Monthly Archives: September 2010

I did a major update to the cottage refurbishment plan before Mark arrived shortly after 9:00 am. Mark and I then completed the building of the 7 metre long retaining wall for the subsiding stretch of the big drain at the back of the orchard. After morning tea Karola and Mark did another ten sets of fence battens on the new piece of the boundary fence with Craig Vernon. While they were doing that I put up an extension of the electric fence across the orchard drive so we can electrify the fence keeping the sheep fenced in their day pastures next door. A very successful morning topped off by a superb hot lunch of wild venison.

Chris Day of the Guardian Trust called as planned around 3:30 pm. Afterwards Bicka and I went for our constitutional.

The rest of the whitebait as patties again tonight. Also more of the delicious, tender wild venison.

Weather:12°C—22°C; 0.6 mm rain [79.2] 06:20

Gym then breakfast then bit more on fence then Greenleaf Nurseries for 10 mountain flax then lunch then Hastings for dentist and shopping then bit more on the ditch retaining wall. Sheep go out; sheep come back. Lovely sunny day with gentle breeze.

I have mislaid our chainsaw – could it still be in at the workshop being repaired I wonder.

Karola is still weeding and clearing, this time for a place for her Jacaranda.

Tonight we had a dinner starter of whitebait patties – absolutely melt in the mouth delicacy but very expensive. Followed by a wild venison casserole courtesy of Rowena’s Wairoa cousins, well the wild venison bit.

Weather:12°C—24°C; no rain [79.2] 06:20

Mark arrived early and as Karola and I had appointments in Hastings until 10:30 am we set him off digging a strainer post hole. When I returned Mark and I put up 9 sets of battens in two hours, five battens per set between posts. After lunch we began building the retaining wall along part of the back big drain that had subsided using old orchard posts and rusty, bent warratahs (standards). It went better than I expected and we have the first couple of rows of horizontal posts in place. Then my walk with Bicka and suddenly the day is gone.

Karola planted the remaining of her 10 Akeake and continued with weeding and clearing.

Weather:7°C—20°C; no rain [80.1] 06:20

Gym then breakfast then Murray Cranswick arrived to put fertiliser on the Front paddock and the One Acre paddock. As confirmed in a recent e-mail: “Just to confirm today’s meeting with Bill Nicholson. Spread 960kg Hatuma DIcalcic No8S fertiliser at 800kg/ha on 1.2ha (3ac) on 2 adjacent paddocks. Cost : $810.00 GST inclusive.”

Karola spent most of the day weeding and clearing, as is her wont. Mid afternoon I spent the rest of the day on the new fence. All it needs now is the battens.

As I was writing this I heard a vehicle go up the orchard drive to the big shed – at 10:00 o’clock at night. I went onto the balcony and could see lights up at the big shed. I ran downstairs and zoomed off in the Landrover and trailer just in time to see the interloping vehicle beginning to leave the shed so went at breakneck speed up the orchard drive skidding the last 20 metres or so – well with ABS at full juddering pitch – to end up diagonally across the two open gateways, blocking exit. Much noise, dust, and excitement. Fortunately it was only Adam returning home from some late evening spraying as I had hopped out of the Landrover and waited for the blocked vehicle to do something. A smarter thing to do would be to stay inside the Landrover with doors locked ready to call 112 on my iPhone if i didn’t recognise the other driver.

Weather:7°C—22°C; no rain [80.4] 06:20

Woke up half an hour late – it being the change to daylight saving this morning. Figured out why my iPhone isn’t sounding the alarm – I’ve got it set to play through my bluetooth earpiece for when I’m with Bicka on our constitutionals and forgot to set it back.

Went to Stortford Lodge BP and filled up on diesel and standard petrol for the lawn mowers etc. Overcast day with some wind but warm. Karola planted most of the new Akeake trees and attempted to mend the frost protection covers over the Ngaios. Meanwhile I got the eight wires up on the new fence ready to join and then to add the battens.

Late afternoon Bicka and I went for our walk. Then we helped Karola get the sheep back home and we took the collar off #008R who is to fend for himself as he showed little enthusiasm or aptitude for drinking from a bottle.

Weather:13°C—21°C; no rain [79.9] 07:00

An unintended lie-in because my iPhone alarm didn’t go off – this seems to happen if I leave it plugged in to charge overnight.

After breakfast I went into Hastings and bought replacement plastic fuel tanks for the diesel and petrol cans that have gone missing over the last month or so. Also bought some food etc before returning to find Mark had been on working on the fence for half an hour already. Karola and I left Mark toiling and went to Hamoana ‘trees for Hawkes Bay” to their sale and bought: 10 Titoke (PB5), 10 bronze Akeake (1 PB12, 9 PB5), 5 Totara (PB3) and 20 Flax (root trainers).

Mark and I worked on the fence all afternoon and Mark finished putting in the remaining posts.

Willie Thow chatted as he passed me on the tractor on the orchard drive; he’s been for weeks on business in Asia, all over, and is now buying more orchards here while it is so advantageous for buyers – several mortgagee sales and bankruptcies.

Frank Haywood dropped by and chatted about orcharding.

Around 5:00 pm Bicka and I went for our constitutional.

Weather:10°C—20°C; no rain [79.6] 07:20

Mark came today after we’d returned from the gym and had breakfast. He made good progress on the fence, getting in about a third of the concrete fence posts. There are 34 posts of which 17 are replacements and the rest can be fixed with some straightening and ramming. Meanwhile I continued with preparations for refurbishing the stretch of fence along the big ditch on the back boundary – well the 50 metres of it that goes from the north-west corner to the gateway onto McNabb road.

The sheep made their trek to the neighbour’s pasture and back again. I caught #045 and docked him, he was born too late to be docked with the others of course. In the afternoon Karola went into Hastings and got the gluten-free bread and so on.

Weather:11°C—20°C; no rain [80.2] 06:20

Mark couldn’t come today not only because of weather but also his car is in mid self-fit of new gaskets.

Sheep to neighbours after Karola fed “boy” (#008R). Then I went to GoldPine and bought a #2 2.4m strainer post and 60 1.8m standards (warratahs).

Barbara O’Sullivan came for lunch with Karola.

I did a bit more fence planning and moved some electric fence. Then Bicka and i did our walk and then the sheep were brought home for the night.

Weather:7°C—16°C; 0.2 mm rain [80.1] 06:20

After gym we returned for breakfast and then shepherded the sheep into their daytime neighhbour’s pasture – they don’t need much encouraging. Then we went over to Havelock North, Karola following directions from Google Maps on the iPad, to pick up a chair from someone living in a gated community towards TeMata Peak. Niece Laura Wier had bought a special Wasilly chair from her on TradeMe and we are helping Laura avoid $100+ cost of couriering it back to Bulls. Havelock North is a bit like a larger, busier Eastbourne – with Hawkes bay weather thrown in for good measure. We went shopping there – chose a small selection of foods for a hamper for Mary from Bellatino’s and then had lunch at Cafe 32.

In the afternoon I put grass seed on the earth along the lip of the ha-ha mulch path, where Baywide Dingo had helped smooth the lawn up to the level of the ha-ha; it having rained a little in the night the soil is just right for germination.

Sheep back to the night paddocks.

Weather:7°C—13°C; 0.6 mm rain [80.4] 06:20

Buried #402. Karola fed her lamb, #008R but we don’t think it’s been getting mother’s milk for a while yet it’s quite big and healthy so maybe it has been stealing and doesn’t need us to feed it.

Sheep to the neighbour’s pasture – they’re getting to expect the trek there and back.

Karola went into Napier and brought Mark back for some fencing. We made significant progress today; the ground was dry enough to finish off installing the two large end strainers and their stay posts. It can rain now and we can continue regardless.

Karola took Mark home around 5:00 pm while Bicka and I did our constitutional.

Weather:5°C—15°C; 1.4 mm rain [80.6] 06:20

After gym we had quick breakfast and went in to Napier so that Karola could attend yet another session of the regional council hearings on water consents – a business critical discussion for orchardists who may be denied enough water to grow a saleable crop. I took Bicka along the Napier foreshore and sat in the car with windows open, reading while Bicka slept on the back seat in the sun – heavenly.

We went home for lunch and put the ewes and lambs out in the neighbour’s field again. Ewe #402 is even worse today – if she doesn’t die overnight we may well dispatch her tomorrow. Karola has, sigh, adopted the big, healthy, male lamb and is feeding it.

Murray Cranswick and his old mate from Hatuma fertiliser works came at lunchtime and looked at the Front paddock. They recommend fertilising with 960kg Hatuma DIcalcic No8S fertiliser at 800kg/ha on 1.2ha (3ac) on 2 adjacent paddocks – as per the plan agreed last autumn – $810 including GST if spread before 1 October whern GST goes up to 15%.

Peter Gordon, (Baywide Dingo) came back this afternoon and finished doing the drive extension as well as spreading some earth along the lawn where it joins the ha-ha path to make it more level and digging a shallow open trench from the low spot where the cottage is to go over to the ha-ha. It may be worth adding more gravel to the drive once the current lot has settled and been driven on for a while.

I did a little more on the fence.

Weather:10°C—20°C; no rain [81.6] 06:30

Today we set up the electric fence for the sheep to graze the neighbours fallow paddock of about one acre. We also did a trial run where the sheep just grazed the alleyway from our place to the neighbour’s field.

Mid afternoon we – Karola, Bicka and I – went for a walk through some nearby orchards, as suggested by Frank Haywood who owns several of them. Being off road it is easier for Bicka who doesn’t need to be on a lead but unfortunately it is a shortcut for my usual walk and is too short – interesting though to see just how much orcharding is going on around us and how old some trees are and how many new trees Frank has put in since buying Alan Ladbrook’s orchard.

Ewe #402 is looking a bit under the weather so we gave her a pick-me-up and will review her condition tomorrow.

Weather:6°C—16°C; no rain [80.4] 06:30

Karola has agreement with next door to graze some of their fallow land so we’ve been planning this today. Also I deployed the three new water troughs and we’ve driven round and round on the almost-finished new driveway extension for the cottage.

Ram Piglet and wether #630 are now in the Orchard paddock with a corner roped off to make a passageway for the rest of the sheep going to and from the neighbour’s grazing. All the rest of the flock are in the Front and One Acre paddocks and will soon, we hope, have daily access to the next door grazing.

I buried a possum Karola noticed lying under the big oak – someone probably shot it recently. The wind gusts have been frightening – much of the night and through the day as well. Lots of smaller branches down including one 150mm (6 inch) branch from a Cedar that fell on the Orchard driveway. Hamish Ladbrook kindly cut it up and removed it off his own bat.

Weather:8°C—19°C; 1.0 mm rain [80.2] 06:30

Gym then breakfast. Just before we left for the gym I was rung by Dave Gordon of Baywide Dingo who offered his dad Peter would come and begin our work this morning – the driveway extension for the cottage (when moved). Beginning at 10:30 am Peter was well over halfway through the job by the end of the afternoon; it’s about 150 metres of twin-track gravel driveway.

Karola and I put the adult sheep tags in 17 of the hogget ewes (the other 3 are in with the ewes and lambs so we’ll get them at a later time). The hogget ewes and the main flock were then amalgamated to the delight of the hoggets who have been on short rations for a month or more. As part of our sheep inspections we found a big dead ewe lamb, #021E belonging to ewe #673 – no obvious cause. I buried it along with a dead pukeko lying in our 121 driveway entrance – shot I think. Karola also found a dead possum but I forgot to bury that today – she found another dead possum with large joey under the big Canary Island palm tree (palm, not pine) more than a week ago and we’re unsure how these deaths came about – maybe someone coming and shooting while we’ve not been here.

Lunch at Cornucopia in Hastings along with some food shopping and picking up a 40kg bag of urea for me to put on the barer patches of the Front paddock. Then off to an orchard growing willow and poplar poles for erosion and flood control, run by the regional council – to attend a meeting about water meters. In next year or so all orchards will have to install water meters so that they can be measured against their permitted “water takes”, their water resource consent approved applications. After that Karola went back to town for a bit more shopping while Bicka and I stayed at home lounging about as is our wont.

Weather:7°C—19°C; 1.9 mm rain [80.2] 06:30

We went into Hastings for Karola to have a tooth out. Mark arrived just before we left. He went to work on the fence, digging out a large strainer post that has to be moved to widen the gateway into Craig Vernon’s place into a two-gate entrance. Adam kindly, finally, moved several stacks of large apple boxes back from the fence line to give us some work room. When we returned from Hastings Mark and I continued with work on the fence; at one point I went off to GoldPine and got 300 battens and 5 250-metre coils of #8 wire (over $1000) and Mark and I unloaded these.

Late afternoon Bicka and I went for our constitutional.

Weather:3°C—15°C; 2.6 mm rain [79.5] 06:30

Gym then breakfast – after heavy rain overnight a sunny morning. Tagged the latest / last lamb; buried the dead one. More fencing till lunchtime Sleepy afternoon.

Karola went over and spoke to Malcolm Vernon and has arranged that she can graze the sheep on the several acres fallow – that used to be apple or peach trees.

Weather:3°C—16°C; no rain [79.4] 06:30

Mark arrived soon after 9:00 am. Simon from Mobile Shearing arrived half an hour later and, to my delight and surprise, we had the docking all done with minimum of fuss by 10:30 am.

Karola later spied that one of the ewe hoggets, #919, had a lamb, #045R. We shall investigate further tomorrow. Also #904 (I think) had still born ewe lamb in the evening. That leaves #935 as very probably dry this year. Hogget lambing isn’t worth it, we both agree.

After morning tea Mark and I got on with the fence; we made good progress today. Karola went into town and then joined us; she is finding a way to stop our frost protection awnings over the ngaios from slipping along their guide wires when the wind blows – glue and clothes pegs have been deployed.

In the afternoon I worked a bit more on the fence and then Bicka and I went for our constitutional.

Weather:8°C—20°C; 3.0 mm rain [80.2] 06:30

Up and in to gym as usual on a Monday. Beautiful morning but then the weather deteriorated with cloud, thunderstorms, and rain showers. Bruce Richardson’s guys nearly came to do the docking but they were rained off and hope to come tomorrow afternoon. I did a little more on the fence, otherwise nothing outside today. Karola went to lunch with janet Scott next door. Later we went to Napier for food and for me to get a little cheap MP3 player to use in the gym.

Weather:7°C—22°C; 2.0 mm rain [79.6] 06:30

Walk with Bicka then lunch. After lunch Karola and I completed the frost protection for the ngaios.

Weather:7°C—20°C; no rain [79.9] 06:30

All ewes present and correct but lambs too numerous and too active to count. Karola finished planting the 15 ngaios and later I continued with constructing the frost protection. Walk without Bicka today as she decided she didn’t want to go along Oak Avenue so I had to take her home again.

Weather:12°C—16°C; 1.7 mm rain [79.6] 06:30

Exercise and awimming – and breakfast and chores all done by 10:00 am. Sunny day though cool. We melded the remaining possibly in-lamb ewes with the rest, giving them the run of the Front paddock, the One Acre paddock, and the Totora paddock.

At lunchtime we went up to the Black Barn winery/restaurant/art gallery so that Karola could buy an expensive but rather good, large framed black-and-white photo of Oak Avenue taken earlier this year by Richard Brimer. We then went to Cornucopia in hastings for lunch and some organic shopping.

Later I finished moving the oak branches in the way of Baywide Dingo extending the main drive to go round the oak tree for the cottage. Baywide Dingo hope to get started next week.

Karola and I started to plant the 15 PB12 Ngaios.

Weather:8°C—20°C; no rain [79.4] 06:30

Ewe #674 had ram lamb #044R today – I thought maybe she’d had a still born lamb back on 27th August so this was a surprise. Only the hogget lambs left that might possibly have a lamb, otherwise it’s all over and the best – least stressful – lambing ever. (touch wood).

Mark came anyway, despite the rain. We did a little work on the fence until rain really stopped play and then got even wetter by moving some wood out of the path of the drive extension – the extension that will service the cottage when moved.

Bicka and I walked. I began listening to John Buchan’s “The Thirtynine Steps”. It’s still raining. Another earthquake today too.

Weather:8°C—15°C; 20.6 mm rain [79.2] 06:30

Swimming and exercise followed by preparation for a visit to our architect, Les Clapcott, this afternoon at 2:00 pm. The leaves have emerged on the trees in the avenue and on our oak trees too. Of course the peach blossom has been here for a week or more and the apple trees buds are out. It is well into spring now.

Ewe #401 had lamb #043E this morning. Karola extended the ewes’ and lambs’ forage area by opening the gate into the One Acre paddock. There was much rejoicing.

Visit to Les went well, using the document Karola and I have written and the Sketchup model created by Bridget.

In the early evening Adam Ladbrook came over to continue cutting up the pile of oak branches from the big oak tree for firewood. He helped me start the tractor which I haven’t been able to start for a week. Then, after shepherding #401 and #043E into the One Acre paddock, I did a bit more on the fence.

Weather:11°C—15°C; 8.9 mm rain [78.7] 06:30

Lie in as the rain fell. It cleared up but no use trying to do stuff on the fence as would be quickly a sea of mud.

Tagged the new arrivals, ewe #203 with twins #041R and #042E. Neither lamb particularly strong. I herded them through into the Front paddock where food is plentiful and there’s plenty of company.

After late brunch Bicka and I went for our constitutional. Otherwise it was inside work today.

Mid afternoon the 15 Ngaio trees arrived from Shannon.

Weather:10°C—19°C; 0.6 mm rain [79.9] 06:30

Swim and exercise in Stortford Lodge at the SwimGym.

Then we tagged yesterday’s newcomers and put them with the others in the Front paddock. I wound up the remaining electric fence to give the ewes and lambs the whole Front paddock and we let the ewe lambs into tthe One Acre for a couple of hours for a short feast, then they went back to the meagre rations of the Orchard paddock.

Later a return to town for lunch at Cornucopia. Quiet afternoon; no more lambs today.

Garden Groom came and mowed the lawns; the first time after the winter break. Frost protection netting arrived; 4 packs of 5m x 2m. Karola’s new LeSportSac handbag arrived from Amazon.com in the USA.

Weather:13°C—21°C; 3.2 mm rain [80.4] 06:30

More celebrations in the morning then back to Karamu with a lunch in an Ashurst cafe. All seems OK back home. Ewe #406 had single lamb #039E and ewe #725 has single lamb #040E.

Weather:8°C—20°C; no rain [?] 06:30

Up early and off to Bulls after a quick breakfast. Used Google Maps directions and so went via route 50. Got to Bulls in good time. Speeches and feasts all went well.

Before we left we noticed that ewe #719 had twins #034R and #035E; ewe #632 had single #036E; #ewe #219 had twins #037E and #038E.

Weather:0°C—14°C; no rain [80.1] 06:30

Sunny but cool/cold. Exercise and swimming till 8:30 am. Ewe #719 had twins #034R and #035E. Ewe #632 had single #036? and #219 had twins #037? and #038?. We gave the ewes with lambs another extra swathe of lush pasture.

No Mike Croucher (Garden Groom) till next week. No ngaios till next Tuesday. Laurie and Enid ready to come and feed hens etc on Sunday. Lunch and bread pickup from Cornucopia.

Weather:5°C—17°C; no rain [80.0] 06:30

Mark came and we dug the 15 holes for the large (PB12+) Ngaios due tomorrow from Matatoa Tree and Shrub Centre in Shannon (06-362-7477). We then worked on the fence. To our surprise and delight the huge concrete srtainer post that leaned on a crazy angle was easily straightened, partly due to the soil being so damp after the constant rain. We also straightened 5 – 6 other posts but didn’t ram any of them as the ground is just too moist for that to do other than create mud.

After lunch Bicka and I went for our constitutional while Karola went food shopping and posted Gill’s six DVDs of the Wallander detective series. In the gaps Karola worked on her iPad on the speech for the Lethenty celebration and background materials while I worked on major overhaul of our e-mail systems.

It was a cold day with little sun but ewe #604 had twins (#031R and #032R ( and ewe #726 had a single lamb (#033E).

Weather:8°C—15°C; 0.7 mm rain [80.4] 06:30

Cold but mainly sunny day. Ewe #623 had twins #027R and #028R; ewe #613 later had twins #029R and #030R. That makes 15 ewe lambs and 15 ram lambs with a dozen ewes to lamb still. Karola and I went round the sheep a couple of times, checking and counting, and all seemed well. We tagged all the untagged lambs so for the moment are on top of things.

Karola and I are going to a celebration party at Lethenty and Burleigh in Bulls at the weekend; it’s to celebrate Mrs Hilary Haylock’s 87th? and Lethenty’s 75th anniversary and many of Karola’s Wilson clan are going. Several of them are making short speeches about one of their forebears and karola is preparing to talk about her Great Grandmother, Lady Wilson. Much excitement and typing and researching late into the night.

Weather:12°C—13°C; no rain [80.5] 06:30