Return of the Slack

So tired... this will just be a quick post.

Thought seeing as it has been over a month since I posted that I should at least put up some photos. I can't even remember what has happened since I last wrote. I know that I have been travelling a lot (for work and social arrangements). Hamilton, Wellington twice, Auckland, Napier a lot and I think Wellington a few more times. A lot of it has been overland which makes it all the longer. Whine, whine.

This week is Horse of the Year up in Hastings which I was hoping to get to (will go this weekend but I wanted to see more of it) but seeing as my study has been neglected quite severely in the past few weeks I have had to tie myself to a chair and knuckle down. I think I am getting my head around it slowly but monosaccharides, stereoisomerisms and the electronegitivity of molecules is really not my forte. I will struggle onwards.

Ok, photos have uploaded and it's time for me to go to bed. More study, a ride and a trip to Waipuk are on the to do list tomorrow.

Marty did a gig at the open mic night at the Paper Mulberry and it went down really well. There were people asking for an encore. Unfortunately his guitar strap broke in the last line of the first song so he had to wing it a bit but he pulled it off well :)

Graeme has, and still is gracing us with his presence before he gallavants back off to South America at the end of the month. Here he is depicted with a giant mushroom that he and Marty found at the top of Maire Hill.

The pheasants (Rex in picture) have now been released and even ate out of Marty's hand today. It is nice that they have stayed around and are becoming friendlier. They were in the aviary fro quite a while where they consumed all our chillis and most of the cabbages. Now they can just eat grass and Pro-Lay pellets.

Dog has become a complete contortionist and is found regularly in positions such as the one above. He also enjoys lying across your shoulders on the sofa and sleeping inside our Pollock table. He is quite amusing.

Ok, bed is calling

Night :)

Bring back the Takaka Singing Dog Comp!

Monito has discovered his musical side and is going to be 'the next big thing'. Marty's band will employ him as their front man and the music execs will go mad!

Check him out!

2009 aka Busy

This year is going to be monumental! Not only have I decided to start eventing again but I have also enrolled to start a diploma in vet nursing (and then on to a bachelor of vet science, all things going to plan). And still work as an interpreter and keep the farm going as well. I will have to take a page out of my mother's book and learn to love never-ending activity.

Last weekend we headed to the capital for a bit of fun in the sun (and wind). The moment we arrived we stocked up with supplies and spent a lovely afternoon in the gardens and then back to Upland Rd. There was much dancing, poker and general fun had to the detriment of my liver possibly.

On Saturday we of the hungover species headed to Maranui for breakfast and some more wind. The enormous breakfast was maybe not wise in such a fragile state but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

It was also Renata's birthday that day so went up to Wadestown for the afternon and for dinner. A nap sorted me out while the boys watched the rugby. Irena and Michael came over for dinner as well and it was a lovely night all round.

When we got back to the farm it seemed as though we'd been away for weeks! Somehow, once again, all the plants had tripled in size and there was a red tinged tomato on one of our 'cherry tomatoes'. We have since eaten it and it was super yum. And we had 2 ears of corn which were delicious as well. Now I am worried about the tomatoes because I know as soon as one ripens all the others will follow at great speed and we will be overrun with the buggers. I shouldn't say that as it is actually all my fault for planting so many in the first place. But still... buggers they will be.

Our chillies are doing really well. We picked the first of our sweet banana chillies and the wildfire are days away from being ripe. I think we will dry most of them to keep for later use.

This weekend Mum and Richard are up and there has been a massive effort put in around the Solomon Seals. There is a walkway being constructed and views are being developed around the garden. As Mum and I wandered around to look at the fig tree earlier I saw something jump and plop into the water. It was a frog! his name, of course, is Kermit. He is awesome! Who knows where he's come from but he is here and that is all that matters. I will get some more tadpoles so we can keep the frog population going. I'm not sure how he'll fare during the icy winters up here but he's obviously survived so far so I'll leave him to it.

Anyway, we have just watched the Hurricanes lose to the Waratahs and it was quite disappointing. The Super 14 is off to a bad start. Grrr...

Ok, chau,

K :)

Back in Action

The continuous stream of visitors has come to an end for now. This week is oging to be busy for me with work and then this weekend we will be in Wellington. It's been a while since we've been down so will be nice to have some time away.

Since my last post a few things have happened. Marley has been shorn and looks like a completely different sheep, Dino has been working really well (minus a run in with some cows that he wasn't happy about), all the ruminant animals are in the same paddock and the goats keep escaping and Mono and the pheasants are still growing rapidly. And, yesterday, Marty found a sick magpie in the back paddock which we took in and it is now well on it's way to a full recovery. It's pretty vicious now and we've been warned to wear sunglasses around it and, in my view, some heavy duty gloves. He's going to be releases tomorrow morning but eh bird rescue centre said we should keep him over night again just to make sure he was ok. I think he is fine. He is now destroying the laundry bathroom and eating soggy puppy food.

I think Marley is quite relieved to have her masses of wool removed. She was bounding around like a new lamb the other day. The 4 legged bounce which was a bit gammy because she's too big to do that now but it was quite amusing. Marty is going to make a 'simple canvas jacket' lined with Marley's wool. I am looking forward to seeing the final product.

Before...

And after...

Mono has been enjoying the hot weather particularly because it has turned the ground to dust so it was easier for him to dig. There is obviously something exceedingly interesting just under our front step because there's no stopping him. I think he may be trying to dislodge the house from its foundations.

We've had a resident hedgehog snuffling around in the evenings as well. He's got a sore back leg and I actually haven't seen him in the last few days so I hope he's ok. He likes potatoes. He's very cute. Tiny little thing...

And the big living room smells like a brewery at the moment because I am in the process of making my first batch of cider. It's only been there for 2 days and it's already frothing away. So far all I've done is pulp the apples and put them in water. I haven't added any sugar or anything yet so the result could be quite potent. I will let you know how it goes. And I'm going to get an alcohol measuring gauge so at least we will know if it is drinkable!

The amount of apples is astounding. And eggs. For the past couple of weeks we've been getting 40 eggs a week and the apples are being used for various things. I successfully sun dried a whole lot of apple slices over 2 days and Marty made apple crumble. And a significant amount have gone into the cider. The rest we will probably puree and freeze for winter puddings. I'll dry some more as well to have as snacks. Very yummy. The horses have had their fair share too. They have also eaten half our almond tree, I noticed today. Luckily it hasn't done anything this year so they didn't destroy any produce.

I have resurrected my diary as well so I'll try and keep that up as well as the blog. Often I find myself repeating things though which diminishes my motivation but I will try.

Our mini white and crystal apple cucumbers are all producing now and I picked a jar of gherkins the other day. The canellini and borlotti fire tongue beans are almost ready and the tomatoes are steadily swelling. The 'Tiny Tim' tomatoes are not what they say they are - they are now almost like Beefsteaks rather than cherry tomatoes! I need to pull up the albino beetroot and goive them to someone because neither Marty nor I like them. Silly to have planted the really. Maybe we'll try one grated into a salad. And we need to start planting our winter veges. I'm excited about parsnips!

Dog has gone crazy and is moments away from electrocuting himself on the computer cord so I better go.

Chau!

R.I.P Gizmo

Oh, poor Gizmo. Last night she got really sick and could hardly stand up. We had her drenched at 9.30 in a desperate attempt to perk her up a bit but unfortunately this morning we found her dead in the paddock. So sad. She was such a lovely lamb. She will be truly missed.

R.I.P

Hot 'n' cold

Well, having moaned about the heat it is now raining and cold. Marty and I have been inside having a lazy Sunday. Playstation and poker have been the main events.

A few days ago I changed the bedding in the chickens' nesting boxes. They were highly unimpressed by the cleanliness and have boycotted the nests. Even Blanche, who was broody, has up and left (at least now we know how to stop them brooding!). So because of their dismay they have stopped laying in them altogether. Instead, everytime we go to let them out, they crowd around the door and then make a dash for freedom and instantly disappear into various parts of the undergrowth. They have obviously made much better, dirtier nests somewhere else.
So this morning we decided to stalk them to find these new hidey holes. We followed the black hen to a patch of long grass behind the greenhouse (we left her there to lay) and then I stalked the brown hen to a little nook by the swimming pool. I obviously disturbed her because she came straight back out wandered around. I found 4 eggs in her nest though and went back to get the black hen's goodies. 4 more eggs there. Blanche, we think, has a possie in amongst the jerusalem artichokes (which are now about 7 feet high!) and I'm sure the others are laying but they are just not as desperate as the others to get to their nests. The brown hen, since I disturbed her, must have made yet another nest somewhere so we'll have to find that tomorrow. But we now have 3 dozen eggs so we're going to have to make some icecream to use them up. Most of our girls are still laying the most ludicrously small eggs. Marble size almost. Here are 2 of ours next to a normal sized egg...

And there is one that is even smaller still.

There is a rose at the front of the house which has grown over a foot since Dec 30! I am amazed at the speed. You can almost see it growing! And the stem is flat and covered in rubbery thorns. Spectacular!

The veges have gone mental. We have so many zucchini now. And there are more coming through every day. The tomatoes... oh god. So many plants all crowded together. What are we going to do!? There are little canellino beans, borlotto fire tongue beans and butterbeans appearing all over the place, 2 ears of corn are forming, tons of little gherkins and cucumbers and we just made 2.5 jars of raspberry jam from the bushes in the aviary. The so-called 'cherry tomatoes', Tiny Tim, are actually forming full sized tomatoes in the aviary and the new vege garden. Maybe I read the label wrong?? Surprisingly the Ace tomatoes are the slowest to develop. Even the Great Whites are ahead of them. I will have to find an earlier red tomato for next year. And the green tomatoes still haven't been planted out. Oh dear.

Rosie and John bought us tickets to the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra on Friday to say thanks to Marty for all the work he's put in this year. It was so cool. It was in an old woolshed, built in 1900, out at Aramoana. Amazing woolshed. Huge! And the orchestra was amazing. I think I saw some of one of their gigs at the Soundshell in Welly a while back but we were sitting right at the back and I don't think we were there for very long so this was fantastic to see a full show in such a beautiful, rustic venue. Here are a few photos...

And just one more of Dog gazing lovingly out at a game of rather vicious croquet...

Ciao!

I'm Melting

Oh god it's so hot. 31 degrees today and I haven't plucked up the courage to venture into the sunshine yet. It's 3pm. Actually, I lie. I went for a wander to check everyone had water and to let the chickens out but other than that I have been cowering indoors.

Yesterday we went for an afternoon walk to the river. Marty took Dog and I rode Dino down to see how he reacted to running water. I wasn't expecting such enthusiasm from him! He walked through once with his nose to the water, went a little way up stream on dry land and when we got back to the dam he wouldn't get out. I had to force him out before he lay down in it saddle and all (and me on him!). I had thought about taking his halter just in case he did like it and wanted to have a splash but decided against it due to his terror at crossing the bridge a couple of times. I got off him and took his saddle off and he tried to head butt me into the water so he could get in too. Next time I will take his halter and let him go wild. I will take photos too. And Brother to see his reaction to water. My old horse, Shandy, used to love water and my other pony, Hogan, hated it. You never can tell. Dino is like a big Hogan but I guess the water thing is their defining difference.

I think Marty and I will head down their again today for a swim with Mono. It might be the only thing that saves us from this heat. But first on the agenda is compost removal so we will also need a good scrub in the river to remove the stench of rotting foodstuffs. Mmm...

All our fruit and veges are doing really well now the weather has cleared up. We've eaten so many raspberries already and the bushes are not even close to finishing. The grapes are growing steadily, zucchinis are just about to overwhelm us with their produce, I am terrified of all the tomatoes - they are big now and I don't know what we are going to do with them all - and the corn, I noticed this morning, has it's ear coming through. There are tons of little homemade pickle cucumbers with spikes all over them, the loganberry has finally produced a few big juicy berries (it looked a bit unwell at the beginning of summer), the chillis are coming along nicely and the capsicums are still trucking along slowly. Whether they will produce anything is unknown due to their slow progress but we'll wait and see.

As for the greenhouse I am feeling very guity about the lack of effort I've put into there. There are 4 million things that need to be planted out desperately. Great white tomatoes in tiny containers that are over 30cm tall already, the same with Aunt Ruby's German Green tomatoes, some very unhappy looking lettuce and rocket, a tamarillo that is being tortured by lack or space and heat and well as dehydrated basil and strawberries. There are more chillis, eggplants and beetroot in there too which need bigger homes. Oh dear. The only thing that seems to enjoy the sweltering temperatures and lack of water is the luffa which has suddenly taken off. It took about 4 months for it to do anything at all and now its about 40 cm tall and in need of a stake. I'm not sure whether that will produce anything either but it would be awesome if it did.

Sadie and Clyde, the pheasant chicks, are still doing well. They're not the friendliest of animals and try to escape through solid kwila everytime we go near The Ritz. But they're very cute.

Mono has just had a gad about the garden unsupervised and obviously nearly died from heat exhaustion because he is now lying at my feet panting as though he's been running all day without water. It' definitely too hot for a black pup. It has been decided that he is crossed with some sort of hunting dog. Maybe a weimeraner or a pointer. He's got really long legs and isn't nearly as stocky as a lab. And he's very long when he stretches himself out. He's going to get the snip soon. Shhh... don't tell him. He also had the last of his monthly vaccinations yesterday and put up a lot of protest about the needle. That was until the vet gave him a biscuit to distract him and then he couldn't have cared less. He definitely got that labrador trait! And he has conjunctivitis and a rash under his front legs from all the long grass and seed heads so he's got eyedrops for the next week which he's actually pretty good about.

The sheep are so hot at the momemt. I feel really sorry for them. Marley is covered under a mountain of wool and spends all day in the sheds panting. They'll be shorn soon though. I though they weren't shorn the first year but apparently they are. Spencer is ok because she's still quite little but she's feeling a bit boney so I hope she's ok when she loses all her wool. Gizmo wouldn't care eaither way, she's pretty easy going.

Eidel has become such a smooch. She's as friendly as the sheep now and loves a good scratch and a cuddle. Amazing the transformation from psychotic wild mountain goat to doclile friendly pet goat. And it didn't take that long either. Fungus is still a snob but she's not scared of us.

Anyway, I think I am going to have to start to do something now that I have prcrastinated for an hour on the blog. I don't think it's going to get any cooler for a while. Oh well. Better enjoy the sunshine while it lasts because winter will be freezing and I'llbe praying for a day like today.

Bye,

K :)