Monthly Archives: February 2018

SwimGym with Karola

I took the mulcher in to Hawkes Bay Tractor Dismantlers after talking to Kerry and he agreeing that they’d see what could be done. The mechanic that received it thought the problem might be quite easy to fix but as they’re very busy at present it’ll be a few weeks.

There’s a little green door between the cubby-hole under the stairs in the cottage and out wardrobe. Bangle and her predecessor made use of the whole space, leaving copious quantities of hair on the floor and our clothes. So today I mended the catch on the little door and shut it.

I also tested the top element of the cottage hot water cylinder and I think that there was no voltage across the terminals until I hit the reset button so maybe the thermostat tripped on a hot day and all will be well now. I’ve turned off the other element so we can test this theory.

While Karola went to her Wednesday “Heart” group at the hospital, followed by shopping, I got round to doing her two-monthly GST.

Karola and Bracket went to their obedience training at 6:00pm, I did the same with Bangle for my 45 minutes at 7:00pm. Henare was at the cottage when I returned, having come for some more water and a chat. Bracket got praised for her excellent “Come”, Bangle did well at everything else but failed to “come” to my chagrin.

Oak Avenue Weather:12℃—23℃ no rain [74.9]

Had fun programming this morning. In the afternoon I rolled up 2½ kilometres of electric fence wire and let the sheep range over the whole Middle and Totara paddocks. They’ll probably have about a week there before going to the Front paddock with short spells in the One Acre, the lucerne, red clover, and plantain.

Watering the Swamp Cypress and the special Manuka and Bay trees (and Karola’s raspberries) as the rain has been too gentle and there was very little of it.

The Caravaggi chipper/shredder – otherwise known as the mulcher – got jammed a couple of times while mulching the fallen oak branches so today I tried to make sure it was unjammed and had oil, Unfortunately when I ran the mulcher without the blades to see if there was any damage to the gearing – a lot of smoke came out of the gearbox yesterday – I damaged the inside of the mulcher, where the flails shred the chipped vegetation. So now it needs professional attention or a decent burial – we shall see.

Bangle training in the morning and afternoon; dogs round the orchard in the evening.

Electric Fence Posts Neatly En-Racked

Reels Of Electric Fence Wire

Oak Avenue Weather:15℃—20℃ no rain [74.6]

SwimGym

Karola continued digging up the iris, a hardy, rhizome-rooted fleshy dark green plant with quite nice white and purple flowers and very bright orange seeds. We don’t mind it under the trees but it keeps creeping out into the open spaces and needs controlling.

It was forecast to rain in the afternoon, and it did rain a little, so I finished off the clearing of the fallen oak branches in the Long Acre before going shopping. In fact it was late afternoon when I finished so we had fish & chips for dinner.

I did a couple of spots of Bangle-training during the day and we took the dogs round the orchard after dinner.

Firewood From The Fallen Oak Branches

Fallen Branches All Cleaned Up

Oak Avenue Weather:12℃—26℃ 2.3mm rain [74.1]

Quickly became quite warm and I stayed at my computer most of the morning.

Henare borrowed karola’s lawn mower late afternoon.

Still working on cleaning up the fallen oak branches in the Long Acre, I emptied the big trailer of its load of mulch into the sheep yards and then tackled the branch still hanging suspended in the lower branches of the oak. I used the long ladder to go up and cut the branch where it was lodged in a fork. Chainsawed it up and put about half the sawn firewood in the big trailer.

After dinner we took the dogs round the orchard pretty much in the dark.

Karola gave them each a large chunk of raw cannon bone and they spent an hour or so on the lawn, delighted. I dosed each of them with Advocate – worm and flea medicine – while they were occupied.

Bangle is still 17.8kg

Oak Avenue Weather:10℃—30℃ no rain [75.1]

Slow start to the day after the excitement of yesterday. I took Roger & Anne on a short tour round the boundary and then it was time to head for the airport. They got off without incident and we wended our way back home for a relaxing afternoon – I actually slept for about three hours.

We did a little dog training first thing and again around dinner time, and took the dogs round the orchard. Bracket has a lot of energy.

I let the sheep into the last small strip of the Totara paddock and shut them out of the 4th strip. They still have the Long Acre and its many acorns though they are munching through them.

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—24℃ no rain [75.1]

SwimGym with Karola

Then mid morning I took Roger & Anne up to the top of Te Mata peak – a clear, sunny day with a cool gentle breeze so an excellent day for this. From there we went on to The Mission in Taradale where Roger had invited us to a slap-up lunch/dinner out under a parasol on the patio. Very relaxing and good food, neither too much nor too little.

Karola meanwhile took the dogs for their grooming, Bangle for her nails, Bracket for a long groom and tidy up. Karola had bathed Bracket earlier in the cottage guest shower (in the laundry).

After a long leisurely meal Karola went home to look after the dogs, Anne went to do more shopping and sightseeing in Napier city, and Roger and I played clock golf on the beach-front.

Later we had a light supper and watched one of Roger’s TV episodes of something called “Inside Number Nine”

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—23℃ no rain [75.3]

Quiet start to the day, cloudy with a hint of rain is forecast.

Lunch was at Groove in Napier – a brunch really or breakfasts at lunch time. We’d taken two vehicles and afterwards i went back hom eot the dogs while Karola guided Roger & Anne round some of the Napier sights.

After dinner Roger 7 I watched yesterdays sequence of flash-backs in chronological order, the reverse of what we saw yesterday. A number of new segues came to light where the flash-back set the scene for the following segment.

Dogs round the orchard before dinner today and with quite a bit of training thrown in.

Oak Avenue Weather:8℃—21℃ no rain [75.1]

SwimGym with Karola

Then Karola did some shopping in preparation for our guests this afternoon while I, still wiped out by the mulching frenzy after the Cooney’s lunch yesterday, slept until lunchtime.

We picked up the Hughes’s right on time from their flight from Wellington. No storm delays or cancellations unlike the forecasts.

Chatted until time for the dog obedience training. Anne & Roger joined us for that and while I was doing my stint with Bangle they got fish & chips for dinner.

Later we watched a TV episode of “Inside Number Nine”, a cleverly convoluted sequence of flash-backs, each of which provided the clues for an entirely different interpretation of the situation.

Oak Avenue Weather:10℃—29℃ no rain [74.4]

I did a bit of programming in the morning, Karola picked damsons for the Cooneys and generally got ready for the lunchtime dinner.

On the way to Hamoana, to the Cooneys, we picked up the guest of honour, Patricia Frykberg, over ninety, living in “Somerset In The Vines” retirement home, unit #65. Pat used to teach at Woodford House, taught both Karola and Lis. Pat has the mind and alertness of someone younger than us, amazing. And she’s got four children. adults now of course.

The other guests were Mark Roberts, a close boyhood friend of Pat’s son, and a retired veterinarian, and Margo McFail, a friend of Lis. They both live locally in Hamoana. It was a very enjoyable meal, Patrick, as usual, was the cook, so another thoughtful, delicious, and visually stimulating meal, no surprises there. Shortly before we left to take Pat home, Camilla, another local resident and friend of Margo and Lis, dropped in. Camilla Samper is a local artist, was a sculptor and now paints. Many of her works adorn the Cooney New Zeland home.

We didn’t get back to Karamu until nearly 5:00pm when, after another cuppa, Karola settled down to read and play with her puppy and I went out and did a couple of hours of chipping and shredding the storm-damage fallen oak branches I’ve been clearing recently. I did over half the mulching having completed the sawing of firewood some time back.

After supper – just soup and toast – we fed the dogs and took them for their training homework (in the sheep yard holding paddock) and then a walk round the orchard.

Half Filled The Big Trailer Today

Probably Did Two Thirds Of The Mulching Today

Heavy Load Of Quinces – But They’re Not Ripe Yet.

Oak Avenue Weather:17℃—31℃ no rain [74.2]

SwimGym with Karola

Quick breakfast because we had a meeting with Aaron Hing, Manager of the Napier office of Perpetual Guardian Trust – it used to be called The Guardian Trust. They are having trouble holding staff and it was publicised last week that they are going to try a four-day week to try to increase the organisation’s efficiency. It’s about Karola’s Wier Potaka Trust, well she is the primary beneficiary, and we’ve dealt with a Chris, a Stephen, a Jacob, and now an Aaron in the last couple of years. Chris left for Forsyth-Barr and we followed him there and have not been disappointed. But the thing is, Karola has been meaning to wind up the trust which ceased to have much relevance since our daughters left university many years ago. For the last ten or twenty years it’s just been a bit of money held by the Perpetual Guardian Trust who take large fees for a miniscule amount of management. Aaron seems likely to stay the course and hope to conclude the up-winding by the end of March. Aaron.Hing@pgtrust.co.nz, 21 Station St, Napier 06 974 1151 or 027 754 1422.

Meticulous Maids came and cleaned the cottage, as is their wont, every fortnight.

I finished our tax preparation and Karola took it in to the BM Accounting offices, now in Havelock North.

Mowed the cottage & curtilage lawns.

After dinner we fed the dogs then took them round the orchard; it was beginning to get cooler.

Oak Avenue Weather:20℃—32℃ 0.6mm rain [74.4]

A hot, muggy night until around 4:00am.

Started off the day with Karola & I putting in the final three half-round posts on the stump dump railings. We were expecting Henare and Scott after lunch but they didn’t turn up until almost 5:00pm. They then did a good job, one that I didn’t fancy, of taking a heap of old long bamboo poles from in front of the Casurina windbreak in the Long Acre and putting it behind them, between them and the boundary fence. That took 90 mins, then, after another cup of coffee, Henare and Scott, one mower each, did about half the homestead lawn, finishing as it was getting dark around 8:30pm.

I got round to a couple of small Sunday tasks. I removed the padlock from an old bolt, the key being long lost, by grinding through the hasp in a few minutes – very easy, why didn’t I think of that before. Also tied back the right-hand gatepost of the white gate into the cottage go-between, on the garage side. I did the other side years ago.

I did a year’s filing and polished off most of the personal tax preparation, which is pleasing.

Earthquake around 8:43pm – categorised as ‘strong’ and measuring 5.2, about 50km away and 22km down I gather.

We took the dogs round the orchard and did a little more training.

Bangle weighs 17.8kg

Karola’s Treasured, Old, Small, Damaged Fork – Missing For Weeks – Is Stumbled Over In Grass Under The Big Oak

Doing The Last Half-Round

Tying Back The Gate Post

Gate Post Starting To Sag

Henare & Scott Stacked The Old Bamboo Poles Behind The Casurina Hedge

Oak Avenue Weather:16℃—31℃ no rain [74.8]

Lovely sunny cool morning but rest of the day and evening was sultry.

I took Bangle round the orchard just after breakfast and she was much perkier than last night. I think it is just the heat and that she’s over-weight.

We are still persisting with having Bracket sleep in her crate next to Karola’s side of the bed while Bangle has her old haunts, under the stairs and on the sofa. No-one is sleeping upstairs.

And to cut Bangle’s food intake I am now taking her away while Bracket has her morning meal and giving Bangle only one meal, one cup of Nutrients, a day.We’ll see if taht helps. A quick Google says that apples are quite good for dogs, not fattening, but not too many of the cyanide-containing pips.

Karola and I decided to put in the remaining 8 half-round intermediate posts on the stump dump railings ourselves. We got four in by lunchtime and then it was too hot to continue.

Karola sat under the Liriodendron tree with Bracket, reading, most of the afternoon. I got on with our personal tax preparation.

I let the sheep into the 4th strip and shut them out of the 3rd. They still have access to the 2nd strip and Goose paddock.

Late afternoon I put in another post leaving us only three to do tomorrow morning. Of course Henare TXTed late afternoon offering that he and Scott could come round tomorrow and put the posts in, but we’ve got so far …., so we’ll find other things for Henare and Scott to do tomorrow afternoon.

We took the dogs round the orchard just as it was getting dark. Picked a Galaxy organic apple with blemish – so not for export. Delicious, crisp and sweet.

Galaxy Organic Apples Ready To Pick In Karola’s Orchard

Oak Avenue Weather:15℃—32℃ no rain [74.1]

SwimGym and later the weekend shopping. Also picked up the chainsaw I’ve given to Henare, serviced and sharpened, for him to store until winter when pruning comes round again.

Fixed a power point in the cottage garage using a new fitting from Mitre-10. Weighed myself at the SwimGym on the way into town and compared that with our bathroom scales. Karola suggested that our home scales might be very inaccurate – this came up in conversation about Bangle’s excess weight. I pick her up and weigh us both, subtracting my own weight, to arrive at the rather high Corgi weight of around 18kg. Anyway, the gym scales were within ½% of the home scales so I think that’s not bad.

Hot and muggy day. After lunch I just had a couple of little things to do to my program and then I’d be finished, for now. I did finish, and was very satisfied with it, by dinner time.

Karola made a batch of the dog “treats” recommended by our trainer at the obedience class – it involved garlic, 700g of liver, 6 eggs, and other stuff. We’ll see how it goes. The regular treats we’ve been using are very dry and unappetising.

Karola too Bracket out for some training and walking after their, and our, dinner. Bangle just was too worn out by the hot, sticky weather,

Oak Avenue Weather:14℃—28℃ no rain [73.9]

We accepted the quote for batteries to support our solar system today.

Cool overnight, really quite cool, but it made up for it all day long. Bangle is not a fan of the long hot summer days although Bracket seems oblivious.

Karola spent a while arranging and accepting social engagements for the next month – more dinners to resist I suspect.

I worked on my little Swift program – Swift is Apple’s computer language and I am just so delighted with it. My program puts a small icon up in the status bar on the Macbook Pro and with one click it changes the default printer from the usual HP one to the Canon one that prints A3 sized paper. I find myself switching about once a week to print the monthly calendar with changes and put it on the fridge.

Otherwise rather a quiet day; we took the dogs round the orchard as dusk fell.

Oak Avenue Weather:13℃—24℃ 0.1mm rain [73.9]

SwimGym with Karola

Lots going on and an enjoyable day, doing a bit of programming though our tax is due and that looms. I did spend an hour or so on background for the Middleton NZ Basic Income proposal, trying to figure out if it would work in practice.

Karola went off to her mid-day hospital “heart club” – today’s session was from a knowledgeable nurse talking about the various medicines they may be on and what they are meant to do.

Early evening we went again to dog (and trainer) obedience training at the Hastings race course.

Karola Relaxing With Bracket At Obedience Training

Bracket Meets A Border Collie Puppy

Ah, More Puppy Friends

 
 
Oak Avenue Weather:14℃—28℃ 0.2mm rain [73.8]

I finished putting up the replacement wall light next to the fridge in the cottage kitchen. The new one is all LEDs. Very bright.

Then the homestead garage door started playing up again, re-opening as soon as it had closed. No obvious way to fix it so finally I relented and took Karola’s advice, downloaded the installation manual. After that it was just a matter of time and I found the trick to make it work properly.

One of the sheep baa-ing a lot in the night was #501. She had pushed through to the 3rd strip of the Middle paddock, through the electric fence, and then couldn’t get back. So I let all the sheep into the 3rd strip and shut them out of the 1st strip, leaving them access to the 2nd strip and the Goose paddock.

Spent more time on thinking about, and emailing about, Iain’s Basic Income paper and proposal.

Apple picking in full swing today. Piles of apple boxes and machinery moving them about so we stayed well clear of the orchard today. I took Bangle round the paddocks instead. Bangle does seem to be worn down by the heat, not just by the puppy’s energy and disregard for her elders and betters.

Karola & I went to the Napier Aquarium for the 6:30pm lecture on “Plastic Pollution and Solutions in the South Pacific”. Serious issue, mildly interesting talk, abysmal questions afterwards as various local activists made long, rambling speeches about themselves and what they wanted us to do for them. Afterwards we went for dinner at Kilims with Peter & Charlotte Offenberger.

Geoff Robinson’s Lyrical Woodland Scenes

Oak Avenue Weather:18℃—27℃ 0.5mm rain [73.8]

SwimGym with Karola

Really beautiful early morning, cool breeze, bright sunshine, few wispy clouds, but it soon got rather warm, in the 30℃s before morning tea.

Seems I spent most of the day reviewing Iain Middleton’s paper on Basic Income. Before I knew it I had to dash into town for health appointment after which I took my old chainsaw, now Henare Ormond’s chainsaw, in to be serviced and sharpened. The chainsaw man said, why would you give it away, this excellent little chainsaw. He’s a cousin I said.

I also dropped in at Mitre-10 and got a replacement fluorescent light for next to the fridge in the cottage kitchen. Turns out the tubes for this fitting are seldom seen these days so I bought a replacement unit, LEDs.

At some point in the afternoon Patrick Cooney brought back the charger for the iPhone I lent them. I was upstairs working on the review for Iain, Karola was in the living room reading the paper, the dogs barked and barked when he arrived, but we took no notice. He put the equipment on the bench in the kitchen and went on his way, assuming we were out.

Dinner was leftovers from yesterday.

We walked with the dogs round the orchard after dinner. It looks as if they’ll be picking the Galaxy apples very soon.

Henare & Scott called in for more un-chlorinated water, quite late.

Oak Avenue Weather:20℃—33℃ 2.1mm rain [73.6]

Mowed the cottage lawns, including the curtilage, in preparation for our lunch guests. Karola did the last minute cooking. I took Bangle and Bracket round the paddocks.

Ian Maxwell arrived first soon after 12:00pm; Margie didn’t come as she has been unwell for several days. Patrick & Lis Cooney arrived well before 1:00pm.

We talked and lunched in fine style – Karola had put on quite a spread. Slight diversion at one point in that Ian thought he saw three sheep going down our 121 driveway. I went and checked, shut the 121 gates and looked to see that all the internal gates were shut – they all looked fine.

We counted the sheep after the guests had gone and they’re all present and correct.

Later, before a very light supper, we took the dogs round the orchard, first giving them a short amount of training in the Goose paddock.

Bangle is 18.2kg today.

Karola & Bracket

Oak Avenue Weather:21℃—23℃ 3.2mm rain [74.3]

More rain in the night and drizzle most of the day. Got some programming done, sweet relaxation. However I spent most time, continuing from yesterday, in scanning three years of New Scientist and Scientific American magazines, removing the few articles sufficiently interesting that I might eventually read them.

Karola prepared for her entertaining tomorrow – Cooneys and Maxwells

Dogs had plenty of attention including walks round the orchard and a bit more training homework.

Walking Round The Orchard In The Rain

Time For Dinner?

Oak Avenue Weather:18℃—21℃ 13.1mm rain [74.3]

SwimGym with Karola

After a hearty two-egg breakfast I did the weekend shopping.

Spent the rest of the morning on my large backlog of New Scientist and Scientific American magazines, keeping the few pages of interesting articles.

It rained last night and there were showers throughout the day but I did get the rest of the fallen oak branches cut up without getting too wet. Leaves the mulching (shredding/chipping) to do.

After dinner we took the dogs to Clive and walked along the cycle path for 15 minutes – it’s a lime track and dryer than walking round the orchard. The dogs still got pretty damp.

Decanting The Dogs At Clive

Karola Sets Off – River To Left, Wetlands Ahead

Returning At A Gallop – Bracket Damp But Forging Ahead

Bracket Has Her Eye On A Kayaker Out On The River

Oak Avenue Weather:15℃—19℃ 8.9mm rain [73.8]

Cooler day with high cloud – good for working outside.

In the morning I did a couple of hours chainsawing. I’m on the last of five large branches that fell down during the recent storm. I have made the larger pieces into firewood – about ⅔ of the way through that. Then there’ll be a bit of mulching up of the trash that’s left.

Late afternoon Karola took a trailer load of mulch and spread it in one of the sheep yard pens. She also used her lawn mower, the green one with a Briggs & Stratton engine, to mow behind the verges on the 121 driveway. Between her Rangiora on the west side and between a selection of other young trees on the east.

We took the dogs round the orchard after dinner and started the walk with a little repeat of the dog training we learned yesterday.

Most Of The Branches Are Now Firewood

Good Crop Of Acorns – The Sheep Love Them

Reminder: Impressive Pile Of Old Oak Branches We Moved Out Of The Stump Dump

A Different Sort Of Tree – Used On The Inside Cover Of “The Wilson Story”

Oak Avenue Weather:15℃—21℃ 6.0mm rain [74.8]

SwimGym with Karola

Then I did more on the almost finished railings. Lunchtime Karola had her heart rehab group at the hospital and I did shopping.

Then Karola helped me put up the rest of the railings, leaving only the half-round spacer posts to do, and Henare will probably do those if he gets time over the next week or so.

We went to the Race Track in Hastings for our dog obedience training sessions – Karola forsty at 6:00pm, them me on the course for older dogs at 7:00pm.

All The Rails Are Up

Karola At Puppy Obedience Training

Oak Avenue Weather:14℃—19℃ 0.6mm rain [74.3]

Weighed Bangle today, before her breakfast, and she was a much improved 15.5kg.

We concentrated on getting the railings up for the new fence enclosing the stump dump. Henare and Scott arrived late morning and before they arrived I sharpened spades.made up more 2-stroke fuel for the chainsaw and so on.

We were so caught up in the fencing and Henare & Scott that I forgot to bring in the rubbish bin or collect the mail – so I did those this morning.

Henare & Scott worked together today. First they put a block on the gate post strainer, then they put in one of the three intermediary strainers to hold the ends of the rails. As they were doing this Karola and I put up the gate, proving that the slam post strainer was not quite in the right place. H&S corrected that before beginning on the final two strainers and as they did that Karola & I put up the three fat rails on two of the five panels of railings. We finished that just as H&S finished their two strainers and so they were able to move on the adding the first two half-round support posts per panel. When they had completed that it was time to stop for the day.

After H&S had left, Karola & I put up the two thin rails, completing them except for the support posts. I wired up the bottom gate gudgeon so that it is difficult to take off its hinges, and added the fastener.

Like yesterday, because we had a main meal at lunchtime, shared with H&S, we had a very light supper before feeding the dogs and then taking them for a walk.

New Railings Almost Complete

Strainers In, Just Needs The Rails

Oak Avenue Weather:14℃—28℃ n0.1mm rain [72.5]

SwimGym

Henare and Scott expected mid morning so Karola and I spent the intervening time discussing the re-alingment of the railings fence for the stump dump.

Meticulous Maids were due today but since Henare and Scott were having a late, large, fish & chip lunch with us this was going to be awkward. Karola solved this by having the Maids do the Homestead today; it turned out that Bridget had left it rather dishevelled after her weekend up here minding the place, so that worked out fine.

The electric fence into the 1st strip of the Middle paddock was lifted so that the sheep could get in. They were still able to get into the 2nd strip and from there I let them into the Goose paddock. Karola wants them to have access to as much shade as possible in this hot weather. The Coral tree straddles the dividing line so that’s goodbye to all the seedling Coral trees from last year’s seeds. Ram & wether were shut in the Holding paddock for the day so we could come and go for the railings project without opening and shutting gates. I released them back into the Long Acre late evening and will probably do the same tomorrow.

Scott spent the entire day, well six hours, mowing the Homestead lawn, the parts of it that don’t get grazed by sheep or mown by me on the tractor. This included under the drip line of the Liriodendron. In the evening Scott picked up half a small trailer of firewood and then helped his Dad with strainers.

Henare put in the tow end posts of the re-aligned fence, and the gate post.

Oak Avenue Weather:12℃—30℃ no rain [74.3]

Cold night, cool and sunny morning – bit of a relief after the heat but it’s coming back, allegedly.

We took the dogs round the orchard mid morning. We found a couple of cars parked just inside our 121 gateway. They turned out to be a couple of jolly plump Pacifica mothers with their children, taking photos.

I emptied the small trailer of its load of firewood from the sawing yesterday.

I spent a couple of hours answering emails. And in the afternoon wrote a bit of code so that I can switch between the A3 Canon printer and the usual HP A4 printer with a simple click. It works and more effort may not be rewarding although I’d like to have the icons reside in the MacOS menu bar.

Late afternoon Karola and I started putting up the railings for the fence sealing in the stump dump. But we soon decided that the line of the fence and the gateway location were wrong. So when Henare and Scott come round tomorrow morning to help with the railings and mulching etc he’ll be asked to re-do all the strainer posts on that fence.

That old bus is back on the Avenue opposite our 121 gateway; I spoke briefly to the occupant – who has a pit-bull cross black & white dog. The bus was ex-Hobbiton – a hobbit bus he said, cost him $10,000 two years ago. He missed out on his job application with Mr Apple.

Went round the orchard with Bangle this evening; Karola took Bracket round the paddocks while she moved hoses.

Tonight Karola and I switch, I’ll go upstairs with Bangle for the night.

Bangle is still 17.7kg today.

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—21℃ no rain [74.8]

We tried to get some of the Canary Island pine needles off the cottage kitchen roof with limited success. I insisted on using a hose but the water pressure just wasn’t strong enough. The thin needles are caught in the mesh of the gutter guard and in the side overlaps of the corrugated iron sheets. Of course the “corrugated iron” sheets are colour steel cut to run continuously ridge to gutter so it’s the sideways overlaps that the needles stick in.

Karola took me to Farmlands to pick up the mens work shorts they’d gathered from other Farmlands stores. While there I thought of buying another can of Magnum but instead got a photocopy of the back of a can of Zap Encore. Zap both repels blowfly and kills the maggots should a strike be successful. Magnum only repels, doesn’t kill the maggots. But we have another product, Maggo, which you mix with water to make a maggot-killing mixture – I thought we should compare. Sadly the convenient fly-strike powder we used to buy is no longer allowed on New Zealand shelves.

We went from there to the Hastings Library searching for a back issue of Hawkes Bay Today. They rang later to say they’d found the issue Karola wanted.

Karola took Bracket round the orchard.

Couple of hours chainsawing fallen branches, I finished the Douglas fir in the Long Acre and got about a third of the way through the oak branches in the same paddock.

Took both dogs round the orchard.

Those Dratted Canary Island Pine Needles

Repels Flies And Kills Maggots – But Costly

Long Suffering Bangle

From The Douglas Fir – Last Bit To Mulch

Oak Avenue Weather:6℃—18℃ 1.6mm rain [74.6]

SwimGym with Karola

Then, after a rushed breakfast I went to my 9:00am appointment – the quarterly diabetes check. All A-OK there. Then off for weekend food shopping and back home in time for morning tea.

Karola is moving hoses as she waters a few of her young trees. The sprinkle of rain last night wasn’t nearly enough although other parts of New Zealand have had floods and landslides.

I worked on my “to do” list – a program called “Things”. Te task is pretty overwhelming as I have over 1000 potential tasks that I’ve gathered over the years. So many things I’d like to do.

Karola took Bracket round the paddocks. Later I took Bangle round the orchard. We’re trying a new arrangement to try and give Bangle a bit more space and attention. Karola sleeps upstairs with the puppy. I sleep in the bedroom downstairs with Bangle in the living room and the door between open. We close the sliding doors between the dining room and the living room so that the dogs are kept apart at night.

Oak Avenue Weather:14℃—27℃ no rain [74.0]

Karola drove me into Vet Services and I returned their “Time Capsule” zinc bolus applicator. I observed that the applicator was a little too short and asked how much they were – $150 – no wonder people borrow from Vet Services rather than buy their own. Then she dropped me off at Power Farming and I picked up the little Kioti tractor, service complete.

Patrick & Lis dropped in. They had a problem with the phone I’ve lent them but it turned out they were just not dialling the right codes for Australia internationally.

Karola put Magnum on all the 32 sheep and lambs (withholding for meat of zero days). I also fixed the bolt on the gate at the end of the race. Sheep were let out into the Middle paddock, strip 2 and the corridor, the idea being that if I was quick I could dig up some of the seedling Coral trees in strip 1. Fat chance. Ram and wether are in the Long Acre.

Most of the afternoon was spent working on my task organiser, “Things 3”.

Karola On Magnum Duty

Oak Avenue Weather:19℃—29℃ 6.3mm rain [74.1]