A birthday, family, sadness and spring growth

Last Sunday was my birthday.  I had some friends over for afternoon tea, but didn't take any photos of that - instead, here's the living room decorated before they came :-)

My Aunty Elspeth and cousin Karlene were also visiting Auckland that weekend.  Here they are with Martin at the Oakley Creek waterfall (although they're looking at the waterfall, so it's not visible in the photos).  It was neat to share something so special to me with people who appreciated it so much :-)

Then on Monday morning a friend from university, Rachel, who'd been ill with a heart condition for some time (she'd been ill with it her whole life, in a way, but much worse recently) died in her sleep. Here's Rachel (at the front - it's Jo at the back) at our place for my birthday a few years back.  She was a kind person who was good at noticing people and watching out for them - I will very much miss her and I expect many others will, too.

And spring has come.  Here's the view in our street, plus a few close ups of one particularly impressive blossom tree that I was savouring a day or two ago.