs or mowing the lawns and everything else that I can’t fix while Pumpkin is in charge of security by pretending she is  asleep on the job.

As you can imagine, to be able to report accurately, Tongariro River research takes so much time, carefully studied daily to advise when the trout are rising and when they are not.  Someone has to do it…

But again this year so many tourists and locals and visitors have remarked to me on how nice my  flowers are and how superb the gardens look that I am almost embarrassed taking all the credit.

So I thought it was time to explain.

Photo below is nothing to do with the garden – it is Wayne & Wendy on a rare occasion when SWMBO has allowed them time out.