Something to blog about?'

So, I don't have the world's most exciting life.  Not even in New Zealand.  But I have been busy learning names, hearing stories and trying not to kill the natives when I am in the car.  Mind you, I am not alone in feeling that not all of them are the world's most careful driviers. I have been spending a fair amount of time getting lost, mostly because quite a few downtown streets no longer go through as they are in the red zone (no go).

Last Friday I took mine hosts to the airport about 10 in the morning and then went on to Sherlin Alpaca farms.  Sheryl, who owns the business with her husband Lindsey, is making me a vest from Alpaca wool.  It looks like it is going to be rather smart-cap sleeves and a bit of a collar.

While I was there, I was taking a look at Sheryl's garden and found humungus carrots.  Sheryl swears it is the alpaca poo.

The first day I was in New Zealand, Sue and I stopped at a fruit and vegetable store, to pick up some fresh stuff.  There was a fruit there that I had never seen, so we picked up a couple. At first I didn't particularly care for them--too flowery for my taste.  However, when I moved into Papanui, I found that my hosts had a few feijoa trees/bushes.  They are named after a Portugese botanist born in Brazil.  I have since aquired a taste for them which is not a good thing as I doubt that I will be able to find them in a grocery store in Canada.  I copied a bit of information from Wikipedia.
 "The fruit matures in autumn and is green and is about the size of a chicken egg.  It has a sweet aromatic flavour.  The flesh is juicy and is divided into a clear gelatinous seed pulp and a firmer, slightly granular, opaque flesh nearer the skin.  The fruit drops when ripe and is at ist fullest flavor, but may be picked from the tree prior to the drop to prevent bruising. The fruit pulp resembles the closely related guava, having a gritty texture.  The feijoa pulp is used in some natural cosmetic products as an exfoliant."  I picked up some fruit from beneath the bushes  yesterday afternoon and cut a couple up.  The white fruit is the one I pared with a knife--then after photgraphing it popped it in my mouth.  Some people take a spoon and scoop the pulp out from the feijoa that have been cut in half.  I like the pared ones as the texture is much grittier-sort of like a greenish pear but fleshy.  Lynn, my hostess makes a wonderful cake from the feijoa, and one of the parishioners makes both jam and chutney.  I was thinking about an upside down cake with them --I should have enough.

At the end of last week, I went for a walk on a path that begins part way up our street.  It wanders along  behind a senior's villa/ home called Ngaio Marsh Retirement Village.  The walk goes for roughly two or three blocks and is bordered by native plants and grasses with a creek or culvert on one side.
 
I included the picture below especially for my friend, Gwen, as it appears to be a larger cousin of her favourite plant.