Well, it must still be spring - the weather here in Wellington remains capricious and, frankly, not all that pleasant. Gales have been blasting tender new growth and the southerlies keep bringing the temperature down - to cold.
But summer and Christmas are coming. Here's to the bright colours of early spring - seen in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens - and the coming festivities:
The red and green of Kaka beak (Ngutu kaka)
And the brilliant white of Clematis Sweet Hart, a hybrid native clematis.
These were in flower a month or so ago, but I remember them fondly amidst the red, green and white Christmas decorations that have been proliferating for weeks.