MORE PHOTOS FROM THE ELLERSLIE FLOWER SHOW

New Zealand is experiencing some of the worst drought conditions in many years and although there are cloudy skies and forecast rain it comes to nothing. The land will take several years to recover. The damage to soils by continuous dry weather, dead and dying plant and animal life worsens exponentially everyday. We are not strangers to drought but this is unusual. Many farmers are hanging on by the tips of their fingers and are having to send good breeding stock to be sold for meat for whatever they can get. Up to now good management has kept them going but it's questionable how much longer before the Government has to step in and take more supportive action. It doesn't matter what kind of farming is involved, all will be suffering. Vegetables prices are on the way up. Milk is going to increase in price and meat will reduce temporarily before going up again when the post drought shortage hits. We are in for an interesting twelve months. There will also be a significant economic impact at a national level. Our economy is still reeling from the Christchurch earthquake, now this. 

If I were a farmer I would be in tears at the plight of my sheep and cows and the land I have carefully husbanded over the years. 

I LOVED THE UMBRELLA TREE

ANOTHER CUTE SEAT
THESE OLD SCHOOL SEATS WERE PAINTED BY CHILDREN
AND SCATTERED AROUND THE SHOW VENUE IN HAGLEY PARK.
PRACTICAL AND ENTERTAINING.

A WINNER

top left top right STUNNING AND WELL DESERVED WINNER, FORGED STEEL SCULPTURE, THE WINNER, ENTRANCE FROM THE CAR PARK

bottom left to right:- ONE OF MANY BEAUTIFUL FLOWER BASKET DISPLAYS, (although I think they need to go to Oregon),
COLLECTING GIFTS AS WE LEFT THE SHOW, SOME OF THE GIFTS,
OUR GIFTS, ONE PACKET OF SEEDS EACH AND 1 POT OF TINY PANSIES.

Today we had a fairly quiet day. Amanda drove us out to the prison to visit David. She went shopping while we had 2 hours chatting. It was a pleasant visit as outside normal visiting therefore private. On Sunday there were quite a few people crowded into the waiting area. Some made me want to raise my eyebrows. The visiting area was worse because there was a young family of four children including a new born. Not sure how the in-mate could have been the father but he was cuddling the baby anyway. But the children were unruly, teasing one another, screaming or in tears. It was a strain to be in the same room. This will be our last visit until mid-June so it was good to be able to enjoy it.

I have a sore throat. Thankfully today was better than yesterday. Amanda does not have whooping cough so no worries there. It's been good to have 3 reasonably quiet days before we leave. Only two more sleeps and we'll be on our way to Hawaii.