Markets and Magnolias

There are a lot of great things about winter in New Zealand, but I have to say, flowers blooming in the "dead of winter" has got to be one of the best! I would like to share one of my favourites with you - the magnolia trees. They are so absolutely amazing! There are quite a few around. They come in pink and white.

One of the features that makes the magnolia trees so interesting is that they lose all their leaves. So you have a brown, dead looking tree and then all of a sudden - wham! The large buds that have been camouflaged for weeks burst open. I'm not sure yet how long the blooms last. I have seen a lot of petals on the ground under the trees, so I have a feeling they are a short lived beauty.

After tracking down magnolia trees this morning, I attended another market. It was a bit of a bust. I was surrounded by "pensioners" (a.k.a. seniors). Or as Mark's friend Julia would call them "fuddies" (as in, fuddy duddy. Isn't that hilarious?). So, needless to say, there was a lot of brightly coloured knitted cardigans and needlepoint. There were a few good finds - cute baby cardigans in decent colours for $10. But overall, not my greatest market visit.

This afternoon we are going to a rugby game in town and then maybe out with some of our new friends, Jamie and Laura. We are so thankful to have found some good people to spend time with while here. So, that's my Saturday across the world!