Dave Lane @lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz

The outlook over the Canterbury plains today is decidedly murky.

Superb but hot early summer day in Canterbury!

Welp, it's summer now in NZ, and there's not much snow left on them thar hills (southern alps), but it's a cracking nor'west (wind coming from the alps, creating the "Nor'West Arch" of cloud visible here) day in Canterbury today.

Very rumbly around here. They're pouring a foundation on the neighbouring section, and there's a queue of 7, now, now 8 (!!) concrete trucks waiting to supply their wares...

Oops - here's a better pic that's in focus (couldn't tell on my phone).

Our Lizardarium seems to be proving fit for purpose! We're providing sanctuary to quite a few skinks now... And possibly quite a few more if you look at this female we found this morning...

By my count that's 50 Paradise (aka Shell) ducks, and 5 mallards across the road. Wow.

Today's outlook over the Canterbury plains is decidedly mixed...

It's that time of the year: first crop from our new artichoke plant!

Recent batch of sourdough went all turtle-esque. But yum.

Some other images from the ride... Steps I have to climb on the way down in order to cut across to another spur (on the hills) that allow me to drop into my street, saving a lot of riding on busy roads on the flat...

Glorious spring morning over Christchurch and the Canterbury Plains, with a strong Nor'west Arch in evidence...

This morning's ride is filled with thoughts of a boy I didn't know very well called Gus, and his beloved dog Fonzi. Gus cleared more hurdles than most of us will ever encounter. Thinking of Fonz, his adoring family, and friends, because Gus died in his sleep last night. Go well, dear brave lad.

Our lizardarium now appears to have 3 denizens, one released just last week (all local native NZ skinks, probably these - https://inaturalist.nz/taxa/37864-Oligosoma-polychroma) - I posted a wee video of the latest arrival (the pics were all out of focus, doh!) on Friday - https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/@lightweight/104922487667012616

Darned socks.

This was the Sunday storm front, approaching from the West, oddly (normally, it'd be flooding over the Port Hills on the left)...

So the Alps got a pretty good late dump of snow over night Sunday...

And what isn't apparent from the panoramas is that the Alps still have some snow on them... and spring is leaping forth, like this kowhai tree, in full bloom!

This morning's outlook. The major storm that's meant to hit NZ over the next couple days looks likely to miss us... the weather certainly isn't giving anything away...

Cool! On this morning's ride, I found this lil' one under a rock near where I stopped to take off an outer layer (it's hot here!)... Released her/him into our lizard sanctuary...