The hothouse in winter

The weather outside may be frightful, but inside the hothouse at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens it's still hot and steamy! And there are still some colourful and fascinating plants putting on a display. We went for a walk on a balmy Monday afternoon which felt like midsummer, although just two days before there had been snow falling to sea level.

I'm hearing stories of snow being forecast for next week. We had a -4 degree frost this morning so I'd almost believe it.

Which is why these colourful, tropical photos are so wonderful to look at right now! They remind me of summer and being warm.

This is my favourite, with its crazy curling stamen and paint-speckled petals.

This weekend I'll try to take some photos in my own garden, which is looking quite pretty and colourful for midwinter! The only problem is with days being so short, good light for photos is in short supply.

But it was just right for this photo, which was taken by my mum last weekend as we had lunch by the estuary. It was about 1 pm and everything was blue and gold and pearly. Imagine having this view on your doorstep... I'd never get any work done, but oh how lovely it would be!