Monthly Archives: June 2006

Fence Deconstructed

Fine until it poured with rain from mid afternoon onwards – it’s raining still.

Bale of hay for Nelson et al. They really do enjoy it.

Completed taking down the wires and battens from the northern boundary – just the 1st 100m of fence from the road entrance along the orchard drive. Made a ‘Taranaki’ gate across the orchard drive so that sheep wouldn’t wander out of the orchard into next door’s vegetable patch.

Alan’s team resumed the clearing of the old Royal Gala block – probably moved half the 67 remaining trunks and 30- 40 of the roots. Rain stopped play, so they hope to resume on Monday.

Hawkes Bay Weather:5°C—11°C; southerly wind; 4mm rain. [78.9]

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Weed Spraying

Better weather today – no rain right here and more sunny spells – but ground still waterlogged.

I sprayed some of the areas we’ll be planting in trees over the winter; don’t know how effective Roundup will be on the winter vegetation. It was a calm day so I sprayed fairly close to the existing natives in the corner by the orchard drive road entrance as well as along the orchard drive and along the nearby road frontage. I used up 50l of spray (100ml of concentrate).

I then returned to laying down the boundary fence but was waylaid by a friendly useful chat with Craig Vernon – the joint owner of that boundary. He plans to put in a row of Box Elder trees about 6m back from the boundary and perhaps add a row of Pittisporum between the elders and the fence – I hope he does.

Gave Nelson et al a bale of old hay today and treated a foot of ewes #203 and #212 who were limping a little – I think it’s scald as their feet were in pretty good condition, no sign of footrot, but the skin between the hooves was red.

Hawkes Bay Weather:1°C—10°C; southerly wind; 2mm rain. [79.0]

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Boundary Fence Coming Down

Bale of hay for Nelson et al. Spent a few hours finishing piling up apple tree trunks so that Alan’s team can heap up the roots and trimmings into bonfire piles as soon as the ground dries out enough.

Talked to the contractor who felled the poplars along Craig Vernon’s back boundary. He will do the ones along the orchard drive soon. In preparation I have begun taking down 130m of the boundary fence – just releasing the wire and battens off the posts.

Hawkes Bay Weather:4°C—11°C; southerly wind; 1mm. [79.9]

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Fence Dragged Off Peach Patch

Same as yesterday, but even fewer sunny periods.

Bale of hay to Nelson et al.

Some time back the Green Machine pulled out the posts and strainers along the boundary between the orchard and the Top paddock, anticipating the new title where the boundary becomes rectangular rather than on a jagged diagonal. The new title boundary is being registered with authorities in next week or so; the surveying was completed many weeks ago.

Today I moved the wires and attached battens from along the old fence line to near where the new fence line will be. I also dug out and removed two strainer footing blocks that stayed underground when the strainers were pulled out. So, the big piece of the Top paddock that becomes orchard is now cleared ready for cultivation and planting of several hundred peach trees next month. Karola has bought the trees, Alan will do the ground preparation, irrigation installation and planting.

In the early afternoon I piled up some of the apple tree trunks to make it easier to cart them off on the tractor once the ground dries out enough – right now it’s still very wet.

Hawkes Bay Weather:4°C—11°C; southerly wind; no rain. [79.5]

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Destumping

Bale of hay for Nelson and his ewes. Attended to footrot in front right hoof of #408 who has been limping for a week or more.

Completed the chainsawing of the Braeburn roots from their stumps – I did 105 the other day and another 220 today. Still have to pick up and stack the trunks.

Alan Ladbrooke rang to say his contractor would be able to knock down the remaining old tall poplar trees along the boundary between us and Craig Vernon’s place. The contractor has felled similar trees right along the back boundary of Craig’s place, and most of the poplars that used to run the length of the boundary between us and Craig’s place were cut down years ago but there are 60 more poplars left on Craig’s side of the boundary fence – north of Karamu, along 80 metres or so of the orchard drive, up to the road entrance. With luck in order to make room for the felled trees I’ll only have to take down the old and much in need of repair boundary fence, not the one I’ve just put up 6 metres away from the boundary along the homestead side of the orchard drive. Even so, better to get this done if we can before planting the hedgerow of natives along the edge of the orchard drive – cutting the poplars down without damage in a year or so would be horridly expensive, this way the contractor just uses chainsaw and a large digger to cut and push them over. They’re about a metre in diameter and maybe 10 metres tall, but the top 2-3 metres of that are regrowth so not such a big weight.

Hawkes Bay Weather:4°C—11°C; southerly wind; no rain. [79.5]

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The Cold Light Of Day

Mainly cloudy but some sunny spells and a little bit of rain in the afternoon. A bale of hay for Nelson and ewes again.

I’ve tried to keep Bicka on a leash or inside or at least closely watched today – to avoid her getting totally muddy again. So far, so good. Mid afternoon we went out and began trimming some of the bamboo I cut several months ago in the Triangle paddock, stopping when the sun went and it began to drizzle.

Hawkes Bay Weather:4°C—11°C; southerly wind; 1mm rain. [79.4]

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Quiet Weekend

More rain with occasional sunny periods. A bale of hay for Nelson and ewes again.

Hawkes Bay Weather:6°C—10°C; southerly wind; 11mm rain. [79.5]

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Soggy Underfoot

Bright sunny patches interspersed with light drizzle all day. Gave Nelson and his ewes a bale of 2005 hay in the Island – they have the run of the Island and Middle paddocks until the apple tree trunks are all stacked under the eucalypts – then I can shut the gate from the orchard into the New Grass paddock.

I took Bicka to the Vets and had her bad eye checked – Roger the vet agrees, it’s not infected and Bicka shows no signs of discomfort so best left as it is. I also bought Bicka a new collar, one which fits properly – 3rd time lucky.

Also took Bicka round the orchard – it’s very soggy underfoot and she got thoroughly muddy. Gave her a shower, which she seemed to like, and now she’s clean and dry and warm so a happy little dog.

Hawkes Bay Weather:4°C—9°C; southerly wind; 79mm rain. [79.9]

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Drizzle Morn Till Night

… and more to come. Apart from a walk outside with Bicka and feeding the animals there was no work outside today.

Hawkes Bay Weather:2°C—7°C; southerly wind; 24mm rain. [78.4]

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Degrees Of Separation

Cold and frosty morning with brilliant sunshine.

Our orchardist Alan Ladbrooke and his team spent the morning cutting the roots off the trunks of the uprooted Royal Galas and then transporting the trunks to a large pile under the eucalypts using 3 tractors. They have 67 more to do.

I tidied up 3 large stumps putting them with the others in Karola’s stump dump in the Ram paddock and put the Oleander stump with the apple tree rubbish to be burned. Collected up posts behind the big shed and from the ends of the apple tree rows and old posts in the Island paddock. Filled in the stump holes. Dug up the underground piece of a broken concrete fence post.

In the afternoon cut 105 Braeburn trunks from roots.

Forecast is for rain tomorrow and Friday, hence the urgency to get the uprooted trees dealt with promptly today – the rain may hold off till lunchtime which would allow Alan and his team to complete clearance of the Royal Gala block.

Hawkes Bay Weather:2°C—13°C; southerly wind; no rain. [79.0]

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Cold and Damp

Some rain in the morning, but cleared up in the afternoon; still wet underfoot. Collected some posts and the gate from the fence being moved.

Counted 27 pigeons in flight as the flock wheeled round the house before resettling in the big palm tree.

Hawkes Bay Weather:3°C—10°C; southerly wind; 1mm rain. [?]

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Raining

No outside work today.

Hawkes Bay Weather:3°C—9°C; southerly wind; 20mm rain. [?]

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Green Machine Completes The Job

Day started sunny with sharp frost; cloudy later and in the evening it rained for a while.

Green Machine came and pulled out 4 stumps, about 30 fence posts, and the Braeburns.

Hawkes Bay Weather:-1°C—11°C; 4mm rain. [?]

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Day Of The Green Machine

Green Machine turned up late morning after uprooting several hundred trees in the other adjacent orchards. He did the 313 Royal Galas and will return tomorrow to do my 340 or so Braeburns and also 4 old stumps (including the deathly Oleander) and 20-30 fence posts.

In preparation I’ve released the wires and battens off the fence between the new apple trees and the piece of the Top paddock that’s going to become a block of peach trees.

Hawkes Bay Weather:4°C—11°C; variable wind; 1mm rain. [?]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.vet.purdue.edu/depts/addl/toxic/plant52.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oleander

Nerium oleander

Apocynaceae (Dogbane family)

TOXICITY RATING: High. Ingestion of even small amounts can kill.

ANIMALS AFFECTED: All animals can be affected.

DANGEROUS PARTS OF PLANT: The entire plant is toxic. Most animals are poisoned by consuming leaves, fresh or dried.

CLASS OF SIGNS: Gastrointestinal irritation, cardiac abnormalities, death (may be sudden).

PLANT DESCRIPTION: This plant grows outdoors in warmer regions, and in Indiana is grown as a houseplant. Oleander grows as a shrub or sometimes to the size of a small tree. The leaves are lance-shaped, thick and leathery, and grow opposite each other. Sometimes, leaves may grow in whorls. The leaves are 8 to 10 inches long, although smaller specimens will have shorter leaves. Flowers are showy, approximately 1 to 3 inches in diameter, and grow in large clusters at the ends of the branches, and can be white or any shade of pink or red.

SIGNS: Oleander contains the toxins oleandrin and nerioside, which very similar to the toxins in foxglove (Digitalis). This is a tropical plant, but is grown as an ornamental and as a houseplant in Indiana. Apparently the plant is not palatable, but will be eaten by hungry animals. It is reported that dried or wilted leaves may be slightly more palatable than fresh leaves, and the leaves are still toxic when wilted or dried. In one report with horses, it was indicated that approximately 1/4 pound of leaves (about 30 or 40 leaves) could deliver a lethal dose to an adult horse.

Clinical signs may develop rapidly, and the animal may be found dead with no prior warning. In other cases, depression coupled with gastrointestinal distress is evident: vomiting (in those species that can vomit), diarrhea (which may be bloody), and abdominal pain. Irregularities in the heart rate and rhythm will occur: the heart may speed up or slow down, and beat erratically. As the toxicosis progresses, the extremities may become cold and the mucous membranes pale. Trembling and collapse can occur, followed by coma and death within a few hours.

FIRST AID: If animals are observed eating oleander, contact a veterinarian immediately. The toxin acts quickly, and is lethal in small amounts. Emergency measures may be used to empty the gastrointestinal tract of remaining plant matter, and medications may be administered to control the effects that the toxin has on the heart. Despite emergency care, the animal may still die, but the sooner treatment is begun, the better the prognosis for survival.

SAFETY IN PREPARED FEEDS: Oleander is extremely toxic, even in small quantities, and the toxin is not eliminated by drying. Therefore, feeds containing oleander are never safe for consumption.

PREVENTION: Be able to identify oleander and exercise extreme caution when pets (and humans) are in the vicinity of these plants. The plants should never be placed where animals can have contact with them. Extra care needs to be taken in cases where leaves can fall into a pasture or in the vicinity of a confined, bored or hungry animal.

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Dozen Chooks

Another glorious sunny day. My cold has almost cleared up at last. A dozen bantams turned up for breakfast so it must have just been one white bantam that the hawk snacked on yesterday.

The geese have a new game; sometimes in the evening they go up the far end of their enclosure – the Ram paddock – and fly up to the near end – elegant and about 2-3 metres off the ground. They could easily fly away if they chose, so I suppose the meagre cup of maize I give them each day and the grass in the Ram paddock is enough.

Hawkes Bay Weather:2°C—15°C; northerly wind; no rain. [?]

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Hawk Lunches On A Bantam (Or Two)

No activity outside today, I still have a cold that’s been a nuisance for over a week. However I did go to see the lawyer to begin finalising the legal boundary changes – we have to buy and sell the little parcels of land adjusting the boundary, and pay GST tax on the piece coming from Karola’s orchard title.

Returning from the lawyer I startled a large hawk – wingspan of maybe a metre – from along the new drive, under the oaks, amongst the young Titoki trees. I investigated and found the corpse of one white bantam but I suspect the hawk lunched on 2.

Last night Bicka chose to sleep on a chair in the dining room – there’s a heater on low all night there and the chair is covered with a large Bicka blanket.

Hawkes Bay Weather:8°C—15°C; southerly wind; no rain. [?]

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Beautiful, Sunny, Cool Day

Buried the old ewe #213. Trimmed foliage off the Oleander, suspected source of poisoning that made 2-tooth #403 sick and killed #213.

Very cold night; our min/max thermometer showed -5 degrees on the verandah. Bicka and I holed up in the main bedroom and managed to keep warm – she had her bean bag and a favorite blanket on the floor by the window.

Hawkes Bay Weather:0°C—12°C; southerly wind; no rain. [?]

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Return To Hastings

Left at 10:00am. Went via Rimutakas and Wairarapa as there were long delays on State Highway 1 up the West coast due to a large diesel spill at Waikanae. Arrived at 3:00pm.

All livestock seemed OK except for one dead sheep, old ewe #213 – possibly poisoned by eating Oleander – she died just metres from the Oleander bush.

Hawkes Bay Weather:1°C—7°C; southerly wind; 4mm rain. [?]

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7th Day In Wellington

It was such bad weather I stayed an extra day in Wellington.

Hawkes Bay Weather:5°C—18°C; northerly wind turned to southerly in the afternoon; 3mm rain. [?]

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6th Day In Wellington

Weather in Wellington (and most of New Zealand) turns windy and wet.

Hawkes Bay Weather:5°C—17°C; north-westerly wind; no rain. [?]

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5th Day In Wellington

Another glorious sunny and calm winters day. Karola and I drove to a native tree grower in Stokes Valley, Fred Allen of Kiwi Plants Ltd (www.kiwiplants.co.nz) and bought a couple of dozen small trees for planting at Pitoitoi.

Hawkes Bay Weather:1°C—15°C; southerly wind in the afternoon; no rain. [?]

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4th Day In Wellington

Beautiful calm, cool, sunny day in Wellington – I had a fish & chips lunch with Bicka in the Landrover at the top end of Ferry Road in Days Bay. The views north to the Hutt Valley round west Ngaronga Gorge and the main roads out of Wellington, and then out to the harbour entrance to the south were breathtaking. Miramar peninsula across the harbour to the south west was flanked by two snow-covered mountains – parts of the Kaikora ranges in the South Island – stunning.

Hawkes Bay Weather:3°C—15°C; southerly wind in the afternoon; no rain. [?]

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3rd Day In Wellington

Hawkes Bay Weather:2°C—14°C; southerly wind turning to northerly in the afternoon; no rain. [?]

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2nd Day In Wellington

Hawkes Bay Weather:1°C—14°C; southerly wind; no rain. [?]

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First Day In Wellington

Minus 1, looks like it was really cool last night in Hastings.

Hawkes Bay Weather:-1°C—12°C; southerly wind; no rain. [?]

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Drove Down To Wellington

To Wellington in the morning, stopping at the Plum Duffe cafe in Shannon for breakfast, to see Bridget and her new baby Alexandra, 7lb (3.14kg) – Bridget is home within 24 hours of giving birth yesterday at 4:00pm. Despite dire weather warnings it was sunny all the way down and a cold but sunny day in Wellington.

Hawkes Bay Weather:1°C—10°C; southerly wind; no rain. [79.5]

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GST Before Time

Rained off and on all day so I did Karola’s GST for April/May; it’s due at the end of this month.

Nelson the Romney ram and his ewes moved to the Middle Paddock.

Hawkes Bay Weather:7°C—13°C; northerly wind changing to southerly in the afternoon; 11mm rain. [78.0]

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Stage I Braeburn Removal Complete

Stage 1 of the 340 Braeburn apple tree removal is now complete – less than a week from when I started. I also dug a trench between the nearest stump and a new white survey peg and severed the roots so that we don’t lose the peg when the stump is pulled up.

Karola wanted an apple tree in the garden and I’d saved a small young one from the Braeburns – today I transplanted it to the Ram Paddock aka Geese Enclosure, a few metres away from the Copper Beech.

I penned up Nelson and his ewes and attended the feet of #213 and #408 – they’re both hobbling but don’t have any real signs of footrot so I just applied antibiotic and released them all.

Hawkes Bay Weather:1°C—12°C; southerlies changing to north-westerly in the afternoon; no rain. [79.0]

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Perimeter Perambulation

Finally got the tiny bit of apple tree out of my eye by mid afternoon (GP failed to find it, specialist found it v quickly and I was mighty relieved).

Walked round the orchard and homestead boundaries with Bicka – otherwise nothing done outside. 2-tooth #402 looking better today; 2-tooth #406 is limping badly so will have to attend to that soon. The lambs and culls are knee-deep in grass and very feisty – zooming round the orchard doing little pig-jumps and chasing Bicka. Even the geese chase Bicka :-).

Hawkes Bay Weather:4°C—12°C; no rain. [78.3]

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Just Moe Tees

Spent the morning in town; a few more trees trimmed in the afternoon. Scratched my left eye somehow – noticed it first thing this morning, and it’s slowing me down.

Hawkes Bay Weather:8°C—13°C; southerly wind; no rain. [78.6]

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