Monthly Archives: September 2019

Meticulous Maids Clean The Cottage

SwimGym with Karola

Karola went off to shop in Flaxmere while the Maids cleaned the cottage. I took Bangle for her daily walk round the orchard and then, using tractor and a small trailer, began picking up pine cones from beneath the Canary Island Pine. This being a precursor to mowing the nettles under the pine. Karola joined in when she came back from Flaxmere.

I cut back the bay tree hedge round the cottage lawn(it’s mixed with lavender and other shrubs, it is mainly bay trees) – that is, gave it a traditional New Zealand haircut, “top and sides”.

Bangle Enjoying Her Awning

Very Late Winter Pruning Of The Cottage Hedge

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—20℃ 5.0mm rain [78.91] IBOrchard

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Daylight Saving Time

Another beautiful spring day.

While we were overseas the annual windbreak trimming guy came along the avenue and trimmed the Scott’s side and the top of our tall Casurina windbreak along the south boundary. That left heaps of fronds in the Long Acre paddock next to the fence. By cutting the top of the windbreak from the other side the trimmings flew over into our paddock – which given it’s our windbreak is not a bad thing.

Today I mowed over the trimmings multiple times with the small tractor and that mulched up most of the fronds.

We got the sheep into the yards and I quietly shed the 11 hoggets, who are not supposed to have lambs this season, from the 21 ewes who are expecting. The hoggets went into the Goose paddock, the rest into the Long Acre; neither of these paddocks have been grazed for a month or more so have plenty of grass. Karola doesn’t want the lambing ewes to be harassed by the lamb-free hoggets – the first lamb could potentially arrive on 7th October.

Still Some Clocks That Do Not Change Automatically

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Over A Week Since Our Return To Hastings

Quiet day reading and enjoying the sublime sunny weather.

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Busy Morning Of Appointments

SwimGym with Karola

Then for me it was a dash back to town for my six-weekly haircut. Then half an hour later to the dentist – and bang, that’s the morning gone. Karola had her hair appointment 10:30am and then did the weekend shopping, and that filled the morning for her.

On the way out I spied two geese who had decided to escape their paddock confines and stroll down the drive so I stopped and returned them into their paddock. Meanwhile Paul Libby, our patient builder, called to find out how our homestead plans were progressing so I let him know we expect for some definitive advice about the heritage constraints before the end of the month.

Sheep contented; Bangle doing a lot of snoozing in sheltered spots outside.

Oak Avenue Weather:4℃—19℃ 0.2mm rain [78.92] IKBOrchard

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Pleasant Spring Day

Quiet day, still regenerating from the OE. Some very strong winds in gusts throughout the morning; southerlies, quite biting in the morning but pleasant late afternoon.

Spring Is Well & Truly Sprung

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Karola Visits The Eye Specialist

SwimGym

In the afternoon we went to see john Beaumont, opthalmologist, and his assistant Penny Wilson. Karola last saw them a year ago. Her proto-cateracts are a little worse but not enough to warrant surgery. When needed it’ll cost $4000 an eye and replaces the cloudy lens with an artificial one that should last a lifetime.

Lyn Sturm came round bearing a chocolate cake gift; she’s off to Australia for a few days visiting relations.

Twenty Pregnant Pauses – Lambs In The Making

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Jeremy Salmond – New Zealand Heritage Architect

Mowed the cottage lawn before it rained – just before.

Sheep pleased to be on homestead lawn and under the big oak.

Karola had an appointment with her hearing specialist today at 2:30pm. I had one at same time with my eye man.

Except that it didn’t turn out that way. I found that my appointment was for 24th October so I was exactly a month early. Almost understandable because I got an email last week saying that the appointment needed to be changed from 23/09/2019 to 24/10/2019 – and I imagined it had to be moved by a day, not a whole month.

After I left the eye doctor Karola called to say she couldn’t find the audiology building in Hastings – we had that trouble last time as it is tucked away and easy to miss. Anyway, together we found the office only to find a notice on the window saying that it was shut for the time being because the weekend arson at the railway station burned a whole lot of asbestos-contaminated cladding filling the air with deadly particle (allegedly). I rang Bay Audiology to find outywhat we were supposed to do about it only to find that they had booked Karola into their Napier office without making that clear in the appointment confirmation. We were rescheduled for 4:00pm.

So, we went home, I ran Bangle round the orchard and fed her, then we went to Karola’s 4:00pm appointment and then to Kilm in Napier for dinner as precursor to a very interesting talk by Jeremy Salmond, heritage architect, who has just one some prestigious New Zealand architects Gold Cup or similar award.

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Electric Fencing

SwimGym and the shopping, as usual on a Monday. I have foresworn the Artisan coffees and in fact any coffee at all for now, and drink only black tea until I get back to some semblance of normal.

Janet Scott called in to see how we were.

We spied a tabby cat sunning itself under the Canary Island Pine. Probably the same one I caught on film before we went overseas.

Quite a bit of walking today as I put up electric fence round the homestead lawn and the big oak and let the sheep in.

Also took down the fence round the cottage lawn, to Bangle’s relief.

Oak Avenue Weather:12℃—20℃ no rain [78.80] IKBOrchard

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Where Did The Day Go

Mowed round the edge of the homestead lawn and big oak grass ready to put up electric fence.

In the evening we watched the two remaining episodes of a UK TV comedy called “Hold The Sunset”. Despite having well known cast of good actors including John Cleese it didn’t really inspire.

Oak Avenue Weather:4℃—15℃ 0.1mm rain [79.10] IKBOrchard

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Busy Saturday

Too quick to photograph but we saw a Mallard duck and six ducklings cross the Middle paddock and scurry into the Iris next to the Goose paddock this morning. Hurried along by our geese who took against them in some display of territorial ambition.

Late morning we went for a delightful walk along the Clive wetlands, Bangle enjoying the smells and passers-by as we went for about a kilometer along the limed cycle track.

I saw the semi-feral black cat with a white bib, Cleo, AWOL from a family in Omahu Road. She was sitting outside the cottage garage and skittered into the Camellia bushes by the summer house. I hope she’s the cat that eats the catfood I put out each day.

I got some electric fence round the edge of the cottage lawn and let the sheep in as, just in the last few days, the grass has grown to be quite luxuriant.

… and it was the Rugby World Cup in the evening.

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—16℃ no rain [78.90] IBOrchard

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Wiped Out

Anthony left after breakfast

SwimGym & shopping for the weekend then crashed out, exhausted.

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Arrival Back In New Zealand

Landed at Auckland mid morning, had a few hours to kill and then whisked down to Napier where Anthony was waiting.

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In Transit Via Dubai

Airbus 380 on both legs. Stopover in Dubai not long and this time the lounge at the airport was a lot bigger, more spacious, and had more facilities and food.

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leaving scotland

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Edinburgh

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St Andrews

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to edinburgh

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British Museum Day

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photos

(From Bridget) Otterbourne Cemetery Today – Karola Helped Begin Restoring This in 1980s

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>Dave & Karola & I Spent The Afternoon At “Moon And Maybe” Cafe In Ealing

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Karola, Anna, and Me At “Carluccio’s”, Ealing For Dinner

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[2019-09-09]

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Afternoon Walk In Walpole Park

Karola & Anna Visit Refurbished “Walpole House” In Ealing

View Onto Walpole Park

Typical Tapestry

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Anna & Barney Visit Bristol – University Open Day

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Fwd: p

Film In The Park – Walpole Park, Ealing

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[2019-09-05]

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Bridget Arrives In The UK

Dave & Ian pick up Bridget from Heathrow

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Return From Boulogne

One last coffee and croissants from the shop at the bottom of the hill and then we packed up and set off for the Euro-tunnel train. We were in plenty of time and all went smoothly – the drive from the coast back to Ealing seemed to take forever but there were only a few spots of serious congestion on the motorways.

Barbara’s Front Door

The Street Where She Lives

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Second Day In Boulogne

Felix In The Gape Of Mammoth Shark Jawbone

Barbara’s Sunny Secluded Garden – Backs Onto Primary School

Ian In The Gape Of A Mammoth Shark Jawbone

First Seaside Paddle In Decades

Barbara’s Roses

Soaking Up Vitamin D

Relaxing In Barbara’s Garden

The Old Town

Anna After Her Beach Swim Scurries Back To Sunbathe

Felix Prefers The Sun Shade

Beach Huts Next To Boulogne Pier

Boulogne Acquarium – Sea Lions

Boulogne Basilica At Night

Delicious Sole Dinner – A Meal To Be Treasured

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Boulogne At The End Of Summer

Anna Outside Fruit &am; Vege Shop At Bottom Of Barbara’s Street

Felix & His Mum – Old Town Boulogne

Beautiful Old Stone Houses

Basilica

Le Jardin Ephemere

Jardin Ephemere

Old Town Ramparts

Old Fortifications

Boulogne Moat

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