Monthly Archives: August 2015

Happy Father’s Day of Yesterday

SwimGym – but only for Karola this morning as a bump I had last week has made my knee ache this week and the gym work almost all involves flexing the legs.

I tagged the lamb which arrived yesterday.

Peter Wiffin came and got a truck and trailer load of old apple logs as agreed.

Karola was emailing and phoning quite frantically trying to get the numbers for her cousin Hilary’s dinner next weekend.

Meticulous Maids came today but were diverted onto the homestead as Gill & Ben will be coming up in a couple of weeks.

Karola sent me anonymously a “Father’s Day Card” (for yesterday) purporting to come from the rest of the family, Anna, Bridget and the grand children. I was quite chuffed even though the writing gave away the real source and I don’t think Anna or Bridget would send me a card in a million years.

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—13℃ 3.7mm rain [84.2]

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Welcome Swallows Rebuffed, Late, But Not Too Late

Ewe #233 had a large ewe lamb today, #507E.

Karola put the Front paddock ewes on the cottage lawn for an hour or so – the lush green grass was too hard to resist she said. So I didn’t mow the lawn today.

We put up another wire along the top of the kitchen french doors, like the one we ut up across the sliding door into the sun porch. Karola was able to clan off most of the deposits from the Welcome swallows who are back laying claim to last year’s nesting places. Not if we can help it.

Karola spent much time on emails and historical researches, mostly in furtherance of Hilary Haylock’s weekend party next weekend.

I carried on programming.

Oak Avenue Weather:10℃—22℃ no rain [83.9]

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No Additional Lambs Today

Hectic day on computer for me – many cycles of “one step forward, two steps back”. But at last, a few minutes ago, we were back to square one – well actually a little better than that.

I couldn’t get onto the web space at lunch time – spent 90 mins trying to get on but something had changed. Just got an email back from Tech Support – a mistake in recent configuration change, all OK now. And so it is.

I’ve got a new domain name, “bickasoft” and I’ve bought an SSL certificate which can cover it, the brackenbury.nz site, and one of Bridget’s domains too. It took a while to find the least expensive domain name registrar and then the least expensive SSL certificate issuer. Prices were up to three times what I ended up paying for the domain name and, even worse, up to ten times as much for the SSL certificate.

I’ve also cobbled together a two-page web site, bickasoft.co.nz, to hold the iPhone apps I want to distribute to Craig (KiwiTech), or Bridget, or Gill.

Karola’s Bright-Eyed & Bushy Tailed Ewe Replacements

Two Extra Neat Little Tree Guards For The Potted Citrus, Now Released

Oak Avenue Weather:5℃—17℃ no rain [83.7]

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An Axe Too Far

SwimGym – again just me.

Later I did the weekend shopping and also took in two old axes and a chainsaw chain to be sharpened at the Saw Doctors on Omahu Road. I also bought an extra chain as the one I damaged a few weeks ago was, on inspection, very worn so I tossed it.

In the night ewe #224 completed her delivery and she now has triplets: #502R, #503E, #504E.

Ewe #328 had twin ewe lambs #505E & #506E. So far, so good.

Karol had an ultrasound appointment late afternoon and I went with her and picked up the sharpened implements – in case the weather is particularly enticing for an outside project at the weekend.

Karola isn’t particularly keen on having sharp axes about the place even though I imagine any axe murderer worth her salt could create mayhem even if it was blunt.

Oak Avenue Weather:-1℃—15℃ 0.1mm rain [83.7]

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At Last, The Deluge

Pleasant day which got warm by mid afternoon.

The ram survived a night in the yards by himself – managing to get one gate off its hinges but still not escape. He now has the holding paddock to himself, the Front paddock mob trimmed it quite well overnight and now he has to be satisfied with what’s left.

Karola and I hung the farm gate next to the cottage on the big strainer Henare put in for us several weeks ago. Karola wanted the ate rehung from the opposite end on a sturdy separate post, not off the railings. It was done.

I called Peter Wiffin from up the road and said he could cut up as much of the oversized (for us) firewood as he wanted – from the old and quickly becoming too old apple tree trunks in the Front paddock. He doesn’t need to but may cut up a bit for us as well.

Later I went to collect some of the eucalyptus circles – I don’t know what you call them – the round pieces short enough to fit in the fire but needing splitting. As I went through the old wooden gate I spied two ewes standing quietly under the Himalayan Spruce. Yes, the first lambs. Ewe #231 has ewe lamb #501E and ewe #224 has ram lamb #502R.

The Rehung Vehicle Gate Next To The Cottage

Oak Avenue Weather:-2℃—14℃ 0.1mm rain [83.6]

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Sorted Out The Sheep

SwimGym, alone again.

John Orringe (06-842-1219) came today as arranged and cleaned the cottage chimney. He thinks chimneys should be cleaned once a year. Turned out it wasn’t bad – plenty of soot but little tar which means we’ve not been burning a lot of green wood – which we haven’t.

Karola planted one of her potted citrus and has almost finished the second. Tree guards are already prepared. We hope their transition from a rather cramped condition in their quite big pots will not stop them taking off now they’re transplanted.

Karola got all the Front paddock sheep into her portable yards and I separated out the four ewe lambs – breeding stock replacements that will not be having a lamb this year. We took them and the rest of the flock from the Middle paddock into the conventional yards and very quickly and easily drafted out all 8 lambs and ewe #43 who was denied the pleasure of a lamb this year – although she’d pretty sleek and fat now after her long illness.

The lambs and #43 are now in the Long Acre, we hope until the summer. The ram is temporarily in the yards by himself. His consort, #218, is back with the Middle paddock flock. And that flock is having a quick munch of the holding paddock which then becomes the ram’s residence until summer, we hope.

A couple of the ewes do look very close to lambing. It won’t be long.

Chimney Sweep John At Work

Oak Avenue Weather:2℃—16℃ no rain [83.8]

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Clean Chimney – Clean Habits, Yeah Right.

Karola had another appointment today which gobbled up the morning. Milder weather, and it even rained for a while early evening.

Programming proceeding apace – for a change.

Chimney sweep called and so, knowing Karola has a bit of a thing about clean chimneys – I booked him for tomorrow afternoon to do the cottage flue.

Oak Avenue Weather:1℃—17℃ 6.2mm rain [83.8]

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The Week Off To A Good Start

SwimGym – but not Karola today. I listened to the final 30 minutes of “Poodle Springs”, a detective story by Raymond Chandler – very good.

Sheep under the big oak again – some looking as if they’ll be producing lambs quite soon.

Daryl came as expected (Arrow Autoelectrics) to service the security alarms at 10:00am. He replaced the batteries in both the cottage and homestead systems. It’s four years since he installed the cottage system and linked it into the homestead one but he’s going to have to come back because he can’t figure out quite how they were intended to work together at right now the cottage alarm will make a frightful noise but will not phone home.

Karola had another appointment with her skin doctor but still no news – but they reassure Karola that it’s very unlikely there’ll be anything to worry about, they’re just be thorough.

Having spent much of yesterday learning about a program called “Sketch” (not Google’s “SketchUp”) which is designed to make creating iPhone and iPad app artwork fast and professional, I used it today for one of the exercises I’m doing as part of the “Complete IOS 9 Developers Course”. I did enjoy that. Another opportunity to use the portrait of “Piglet”, our handsome ram of a few years ago.

Oak Avenue Weather:13℃—19℃ no rain [83.9]

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Spring Is In The Air – Early Flowers & Tree Foliage

Cold Sunday morning. Ewes under the big oak. Weak sunlight gradually warms the place up but it’s getting cool again by 4:00pm

We did notice that over the last few weeks it’s become light at least 30 minutes earlier, but of course that is eroded next month when Daylight Saving kicks in.

Karola is deep in family history books, sure on in part by some work Frank Wilson has done on his mother, Rosalyn Russell. I am deep in my current programming course.

Bramble is unimpressed.

Flowering Peach In The Totara Paddock

Oak Avenue Weather:4℃—16℃ no rain [84.2]

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Little Wooden Gates Hung – Mission Complete

Karola put up electric fence round the big oak ready for her Middle paddock ewes in a day or so.

Together, late afternoon, we hung the two little wooden gates, completing the reconstruction of the exit in the north-west corner of the One Acre paddock.

The rest of the time I spent programming and Karola sorted papers and sent emails.

The Hung Gates

Oak Avenue Weather:0℃—13℃ no rain [84.2]

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More Than Enough Hotels

SwimGym – but not Karola who has to keep out of the water for a few days to let her mole excavations heal.

A cold morning even after the sun got up.

A little later I went into Hastings for the 7-weekly haircut and to pick up the GF bread, some young leeks, eggs, a cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, butter (cultured butter), newspapers and chocolate. A well-balanced diet for sure.

Karola & I spent several hours trying to pick a hotel for the four nights we will be in Melbourne with the Robinsons next February. There are over 500 hotels in Melbourne and fulsome praise (mainly) on TripAdvisor and other similar websites by alleged delighted visitors. Are the many many ecstatic songs of praise really independent reviews. Are the occasional vitriolic diatribes really not just competitors levelling the playing field. One would like it to be so.

Oak Avenue Weather:3℃—13℃ no rain [84.0]

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Overcast And Cold But Not Wet

Karola took down the electric fence round the big shed in the orchard. “JB”s men were up here yesterday and today tending the grafted trees and will be wanting good access round the shed when they switch to the new young trees (where the peaches were) next week.

Karola had a physio appointment at lunchtime, otherwise this was a typical winter’s day – not actually too cold, but better inside than out.

Bramble and I had a wander round the orchard – checking on the progress of the Cope’s hedge and house next door.

Oak Avenue Weather:-1℃—14℃ 0.1mm rain [83.9]

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Town & Country – Midweek

SwimGym

Karola & I went into town while she had a mole attended to and then we went to New World for shopping plus morning tea – well coffee actually and I had another breakfast of gluten-free lambs fry & bacon & mash with onion gravy. Mmmmm.

When we got back Karola let her Middle paddock mob into the orchard round the big shed. Then, for the shear novelty of it, Karola assembled another small tree guard.

Later I put the hinges onto the two small wooden gates ready to be hung. Mostly I continued my online programming course.

Oak Avenue Weather:3℃—17℃ no rain [83.8]

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Peter, Charlotte, Sarah & Greg Drop In

Power cut sometime early morning so I got up and it was dark and quite cool. Dressed and decided to light fire to make hot water for morning coffee etc. Just as I was stumbling outside for wood I noticed the oven clock was winking – power restored, morning tea crisis averted.

Karola spent the day doing a large tree guard for her grapefruit tree – the one that had been rammed by a reckless and thoughtless combination of Henare backing his car and Ian distracting him. All this happened some months ago but today the temporary use of four portable yard panels was replaced by this very large circular netting tree guard.

I plodded on with my online course on programming for the iPhone.

Early evening Peter & Charlotte Offenberger came over as arranged with Peter’s sister Annette’s daughter, Sarah, and her husband Greg. Sarah, in mannerisms and speech. reminds us very much of her mother, Annette.

Oak Avenue Weather:6℃—17℃ no rain [?]

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Wooden Response

SwimGym.

Then I slept till mid morning – odd isn’t it.

Karola did pop out to post stuff and give a letter plus donation for Vickie Bostock whose funeral was two days ago.

Iconic high-faluting department store Kirks (Kircaldie & Stains) is closing down, Wellington site being taken over by a large Oz department store, David Jones, where we got Karola’s iPad in Sydney many years ago

I assembled – i.e. nailed together – the two little wooden gates for the new railing fence in the north-west corner of the One Acre paddock. Still have to put hinges and fasteners on.

Also this was a day of backing-up – my Macbook Pro and the web space. Hasn’t been done for months and months, tsk, tsk.

Meticulous Maids must have come today too, and the boss Sally dropped by, and it was very quick.

Oak Avenue Weather:-1℃—14℃ 0.1mm rain [84.2]

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Another Sleepy Day

Showers prevented outdoors stuff but Karola had a good solid day of sorting out papers. I pruned the cottage Bay tree hedge back to just below the top rail of the fence in the hope that the taller ones might now bush ut a bit and the stubby ones catch up.

I finished off installing Windows 10 and also began a long-overdue backup of the web log materials. I also deleted vast amounts of stuff off my computer – much of it replicated on backup disks – I hope all of the stuff I may perhaps want in the future.

Free Windows 10 – Installing In A Virtual Machine On My Macbook Pro

Yes The Default Desktop Does look Like This

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—13℃ 6.4mm rain [84.0]

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Poor Old Quaid Cooper – No-one Likes Him

Rained on and off; not very cold but too damp to do anything outside so a relaxed day indoors.

Bramble recovering from her tiring days at the kennels – beginning to get back her normal bounce.

Sheep becoming more battleship-shaped as each day passes.

… and I am spending far too much time trying to get a free copy of Windows 10.

(All Blacks this evening preceded by Silver Ferns – both winning convincingly.)

Oak Avenue Weather:8℃—12℃ 10mm rain [83.9]

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Settling Back In

I went to SwimGym this morning; Karola went over to Meanee and picked up Bramble and did some shopping. Bramble seemed a bit subdued to me, happy but not quite so bouncy as with previous kennel stays – maybe the cold got to her.

Later I went into Hastings, picked up the sheep tags for this year’s lambs and the ewe replacements. Lambs only get a button tag. Once a lamb has been selected as part of the permanent flock it merits its big tag in the opposite ear.

Henare came by late afternoon to give us the mail and have a coffee and chat.

Oak Avenue Weather:6℃—13℃ 3.3mm rain [34.7]

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Return To Karamu Via Bulls

We had breakfast with Felicity & Geoff Rashbrooke at the Pavillion shortly after 8:00am. They are off soon for a trip to England, Wales, and Brittany – quite a whirlwind tour by the sound of it.

Later we drove up to Bulls, stopping at a cafe in a disused church in Sanson for lunch. Karola dropped me off at Harry’s factory while she went up to the Burleigh homestead to talk to Chloe.

Karola had brought over some old (not worn out, but ancient) clothes to be modelled as part of 91-yar-old Hilary Haylock’s 2015 party and book launch (Before you ask, the riveting tale of “The Ladies of Lethenty”. Karola has been roped in to help organise – send email invitations etc. It’s in September and comprises a sumptuous luncheon put on by Chloe at Burleigh then this “fashion show” of clothes as worn by eponymous ladies, and a catered dinner at Lethenty. The book launch is on the following day, the Sunday, and is open to the public.

Harry and Craig Burnett, Harry’s electronics man, and I looked at the prototyping boards Craig had made, discussed Harry’s vision for using the “Internet of Things” and “Big Data” to make farming more productive. We had a brief demo of the iPhone app that I’ve been slaving over for months – but then it all looks pretty easy if you don’t actually have to do the programming so it was a bit boring. I also upgraded the KiwiTech iPhone to the tastes level of software.

Around 4:00pm Karola & I set off for Karamu – about an hour too late to pick up Bramble this evening and so we arranged with the kennels to pick her up first thing tomorrow. We arrived back soon after dark for an exhausted but comfortable evening in front of the fire.

The snow on the Ruahines and the Kawekas, seen as soon as we got through the Manawatu Gorge, was dramatic. Thick on the tops and with sprinklings on the foothills.

Oak Avenue Weather:0℃—12℃ no rain [?]

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Ginny & John Horrocks in Days Bay

As planned we went to see Ginny & John, 41 Kotari Road, about ten minutes was away, for morning tea.

After an enjoyable chat we then walked back with them to the Days Bay flat and they had a good look around – they may buy it.

After lunch, when the Horrocks had gone back home, Karola took off into town to see the grand-daughters – do some shopping with birthday girl Natalie and help out as both Alex and Bridget were feeling very much under the weather.

In the evening we planned to go to the Days Bay Residents Association annual AGM and dinner.

Karola returned around 6:00pm but because of a mixup on both our parts we set off for the COBAR restaurant at 8:00pm. The other 45 attendees were finishing their puddings but the kitchen staff kindly found us a main course and a pudding which we ate quietly as the guest speaker gave his short talk.

The talk was a bit about the speaker’s early life as a climber in the South Island and on Everest, and as a DOC ranger, and about his recent experiences in Nepal both before and after the big earthquake. The speaker runs a global company advising people/countries on using national parks for tourism and safety in the mountains.

After the dinner speaker we had a short cooking demonstration from the owner and head chef at COBAR – one of the top restaurants in Wellington. He cooked two desserts: chocolate fondant and lemon possett.

3/14 Days Bay – The Basement After The Underpinning

Ginny & John Liked The New Strong Beams & Bracing

The Door Now Opens In The Middle

Karola’s Flax Planting Has Done Very Well

Nasturtiums Flourishing On Up Into The Reserve

Oak Avenue Weather:-2℃—12℃ no rain [?]

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Off To Wellington Midweek

Karola took Bramble over to the kennels in Meanee, “Pets-2-Us”. I was still recovering from a very late night struggling to get my iPhone app back together in time to show Harry on Thursday.

We’re off on a quick trip to Wellington, for Natalie’s birthday and to talk to the Horrocks’ about maybe buying the flat in Pitoitoi Road, days Bay.

A gentle start to the day; Karola gave her sheep a good feed of hay as they’ll be without supplementary feed until Friday. TXTed Henare and he agreed to look in tomorrow and Thursday to see the sheep were alright.

We packed and locked everything up and then set of for Wellington via Silverstream (Upper Hutt). On the way we listened to the final couple of hours of Anthony Price’s “Sion Crossing”. It’s taken us months to hear it all on car trips between Hastings and Wellington.

As Karola planned we arrived just before 4:00pm in Silverstream and had afternoon tea with Annemarie More – the other grandmother. Later we took Annemarie with us to Bridget’s in Khandallah and then we all went to the Khandallah pub for Natalie’s birthday meal – well the one with both grandmothers. Food was fine but they took far too long to serve us – especially for the young ladies.

We drove Annemarie home and then went to the Days Bay flat – had a big fire and got toasty warm. Suddenly we remembered and rushed over to 24 Kotari Road where Karola paid the organiser of tomorrow’s COBAR meal the $50 each, as promised.

Still Snow On The Rimutaka Road

Pretty Bleak Up Above The Saddle

Warm By The Roaring Fire At The Days Bay Flat

Oak Avenue Weather:4℃—11℃ 0.1mm rain [?]

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Wind In The Willows

We were late getting to SwimGym and I stopped early.
In the afternoon Karola went to see Dr Lloyd Peterson at The Doctors, fulfilling an appointment she’d asked me to make. He’s the doctor that examined and cleared my face blemish after Jenny Hare’s husband exclaimed I should have it checked when we met at Hilary Haylock’s 90th birthday party some months back. Karola’s doctor, Elizabeth White, recommended Karola see Lloyd, just in case.

Oak Avenue Weather:2℃—10℃ 0.2mm rain [83.4]

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Sunday – So Quickly They Come Round

Rained on and off and getting colder.

Programming for me, emails and other inside stuff for Karola. Lovely fire all day.

Oak Avenue Weather:3℃—8℃ 0.3mm rain [83.2]

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Craig & Anthony From Flaxmere (The Homestead) Just Up The Road

Took Bramble for a wander round the orchard. Karola went out briefly for some shopping but was miffed to find that the jewellers who’ve engraved a little silver mug for Nina Wierzbicki were shut. As was Farmlands. What is the place coming to – oh, it’s Saturday, maybe that’s something to do with it.

Karola met the two guys who live in the old homestead off Omahu road about 2km away some time back. She’d dropped in to admire some of their trees. Today they returned the compliment and dropped in on us. Karola regaled them with the history of Karamu for a couple of hours.

I did a bit more programming – the usual two steps forward …

The windbreak was trimmed last Wednesday while we were at SwimGym, just on the far side and top.

I spent a bit of time learning about trucker’s hitch knots – found a good website illustrating how to tie them. https://www.animatedknots.com

Casurina Windbreak Topped And Trimmed From Behind

Oak Avenue Weather:4℃—13℃ 0.9mm rain [83.1]

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End Of Another Winter Week

SwimGym

Sunny and mild. The sheep being grazed in Karola’s orchard – the 100s of sheep – are gone. Couple of days in either side of the orchard – either side of the gravel track down the centre – and they’re off to orchard pastures new.

Then quarterly visit to the doctor for diabetes check – all’s well DV. And picked up the bread and a few other odds and ends. The Front paddock mob were allowed along the 121 driveway for a couple of hours while I was out. The Middle paddock mob were given another bash at the section of the orchard reserved for Karola.

Helped Karola by winding up a few hundred metes of electric fence – she’s finished grazing the 121 driveway and under the big oak for now.

Got Karola started on unloading the pea straw from yesterday. She’s loaded a small trailer with 8 bases and stacked the rest tidily in the little hay shed.

Truckers Hitch – Done By Old Man Where We Got The Pea Straw

Oak Avenue Weather:4℃—16℃ 2.3mm rain [83.7]

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Rain, Glorious Rain

After breakfast went back to bed – well lay on the bed upstairs and listened to the rain – magical. It stopped about an hour later and gradually the day brightened until it was sunny and mild.

Karola planted the tree in the hole she prepared yesterday and got rather muddy because the ground is soggy after the decent overnight rain.

We rushed off to Havelock North late afternoon and picked up another 20 bales of pea straw for the sheep – it’s in the homestead garage overnight in case it rains again.

After dinner we went to a meeting of the Tree Croppers Association (Chris Ryan et al) to hear the pollen scientist, Dr Linda Newstrom-Lloyd, talk about bees, nectar & pollen and to hear Chris invite participation in a year of monitoring tree flowering times and bee interest in said pollen & nectar.

Afterwards we spoke to a woman who lives up the Puketitiri road – a sheep farmer – well, 18 sheep anyway. Also has Bruce Richardson do her shearing etc.

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—19℃ 0.9mm rain [?]

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Work Begins On The Two Wooden Gates

SwimGym

Karola helped cut the timber for the two little wooden gates this morning. Later she prepared a hole and tree guard for replanting a chestnut that was not thriving in its original position.

Bramble and George I Exchange Views

George I

Karola Preparing The Tree Hole

Oak Avenue Weather:6℃—13℃ 7.3mm rain [83.6]

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Sheep In The Orchard

A quiet day.

Karola went shopping for a couple of hours with Bramble.

Karola put up electric fence down the 121 driveway and will let her mob from the Front paddock extend their range from the lawn and under the big oak to the verges of that driveway.

We spent a while looking for a missing standard-puller and then pulling up a few standards no longer needed to prop up bamboo. These will go into the next tree guard Karola makes.

I went to Goldpine and bought the hinge hardware for the two little wooden gates I need to make for the north-west corner of the One Acre paddock. As they were on special I also bought 20 standards – we’ll always need replacements and Karola is down to making do with bent and rusty ones for her latest tree guards.

Karola was surprised to see people in the orchard putting p electric fence. It turns out that they are a business who lease dozens of orchards, including many of the Bostock orchards, for winter grazing. They’re moving the sheep they currently have in Max’s Orchard – the orchard JB bought last year, behind us on McNabb road, and will be putting them in Karola’s orchard for about a week. Karola still has the area round the big shed as her grazing prerogative.

The Other Sheep – 100s Of Them

Oak Avenue Weather:4℃—20℃ no rain [83.4]

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Meticulous Maids

SwimGym

Milder today. After the exertions of yesterday I then slept until lunchtime.

Karola had one mob out grazing in the enclosure in the orchard and let the other mob into the One Acre now we’ve finished the railings and secured the exit with a temporary small netting gate.

Meticulous Maids came and cleaned the cottage after lunch. I mowed the cottage lawn.

Carry over from Sunday, I did the Statistics Dept online survey of agriculture for Karola.

Karola spent the afternoon doing stuff in her office and the homestead.

We arranged tentatively with Bridget that we’d go down to Wellington for Natalie’s birthday next Tuesday, returning on Thursday.

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—21℃ no rain [83.5]

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Henare Helps Again

August already and Henare again came on his Sunday to help with the fencing and other outdoor projects. First we finished off the railings up in the north-west corner so that now I have only the two little wooden gates to make and hang. If Karola were to plant some fast-growing natives in the gap, leaving just enough space for a walk-through path, we would cut off the last remaining place where, at ground-level, we can see the new house next door and I imagine they could see the homestead and some of the cottage.

After a good solid lunch provided by Karola, they went off and moved bamboo until mid-afternoon when Henare left for Badminton (the game, not a place). The bamboo project is to move the old stacks of bamboo from in front of the windbreak in the Long Acre to behind the trees – between the trees and the fence. They are loading bamboo onto the big trailer and taking it into Janet Scott’s orchard and unloading it over the fence.

Henare Securing One Of The Half-Round Intermediate Posts

Looking Back From The Orchard Towards The Homestead

Oak Avenue Weather:3℃—19℃ no rain [83.4]

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Funeral – But Not In Berlin

Another cold start but beautiful mild day once the sun was well up.

Karola went to a funeral this morning for Win VanderLinden in Napier. I fed sheep and took Bramble for a walk plus did a little programming.

After lunch I brought back the firewood Peter Wiffin had sawn for us and Karola stacked it in the cottage garage. Later we did a bit on the unfinished railings but the chain saw fell apart so that stopped play for today until I fix it.

We are watching a BBC TV Series that Anna sent us on DVD called The Game. One can criticise it (we both do, endlessly) but it does capture our attention – all very dark and complicated in a spooks drama set in 1970s, allegedly.

Oak Avenue Weather:2℃—17℃ 0.1mm rain [83.5]

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