Sorry to hear of the rather severe winter bite that is currently hitting many Northern areas .We are enjoying a good summer and the Show season for Gladioli and Dahlias has commenced .Several well known daffodil growers and breeders are also very prominent at the summer shows .Sunday 19 January was the Normanby Gladioli Show . Both Spud and Joy Brogden and Wayne Hughes were in top form with their beautiful Glads ; most were their own seedlings and they are of an exceptional standard .
Wayne took CHAMPION BLOOM with a big formal seedling , ‘ SMOKEY GEM ,with Spud presenting the awards.
Spud and Joy have been an important part of the local show scene for many many seasons and are a great team .Spud had Premier White with a magnificent , large clean white , aptly named ‘ JOYO. 
Before the presentations we visited Spuds garden to see the gladioli beds and also the daffodil beds being prepared for planting in April .
As expected , the glad growth was superb , beds very clean and the garden was so very neat and tidy
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It was a special week for Spud ; — early in the week he celebrated his 80 th birthday .WELL DONE SPUD .Doing very well for an OCTOGENERIAN , still growing , showing and hybridising with the best of them .Well over 50 years involvement with Gladioli and daffodils .
No visit to Taranaki on a fine, clear summers day is complete without a few photos of the local landmark , Mount Egmont or Mount Taranaki to the Maori .Movie buffs who can recall the 2003 film , THE LAST SAMURAI , — starring TOM HANKS and KEN WATANABE , may recognize the beautifully shaped volcanic cone as the film was shot here , with MT EGMONT subbing for Mt FUJI in a drama set in 19th century Japan .