[Festival] Using Nature to Nurture and de-stress your mind

[Helen427]

Hosting is like these lambs, a blending of cultures and colours without barriers. Gotland sheep are from Sweden and there felt is used for slippers and shoes.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! 

Zara the Jack Russell Taking time out to tiptoe through the Tulips! “Shhh, don’t tell Park staff, honest I was only smelling the flowers for my mental wellbeing!”

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.

Tulip and Anemone flowers with the Simmental Cows originally from Switzerland grazing with National Women’s and Greenlane Hospitals in the background at Cornwall Park, One Tree Hill, Auckland.

Cornwall Park, One Tree Hill Domain Flower Garden

Central To All Home & Location is like a Monarch butterfly… metamorphosing.

 I gift some of my Swan Plants to share the love with our delightful "Monet the Monarch" caterpillars & butterflies.

Swan Plant flowers and Monarch butterfly

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.

Milk Station Chrysalis and Monarch caterpillar with Milk Plant Seed Pod

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.

It can take between a couple of minutes to ten minutes for a caterpillar to form into a Chrysalis. Note the butterfly formation and silk spun to balance itself and protect itself from spiders and other insects.

Chrysalis go into a darkened state a couple of days before they transform into a Butterfly.

Male Monarchs have two black markings on their wings / Female butterflies which don’t can lay up to 1000 eggs.

Honey Bee and Female Monarch butterfly close encounter on Lavender flower in the garden

Bumble Bee on my Mexican Daisy

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.

This lamb was just born and taking its first steps. Isn’t nature amazingly beautiful?

Lamb rounding up the Ducks and Ducklings to safety in the other paddock

Baby calf meets it’s dad the bull whilst it’s mother the cow rests

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?

Kowhai Tree, New Zealand Native Tree, Cornwall Park where you may see Tui birds,

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.

Forget-Me-Nots with Honey Bee and Cinerarias

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.

The remains of a Living Fence, a Hedgerow Rose, on the boundary of Mount Hobson, Dilworth Avenue entrance.

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.

Botanicals in Exhibition Hall Gardens, Auckland Domain

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]

Photos please @Ria16 , If you have some..thanks

[Ria16]

@Helen427 Stewert Island pelagic . Black backed Gull and MollymawkWhrimbrel Ruakaka Bird Reserve@Helen427 Not sure what you want  but  I love my birds & so these are from oppersite ends of our country . The Molly  was off Stewart Island following our boat for scraps of which the gull took umbrage to. The whimbrel is one of the locals from my estuary hopefully now in Siberia with a new family. 🙂 I spend many hours crawling in the mud chasing the Bar Tailed Godwits  . 
To de stress I often watch the baby Tross on the live webcam 😉 here is the link of the website and you just have to click on the live link. Hope you are ok. . https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/birds/birds-a-z/albatrosses/royal-albatross-toroa/roya...

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Helen427 @Ria16 @Quincy @Miloud0 

I don’t know how these coincidences happen to me, but the Owl Sanctuary we contacted about our escapee baby owl, mentioned they had in their care an owl with a physiological problem...

With the photos on this thread being formatted the way they are I think it must be some kind of virus too. I reckon the majority of viewers have done this recently.

The owl permanently looks like this...

Even if all the photos are now corrected, I'll bet you can't view this without tilting your head !

[Helen427]

haha @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 that Owl is a real poser, I can bet your bottom Pound/ Dollar that it was looking at the person taking the photos face!!

Animals are priceless to watch & photograph like that.

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Helen427 , what a great thread you have built here with beautiful pics and great stories!   I am a dirt under the finger and toe nails born and raised gently aged country boy (i cleaned up well).  One of my favorite bumpkin phrases is "Smell the fresh country air but don't step in it".  You know you've spent enough time around the stuff  (shoveling as a lad) when blindfolded you can "Name that Animal" with a blindfold and without a noise being uttered, just a whiff of their droppings from even afar and you know thats _____ Schnitz.  Some folks even have preferences, Im not that person and as I age find its all good as long as I don't have to move it or handle it in any way!   Stay well Helen, JR

[Helen427]

@Melodie-And-John0  thanks for your kind words howeverwhere's your photos from the animals in your wilderness?

Feel free to add to this topic as it's here for everyone to contribute to!!

[Helen427]

Sassafras, Orakei Marina, Auckland

Miniature Sailing boats - Orakei Basin

Dog the Shag, Orakei Marina

Oyster Catches, Orakei Marina, Auckland

Orakei Marina where  Sailing Vessels berth and Dog the Shag  and Oyster Catcher birds live like a local.

Orakei Basin , Auckland, New Zealand outdoor attractions that are near to where I live include views towards sheep grazing, trains passing, people walking their dogs, jogging, walking, men sailing miniature Sailing Vessels.

[Dale711]

@Helen427 

I wish l  were there ❤️ Kiwis ❤️NZ

[Helen427]

Thanks @Katie @Dale711 @Rachel367 @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 @Quincy @Cathie19 @Lizzie and @everyone-else

Here's some Metrosidoris Flowers from along our travels to Takapuna Beach and Devonport around Christmas time.

Note the gorgeous Bumble Bee with it's saddle bags of honey on the Metrosiderios Crimson Christmas Tree Flower.

Do you also have this tree in your country flowering in the Summer Months?

Bumble Beeon Metrosiderios Tree

Bumble Bee with Honey in Saddle bag

Metrosiderios in blossom transition

Metrosiderios Crimson buds

[Dale711]

😍

Wish I can travel to Takapuna Beach 🤗