Adam2138
Spokane Valley, WA
Level 1
We seemed to uncover an honest to goodness software bug in t...
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Hello from Helen in New Zealand!
I love hosting because it’s great for our mental and physical well being, to share and enjoy nature and heritage.
Some of my loveliest guests have said they like the details in my listing and that their families helped them decide who to stay with which I think is sweet.
They’ve contributed in their own ways as to how I've evolved in my hosting, as have the fabulous members here in Community Centre.
Spending time amongst nature is one way of maintaining one’s health. I’ve a wee garden with Monarch Butterflies along with been Centrally located to a variety of gardens and areas where rural life is still present.
Occasionally my guests get to meet and spend time walking my friend’s dog, Zara the Jack Russell who has had a head rub from Prince Harry!
I give guests cuttings from my garden & Tulip bulbs that were gifted to the people from Cornwall Park, One Tree Hill, Auckland, New Zealand when there garden staff remove them to replant the garden beds so we can all share the love and beauty of nature to unify as one people in the world.
I gift some of my Swan Plants to share the love with our delightful "Monet the Monarch" caterpillars & butterflies.
Monarch butterfly resting it’s body between the Geranium leaves, that I grew from a cutting, immediately after it came out of its chrysalis - Guests like a safe & comfortable resting place too.
Monarch butterflies enjoy living in my Swan Plant, Geraniums, Lilies, Sweet Peas and Lavender plants. The Sweet Peas were grown from seeds, their pods produce seeds Hosts can share.
Central To All Home & Location is close to Cornwall Park / One Tree Hill Domain, Auckland where Irish settlor, Thomas Henry, created one of the original farms which is to remain in perpetuity as a Domain for the betterment of all New Zealand people.
It’s a friendly place where one can mix with nature, see lambs & sheep, pat the calves, cows & bulls, enjoy flowers from all nations, play archery, cricket, rugby league and relax away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Guest Corrin, NYC, USA, who had not seen lambs since she was a child, making new friends on our visit to the Park. We nicknamed these bottle fed lambs Louis, Henry, William, George and Arthur. They are all Rams growing up and still recognise Zara and myself.
It’s fun to incorporate Guests in day to day life in one’s location.
Our Guests mental health and well-being is important to, animals and nature can help one relax and ease homesickness.
Do you take your Guests to places they may not have experienced before?
When Guests wake up in a different place they can be like a newborn animal waking up to new surroundings.
“Maaa, that was a great sleep, Baa, nice to meet you!”
This twin lamb a couple of days old woke up with a yawn whilst its companion kept one eye open on watch.
New Zealand is known for woollen products like carpet and clothing. We used to have more sheep than people.
Hosting guests who have chosen to stay with me in my home & share an interest in history and stories is a passion I enjoy.
Forget-me-Not flowers and Periwinkle planted on Mount Hobson Domain are some of the self regenerating Botanicals gifted to New Zealand people by David Hay and Son, Montepellier Nursery in the 1880’s so future generations would not have to worry about financial expenses in the years ahead.
Flowers of all nations were planted in areas for our betterment, so we would all feel Welcome and at home wherever we are in the world and originated from.
Do you have an area in your location like that to share with your Guests?
If not, help create one, 2019 is 100 years since the start of the Peace Commemorations after World War 1 ended.
Periwinkle, one of Her Majesty The Queen’s favourite flowers on a tree that fell over during a storm in the 1930’s, The Depression era, left to decompose naturally where centipedes, millipedes, lichen and other species make their home.
Mount Hobson is named after New Zealand’s first Governor Captain William Hobson. His Grave is in the Symonds Street Cemetery where they are undertaking a restoration project.
Dilworth Avenue is named after James Dilworth, who once owned Mt Hobson and gifted land for a school for disadvantaged boys. He is buried in the nearby St Marks Anglican Church grounds where one can reflect on how those early settlers before us lived in much more challenging times.
I’m very thankful we have access to fabulous newspaper & photographic archive websites dating back to the early 1800’s where sage one’s before us recorded valuable information.
Whilst I’m a host in a more recently built home such archives have helped improve my knowledge as a Host to share with those interested in family, world history, 23andMe and Heritage.
Have you considered researching your own home and location for it’s history in similar archives to include in your listing and to share with Guests?
Thanks
@Helen427 What a find! When looking at the second picture, it reminds me of the skeksis' faces in The Dark Crystal. How fun it must be to let your imagination run wild while walking along the beach and spotting those ... ☺️
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Merci de jeter un oeil aux Principes du Community Center/ Please follow the Community Guidelines
Surely some kind of dinosaur....!! Love it. Magical.
Aw @Helen427, these photos take me back to my childhood. 🙂
Thank you for bringing a bit of nature into the Community Center and for taking part in the Festival of Hospitality. The colours are so joyful and I think most people would find it calming to read your post.
Do you find your guests enjoy relaxing in your garden and local area? Do you like to highlight this in your listing description?
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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.
Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.
and others who may not have seen this topic, when you need some time out to "Nurture with Nature" in New Zealand.....
Please feel free to add your own photographs of Nature in your location as it's also nice to share such amazing creatures in our lives that we can't live without
Good morning fellow Community Centre users, where ever you are in the world may we all enjoy a moment with the humble Bumble Bees.
Do you have Bumble Bees in your garden or neighbourhood?
@Robin4 @Nick @Melodie-And-John0 @Stephanie @Lizzie @Liv @Anna @Sergi @Brian
@Mary0 @Bee5 @Bee0 @Bee4 @Bee3 @Bee2 @Bee9 @Bee1 @Dale711
@Alex-and-Bumble-Bee0 @Rose4 @Rose3 @Rose2 @Rose1 @Rose9 @Rose8
It's great when you login and the first tag/message of the day is a photo like this one, thank you @Helen427
Salut @Helen427 ,
Is the wonderful world in Bumble Bees and assuredly beyond joy.
It’s can smell the sweet of the flower, meditate on it, touch it, taste it and even reproduce and pollination it.
In French call Bourden, commonly know as Bombus species or Bumble Bees.
We see over 40 species like these in France and is the larger hairy bees 🐝
Hi @Helen427 ,
my dad has bees 🙂 He's been making his own honey for many years! I remember a story I was told about - when I was just a baby, a bee stung me in the eyelid. I thankfully don't remember this, but I'm glad I survived the attack 😄 I do like the home made honey though 🙂
It''s a pleausre @Nick @Helen350 @Anna @Dale711 @Robin4
Here's a little history on the Bumble Bee.
Anna what type of Honey does your father produce?
Any particular flower/ tree flavour?
That must have been incredibly painful stung on your eyelid.
The Bumble
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ST18911231.2.9
Natural History Notes
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19390408.2.69
The Humble Bumble
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT18910918.2.44
Most Bees Don't work
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CROMARG19380912.2.10
@Helen427 I believe it's multi-flower honey (not sure that's the correct term) as there are a lot of different trees and flowers growing in the garden and the area 🙂
Thankfully I don't remember being stung as a baby at all! But some other times I was stung, it was painful, and I've always been a bit afraid of the bees getting too close.
@Helen427 do you keep bees? 🙂
I like that @Anna , those flower names trip me up!
We must all start to encourage the use of the Latin names of Flowers and learn more about the history who named them what they did and when and how they are linked to our various locations.
What species of trees and flowers do they usually reside in?
Did your parents plant them ? Or were they already there?
Do you have any photos?
I do have bees but usually they are in passing so no hive as such.
I love watching them when I can.
Sometimes when the Lavender gets a bit too large for the garden I cut off the flowers and take a couple of Bouquets to our local charity shop to enjoy.
The honey bee kept following me around and landing on the bouquet so I couldn't resist taking some photos of it going about it's vital role.
The Bumble bee is photo is at the nearby Parnell Gardens which has them buzzing about, especially on the Borage.
Gorgeous. You observations are insightful and amazing !! xxxx
@Helen427 the photos are beautiful! 😍
I guess that the bees here just sit on many different flowers, I couldn't tell which are their favourites 🙂 The trees were planted by my dad and the flowers by my mum and grandma, there are many different kinds but unfortunately I have no photos of bees on them 😞 But! I did find 2 photos of a bee in a flower, taken at a friend's garden 🙂
@Helen427 thought you might like to see my lovely Valentine's flowering already!