Here’s my Project Coordinator (and me) several Sundays ago, waiting for the ex-tropical cyclone to arrive. At least I was. He didn’t have a clue. It was a still, muggy beach walk. The sea water was warm enough to paddle in. Well that all changed.

The ex-tropical cyclone caused havoc in the east of NZ, but was unnoticed in Kapiti. A bit of wind. A bit of rain. Then another storm arrived. And this one was calamitous for the Wellington region. It lasted for a number of days. There was heavy rain, gale force winds and flooding. One man lost his life. He was, I think, swept away from inside his house.

Now it’s cold. Wintery even. And my flowers have come to an abrupt end. I have some, but not enough. The dahlia’s have stopped growing and the cosmos is looking sickly. It’s time to draw the curtain on autumn flowers. Hello winter.

This is all a bit sad. The chrysanthemums are flowering (albeit very slowly). And I’ve fallen for them. They look like fake flowers, with their silky, too perfect petals in a colour range from subtle to garish. They have a vast range of styles, like dogs. Some are like poodles and some are like afghans. And some look like a strange pairing of both. Aristocratic in a surreal Walt Disney sort of way. I'm going to plant a lot more next season. Maybe even before. I ordered a few plants last week. And they arrived soon after.

Here’s a bunch with lots of chrysanthemums.

Last week, I sold my last bunch of flowers for the season. I didn’t know when, exactly, that would be. It was unseasonably warm and sunny until that damn storm. But that was the karate chop that ended thoughts of making it through to Mothers Day (not that I thought I’d make it that far - but I hoped). I was pleased that my final bunch went to a loyal local customer, who enjoyed the gardens last offerings.

And so I find myself exhausted at the season’s end. ANZAC weekend. Being thankful for all the people that served and still serve our little country. It’s never been more important than now. To remember how important it is to stand up for democracy and freedom and the rule of law. Important words easily forgotten when they’re working as they should, behind the scenes, under the hood.

Now, it’s time to plan. Resign the back garden, edit my perennials, think about the soil, increase production, order seeds and read garden books. It’s time do an online course on bouquet making by my fav flowergrowers/flower designers, dye some ribbons, print some greeting cards and relax. Visit gardens, drink tea, eat apples, bake cookies.

I recently visited Fernside Gardens in the Wairarapa with some friends. Stunning. I loved the old trees, the rills, the edible garden, the old greenhouse and the worm farm.

I belong to a flower growing group called the Floral Business Activator. It’s a NZ and Australia group. There was a recent meetup in Melbourne. We visited some local flower farms, Flinders Farm Gate and Quite Contrary Flower Farm, and the Melbourne Flower and Garden Show.

And now it’s time to get on with some hard work. I’m going to get rid of the raised beds in my back garden and turn it all into one united patch of earth. This is in my quest to build up my soil. I have a book I’m reading to thank for that.

And I need to clean Marigold, my pop top, and waterproof her canvas. And fix up an annoying broken flap with a needle and thread. And take her for her WOF and hope that she hasn’t any rust on her chassis.

More of all of that in my next blog.