Friday, November 9, 2012

Goodbye, hello

As I was doing my tai chi on the balcony, I looked to the east and noticed that the flame tree was waving goodbye, with the last of the red flowers that have cheered me through the winter.
And then as I turned my head to the west, I caught sight of the first pohutukawa blooms, just beginning, preparing for a flamboyant hello.

As one season passes and the flaming vermilion flowers drop away, another comes in, bringing with it deep crimson. How lucky I am to have such beauty between me and the sea, and such continuity of passionate colour!

11 comments:

Hotly Spiced said...

I love the pohutukawa trees. We used to have them in our backyard when I was growing up and the tui birds would come and visit. I miss those things from New Zealand xx

Juliet said...

Hi Charlie, yes the pohutukawa trees are such an essential part of New Zealand. I would miss them too if I wasn't living here any more.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Juliet - it is amazing how one wonderful thing in nature appears as another disappears .. our leaves are really beginning their autumn colouring .. and falling .. giving us that nutty smell of crushed autumnal leaves ... not too cold yet thankfully!

Cheers Hilary

Lynley said...

I was relieved to learn that you were not leaving the blogosphere and heading elsewhere Juliet when I read your post title. Two of my regular bloggers have finished this week and I will miss them.

However like your colourful trees, something ends and something new begins.

The native birds will be pleased to see the Pohutukawa flowers appearing.

Juliet said...

*Hilary, there's a sense of changeover in this season, in your hemisphere as well as ours. Nice that it's not yet too cold for you.

* Lynley, I'm not leaving, I'm glad to say! Since my computer breakdown, I no longer receive notifications of your posts and haven't yet worked out how to reinstate that. Never mind, I can click on the link using your comment and take a look now.

Thanks Hilary and Lynley, nice to see you here.

Max said...

ive lived here long enough now to feel fizzy when i see a pohutakawa in bloom, it's just the epitome of summer and christmas and holidays for me now x

Juliet said...

Hi Max, love what you say about feeling 'fizzy' when the pohutukawas bloom. It's always such a thrill isn't it?

Vicki Lane said...

I love the change of seasons and the goodbyes and hellos that accompany them. We are saying goodbye to the last of the autumn leaves and enjoying the emerging skeletal tree shapes, as well as the views that open up as the leaves disappear.

Juliet said...

Vicki, those goodbyes and hellos are especially poignant in autumn. I enjoy the contrasts of our opposite seasons.

Penny O'Neill said...

So lovely, Juliet, especially after seeing my first snow of the season was I was up north. Just catching up after some time away.

Juliet said...

Penny, what a contrast! Lovely to see you back and I hope the trip was a wonderful one for you.