Monthly Archives: October 2012

Table In For Repairs

SwimGym first thing and Bramble’s dog class last thing. Beautiful day, sunny with a cool breeze. I weighed Bramble today; she’s 11.2kg whereas a full grown corgi is expected to be between 12kg and 17kg – so that’s good.

Karola (and Bramble and I) went to Cedarville Joinery with a round native timber varnished table that Karola wants refurbished. we spoke to Shane and to Tony Page and they’re happy to do it – but not in a rush. Afterwards I had my quarterly diabetic blood test and we also bought a gross of plastic joiners for leaky pipe. The leaky pipe we use for watering new trees and so on becomes brittle after a while and it isn’t very strong anyway so when pulling it out of weeds to reuse somewhere else it often breaks – hence the joiners. We picked up the plastic plate from Hector Jones, replacing the one I broke on the Makita table saw last week. It was only $25 when, based on recent experience of the cost of small bits of plastic, I was expecting at least double that.

Sadly I found that the ewe hogget #113 had twins still-born; another burying job this afternoon. On the plus side I checked the ewe hoggets’ lambs that survived birth and they are all still alive and well and will need to be docked soon.

Karola and I cut up some planks in preparation for me making two small garden gates for the cottage. The planks are 6 x 1 (150mm x 25mm) treated H3 pine and they have been hanging around piled up outside the homestead garage for months so have warped a bit but we chose carefully and I think we’ve got boards that are straight enough for the gates.

Ben’s Excellent Photos From May 2012 Trip

Oak Avenue Weather:6℃—21℃ no rain [81.5]

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And Another One

Late rising and off to bury yesterday’s dead lamb. To my delight yesterday ewe hogget #160 had a lamb #252 and both seem well. Karola suggested that as we seemed to have all mothers and no maidens we might as well amalgamate the flocks and let the young mothers learn from the older ones.

Rowena called round to see Karola, a welcome break from Karola mowing her D-shaped lawn in front of the homestead garage.

I spent most of the day upstairs on computer. I did make a start on breaking up the earth in the Bay tree planting area by gently bashing it with the post rammer, breaking up the soil to make some sort of level bed.

I checked the vehicles for their road tax and WOF dates:

Landrover WX2288
Road Tax: 4 Mar 13 – WOF 8 Apr 13
Subaru DPZ625
Road Tax: 13 May 13 – WOF Dec 2012
Fergie 18WYT
Road Tax: 24 Nov 12 – WOF none
Tandem trailer A613F
Road Tax: 14 Oct 13 – WOF Oct 2012
Small trailer K703N
Road Tax: 16 Jan 13 – WOF Oct 2012

Oak Avenue Weather:5℃—19℃ no rain [81.0]

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GST Complete

SwimGym.

Sultry weather – so much so that I rested all morning. Karola went out shopping and investigating, as is her wont.

I found that ewe hogget #101 had given birth to a still-born lamb, probably a day old now. I will bury it tomorrow.

In the afternoon we worked together on Karola’s GST which this period was quite short on outgoings and included our two largest parcels of income for the year. End result, we owe the Inland Revenue rather than the other way round.

Oak Avenue Weather:6℃—19℃ no rain [81.2]

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Warm And Mostly Sunny

Sunday is for catching up on the week’s chores – now complete. Cottage lawn mown, upstairs swept, electrical appliances all charged up, etc, etc.

Had some enjoyable moments with Bridget, both on our computers, solving a couple of small problems with her ValueTracker program.

Henere and Scott breezed by to return a book Karola had lent them.

I began the next lot of Karola’s GST, due in this week.

The ram, legacy ewe #699 and her twins are now back in the Goose paddock. Even without battens the replaced fence will keep them safe.

Oak Avenue Weather:13℃—24℃ no rain [81.6]

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Fence Replacement Continues

Calm day; Henere came and continued on the fence, putting in all the running posts and putting up the seven #8 wires – I helped with the crimping, the joining of the strained-up wires.

Karola went out late morning to her Federation of Graduate Women meeting and to see friends in the Napier area.

When she got back Karola and I put up the little picket gate at the eastern end of the replaced fence. We still have 40 totara battens to put on the fence before it is finished.

Oak Avenue Weather:8℃—20℃ no rain [80.3]

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Welcome Splash Of Rain Overnight

SwimGym then Henere arrived to begin converting the short netting fence along the north end of the goose paddock to a wire and totara batten one. Today he dug up one huge strainer post and installed another – needed to leave a small gateway gap at the eastern end. Meanwhile I deconstructed the netting fence.

First however, I went to town and did the weekend shopping. Karola continued her tree guard project and caught up on the cottage housekeeping.

Later I put an electric fence across the south end of the Goose paddock and the Middle paddock so that the ram and legacy ewe (#699) and her twins had a safe haven until the netting fence was replaced.

Oak Avenue Weather:5℃—18℃ no rain [80.4]

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Not More Lambs

Still fairly exhausted from the flying visit down south to Wellington. All seems well here including three more lambs: ewe hogget #116 with lamb #249 on 23rd, and ewe hogget #108 with small twins #250 and #251 on 24th.

Henere came by; he said his son Scott really enjoyed coming over with his dad and looking round the sheep etc while they caretook on Tuesday and Wednesday.

I’ve partitioned the Middle and Totara paddocks with electric fence once again; the Middle paddock has been grazed thoroughly and could do with a break.

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—22℃ 1.1mm rain [81.4]

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Return In Time For Dog Training Class

Walked again over the ridge with Bramble.

I made a fleeting visit to Mary while Karola continued her energetic weeding at Days Bay, releasing the 40 or so flax plants she planted a year ago. Gill arrived shortly before I left Mary’s.

Lunchtime we set off for Karamu. We went via the Rimutaka hill (mountain) and the Wairarapa and went straight to the Hastings race course where Karola was bang on time for her 6:45pm dog training class.

Oak Avenue Weather:5℃—20℃ no rain [?]

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Days Bay Flat

Walked over the ridge with Bramble; a steep start and a gentle descent taking less than 30 minutes.

Karola made a vigorous start to weeding and outside ditch clearing at the Days Bay flat. Bridget and family came out to the bay for lunch at Chocolate Dayz restaurant. Despite the cold wind the grand daughters played happily on the beach after lunch.

Mid afternoon we went to see Gill and Ben for afternoon tea. Later we met Kirsty and Bruce at the Lighthouse Cinema in Petone and saw an excellent new film together, “The Search For Sugar Man”.

Oak Avenue Weather:1℃—13℃ 2.6mm rain [?]

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To Wellington On Labour Day

SwimGym then we packed quickly for our trip and set off to Wellington mid-morning.

The seas were very boisterous on the coast road between Paikakariki and Pukera Bay; a very strong northerly gale shrouding Mana Island in mist. In comparison the normally choppy Wellington harbour was relatively calm.

We visited Mary on the way to Bridget’s for a roast lamb meal before continuing on to the Days Bay flat and a log fire and peaceful evening. We were stunned by the transformation at Bridget’s house by the remodelling of the kitchen area and opening it out into the living room.

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—22℃ 0.7mm rain [?]

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Quiet Labour-Day Weekend

Sunday chores then it was indoors on computer for me most of the day, except for a walk with Bramble and jointly picking lemons off Karola’s remaining old lemon tree. Karola of course carried on with her tree guards.

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—24℃ no rain [80.9]

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Orthogonal Fence Proposal

Mostly sunny and no rain nor any gales.

Hogget ewe #128 had a stillborn lamb last night which I buried. The lamb-less hoggets and #915 have been restricted to the Orchard paddock in the hopes that they won’t eat too much and those that have lost their lambs won’t get milk fever.

I did have one good idea today after wandering back and forth trying to find a suitable line of sight from the cottage down to the Scott’s boundary, parallel with the back of the cottage, that kept well away from major trees. Basically it isn’t possible. The breakthrough was to abandon having a fence creating a separate goose enclosure but to have a single paddock from the 212 driveway right back to the boundary with Karola’s orchard. by having two fences running east-west we can divide the Middle and Goose paddocks the other way, into a Middle and Back paddock. Added benefit is that we don’t need separate gates from the cottage south into the Middle and Goose paddocks but the one existing gate will suffice.

Karola completed her thirteenth tree guard renovation since coming home from the UK. Apart from a bit of tidying up and cutting thistles in the Front paddock I didn’t do much outside today.

We had lunch at Pernels Fruit World.

Oak Avenue Weather:6℃—19℃ no rain [81.0]

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Finished Revamp of EweCounting iPhone Program

SwimGym

Then Karola did more on tree guards and I hung a temporary gate from the drive to the cottage into the Middle paddock and took down the temporary netting fence and gate used to get the lambs onto the truck for the works when it was so very wet.

No visitors, no shopping, no gales, very occasional light showers and getting colder – quite quiet.

The Gate Now Hung

Oak Avenue Weather:2℃—17℃ 4.5mm rain [80.1]

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Gales of the Antarctic Dawn

Very blustery day with gales off and on all day. These winds are known as the equinoxial gales or “gales of the Antarctic dawn”

Ewe #150s little lamb #248 died and was buried. I gently pushed #150 and another grieving ewe, #915, into the One Acre with the other hoggets who have not got lambs, as yet.

Karola went out for the afternoon and visited Jenny Hendery.

Charles Bagnall called to say that the civil engineering firm couldn’t even come and look until next year but, as that firm did the initial recommendations several years ago, we shall be patient. I called Arthur Park of Clendon, Burns & Park Ltd, (+64 4 495 1342) the engineers and he said I should call him back for a firm appointment late in January.

Henere came late afternoon and we discussed his role as caretaker while we go to Wellington for a couple of days next week.

Oak Avenue Weather:12℃—19℃ no rain [80.4]

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Firewood Sawn Up

SwimGym

Karola went round the sheep noting that hogget ewe #150 had a weak and small ewe lamb #248.

Mid morning we collected and cut up firewood for the cottage wood burner, probably enough until autumn. Then, reluctantly, on my part, we swept out the homestead garage with its sawdust and winter leaves.

We took Bramble to class in the evening; she behaved quite well.

Oak Avenue Weather:11℃—21℃ no rain [80.7]

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And Now A Ladder

After the two still borns of yesterday it was a happy sight to see ewe hogget #121 with a little ewe lamb #247E.

Karola moved sheep back and forth trying to get the hogget mums and their lambs in with the rest – with some success.

Shane Hay came and mowed the lawns; it’s amazing how quickly they grow in the spring and autumn and the lawns always look rather splendid in the week following mowing.

I made some progress on reworking my iPhone application for the latest iPhone and the latest system software. It is only two years old but needed quite a major rewrite.

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—20℃ no rain [80.7]

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More Snakes Than Ladders Today

SwimGym then another very pleasant day after the cold start (4 degrees C).

Sad news was that ewe #915 did eventually have a lamb but it was stillborn – a large lamb too. Hogget #133 had a stillborn lamb last night as well.

Karola continued with making her office in the garage better equipped and organised. I dismantled the electric fence in the orchard paddock and then made it so that the hoggets had the run of the Orchard paddock while the ewes and lambs, including hogget mother #111, had the run of the Middle, Totara, and One Acre paddocks. Of course ewe #699 and her twins stayed with the ram in the Goose paddock.

Henere and Scott dropped by late afternoon and he’s agreed to check the place while we go down to Wellington next weekend. We’re going to see Mary, and see Bridget and the grand daughters, and also if possible meet at Days Bay with Charles Bagnall and a civil engineer to discuss remedial work on the Days Bay flat underpinnings.

On the way to SwimGym we saw that in Oak Avenue a large old oak had been blown down by the weekend gales.

Oak Avenue Weather:4℃—19℃ no rain [81.2]

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Whether A Wether or Not

After Sunday chores the little pathway heaped with mulch yesterday was raked smooth. There’s a layer of mulch about 100mm (4 inches) thick.

Electric fence dividing up the One Acre paddock was disassembled and the hoggets let into the full paddock. That was when I discovered today’s little surprises. Hogget #111 had twins (#245E abd #246R) and the small lambs seem well cared for. But the ram hasn’t supposed to have visited any of the hoggets so either he’s sneakier than we realised or one of the ram lambs wasn’t as well wethered as hoped.

Helped Karola move some shelving from upstairs in the homestead to the homestead garage office where she intends to set up shop with her many files on many topics.

Ewe Hogget #111 and Her Twins #245E and #246R

Oak Avenue Weather:2℃—14℃ 2.4mm rain [81.0]

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Path Under Oaks For Karola’s Next Bund

Rain was threatened and so I mowed the cottage lawn before using the tractor and orchard mower to cut a swathe through the undergrowth under the oaks behind the homestead garage for Karola’s next “bund” or elongated compost heap.

I also removed grass clippings and weeds from the short pathway at the south end of the cottage garden, between the driveqway and the gates next to the septic tank. As requested I dumped several tractor buckets of fresh mulch onto the pathway which will be nice to walk on and discourage the weeds.

Rest of the day spent programming.

Meanwhile granddaughter Natalie has discovered the joys of messaging and bombarded Karola with over 40 photographs during the day.

Oak Avenue Weather:8℃—24℃ 0.8mm rain [81.1]

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Spoiled For Choice

SwimGym then a second breakfast of bacon and eggs.

Later Karola went into town for the weekend shopping and for routine surgery visit.

Karola then loaded her trailer with spoil from Henere’s digging of the Bay Tree planting area and I spread it in tractor ruts around the pump shed in the orchard.

Natalie More, helped by her mother Bridget, has found the delights of Facetime from her iPod to grandma here on my computer.

In between times I continued wrestling with my programming.

Otherwise a peaceful day, no rain despite forecasts, and looking forward to the weekend.

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—17℃ 0.7mm rain [81.0]

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Cool Calm & Sunny

Karola did more with her tree guards after entertaining cousins including Rowena most of the morning and a quick dash into Hastings to copy some oversize family tree drawings and post urgent mail.

I worked on my programming in the morning and mowed the Goose paddock and the front 121 drive and trails under the oaks and a strip along the shelter belt where we’d picked up and mulched the larger prunings but leaves and twigs remained.

Oak Avenue Weather:3℃—21℃ no rain [81.3]

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Bramble Rides Again

SwimGym

Karola worked on tree guards. I mowed the Front paddock again to try and break up the bunches of long cut grass now its dried out in the sun – to avoid smothering the grass underneath.

Dog (owner) Training at 6:45pm until 8:00pm. Bramble was obedient without being a show-off despite having done it all before.

Oak Avenue Weather:3℃—23℃ no rain [80.8]

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Tree Guard Progress

Beautiful day although we’re both still fairly exhausted from our rushing about yesterday.

Karola worked on more tree guards and by evening she’d given all the Totara paddock totaras new improved guards, and one rimu. There are another four rimu trees to do and then Karola can start on the younger trees. We’ve found that the previous generation of guards were only temporarily sheep proof. They push and rub and climb and are very hard on the guards.

Bramble jumped over the little wooden gate opposite the cottage front door, repeatedly, and was terribly pleased with herself. We were less pleased.

Karola went to an early evening talk in Hastings on the history of the local bus company. As I anticipated, it was less than riveting.

I struggled with some errant software all day – most likely pilot error I’m sure – I’ve asked for help from the author.

Gave the ewe hoggets new grass – they’re pretty fat.

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—21℃ no rain [81.0]

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Henere Finishes Digging Over The Bay Tree Planting Area

SwimGym

Henere turned up to my surprise and delight and he finished the digging of the Bay Tree planting area, including breaking up the clods I’d dug yesterday.

Landrover Discovery WX2288 went to Tamatea Automotive for WOF and service in the afternoon. There’s more to be done on it in a couple of weeks time, but it is roadworthy.

Jenny Hendery came for afternoon tea.

I mowed the Front paddock, hoping for a little rain which will turn it into fresh green pasture for the summer. It had a thick and patchy sward of stalky brown old grass clumps.

Release of Arduino Due (including an ARM-based 32-bit microcomputer) is on 22nd October.

Oak Avenue Weather:11℃—20℃ no rain [81.2]

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Tree Croppers Outing To Napier Hills

In the morning Karola and I went to a Tree Croppers field trip in the hills on the other side of Napier, to ‘Kendall’, home of legendary plantsman Tony Wilson’s trees at 14 Ballantyne Place, Poriate. Pleasant scrabbles up and down slopes in sun and dappled shade. Mix of old and older trees, mostly exotics. Chris Ryan (an expert on trees who often comes on Tree Cropper and IDS trips and meetings) helped with the identifications. Tony Wilson led the trip; he planted this particular garden when he lived on the property several decades ago.

In the afternoon Karola went briefly to a local “Gluten Free” food fair in Hastings. I warned her, and she agrees, it was a waste of time. The stalls were almost all sugary foods attempting to appeal to those on a gluten-free diet by sweetening the tase to cover up the lack of gluten. Not terrible useful for diabetics.

I dug a piece more of the cottage Bay Tree planting area mainly dug already by Henere, leaving only about 15 metres to do.

Oak Avenue Weather:4℃—18℃ no rain [80.3]

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Blustery Day – Lambs At Play

Henere arrived at 9:30am and continued until 2:30pm digging over the Bay Tree planting area, now about two thirds dug.

Les and Chris Clapcott, our architect and his wife, came for afternoon tea.

Oak Avenue Weather:3℃—21℃ 2.6mm rain [80.6]

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Windbreak Trimmings All Mulched

SwimGym – a bit harder after yesterday’s strenuous mulching.

Henere arrived at 9:00am and we did another four loads – well another three loads of picking up and four to put through the mulcher so I made it 18 trailer loads of mulch. Henere did the picking up which was hard and tricky as this trimming was much harsher than in previous years and stuff got tangled with the mountain flax and kanukas planted under the windbreak. TI did the actual mulchingwhich was physically easier – no bending down but off the trailer into the roaring maw – but it was very very noisy and dusty. Exhausted I slept much of the afternoon.

Karola and I then went into town while Henere started digging over the strip round the inside of the cottage railings where the bay hedge will be planted. We returned with a fish-and-chip lunch and then Henere went home while we had a relaxing afternoon.

I let the two mobs of ewes mingle and late afternoon, after rescuing a lamb that had become stranded in the Front paddock planting area along the orchard drive, shut the gate with all ewes wth lambs and #915 in the Middle/Totara/Island paddocks. Lambs abound.

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—20℃ 0.1mm rain [79.8]

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Such A Lot Of Mulching

More mulching. Henere worked with us and we did about 11 trailer loads. I’m hoping we only have another 5 or so to do tomorrow.

Ewe #915 looks as if she might have a lamb after all so I reunited her with the ewes with the youngest lambs and took #699 (Kaz old ewe) and her twins from the other mob and put them with the ram instead. Ram and #699 and her twins are now in the Goose paddock.

Mulching – Over The Halfway Mark

Oak Avenue Weather:3℃—19℃ 2.4mm rain [80.3]

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Mulching Begins

SwimGym then, somewhat exhausted a rather lacklustre beginning to the mulching. We rang and asked Henere if he’d like to help but sadly his sister has just died and the funeral is today, so maybe tomorrow. Karola did two trailer loads of pickinng up and putting through the mulcher. I estimate we have a total of twenty trailer loads to do.

Henere dropped by later and invited Karola to the funeral. Karola went and was pleased to be introduced to quite a number of family members.

Late afternoon Shane Hay (the new Garden Groom) came and mowed the main lawns.

I took Bramble out and did a couple of trailer loads of mulching before taking her for her daily walk.

The lambs in the Totara paddock who were docked only a few days ago are running and jumping and having games in little groups; charming.

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—22℃ no rain [80.4]

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Bramble On The Bleeding Edge

Got up late, took my dog. That is, at the usual time, having not yet acclimatised to Daylight Saving.

Karola has been improving her tree guards in the Totara paddock, another one upgraded today. I let the later lambers (we docked yesterday) into the long, luscious green grass of the Totara paddock. The ewes loved it but the lambs kept getting lost in the long grass.

The sharpened mulcher blades were put back on the mulcher. These blades are fiendishly sharp and, as usual, I made a deep cut in a finger while reassembling. Bramble followed me inside, licking up the drops of blood – hence the title.

Cottage lawn mown.

Oak Avenue Weather:3℃—18℃ 0.2mm rain [80.6]

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Docking Complete

SwimGym

Then it was docking of the remaining lambs, all finished before lunchtime. Lunch at Pernels Fruit World then shopping and it was almost 3:00pm by the time we got back.

Finished the reconstructing of the enclosure containing Gill’s damson tree – by then it was dark and 8:00pm.

Just for the record:
Heath Goldfinch: Tamatea Automotive (06-843-4312 or 027-588-1976)
Heather-Ann Tidey (06-877-0538 or 021–239-9961)

Oak Avenue Weather:8℃—21℃ no rain [80.8]

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