Monthly Archives: April 2018

SwimGym late morning, there was hardly anyone there.

Straight from the gym I picked up food and some stationery.

Meticulous Maids came mid afternoon and cleaned the cottage. Karola took the dogs in the car and visited Janet Scott next door while the cleaning went on

I finished my backlog of web log entries for the days we were in Dunedin. Karola helped with choosing photos.

Henare dropped in so that I could pay a vodafone bill for him online.

Oak Avenue Weather:13℃—20℃ 29.7mm rain [76.8]

Geoff went down to Unison at the end of the road and topped up the Zoe ready for their trek back to Wellington. They left shortly after 8:00am. Their trip back was pleasantly unevventful proving the viability of travelling this far north in their fully electric car. I assume we will find it even easier once our car arrives and Warehouse provide more charging points along our routes either west coast or down through the Wairarapa.

Karola and I took our respective dogs round the orchard in breaks in the rain.

We also discussed the proposed plans for the 2018 Karamu Project – what our joint aspirations for the project are. It’s possible we made progress, though it’s early days.

Bangle’s weight: 17.3kg, Bracket’s weight: 8.5kg

Oak Avenue Weather:15℃—17℃ 16.5mm rain [77.4]

SwimGym even though it’s Saturday – adjusting for missing out last Wednesday, ANZAC Day.

Breakfast with the Rashbrookes. Maddy playing with the dogs off and on all day.

Maddy, Karola and I yarded the sheep and took out the wether. We then yarded the nine hoggets, leaving ewe #536 with the broken leg and splint behind in the Long Acre. Hoggets joined the ewes and ram back in the Middle Paddock. #536 and wether together for company in the Long Acre.

We all went off to pick and pick up quince and crab apples, Maddy driving the new tractor.

Mid afternoon the Rashbrookes went off to see the Offenbergers in Havelock North and we joined up with them at the Indian restaurant at 6:00pm for dinner. Cup of tea and coffee at the Offenbergers afterwards where we admired the changes Peter and Charlotte had made with painting, plastering, and new water radiator heating powered by gas. Their house is much more inviting, quite Mediterranean in feel now.

Maddy – Land Girl

Oak Avenue Weather:12℃—19℃ 11.8mm rain [76.9]

Breakfast with the Rashbrookes in the cottage. Then we had to rush off for our haircut appointments with Kimberly at Ambience Hair Studio in Hastings. An odd looking small dog, a Chihuahua, was lying on the reception desk, Millie, the property of the proprietress I think. Size of a medium cat, face of a bear, and an attractive red fur.

I went first in the Landrover, Karola followed half an hour later. Afterwards I fuelled up with bread and vegetables at Cornucopia and also took the key for under the stairs at Karamu to be duplicated at Goddard’s Security.

Late afternoon Maddy & I took the dogs round the orchard.

After soup and toast for lunch we all went out to Peter Arthur’s place along the Taihape road and, as agreed, dug up some Raupo reeds (bull rushes) from the dam next to the cattle yards. Maddy, Geoff, and I planted them round the goos sunken bath near the farm shed. I drove the Rashbrooke Zoe electric car there and back, Karola took her Subaru and the dogs and tools.

Raupo Planted

Millie At The Hair Dressers

Gill’s Retaining Wall, Almost Complete

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—19℃ no rain [76.9]

SwimGym with Karola today instead of yesterday. Then shopping from yesterday and back to the cottage where I continued pruning back the bay tree hedge around the cottage garden railings.

The Rashbrookes arrived mid afternoon and settled in the homestead before dining with us – a delicious fish meal. We chatted until bed time. They had driven up from Wellington in their Zoe electric car, stopping in Palmerston North for 2½ hours to re-charge. Got here with 40km worth of charge left.

Autumn Cottage Garden Maintenance – Looking North

Autumn Cottage Garden Maintenance – Looking South-West

Autumn Cottage Garden Maintenance – Looking South-East

Oak Avenue Weather:1℃—20℃ 0.1mm rain [76.6]

Didn’t go to SwimGym today, ANZAC Day, partly because we weren’t sure that it would be open on a public holiday but mainly because I slept in.

Made a wooden platform, off the ground, for Bangle in her lookout post under the cottage bathroom window.

Mowed the cottage lawn and curtilage.

Started trimming the hedge round the cottage garden. Bay trees are a mixed bag, some doing very well and others hardly growing at all. The French lavender is doing well, the prostrate Rosemary not so well. Escallonia (Apple Blossom) is a straggly, rambling, invasive horror, but the Osmanthus fragrans (prickly leaf) is just what I wanted. I plan to do the autumn maintenance on the cottage garden followed by the hedge at the 133 entrance before getting stuck into the overgrowth along the eastern side of the homestead.

Henare came to pick up some offcuts of chicken netting, to make a trap for his cats who need a visit to the vet. He had his usual coffee and a chat.

I took the dogs round the orchard.

Bit of Bangle training in the morning and after dinner Karola and I watched the first two Dog Training 101 lectures again – there’s a lot in them.

Bangle & Bracket Playing

Cottage Garage – Karola Intends To Tidy It Up Before Electrician Comes Next Week

Dry Wooden Platform Added To Bangle’s South-East Lookout Shelter

Oak Avenue Weather:1℃—20℃ no rain [75.8]

Slow start but quite a productive day. Sunday’s backlog of bills and business completed. Electrician now scheduled for Thursday next week to come and install the solar batteries and the cable an plug for the new electric car. I’ve sent an email to Richard in Taupo asking when our electric car will be delivered.

Killing two birds with one stone I plan to pay for the replacement centre blade of the wood chipper using our Australian CBA current account. That way I’ll have a convenient way to pay Vin Rowe, the Caravaggi agent in Australia, and also provide activity on the account to avoid it being closed as moribund under Australian banking anti-money-laundering law.

Henare asked if he could mow the lawn so he came and did that all afternoon. Meanwhile I used the tractor to mow the part he doesn’t mow, the homestead lawn that we on occasion graze. Karola went round with her car and a trailer picking up small sticks that have accumulated over recent weeks.

I took the dogs round the orchard before dinner. We then had a short training session for each of the dogs, just before their evening meal.

Homestead Lawn Mowing In Progress

Mowing Complete – For Now

Oak Avenue Weather:2℃—20℃ 0.1mm rain [76.9]

SwimGym

Karola & I went into town to post an HDMI gadget bought online that didn’t work satisfactorily. We also bought a rather large new crate for Bracket as Karola is sure the one I bought matching Bangles size is too small. Bracket will be pleased but it is hard to fit both crates in the car now. At same time we brought two more large packets of “treats” – strips of dried chicken to be cut up into the little morsels of dog training food.

Nothing else really all day as my cold digs in and karola had a rather sleepless night due to my restlessness.

We did go through the photos from our Dunedin trip, including amalgamating the ones from my and Karola’s cameras.

B&B took us round the orchard just after the workers had left for the day.

Bridget rang. Her cold is winning, unfortunately. Sounds as if construction work is moving forward.

More Photos From Gill’s Retaining Wall

Oak Avenue Weather:1℃—18℃ no rain [76.8]

Bright sunny morning. Bridget’s cold is a bit worse; mine is not improving yet although still much better than earlier in the week.

Bridget discussed our plans for extending the homestead, suggesting a way forward to decide which of the many options open to us would suit us best. it all depends on whether we expect to move back into the homestead ourselves.

Late morning we all (minus the dogs) went to Karamu Road Bay Espresso for lunch. Bridget and family then carried on back home to Wellington.

I spent a while writing emails to Iain back in Wellington, pondering the issues he’d discussed while he was up here.

Karola & I took the dogs round the orchard.

Bangle’s weight: 17.6kg.

Oak Avenue Weather:1℃—17℃ 0.1mm rain [77.3]

Much recovered from my cold of the last four days I was up and about at the usual time today. Interesting item on Apple Growers and scarcity of pickers on the Country Life radio programme.

More good training for Bracket and Bangle today. Mostly Bridget and some Natalie.

Discussion with Bridget & Karola and Karola with Bridget re the proposed extensions to the homestead – possibly making some halting progress.

I took the three visitors and the dogs on a ramble round the property and Karola’s orchard in the morning. Bridget and the grand-daughters went to Bay Espresso on Karamu Road for their brunch. We left the dogs with Bridget and went to Napier for the afternoon, beginning with a hearty lunch at Kilim. The Middletons continued on to take a quick look round Napier including the National Aquarium, Karola and I went home.

Oak Avenue Weather:10℃—21℃ 2.7mm rain [76.8]

Iain, Gaylene, and Damodar set off at 3:00am this morning to attend iain’s forestry investment AGM in the wilds inland from Napier.

I missed SwimGym again due to my nasty cold.

Bridget, Alex, and Natalie had brunch at Bay Espresso. I stayed at home with my cold and the dogs while Karola did some weekend food shopping.

The afternoon was punctuated with training sessions for the dogs, Natalie and mainly Bridget being the trainers. Both dogs forging ahead well, in particular Bangle is now doing her “down” properly.

The Middletons were driven up to their meeting by bus from Napier and returned around 5:00pm to the car park. Meanwhile I went and got fish & chips for the assembled crowd.

We were all exhausted from the days exertions and went to bed very early.

Gill & Ben’s Retaining Wall Under Construction – 66 Seatoun Heights Road, Wellington

Oak Avenue Weather:14℃—21℃ no rain [76.8]

My cold is quite a nuisance and I do hope I don’t spread it to Bridget & her girls nor Karola.

Slow start and lunch again at Bay Espresso. Dog training sessions for both Bangle and Bracket. Watched some more of the Dog Training 101 videos in the evening. Bridget, her girls, and I took the dogs round the orchard late afternoon.

In last week or so I have been trying to get a demo of a Grillo FD450 big lawn mower with catcher. Fiendishly expensive, but less expensive than a Walker and has much larger catcher plus hydraulic lift-n-tip. It may be Karola’s answer for something that cuts and picks up, and has the mower at the front. Karola dislikes mid-mounted and rear-mounted mowers. If we don’t use a catcher it increases the dead thatch and hence the risk to the sheep of facial eczema.

There are no second-hand Grillo FD450s in Hawkes bay because, says the saleman, once bought they’re never traded in. There are several in Hawkes Bay.

Our local agent for the Grillo FD450 is Outdoor Power Ltd, 812 Karamu Road North, Hastings, 4120. )06-878-2369). Matt is in the machine shop, Trevor is the salesman who is trying to get a demo machine for us from Auckland.

The FD450 is perfect for large properties where owners want a wide cut, a top quality grass collection finish and the ability to dump the collected grass or leaf debris off-site.

The out-front floating deck allows the operator to mow into corners, under bushes and trees and offers excellent visibility. Because the deck follows the contours of the land, the mower produces a quality finish which results in a beautiful looking lawn. If you need to lift the deck to get over kerbs it’s simply a case of pushing a button to hydraulically raise it.

The FD450 collects 450 litres of grass – much larger capacity than most commercial machines and with it’s 46” out-front deck can reduce mowing time dramatically.

The FD450 offers extraordinarily good grass and leaf collection performance. Its unique deck shape and blade design produces excellent airflow which eliminates grass blocking. The three bladed cutting system and direct rear collection, operates without the need for fans or an impeller. Hydraulic dumping takes away all the hard work of emptying the grass. Simply drive up to your bin or ute/truck and tip out the grass by pushing a switch. The hydraulics takes care of the lifting and tipping functions.

The FD450 is steering wheel driven and the rear wheel steer system produces easy, tight and responsive performance – it is a pleasure to drive. Turning on full lock leaves less than 40cm of uncut grass – ideal for mowing around trees.

The FD450 features differential lock to increase traction on the driving wheels and a pivoting rear wheel axle to increase stability over uneven ground. The parallelogram deck support keeps the cutting level uniform at all cutting heights. The deck cutting height can be adjusted steplessly by means of an electric switch.

Blade engage is by means of an electric clutch. A quick release lever enables the cutting deck to be released so that it can be raised to the vertical position for easy maintenance. A hose washing port allows for easy deck cleaning after use.

Technical Data:

• Engine: Briggs & Stratton Intek 7220 Professional Series V-Twin
• Electric start with 12 V battery
• Supply fuel: Petrol
• Displacement: 656 cc, 2 Cylinders
• Power: 22 HP (16.2 kW) @ 3300 rpm
• Torque: 38.7 Nm @ 2800 rpm
• Air cooled
• Dry air filter
• Fuel tank capacity: 17 litres (reserve tank 2.5 litres)
• Drive: K66 hydrostatic transmission 1” shaft with in-built differential locking
• Clutch: Electromagnetic PTO clutch with magnetic blade brake
• Cutting Deck: Out-front cutting deck with collection and direct discharge. Solid, puncture proof deck wheels. Water port for cleaning
• Cutting deck configuration: 3 non-timed rotating blades with external reinforcement on deck
• Cutting deck width: 1190 mm
• Cutting width: 1130 mm
• Cutting height: Step-less electric cutting height adjustment from 25 to 90 mm
• Grass collector capacity: 450 litres with full grass catcher automatic blade disengage when bin is full.
• Grass collector discharging system: Direct collection, no fan.
• Grass-catcher bin and high-lift hydraulically operated.
• Movements are activated through electric buttons. The grass-catcher bin door is automatically activated.
• Maximum Hi-Lift discharging height: 1500 mm
• Rear projection: 570 mm
• Differential locking: Mechanical within hydrostatic gearbox with on demand foot pedal control
• Front tyres: 20×10.0-8 Turf wheels
• Rear tyres: 15×6.0-6 Turf wheels
• Steering system: Steering wheel with rack and pinion. Rear wheel steer, forward and reverse gear engaged through foot pedal
• Speed: 0-11 km/h (forward) and 0-6 km/h (reverse) through foot pedal control
• Inner turning radius: 30 cm
• Drivers Seat: Dampened, adjustable by means of a lever
• Parking brake: Disk brake
• Deck lift: Electric button
• Mowing capacity per hour (indicative): 8,000 m2/hr
• Accessories in series: Tow bar, a Mulching kit is an optional attachment
• Length: 2680 mm
• Width: 1190 mm
• Height: 1450 mm
• Weight: 385kgs

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—21℃ no rain [77.5]

No SwimGym today as I have a nasty cold, probably picked up on the trip to Dunedin via several airports.

Emailed David Sampson with photos and a few words about the orchards he’s interested in.

Finished the chores from last Sunday

Lunch with Bridget et al at Bay Espresso

Bridget did a proper training session with Bracket and I followed that with one for Bangle. I was surprised and delighted how responsive Bracket was. Bangle already has the basics so I focussed on her “down” which she finds hard to understand because her legs are so short she’s almost “down” standing up.

Fish & Chip dinner

Oak Avenue Weather:1℃—19℃ 0.6mm rain [77.1]

Bridget is “working from home” here until mid afternoon each business day.

I went out with the dogs looking at a couple of orchards for the Smapson’s, IDS members we re-met in Christchurch airport where he talked about a coupe of Hawkes bay orchards he was considering investing in.

I also picked up the sharpened wood chipper blades, and some singlets from Farmers department store, a loaf of fresh GF bread, and a leg of lamb plus other food for the family tonight.

Karola, Bridget and the grand-daughters had lunch at Bay Espresso on Omahu Road. Later Natalie and Alex played table tennis on our swish table out on the drive – for a while there was no breeze at all.

Quite a lot of rodent and possum activity seems to have started up while we were away. I reset one of the rat traps.

In the afternoon I started the old Fergie – I had left its battery on the charger all the time we were away and to my delight it started first pop. I then took it to HB Tractor Dismantlers and picked up the Caravaggi wood chipper aka mulcher now all fixed. The Fergie top speed seems about twice that of the new Kioti tractor, that’s why I prefer to use it for the longer trips. I put the sharpened blades on and tried it – all working well.

We did some, just a little, dog training using the new techniques from my 12-hour video course.

Bridget, Alex, and I walked the two dogs round the orchard.

Gill sent photos of the work in progress at her place. The posts are 10 inches thick, quite massive.

Work Progressing On Garden Walls At 66 Seatoun Heights Road

ORCHARDS VISITED BRIEFLY TODAY

1691 Korokipo Road

Google satellite is a year or more old – looks like the trees are maybe 2 years old and that they stretch right down to the river. This years apples have been picked. I’m no expert at all but from the ones left on the ground they look like Pacific Queens.

67 Tollemache Road West

Oak Avenue Weather:8℃—25℃ no rain [77.3]

SwimGym although I suspect I’m getting a cold.

Monday food run and pottering about until Bridget and grand-daughters Natalie and Alex arrive.

We watch some of the Dog Training 101 videos together.

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—22℃ 10.9mm rain [?]

Arranged for the shuttle to pick us up at 12:30pm at the Mercure Dunedin Leisure Lodge (the motel). The Sampsons, David and Noline, were also travelling to the airport on the same shuttle.

We gathered at the Information Centre in the Dunedin Botanical Gardens after breakfast and checking out. From there we had half the morning going round the lower gardens, guided by the curator. After refreshments at the cafe we continued on into the upper garden led by IDS member and “Collection Curator” for the gardens, Dylan Norfield. Seeing a sign for the aviary I hared off up the hill to see it.

After about an hour at the top end of the gardens I tried to rejoin the group only to find that Karola, fearing we might be late for our plane, had set off down to the cafe, assuming I’d end up there. I ran down to the cafe only to find sh’d gone, I assumed back to the motel. Then it got a bit tricky because I wasn’t sure of the route back to the hotel nor which gardens entrance we’d entered by. But I struck it lucky and was quickly reunited with Karola and the luggage in plenty of time for the airport shuttle.

Bangle’s weight: 16.9kg.

Dunedin Botanical Gardens – The Lower Gardens

Pagola Leading To The Japanese Garden Of Tranquility

Oak Avenue Weather:10℃—16℃ 1.6mm rain [?]

What an exciting day.

As expected we went by bus out into the wilds north of Dunedin to the Orokonui Eco-Sanctuary.

Orokonui Ecosanctuary, called Te Korowai o Mihiwaka in Māori, is an ecological island wildlife reserve being developed by the Otago Natural History Trust in the Orokonui Valley near Waitati, New Zealand, 20 km to the north of central Dunedin (Wikipedia)

https://orokonui.nz

The Orokonui Story

Orokonui Ecosanctuary is the flagship biodiversity project for the South Island where multiple species of plants and animals are protected from predators. A predator fence surrounds 307 hectares of Coastal Otago forest, pests have been removed, habitat enhanced with weed control and planting, and many rare and endangered species re-introduced.

Our vision: A healthy, self-sustaining ecosystem, free of all introduced mammals and comprising indigenous species that are appropriate to the Orokonui forest, where people can enjoy a peaceful encounter with nature, and from which they may take recreation, refreshment, new knowledge, new skills and a new commitment to conservation.

The Medical Emergency at Orokonui Eco-Sanctury

Our group was shepherded through the predator-proof fence, very like the one at Zealandia in Wellington. We began by visiting Takahe in their enclosure and bird feeding stations near the Visitor’s centre at the top of the sanctuary. As we found out later, the plan was then to scramble down a track to the bottom of the sanctuary, an hour away (on a good day), past a grove containing the tallest trees in New Zealand (eucalypts). Neither Karola nor I knew of this plan, nor that it included the bus picking everyone up at the bottom. Unfortunately, well it turned out better than expected for us, Karola decided to return from the bird feeding stations and lookout back to the visitor centre to wait for the bus there. One old codger followed Karola, like me thinking she knew the plans.

After a coffee and half an hour when no-one else came back, I enquired of reception where everyone was. Looks like we were stranded, and without cell phone coverage, so Karola commandeered an unsuspecting visitor with a car to take us to the bottom by road, a 15 minute drive.

Our tardy arrival was un-noticed. The bad weather and frailty of many of the IDS members meant that the slower members were probably going to take a couple of hours for the transit. Then we learned that someone in the group needed medical attention. Someone (not on Vodafone, obviously) got a message out to call for an ambulance. Returning up the track was not an option, it was too steep and slippery, but the gate at the bottom is one-way only, you can get out but getting in requires a key. So the ambulance guys would be stalled at the bottom entrance until someone came down to let them in. The small knot of IDS members at the bottom with us had left the sanctuary so could not get back in to help.

So Chuck, a local IDS member, drives me up to the visitor centre, 15 minutes away by car, to get a key. I stay as liaison at the visitor centre and Chuck takes the master key back down. I hear later that it’s the wrong key. Meanwhile up at the top the ambulance arrives. One enquires mildly why they don’t go straight to the bottom and rescue the patient. Ah well, it turns out that, as the incident is in rugged terrain up on this muddy, steep, slippery track, police Search & Rescue have been requested and the ambulance is not allowed to take further action except under control of the police team. So we’re waiting for the police.

The police eventually arrive and as I get a lift back to the bottom I see they are in conference with the ambulance crew, but nothing is actually happening. I also hear later that a helicopter rescue had been contemplated but the bush is so thick that winch rescue was impractical. Also, I hear that the all-terrain vehicle tracks in the sanctuary don’t join up with the walking track except at the top and bottom.

All quite exciting and every move making one very pleased not to be the one needing rescue. While we at the bottom waited for a police truck or ambulance, and preferably both, to arrive, the patient arrived with his wife on the back of a farmer’s ATV – quad bike. He had fainted and slipped but was otherwise unharmed. Four of the more able-bodied of the IDS team had somehow breached the sanctuary defences – how we don’t know – and found a wheel barrow in a neighbouring farm shed. Its wheel was broken so they used it as a bath and man-handled the bath with the patient in it to the nearest quad-bike accessible track on the neighbouring farm. The farmer picked up the patient and his wife and took them out.

By the time this was all over, and the ambulance arrived with police and medics to check the injured party, everyone had struggled down so we continued with programme for the day.

1. Orokonui Eco-Sanctury:

2. Chuck Landis’ Garden

Long Stretches Of Tall Manicured Macrocarpa Hedges

Chuck Shows Us A “Monty’s Surprise” Apple From His Garden Orchard

View Across The Valley From Convalescent Home To The Church

Shed Embedded In Macrocarpa

3. Dylan & Jo Norfield’s Garden

Zip-Line Aka Flying Fox

IDS Members Scramble Eagerly Up Into The Garden

Then the joint evening meal at Glenfalloch garden.

Oak Avenue Weather:10℃—13℃ 3.6mm rain [?]

After breakfast off we went in the coach plus minivan – 70 people all told including quite a large Australian contingent. Many familiar faces.

1. John & Gretchen Henderson’s garden:

Raised bed Vegetable Garden – South

Adjoining Water Reservoir And Cachment – North

Front Drive To The North-East

Formal Plantings – East

South-East Corner

2. Ashburn Clinic:

This was known as Ashburn Hall in 1960s – I had a penfriend there, Pauline Bendall, when I was in 5th form at school.

Publicity Photos

Tallest Cabbage Tree In The World – Allegedly

3. Peter & Anna Cooke’s garden, Hereweka:

Secluded Hillside Retreat

4. Margaret Barker’s Larnach Castle:

A Profusion Of Heathers, Sun On Sandstone, Castle In Background

Karola, In Her Element

We returned to the motel from Larnach Castle to change and then be bussed back to the castle for the IDS NZ branch AGM and a banquet.

A Banquet Table Seating 70 Or More

Oak Avenue Weather:10℃—18℃ no rain [?]

We went to Olveston Historic Home for a one hour guided tour this morning. It’s a couple of kilometres away and the taxi fare was under $9 – about half that in Wellington. Karola found it interesting. Took photos of some big old trees in the grounds.

Then we tromped along on foot down to George’s street – the Heretaunga street or Queen street of Dunedin.

Went to delightful second hand book shop called Hard To Find Bookshop (it wasn’t) then to several clothes shops looking for pure wool ladies trousers for Karola. No-one seems to stock them but we were lucky in finding one shop that did.

Walked back to the motel and slept for an hour, knackered. Now up and awake and ready for food and more of my video lectures in the excellent and eye-opening course called “Dog Training 101”.

Mural Spotted By Karola On A Dunedin Side Street

Grand Old Historic Olveston House

Magnificent Trees At Olveston House

Lime Tree

Japanese Maple

Dunedin Fine Trees – Old Macrocarpa Near The Dunedin Octagon

The Church Plaque By The Macrocarpa

Dunedin Fine Trees – Large Birch

Knox Church

Oak Avenue Weather:8℃—17℃ 0.1mm rain [?]

SwimGym in quite a rush as we had to set off soon after 9:00am to drop off Bracket at the kennels ion Meeanee and get to the airport for an 11:00am flight to Christchurch.

As Karola predicted, our flights were cancelled due to bad weather around the country but Air New Zealand automatically rebooked us on a later flight via Wellington – which departed not so late and got us to Wellington airport despite strongly buffeting winds and torrential rain.

We had several hours in Wellington before our one ward flight to Dunedin and whiled it away listening to a litany of cancelled flights and delays. At one point there was a roar as a major hailstorm thundered onto the roof of the airport main concourse causing people to rush to the windows to see what was going on.

After a delay, and then another delay, and yet another delay we actually boarded our flight to Dunedin. The flight wasn’t even particularly full. We’d left home before 9:30am and arrived at our morel in Dunedin around 7:00pm, quite a long day but mostly just sitting around.

Once at the motel we had dinner and I listened to a couple more of my video lectures from “Dog Training 101”.

Snow On The Ruahini Ranges – From Napier Airport Departure Lounge

Napier Airport – Waiting For Our Flight

Oak Avenue Weather:5℃—12℃ 1.2mm rain [75.4]

Karola took Bracket over to the kennels (Pets2Us) in Meeanee for a free “play day” to get her acclimatised to the kennels. I mowed the cottage lawn – just in time as it began to rain in earnest a few minutes after I finished.

Later, in the rain, I finished the raking and picking up of “thatch” from the grass area under the old plum tree.

Karola picked up Bracket around 3:00pm and got some steak as a treat on the way home.

Just as it was getting dark we fed the dogs and I took Bangle in the Landrover up the Taihape road for 40 minutes to drop Bangle off at Tracey & Graham’s place. We’d decided not to burden them with Bracket as she is a young energetic destroyer and a pretty effective runner-off if not within a house or enclosed garden. That’s why Bracket is at the kennels from tomorrow until Monday.

We’re pretty much packed and ready to go in the morning.

Late evening it’s still raining.

Oak Avenue Weather:6℃—13℃ 31.4mm rain [75.8]

SwimGym with Karola

After breakfast I rushed to Bay Espresso and, at karola’s request, bough friands and scones for our arriving visitors.

They arrived shortly before I returned and we had a sociable morning, showing them some of the sights and our plans.

After they left for Wellington I tried to take the mulcher to Hawkes bay Tractor Dismantlers in Barnes Place off Omahu road. But the old tractor still wouldn’t start despite the battery being fully charged according to the charger LEDs. So Karola helped me switch the mulcher to the new tractor and I set off, returning in an hour, mission accomplished. They are to attend:

• new cover for the PTO shaft
• mend the oil leak where the shaft enters the mulcher gearbox
• diagnose and if possible fix the terrible clattering noise as the mulcher gets up to speed.

The mechanic also confirmed what I’d found out experimentally, that the Fergie expects the battery +ve and -ve to be connected to the -ve and +ve cables respectively – apparently this is common on older machinery.

Karola then drove me into Hastings for the Monday shopping:

• PGG Wrightsons to order grass seed for under the big oak
• Chemist to get refills of “Go” 500mg Magnesium capsules and Karola’s “Clinician” sleeping tablets containing magnesium, extract of asparagus and many other potent ingredients in rather small portions.
• Animates to buy a small bag of “senior” dog biscuits and another collar for Bracket – she who devours collars and leads and shooes … the list is endless.
• New World for a few groceries
• Saw Doctors (Gerald has sold the business to his brother in law Sean) to get the mulcher blades sharpened. Sean noted that the central blade is cracked so I need to get a replacement soon.

Shortly after we got back I saw Brian Cope striding down our drive. His ride-on mower had got stuck going down the edge of the road on the avenue close to our 121 entrance, it had slipped sideways into the shallow ditch. Using the new tractor and snig chain we soon pulled him out.

Then I mowed the cottage curtilage grass – along the east side of the cottage, under the clothes line, and the teardrop lawn in front of the cottage garage.

We took the dogs round the perimeter – Totara paddock, One Acre, Front paddock, and Middle paddock. Not the orchard today because, even though it was 6:00pm, there seemed to be work going on in the orchard.

Work Starts On The New Retaining Wall At Gill & Ben’s

Oak Avenue Weather:13℃—24℃ no rain [75.3]

Henare found that the orchards were not picking today so he TXTed to see if we had any odd jobs. What luck, I have been steeling myself to rake up the heavy thatch and mown grass under the big oak and Henare could help (that is, do most of it).

Fixed Karola’s two Adirondack chairs. Each has two wooden pegs that are just pushed into holes to keep the chair upright. Once removed the chair folds for easy storage and transport. Karola thinks that as the chairs are quite old and worn, the pegs might fall out precipitating a nasty incident for the person trying to sit down. So I drilled small holes near the end of each peg and, after inserting the peg, poked a wire through and bent it. Problem solved.

Took the blades off the mulcher so that I can get them sharpened and in parallel get the oil leak fixed, a new PTO protector cover made, and the loud clattering inside the mulcher diagnosed this week, before we go to Dunedin for the IDS trip.

Bangle weighed 17.1kg today; she weighed 16.9kg on the scales at the Vets last Thursday so that seems consistent. I clipped Bangles toes with the sheep foot-rotting shears as they were getting quite long.

Henare and I raked the ground under the big oak, finishing the side nearest the cottage before lunch. After lunch Henare continued. I loaded the rakings onto the big trailer and took it to Karola’s “bund” We ended up with two and a half loads for the whole area under the big oak. Not including Karola’s earlier effort that took away four loads in a small trailer. I re-mowed the raked area and then Henare sowed it with grass seed. At some point during this I helped Karola add mulch and bang in standards for her Candelabra and two kauri trees in the Middle paddock.

After Henare left around 5:00pm I went to Omahu Caltex and filled up the Landrover as well as getting two containers of diesel for the tractors. I then mowed the 121 driveway to the cottage and the rough lawn behind the homestead garage.

Karola took the dogs round the orchard. She saw that I was still mowing the driveway (121 entrance) as dusk fell.

One Trailer-Load Of Grass Detritus

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—20℃ no rain [75.8]

We discussed the homestead extension plan and I made changes to the homestead model based on Karola’s comments and wishes.

Meanwhile Karola spent much of the day making the largest tree guard yet, for her Candalabra tree out in the Middle paddock.

We went off to see a film with Charlotte & Peter and Peter’s sister, Annette at Event Cinemas in Havelock North. We all enjoyed the film, Finding Your Feet, and had dinner afterwards at the Namascar Indian restaurant across the road from the cinema.

The dogs, who were fed before we left and whom Karola had taken round the orchard earlier, were ecstatic when we returned around 10:30pm.

Oak Avenue Weather:__℃—__℃ no rain [74.8]

SwimGym with Karola

Back to the problem of having no Internet connection from the cottage since I re-connected all the audio-visual stuff, replacing the HDMI matrix switch, last night. I would cheerfully swear in court that I had not unplugged any cable from the socket marked LAN B, that it had been unoccupied when I noticed there was no Internet in the cottage. But, this morning, when I wrote and performed a careful list of steps to take in testing for a live cable, lo, LAN B was live and was the lone to the Internet gateway router in the homestead cottage. Internet restored, everything I tried just worked.

Then weekend shopping.

I got a call late morning and it sounded a bit like Campbell Ewing. The voice said they were going to drop in briefly, something about New Plymouth (which is five hours away), and a cardigan belonging to Karola. Be there in about half an hour, the voice said.

Turns out it was Noel & Jenny Hendery, which made much more sense.

I was expecting a demo of MetalForm’s Tow-and-Collect Pro 1500 this afternoon but the sales person called and cried off. She had clearly indicated that she didn’t want to come in earlier conversation, she was covering for the guy I first spoke to who is on a trip to Australia this week. I am pretty annoyed about that, stringing us along that they would be coming then phoning with a (phoney) last minute excuse.

Fed the dogs and took them round the orchard as usual.

The Wall Of Many Sockets

Oak Avenue Weather:8℃—24℃ no rain [75.8]

Karola rushed off first thing taking Bracket to be groomed. Several hours later they returned and Bracket has been washed and her eyebrows and other parts trimmed – she’s as white as a sheep.

Backed up my computer and Karola’s computer. This takes a few hours but mostly unattended.

At last I changed the washer for the hot tap in the homestead downstairs bathroom. There is no accessible tap at the cylinder so I just turned on all the hot taps (the cylinder isn’t on at present) and changed the washer with water gushing. Made slightly more exciting because the washers I have are too small and I had to rush down to the local plumbing supplies shop and buy one of the right size.

Finished setting the clocks back now that summer time is over.

We took the dogs round the orchard early because it looked a bit like rain.

In the evening I disconnected all the audio-visual devices in the corner of the cottage living room and replaced the matrix switch. To my surprise and delight the stuff seemed to all work – except that the Internet connection doesn’t work any more. I spent an hour or so trying every combination of wires and sockets but to no avail.

Clean Green Bracket

Oak Avenue Weather:6℃—24℃ no rain [76.1]

SwimGym – late. Karola and dogs waited in the car and then we did the mid-week food shopping.

Called Peter Offenberger and we’ll all go to a showing of the film Finding Your Feet later this week.

Called Bridget at MetalForm in Dannevirke and she plans to bring out a demo machine for us to try on Friday afternoon.

Meticulous Maids came late afternoon.

I mowed a strip round the perimeter of the One Acre – the lucerne, plantain and red clover paddock of reserve feed for winter (and summer droughts). Also mowed a large patch near the fence with the Totara paddock that is heavily infested with Californian thistle.

Off to the last of the current course of Dog Obedience at the Hastings Raceway.

Oak Avenue Weather:5℃—26℃ no rain [75.6]

Landrover fixed by AA. Surprisingly uncomplicated to arrange and AA was here within the hour. It was a flat battery so I was surprised I failed to jump start it last night.

Natalie did some driving in the Landrover before it went into the cottage garage for a couple of days battery charging. I thank Bruce Utting for convincing me to get a good charger – same as I thank Campbell Ewing for introducing me to the pleasures and uses of a hand-held grinder. And our bent crowbar reminds us of Campbell – he bent it working with a giant block of marble when staying with us in Winchester many years ago.

Alex did mowing with the tractor.

Bridget helped with the concepts for the homestead extension and I finished the model (at last). I may smarten it up a bit but it’s OK for showing Karola and the builder and the architectural draughtsman (Ruth). The drains from the upstairs bathrooms concerns me a bit – how to route them down and out.

We all, (except the dogs), went to Rush Munro for a final ice cream.

Karola and I took the dogs round the orchard after their dinners. Natalie & Alex attended Bracket several times – walks and games and cuddles.

Alex At Rush Munro’s – Chocolate Sundae

Alex Zooming Along – Mowing In The Totara Paddock

Screen Shots Of The Homestead Extension Proposal

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—26℃ no rain [75.1]

SwimGym

More homestead modelling with suggestions and observations from Bridget.

We all (except the dogs) went out to Bay Espresso for a filling lunch – over on Karamu Road, near the golf course.

Natalie and I also did a short stint on grass raking but it was a bit hot so we stopped pretty quickly.

Bracket got taken for several walks and later I did take Bangle round most of the orchard.

Landrover stopped working – electrical fault I think.

Chris went off on the 5:00pm flight back to Wellington. Bridget et al return later tomorrow.

Oak Avenue Weather:6℃—24℃ no rain [75.8]

I plugged away at the model today. Natalie did another couple of hours mowing. Bridget & Alex went round and round the big oak in the Landrover.

Karola took the dogs round the orchard as well as cooking us a large lamb roast dinner – delicious.

Bangle weighed 17.7kg today.

Natalie Hard At Work Mowing

The Result – Park-Like As Planned

Alex Practices Her Driving With The Landrover

Oak Avenue Weather:5℃—21℃ no rain [75.4]