Monthly Archives: November 2008

I spent an hour shirtless in the late spring sun chopping thistles in the hay paddock. Barely scratched the surface so to speak in a couple of hours at which point I’d had enough sun.

Rang hay guy Bob Masters and he says he’ll come on Tuesday. We’ve invited him and his missus for afternoon tea as a bribe.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 15°C—22°C; no rain [82.8]

Summer day. In the afternoon we went to Anna Natusch’s 60th birthday bash at Helen Gilbertson’s farm on the banks of the Tukituki river just outside Waipawa. It’s hard to beat a convivial gathering on a warm summer’s afternoon in bleached dry paddocks with plenty to eat and drink. Dr David Natusch, Anna’s brother was there between jetsetting round the world on energy business. Bicka minded the shop and was very pleased to see us return at her teatime.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 10°C—22°C; no rain [82.8]

Last night I called Tricky Trees (Graeme Cameron) about the broken Lawsoniana branch hanging precariously over the back drive. This morning he arrived with helper and his truck. They agreed to restrict their felling to the broken Lawsoniana and to the eucalypt overhanging Oak Avenue that they neglected to do last time when they felled several eucalypts overhanging the Avenue and kept snagging their chainsaw chains on old fence wire embedded deep in tree trunks on the boundary line. Karola dissuaded them from embarking on a wholesale (never ending) cleanup of dead branches all over the property. They hired a big crane for the eucalypt and lifted it out in sections without damaging the fences either side or any of the trees we’d planted close by. All neatly cut up into firewood lengths and tidied up by lunchtime.

I went with Bicka shopping in the afternoon. Hohepa (near Clive) for fresh organic asparagus, cabbage and new season Nuhaka potatoes (grown within 50 km of here). Also picked up a kitset of workshop shelves from Mitre-10 similar to the ones recommended by my nephew Frances Wierzbicki and completed the food shopping in New World. Picked up the sharpened Mulcher blades and couple of sharpened chainsaw chains from Saw Doctors on the way back. Forgot to pick up the dry cleaning.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 9°C—21°C; no rain [82.3]

Karola took the Subaru in to the Subaru garage in Stortford Lodge and they fixed the faulty spark lead as they should have when it was serviced a week or so ago. Karola returned with 25 Kg maize and 25 Kg sheep nuts.

I picked up the big trailer, lights now working, from the electricians and then got it inspected for its Warrent of Fitness – all done and back home by 5:00 pm. Karola took her trailer in to the auto electricians and it’ll be ready tomorrow – same problem, some of the trailer lights not working.

And it rained – gentle but wet rain, excellent for the vegetation, Lets hope it continues over night.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 15°C—19°C; 7.5 mm rain [82.3]

Somewhere between 15 and 20 people came to Karola’s hosting of the annual Graduate Women’s Christmas party. It was a success.

The Subaru’s engine is playing up again.

I heaped up the bamboo stump fire a bit – it’s still burning.

Moved the electric fence onto the edge of the lawn so that the sheep can eat what was underneath the wire out of Garden Groom’s mower reach.

A large but short branch has fallen out of the Lawsoniana clump on the back drive, falling into the garden the other side of the drive and narrowly missing the box hedge or anything else that mattered. There’s a much larger branch also broken off and lodged high up in the Lawsoniana over the drive and the box hedge and more. Lets hope there’s no strong wind until we can get it removed.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 11°C—24°C; no rain [82.8]

A bit of watering using the big 44 gallon plastic barrel set on its side on Karola’s little trailer. Karola clipped the rampant Wysteria on the verandah and balcony. Garden Groom came and groomed the garden – well, mowed the lawn anyway.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 10°C—29°C; no rain [83.0]

The four Romney ewes look much perkier after a few days away from their lambs and with plenty to eat. They and Nelson were loaded on the trailer and offloaded at the sale yards just before 9:00 am without mishap.

Very windy day; a little rain late evening. We’ve let the ewes and lambs have the Island paddock in addition to the Totara paddock as they’ve made great progress in eating the Totara paddock down. My alkathene pipe taking water from near the big shed to the top north-west corner broke at a join sometime in the last 2 – 3 days but it was easily fixed. Laurie and Enid did some more releasing of trees for a couple of hours this morning.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 19°C—27°C; 0.2 mm rain [82.8]

Karola provided a big brunch, making some headway into the many bantam eggs we’ve accumulated over the last week. Lauren got to hold one of the 7 chicks belonging to 3 bantam hens and got up close with several of the ewes. They left late morning intending to call in at the Hastings Farmer’s market on their way home.

Karola and I prepared the Landrover trailer for taking the 4 Romney ewes and Nelson the ram to Stortford Lodge sale yards tomorrow morning.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 18°C—29°C; no rain [82.3]

Nephew Francis (son of Kaz) arrived around 2:00 pm with his new USA girlfriend, Lauren. Karola kindly gave them lunch and we all set off for Wallingford around 4:15 pm arriving about 5:30 pm – it’s a long way from Waipukurau township to the Wallingford homestead.

Johnny Ormond and newish wife Jenny who run Wallingford as an upmarket B&B for large groups, well more of a short term homestay actually, provided a nice meal for the 14 guests. I spent most of the time talkng to my best mate Harry and his daughters although I did make a small comforting speech after dinner to the birthday boy – despite his incompetence at arranging the sheep transaction recently. We returned home by mdnight – Karola and me and Frances and Lauren. Lauren’s expectations may be a bit high after introduction to the Ormind side of the family via Wallingford and Francis’ Aunt Karola and Karamu.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 18°C—27°C; no rain [?]

We took the mulcher heavy front disk and its attached blades in to Saw Doctors along with the replacement screws sent down to MowTec for us from Hamilton; it should be ready late next week.

Mid afternoon, while Karola was off in Napier listening to a lecture on the Napier cemetery, I pushed the bamboo stump fire around a bit more and got it burning quite brightly.

Later Karola and I processed all the sheep – the three males from the goose enclosure; the eleven ‘dry’ ewes in the Middle paddock; and the 21 ews with 28 lambs in the Front paddock. The old ram Nelson and the four remaining Romney ewes were not treated with Magnum (to repel flies and avoid fly strike) as they will be off to the Stortford Lodge sale yards before 9:00 am on Monday. We sprayed all the rest and also did another census of ear tags. There are nine lambs who have lost their tags. We finished at about 9:00 pm.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 6°C—20°C; no rain [83.1]

Pottered round all day – cold and overcast and with Wellington in warm sunshine and clear skies a reversal of the usual pattern. A bit of stump fire stirring, a lot of e-mailing and web reading, and some tree watering. Karola and I did manage to use her online Abbey National banking and BarclayCard online payment to pay off our large UK credit card bill, only one month late.

Karola meanwhile has made a wide track through the undergrowth in front of the garage so that Garden Groom can ride his mower quickly through to the new bund Karola is constructing near the front gate.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 4°C—19°C; 1.4 mm rain [82.3]

Bantams and chicks all seem OK – there’s one hen with two chicks in the Mandarin Chook House and another with three chicks in the coop.

Whisps of smoke still coming up from the bamboo stump fire.

Into Hastings at lunchtime, calling on Enid and Laurie on the way to pick up the mail and the alarm control. Bought $85 of Magnum from Farmlands to pour onto the sheep’s backs to repel blow-fly and avoid the dreadful fly strike. While shearing Bruce did find just one hogget with the beginnings of flystrike, but the risk is going to be high from now on.

Karola spent much of the afternoon mowing the seeding barleygrass under the oak tree and the Canary Island pine in the Totara paddock; she uses the hand lawn mower and picks up the stalks so that the seeds can be destroyed.

Meanwhile I took up the leaky pipe from the native plantings we did several years ago, ending up with 7 x 30 metre hoses and 1 x 15 metre one plus assorted lead-out pipes and taps. Karola plans to use these to water this year’s plantings along the north west boundary. Couch grass made the uplifting arduous; it has strong tangle of roots tying the pipe to the ground and the leaky pipe isn’t very strong so has to be freed rather than just yanked up.

Mid evening I used the tractor to unravel the bamboo stump fire heap a bit – spread it out and allow air into the middle; it has since burst into flame again.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 3°C—20°C; no rain [?]

Before leaving Pitoitoi I attacked the banana passionfruit, following vines down to a clump at the base of a small Kowhai tree, cutting them off and painting the stumps with Vigilant. Meanwhile Karola had again taken Bicka for her morning beach run. We set off just before lunch, calling in at York Bay to give Geoff Rashbrooke the latest Economist. Geoff has just had a back operation for a childhood injury that has recently flared up. To our surprise we met Geoff walking up from the York Bay bus stop – part of what we hope is a very rapid recovery.

We went over the Haywards road out to Plimmerton and from there up through Otaki, Levin, and on to Sanson, across the main Palmerston North – Wanganui road and past Mount Biggs school (where Karola went to primary school on her horse Robin) and down to Kaz’s place, Ngaio Glen. There we picked up the trailer, minus its five heavy Australian hardwood baulks, and set off for Hastings.

At Bunnythorpe, the original hope of Glaxo, we detoured for Karola to visit Marjory Heslop, Jane Ewing’s mum who is in her 90s. Showers of rain as we emerged from the Manawatu Gorge and again near Dannevirke. Stopped to buy couple of punnets of fresh season cherries from Kirsten’s farm store on highway 2. Fresh fish for dinner from Hawkes Bay Fish Supply in Hastings.

Bicka was glad to be home. Together we did a stock-take: a ram, a wether and a ram lamb in the goose enclosure; 11 ewes in the Middle paddock and 21 ewes with 28 lambs in the Front paddock.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 3°C—22°C; no rain [?]

Spent the day mostly at Pitoitoi in Days Bay. Karola not only carted all the old timbers from the carport rebuild down two flights of steps and stacked it along the railings below the house, she also cleaned the storm water drains of large amounts of Kowhai and Wattle seeds and leaves, taking the grating up and emptying the drain sumps.

In the evening I called Hugh Winding, breeder of Texel sheep, and we discussed the characteristics of the ewes I wanted to buy; it may be some time before I can get them but at least there’s no confusion over the sort of sheep I want – healthy, young, fecund, disease resistant, and with good feet. We’ll be returning empty-trailered tomorrow.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 8°C—23°C; 1.3 mm rain [?]

Highlight of the day was when Bridget, Chris and the two grand-daughters came out to Pitoitoi and we went to lunch at “Chocolate Days” on the waterfront.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 15°C—26°C; no rain [?]

We visited Mary in the morning, delivering some bamboo stakes, then on to Khandallah for a lunch at “Taste” with Bridget, Chris, Natalie, Alex and Gill and Ben. Dinner with Bridget at her place. Mary gave me a copy of an old photo of 136 Parkvale Road which I shall frame and display.

I called Charles Bagnall and conveyed our delight at the completed carport; he still has underpinning to do and a design for a low maintenance garden for Pitoitoi. He may also come and stay with us in Karamu, beginning in February, and work on the cottage.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 8°C—23°C; no rain [?]

Ewes and lambs moved into the Front paddock and electric fence turned off. 16 x 1.3 metre bamboo stakes cut for taking to Mary. Irrigation main pipes turned off; TVs off; windows locked shut. Bantam hen in 3rd nest box has six eggs and at least one is starting to hatch.

Around noon we were finally ready to leave and went over to Kaz’s place, Ngaio Glen in the Landrover towing the trailer containing five very heavy Jarra (Australian hardwood) planks.

By 6:00 pm we were at Pitoitoi with Bridget and the granddaughters, enjoying the sun – Bridget and family had been on the beach most of the afternoon.

The rebuilt carport is superb; very robust as the current building regulations require; just high enough to allow the landrover in; keeps us dry from back door to car and garage.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 10°C—22°C; no rain [82.9]

More wood on the bamboo stump fire – it’s proving harder than expected to get the heap to really incinerate. Laurie and Enid came after breakfast for an hour or so and continued their tree releasing good work.

Mended the break in the boundary fence under the eucalypts – a fallen branch last month – and that included twitching upright a post on the inner netting fence which turns a slight corner but has no stay post. I looped some #8 wire round the top of the leaning post and the bottom of a nearby post in the boundary fence, strained it up and fastened it, then wound the two sides of the loop together in approved New Zealand fashion.

Thinking that Bridget still wanted me to help her Chris by chainsawing down a nice Copper Beech in their front garden, to make way for improved areas for parking and car washing, I went to the Saw Doctors and arranged for a couple of chains to be sharpened. They also confirmed that, despite the discolourations, I actually had two sharp chains in reserve – the discolourtions are rust as I haven’t used them for several months. Turns out that the Copper Beech has been reprieved; good.

Karola laid out some of the leaky pipe ready to attach it to the newly laid irrigation main up at the top north-west corner of the Homestead block, the corner of the Top paddock. She also picked up quantities of bamboo roots from the cleared bamboo area and put them on the stump fire. The ex-bamboo area was sown with orchard grass seed 2 weeks ago and is greening up nicely.

After more consultation with Kaz we do expect to pick up the 10 texel two-tooths next week so as dusk fell we assembled the stock crate on the trailer and then loaded the five shortest of Kaz’ seven hardwood logs into the trailer to take to him tomorrow. By trimming the longest of these five with the chainsaw we were able to get the tailgate shut so they won’t slide out of the back when going uphill.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 10°C—24°C; 0.6 mm rain [82.4]

Karola went off at 8:00 am to the funeral of her Aunt Di Wilson in Taupo. Laurie and Enid came and did some tree releasing up by the big shed for a couple of hours and they also agreed to mind the smallholding while we’re down in Wellington this weekend.

Bicka and I spent most of the day laying a new irrigation alkathene pipe from near the big shed north to the top north-west corner and terminating it with a couple of taps. I got the taps and a few other items for this project from Harris Machinery after lunch.

I also went and picked up the O-rings for the water filters and fitted them – no problems.

Karola returned mid afternoon and we tagged and docked #829R and #830R, so we’re right up to date with the lambs.

I used the tractor miniforks to stir up the edges of the bamboo stump fire, bringing large mats of root and stumps to the surface. I then added a trailer-load of old partially rotten branches from one of our “firewood, someday” piles and the stump fire blazed up again in the light north-westerly wind. The heap is about half size now but it still has a lot of bamboo detritus to burn.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 10°C—22°C; no rain [82.4]

Odd night; the full moon, though swathed in light clouds, made it a sort of twilight outside all night. AT 2:00 am Bicka came and whined at our bedroom door; I got up and let her out and had a small midnight feast and then, because the whining wasn’t that Bicka wanted to go out, and it wasn’t harbinger of a serious earthquake, so maybe she didn’t like the lamb baaing incessantly, I went out to see the lamb. It had got itself through a fence and couldn’t figure out how to get back. Anyway, back in bed by 2:33 am. In the morning we found why Bicka had been upset – we’d neglected to let her out last thing last night and she had come to apologise.

I have jury duty this week – starting 9:30 am today. About 60 potential jurors were there; 30 of these were selected for the high court trial due to begin at 10:00 am – there were no other trials scheduled for this week in Napier District Court, I missed out on selection for the 30; even had I been selected they were only looking for 12 of course; the 30 was to provide for lawyer’s objections to jurors as they tried to establish a balanced jury. Anyway, at 10:10 am the court official came back and said she was sorry but the accused had pleaded guilty and so we were all off the hook for the rest of the week.

Having failed to undo the twin water filters for the Homestead several times in the past month or so, I had another crack today. This time I took the pipes off the filters and unbolted them and took them into the green shed where I had room and a way to fix them firmly. One filter succumbed; the plastic hoop tool for unscrewing shattered while trying to unscrew the second. I took the whole lot into Harris Machinery and they did manage to undo the second filter – though it was very very stiff. I got new filters, a new plastic hoop unscrewing tool, and some drinking-water-safe lubricant. The seal between each filter cover and its top – which houses the water inlet and outlet – is made by a rubber O-ring and the O-rings had stretched; it probably was the overlength O-rings that jammed the thread. Harris directed me to another firm in Omahu Rd, SKF, who ordered me new O-rings that’ll arrive overnight. The filters were disgusting and slimy – definitely time for a change.

Karola went to an early evening History lecture in Hastings.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 9°C—23°C; no rain [82.2]

Cloudy day and still.

Subaru in to garage for service and WOF today and tomorrow. Sheep tags finally uplifted from Farmlands. We got a pork roast and some lamb chops from the PPCS retail outlet in Stortford Lodge. Based on the lamb chops I’d say that was a mistake. Not cheap but tasted cheap.

Arranged for a computer mouse to be put aside at Noel Leeming in Lyall Bay in Wellington so that Gill could buy it to replace what we think is Mary’s mouse-gone-bad.

Karola and I spent the afternoon moving a stack of elm off-cuts and spare bits up to the big shed from outside the garage. We also moved a trailer-load of rails up to the Island paddock out of the way, also from outside the garage. Then we were able to get the tractor in under the oaks and lift up a large old rotting trunk of the silver ash that used to stand on the little lawn that has become the entrance to the garage. That large trunk went onto the bamboo stump fire to help it consume the remaining roots and stumps. More tree rubbish was picked up from the goose enclosure and near the green shed to feed the fire.

Late afternoon we used shovels and the tractor and a chain to pull out three Oleander stumps under the big oak tree. We’d cut off the branches a while ago – it being poisonous to sheep – and the short trunks remaining were sprouting vigorously, hence the decisive action today.

Bicka baled up another stoat tonight, this time near the green shed. We heard a terrible racket as the stoat chattered in anger – well it frightened Bicka off anyway – pity we couldn’t dispatch it as surely the bantams are at risk, but then it’s better for Bicka to back off than get bitten. I think maybe the fact that the bantams roost in the Mandarin Chook House on perches half a metre above the floor of the house may give them a measure of protection – that and the numbers being in such a small space. We shall see.

Karola is trying to catch a possum she thinks lives near the garage – she has apple bait which is being removed but so far not when used inside the Timms trap.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 7°C—19°C; no rain [82.4]

Sheep:

• One of the hogget ewes had a small ram lamb last night, #830 R. Already it seems to be in much better shape than the previous one, #829.
• We drafted out Nelson (#103), his wether companion (#630), and the large ram lamb we left as a ram (#806) and put them in with the geese
• The remaining ewes who had not had a lamb, or who’s lamb had died – ten in all, plus #203, #806’s mother, went back into the Middle paddock
• The ewes with lambs at foot were allowed in the Totara paddock and the Island paddock – that way they have food and shelter.
• In addition to Nelson, #630, and #806, there appear to be:
  • 4 x #200s
  • 4 x #290s (Romneys)
  • 8 x #400s
  • 6 x #600s
  • 10 x #700s
  • 11 x #800 ewe lambs, 17 x #800 wether lambs

  So we owe Bruce an extra shorn sheep – 34 not 33 as I’d thought

Late afternoon I took old mainly rotten wood from the Island padock – from the trees there – and added this to the bamboo stump fire; later I pushed the edges of the fire inwards and this, in combination with the extra fuel, made it come alight again for an hour or so – mostly it is just smouldering away but visibly shrinking in size each day.

Just at dusk Bicka responded to my whistle for her diner with much barking from the Front paddock. She’d found a young stoat and kept it from running away until I got there and dispatched it. Black tip to tail. Probably a good idea for the health of the bantams.

The Subaru is very low on oil so I got 4 litres and topped it up – it’ll still need to go in for the engine problem and WOF early this week.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 10°C—19°C; no rain [82.3]

Early call from Bruce the shearer – not only did he have equipment failure yesterday but fireworks spooked his dog and he spent much of the night looking for him. So the 10:00 am shearing start is delayed. An hour later, another call, from his wife saying he’d be along at 10:30 am and the dog had returned home of its own accord.

Shearing went uneventfully; certain amount of loud protesting from lambs temporarily separated from their mums. Bruce offered to take the wool straight in to a buyer which is very convenient for us. Bruce also trimmed Nelson’s feet as they are much overgrown and Bruce knows I can’t flip Nelson over to do them; Nelson is just too big.

Got some diesel for the tractor and used about 6 litres to start the bamboo stump fire – it’ll probably go on slowly burning for a week. The grass sown on the old bamboo area is coming up nicely and, as Karola noticed, dozens of bamboo shoots have come up overnight along the fringes of the area.

Warren and Shona and baby turned up in a pickup truck to collect the small palm tree Karola sold them (for Shona’s mum who lives at Bridge Pa). Warren farms a family sheep and cattle farm up beyond Taradale somewhere. Anyway I’d only just begun digging out the palm tree when they arrived and Warren and Karola ended up doing most of the digging while I switched the mower for the mini-forks on the tractor. As it happens we used the tractor bucket and got the palm from hole in the ground up onto – and into – a half-wine-barrel on the back of the truck. All went very smoothly. However I’m not sure how the palm will take to being transplanted so I said don’t pay till your mum says it has survived.

Talked to Kaz again today – I have a nasty feeling he voted National – he who once stood for election for the Values Party (nowadays that’d be the Greens). I am still waiting for Kaz to arrange our pick up of 10 Texel ewe two-tooths from the Winding’s in Fielding – a breeder.

Karola took me to Twyford School to vote, she voted early yesterday at the Library. The Subara is misfiring badly so needs a service (and a WOF) urgently – it started playing up on the trip to the polling booth.

National victory was expected but the increase in influence of ACT party not a good sign. Greens will have 8 members but in the opposition – I think Greens do better in government and ACT is much better as opposition gadfly. ACT members of parliament include Roger Douglas – the architect of the downfall of New Zealand over a decade ago – “user pays’ and so on.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 3°C—17°C; no rain [82.0]

Mobile Shearing’s Bruce called at around 8:30 am to say he’d got some broken equipment and so wouldn’t be around to shear our sheep this morning; later he called again to say he’d be arriving tomorrow at 10:00 am. In preparation we’ve grazed out the Island paddock so that when penned up in there tomorrow morning they won’t have much to eat and hence won’t be so messy to shear. However this was anticipating a Friday morning shear so I’ve let them out onto part of the Totara (aka Triangle) paddock for a feed this evening so that the lambs still get a good flow of milk. Nelson and his aide-de-camp #630 and the ewes without lambs have all been added to the main flock for shearing; the only exceptions are the last two hoggets #717 and #714 and their lambs which are a bit small and might be knocked about if included.

Karola planted her rimus and watered them. She’s now wetting the earth round the little (1.5m tall) palm tree under the big oak ready for me to dig it up tomorrow; Karola has a buyer for it and they’re expecting to come round mid afternoon to pick it up.

I have Jury duty next week; I was called today and told that I’m not needed until sometime on Tuesday; there are no trials scheduled for this Monday in Napier I gather.

Mary’s rain gauge had 30 mm in it gathered over the past month or so. I emptied and cleaned it. I do wonder how much is lost to evaporation once the days get hot.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 2°C—18°C; 0.1 mm rain [82.4]

Lamb #829R is still alive, remarkably. We gave it a little more of its mother’s milk. We think it is actually drinking OK now but the first day or so of no proper feeds has made it hard to get growing.

Unpleasantly windy outside and cold although sunny in patches. Mike Croucher (Garden Groom) came and mowed the lawns – we went round picking up the larger branches off the lawns as he began.

Enid and Laurie came and did a spot of native tree releasing, still on the manuka; they enjoy the outside activity and exercise so we essentially pay for their petrol.

Karola completed her improvements to the tree guards and began the replanting of the chewed-to-bits rimus.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 5°C—20°C; no rain [?]

We fed the little lamb again; he’s still looking very weak but Karola has seen him drinking for himself a few times so we’ll let nature take its course – I’m not optimistic.

Karola finished her tree guard improvements to stop hares eating rimus. I disassembled and dug up some long bits of alkathene by the sheep yards; Karola wants to use it to pipe water across to the native trees we planted last autumn.

Barack Obama made an intelligent acceptance speech.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 6°C—21°C; no rain [82.6]

Where did the day go? Fed the lamb – that is, caught its mother and a) let the little ram lamb suck b) Karola milked the ewe and we fed him via plastic pipette. Fed the lamb again.
Put this ewe and lamb and the other two hogget mothers and their lambs in a bit of the Totara paddock (as the Triangle paddock to the west is now called, it no longer being triangular).

Bruce Richardson says he’ll be here to shear 11:00ish Friday, weather permitting. Bob Masters says let the hay paddock grow for a couple more weeks and he’ll come and cut it, though the area is barely economic at under 2 acres.

Karola is addiing a lower skirt of shade netting to her tree guards for the rimus hoping that this time the rimus will not be eaten by hares or rabbits or possums. It involves a lot of sewing and measuring and fastening.

Karola entertained Cynthia Chalmers and her elderly relation June here for dinner after watching the Melbourne Cup live on Sky Sport 1 TV.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 16°C—25°C; no rain [82.4]

Cold night and slow-to-start day; quite nice by late afternoon but now cold again, and our colds are lingering, though not as heartily as Mary’s cold – it’s the miasma of Karori swamps I suppose.

Inside working on “to do” lists mainly; also switched the top two rails with the bottom two rails on the left-hand side of the old entrance – the top rails were badly warped and hot sun was makng them worse.

Lambs:

• ewe #717 had ram lamb #829 today; slow to start drinking so we upended the young mother and gave him a drink – hoping this will tide him over the cold night

Hawkes Bay Weather: 7°C—20°C; no rain [82.0]

A decent rain overnight; cold day without much sun.

Karola and Hilary went off to their reunion AGM and lunch; Justine and I talked about making web sites; the visitors left when Karola and Hilary came back around 1:30 pm.

I reerected electric fence between the lawn and the West paddock and then moved all the ewes and lambs through there into the Island paddock for a few days, until they’ve cleaned it up. That way when it’s time for shearing and they get put in the Island before going into the yards they won’t have lots to eat just before being penned up as that makes things very mucky.

Chainsawed up the big oak branch that fell out of the oak tree last week.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 4°C—15°C; no rain [81.4]

A quiet day after the ladies went off to their reunion functions. In the afternoon, when I had at last finished typing in all the work items I’d carefully listed on scraps of paper back in March – April 2006, all 936 of them, I went out and repaired the damage I’d done to fences when mowing the nettles a few days ago. Oh, and I repaired the wire I cut to let the sheep get its head out of a netting fence a couple of days ago too. And when Karola returned around 4:00 pm she put on a raincoat and I went and caught the last little lamb and she helped me tag and dock it.

In the evening Hilary, Justine, Karola and I went to Vidal’s in Hastings for dinner – nice food but expensive and, initially, they overcharged me $150. Got the table numbers mixed up. All’s well that ends well.

Hawkes Bay Weather: 9°C—23°C; 6.6 mm rain [81.1]