My favourite place has let me down. Hanmer is cold and wet and miserable – it is supposed to be cold and frosty with clear sunny skies during the day.

As well as that our gas fire has let us down – it stopped last time we were here and we thought we had run out of gas ………. but the gas has been refilled and the fire still doesn’t go! We do have some electric heating, but it is so very very cold and it is much easier to warm up with glowing flickering flames to watch. Only here for a quick visit – out tonight to the local production of My Fair Lady, then home in the morning for a wedding in Christchurch. Hope the skies clear before then.

I love maples all year round as their colours are stunning and the shape of the bare branches always intrigues me. Today they are twinkling as they are coated with raindrops, but I have given them a bit of a twirl as well 🙂