Brian and Reay's rural garden. Beautiful in spring.

Over the years, as the population increased, fireworks became not only more prevalent but bigger, brighter and bangier. Accessibility also became easier.

As a result there were fires that got out of hand and more personal accidents, sometimes accompanied by serious injury.

Restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks have been put in place but despite new rules Guy Fawkes celebrations are still having a negative impact in many places including rural areas. It seems the regulations have not yet gone far enough.

It wasn’t until I bought our property in the country that I truly realised the devastating effect the annual fireworks night had on rural animals.

I’ve seen and heard cows and horses in real distress as well as many other animals, most of which have nowhere to escape the loud noises and unexpected bursts of bright light. As a result they are terrified.

Personally, I think the time has come to ban the general sale of fireworks and to restrict displays to the public arena. But I’d love to know what readers think and to hear what impact Guy Fawkes has had on their own farm animals. Send a short email to briann@times.co.nz  and tell me your thoughts and experiences.

And while on the topic of country living – something I never tire of – I must just say one of the joys of having a bit of land, is the ability to pursue garden themes that need a bit of space.

We’ve been able to experiment with different landscaping ideas and over the spring months we have so enjoyed seeing flowers bloom and plants flourish.

So, this month I thought I’d just share a few glimpses of what the garden has turned up for us – see photos.

Brian Neben publishes Rural Living, and during the weekends is an avid lifestyle farmer.

A quick update: Our young ducklings are growing fast and are so tame that I have to be careful not to run them over with the farm bike.

They now join the chooks to wait for their evening feed and they run faster than the chickens to reach the chook house and be first for their meal. Someone asked if they were destined for the festive table – not likely!