New Years Eve and the end of a pretty chaotic miserable year for many. So now looking back at the superb holiday we had with Anna’s Bubble back in late 2019, just before everyone’s bubbles burst with COVID 19. Bridget came over to England too, visiting some of her old friends from the 1980s. She came with us up to Edinburgh and St Andrews, (Felix Uni), as did Anna’s partner Dave Moss.

Meanwhile, back from the pleasant memories of yester year, the new year beckons. Still eight chicks, now looking like small replicas of their mother.

As a treat, (yeah, right!), Mark scanned through a few dozen of my 100s of surveillance camera shots, looking for anything remotely interesting. Later he began tidying up the boundary trees by cutting them back to the inner fence line so we can comfortably walk round the perimeter, just inside the four-metre wide boundary plantings.

Summer’s Day In Walpole Park, Ealing (courtesy Anna)

And A Photo From Edinburgh, September 2019

Youngest Grandson Barney, Now At Durham Uni

French Food – Not (At) All Bad

Oh That Delicious Sole – Boulogne September 2019

St Andrews, September 2019

Ah, Munsen’s In Ealing

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—22℃ 0.5mm rain [75.73] TdT TdO eggs=3 Mark=4

Checks the possum cage traps that Mark baited last night only to find a small hedgehog in one, about 120mm long, so I let it out.

Shopping day again. Fruit Fed for 50 metres 13mm alkathene pipe and 30 4-litres/hour drippers – for Mark’s extension to the watering system south of the 133 gateway. Young yew trees and a few red beech.

Next to Farmlands but they didn’t have any 10-30 oil for the Grillo. They did have 20kg bags of wheat so I got one. Then New World for groceries and Mitre-10 for 4 litres of the 10-30 oil, and home.

Mark came and finished mowing under the big oak tree. He checked the Grillo oil, topped it up. By the time he finished the oil had disappeared and small whisps of smoke were coming out of the oil filler – not good. I called Craig at Outdoor Power and he’ll get it picked up next week for a serious look. For now we have no Grillo mowing.

Most of the order of outdoor presents I bought online from TradeTested several weeks ago came today. Comprising a rugged waxed canvas tool-bag for Karola, another set of folding steps chosen because of the sturdy handrail that I think is valuable for older people, a very strong hand-cart ideal for loads up to 300kg, (four Ian-sized loads), manoeuvrable and more stable than a wheel barrow. Lastly a retractable awning I hope will keep the Landrover cooler when parked on the new hard-stand in the summer sun.

The Waxed Canvas Tool Bag

Step Ladder With Hand Rail

Garden Cart

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—23℃ 0.1mm rain [75.77] TdT eggs=4 Mark=4

The sheep having danced on the netting lids of the raised bed herb gardens, they needed repair. Mark finished this early afternoon and went on to begin mowing the lawn under the big oak.

Meanwhile Gill sent more information about our ancestors, some details are shown below. Clicking on the portions of family tree will enlarge them; you use the browser back button to return to this journal entry.

William Whiteman Carlton Topley FRS

Born in 1886, died 21 January 1944), Carl Topley was a British bacteriologist. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1930.He gave the Goulstonian Lectures in 1919 and the Milroy Lectures in 1926. He was awarded the Royal Medal in 1942.

Partial Family Tree For W W C Topley

Wilson Armistead

Born 30 August 1819, died 18 February 1868, Wilson Armistead was a British Quaker merchant, slavery abolitionist and author from Leeds, in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

He led the Leeds Anti Slavery Association and wrote and edited anti-slavery texts. His best known work, “A Tribute for the Negro” was published in 1848 in which he describes slavery as “the most extensive and extraordinary system of crime the world ever witnessed”.

According to prominent African-American abolitionist William Wells Brown “Few English gentlemen have done more to hasten the day of the slave’s liberation than Wilson Armistead”

Partial Family Tree For Wilson Armistead

Betty Topley – W W C Topley’s Daughter – Nigerian Honorary Chieftain

Oak Avenue Weather:12℃—20℃ no rain [75.94] TdT eggs=3 Mark=4

I had quite a lot of yesterdays tasks spill over into today, bills, emails, and the like.

Mark came, somewhat to our surprise as it’s a public holiday here, a Boxing Day substitute for when Boxing Day falls on a weekend. The lambs have delighted in jumping onto the raised beds and ruining the netting intended to keep them out; clearly we need to fortify the netting to stop it giving way under their trampolining, so Mark spent the afternoon on that.

Friend Geoff Robinson sent me a photo of the lorry chaos caused by French border closure due to the more infrctious strain of Covid-19 recorded in the UK. As Geoff remarked, it’s because we’re testing and analysing many times more cases than the other major European countries – so it’s probably been swirling around there undetected for weeks.

Repurposed WWII Airfield As French Lorry Park

Oak Avenue Weather:8℃—17℃ no rain [75.76] TdT eggs=3 Mark=4

Got photos from Natalie’s tramp in the Tararua mountains at the top of the Hutt Valley, up Mount Holdsworth, in early December. They went way above the bush line but also had lots of walking along delightful bush tracks. Chris and other adults went with them but they planned, organised, managed, and guided the group.

Took Bangle and picked up Karola from Napier airport. Plane was 30 mins late but Bridget kindly rang and let me know. Napier airport is a shambles and I spent that 30 mins waiting for Karola in “departures” but finally realised that no-one was coming in and got professional advice – “Arrivals” is a separate terminal nearby.

Consternation as I tried to pay for the parking – I cannot understand the machines, well it takes me a while and when the queue behind me are jostling to do something they’ve done many times before it all gets a bit fraught. Also the machine I ended up in front of was peculiarly small and near the ground so I had to crouch down to do the Apple Pay thumb touch thing. Not relaxing.

Nice to have Karola home again and get back to normal including the Tour de Twyford bike ride.

Natalie & Co On “Duke of Edinburgh” Tramp High On Mount Holdsworth

Multi-Lingual Road Sign

Natalie’s Tramp

Oak Avenue Weather10_℃—18℃ 0.1mm rain [75.87] TdT eggs=4

Day began well with up and breakfasted and avians fed by soon after 6:00am. Then the GREAT GAME with Anna & Dave & Felix in Ealing. Anna had done her homework and had a very suitable game today – great fun. Tangently related to “Call My Bluff” and a good one for playing across a video link.

Pleasant chats with Gill and with Karola during the day so not lonely or alone at all.

I did fix my Withings Smart Scales which was refusing to send the weights up to the cloud. Seems like it was batteries again even though I replaced them only a few weeks ago. The scales work locally on almost flat batteries but don’t send the results. I only convinced myself of this by measuring the state of the relatively new batteries from the scales only to find them almost flat.

Four eggs today, the most we’ve had in months. But the hens are pretty vicious with the chicks, especially the mother. Piercing shrieks from the chicks when they’re pecked for getting too close or trying to grab grain from under a hen’s feet. Weirdly this doesn’t seem to deter them because they’re back agin within seconds, tripping up the hens as they dart in and out of the feeding melee.

Matriarch Ewe #209 – Karola’s Favourite, Born In 2002

Dave Setting Up The FacetTime Session In Ealing

Oak Avenue Weather:__℃—__℃ no rain [75.78] TdT-ish eggs=4

TXTs now and then from Karola in Wellington and an hour of FaceTime with Anna’s bubble in Ealing. We played a game Anna concocted and the time went quickly. Unfortunately for me the younger men and Anna were considerably more agile when it came to answering the questions. Then another FaceTime with Bridget’s bubble in Wellington just before lunch for their Christmas present-giving. Gill rang and TXTed a couple of times and then Bridget, Karola, and I chatted on the phone late at night.

I got plenty of programming done and delighted in the weather and the surroundings.

Oak Avenue Weather:13℃—26℃ no rain [75.90] TdT-ish eggs=1

Craig from Outdoor Power came round with oil for the Grillo and a discussion. e don’t know what’s wrong yet but it’s definitely using too much oil. Not a leak in the casing and not coming into the air filter. I am to check regularly and top up if it needs it. Proper inspection to find out where the oil is going is big job and would have to wait until the new year. Parts are going to be a problem for everyone, especially for machines that are uncommon in Hawkes Bay, like our Grillo.

Late afternoon I did mow the cottage lawn and a couple of gateways which were choked wth long grass. I checked and the oil level was pretty much empty so I refilled.

Happily programming much of the day. Bangle and I did go along the stop bank, 1.75km upstream and 1.75km back. Not a living soul on the path. There’s a fence post at 1.5km which I intend to make our end point for tomorrow.

Call in the evening from Geoff Rashbrooke to wish us all a Happy Christmas.

I’m letting the sheep graze under the big oak overnight but they don’t seem that bothered. Shutting the chooks in at night and letting out at about 6:00am in an attempt to motivate them to learn how the chooketeria works. Some seem to have grasped it when there’s a peg holding the lid up a smidgen – but then the sparrows still get in. They need to open it from fully closed.

Karola TXTed several times and seems to be enjoying the Christmas break with Bridget’s Bubble in Wellington.

Sheep Initially Rush In But Soon Get Bored

Mown Cottage Lawn Looking Neat And Tidy

Oak Avenue Weather:10℃—26℃ 0.4mm rain [75.77] TdT-ish eggs=3

Karola packing for her trip so I did the shopping myself today. Went early and expected it’d all be over quickly, but ….

The council have decided to cone off one lane of the local round-about on the expressway – queues in all directions.

New World was brimming with shoppers – car park almost full, trolley jams in every aisle, long queue for the checkouts.

Did pick up a coffee each and another of that delicious OMG bread – despite my mis-reading of their email saying when they would be closed, they were open for shop customers today. Too early for Rush Munro’s so couldn’t be tempted by an ice-cream.

Thought I’d Grillo mow the cottage lawn and curtilage – which I couldn’t do at the weekend because of the broken belt. Thought I’d just clean up some small patches of barley grass I spotted in the One Acre first, then cut the thick grass impeding opening one of the gates near the farm shed. Finally got to the cottage lawn and the Grillo started playing up. Did the little D-shaped lawn in front of the homestead garage, under the washing line, and the teardrop lawn outside the cottage garage before it was cutting out so often that I gave up.

I rang Craig at Outdoor Power and he kindly offered to come and look on his way home, which comes down Ormond Road. I was taking Karola to the plane when he came but he left a message that the oil was suspiciously low – remembering that he gave it a big service last week. He’ll call tomorrow to discuss. I was so relieved because although I’d filled the Grillo right up this morning it seemed almost empty this afternoon and I did wonder if it was another Ian “senior moment” and I’d just run out of fuel.

No decent rain in sight so I watered the octagon for a couple of hours.

The Napier airport is heavily under construction, has been since February and due for completion next April. Current passenger terminal is about a third the usual size and seating crammed in. The temporary cafè is outside constructed of shipping containers and smells of old fish & chip oil. The parking ticket payment machines are out on the pavement – nothing is familiar and it’s like New Zealand regional airports used to be 50 years ago.

Karola seen safely boarding Bangle and I did our own version of the Tour de Twyford. A brisk walk, on lead, for 15 minutes up the tow path then a freedom stroll back. Bangle was exhausted.

Crazy Queue For Checkout – New World Today

Karola’s Lucerne Paddock – Best It’s Ever Been

Bangle’s Christmas Present – A Dog Ramp Up Into The Landrover

… Folded For Carrying Or Storage

Oak Avenue Weather:18℃—26℃ 3.5mm rain [75.85] TdT-ish eggs=2

Wandering around this morning, checking the larger drift of red beech saplings, I heard the cockerel in the thickets and then I spied a CAT not four metres from the nearest chick. It scampered off, the cat, but it’s been around for a while so the chicks are not safe. They’re just old enough to wander far away from mum, Mrs Blue-Band, and it’ll be their reaction speed against a hungry cat.

The watering tap near those red beech is the one with a leak that I though was an old hole where a sprinkler device had been pressed into the alkathene. Mark had a go at fixing it yesterday. He told me that the cheap, small plastic plug idea, ideal for plugging the holes from lost sprinklers, didn’t work because the water was coming out of a split in the pipe wall. He’d then had the experience I had today of finding that the pipe concerned was 19mm not 13mm so all the bits and pieces were the wrong size. Along the way one of the T-junctions which lead off the main 19mm pipe had fractured – plastic gets fragile in the summer sun.

Took a while, hunting for the right bits and finding that the old connectors are such a tight fit with their pipe that even after pouring hot water on it, I could not remove the old fitting and had to cut it off. Ended up with a new tee-junction with clips to match and a short insertion of 19mm pipe at the tap end compensating for shortening at the leak and at the fractured tee junction. Ran out of 19mm clips and tee junctions and straight-through connectors so resolved to re-stock when next we’re in Stortford Lodge.

I turned off the watering to the cottage Bay trees, manuka, and micro-orchard but Karola thought they could do with another night so turned it back on late afternoon.

Mark spent the entire afternoon mowing the homestead lawn, finishing it just in time as he’s off for Christmas break until next week. Karola & I went to Stortford Lodge to get her a mask for the plane tomorrow and, as Fruit Federation, the place I get most of my irrigation perquisites these days, is also in Stortford Lodge I got some 19mm parts to replenish my store. We nipped in to Wild Bean Cafè (aka the local BP petrol station and superette) for coffees.

Dinner Time – A Dozen Doves Getting Bolder By The Day

Mark Mowed The Homestead Lawn – Quite A Prospect Now

Oak Avenue Weather:15℃—28℃ no rain [75.89] TdT eggs=1 Mark=4

Rang Outdoor Power and yes the replacement belt for the Grillo had arrived so as soon as Mark came around noon we set off for town. Picked up the belt and had a chat with the lady on reception – I thought I recognised her from Hawkes Bay Mowers and Chainsaws – yes I did. The latter business stopped trading when the proprietor retired and apparently several people prominent in the same endeavour chose this year to retire which means a lot more business for Outdoor Power, that and the pre-Christmas rush have made them unusually busy.

Dropped in at Vet Services and bought a tablet to keep Bangle free of fleas and ticks for three months. Nit that she usually gets them but I think fossicking around down by the river must be the reason she picked up a tick recently. Also Countdown for some cheap small tins of cat food, the better to re-bait the cage traps with. Not forgetting our posting of a few Christmas greetings which will at least get there before next Christmas.

Mark helped fit the replacement belt on the Grillo, a remarkably simple operation. He and I also un-jammed the latch for the back seat of the Landrover; it’d stuck so that the seat folded up alright but would not lock in place. Had Bangle been on that seat and I done an emergency stop the seat would have squashed down on her, so it’s good that it’s fixed.

Mark spot sprayed Californian thistles in the One Acre, the lucerne paddock, trying to minimise collateral damage to lucerne because the weedkiller, Versatil, is kind to grasses but brutal on broad leafed plants. He then mowed a strip round the perimeter so we can walk round the One Acre with ease.

Sheila Alexander sent us a video of her corgi Lucy, playing in Maine snow. Something cheerful when both the USA and UK – if not the whole northern hemisphere – are in the grip of winter and the pandemic.

Turned off the watering on the two lots of beech trees and the lime trees. Mark fixed a leak in one of the pipes using a little plastic plug – the leak was where a sprinkler head had been in the past.

BRIDGET’S BUBBLE – Lexi (14)

. . . Natalie (16)

. . . Chris

. . . Bridget

Bridget’s Bubble Went North For A Break – All The Way North

Cape Reinga – From Here North, You Swim

Bridget & Natalie – Para-sailing – Who Would Have Thought …

“Kapa Haka” (Māori Perfoming Arts) At Waitangi treaty Grounds

Oak Avenue Weather:16℃—24℃ no rain [75.66] TdT eggs=2 Mark=4

Sad to say but today I had to dispatch two kittens, one in each of the possum cage traps. Mark was surprised because they were baited with old, mouldy sandwiches, not quite what he expected to attract kittens. It does mean that our avians are under threat as there’s obviously a litter growing up somewhere near the bund.

Was nice today to see a chook experimenting with the Chooketeria automatic feeder; it will be good when I’m confident that all the chooks have grasped the idea.

Got a handful of raspberries from my vines up in the old runner bean enclosure.

The Barbary doves are getting tamer; I had five of them on the bird table this afternoon while I was standing right next to it with my hand clasping the edge.

Karola got plenty of reading in today and I made more progress than usual with my programming.

Felix With Half-Twins: Sophie & Charlie, & Smudge

Oak Avenue Weather:12℃—26℃ no rain [75.92] TdT eggs=1

Up early and let the sheep back under the big oak. Fed the avians.

Karola read books and magazines all day it being too warm for much outside. I got on with my programming.

Around 9:00am postie drove in, only to be stymied by the electric fence joining the Middle paddock with under the big oak. He’d brought the new water fountain for the chooks. It works but must have been knocked pretty hard in transit because one of the flanges that hold the bowl onto the bottom plate is broken.

Brand New Chook Water Fountain, Damaged But Usable

Found A Lump On Bangle’s Neck – It Has Little Legs And Feelers -A Tick Perhaps

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—26℃ no rain [75.85] TdT eggs=1

Morning began early again and I got pretty confused as to what the time and date was in the UK, thinking I was late for Felix’ birthday but no. Karola sent Felix a congratulatory message last night – 17th in the morning in the UK. I ditto but this morning our time and of course that was the evening of Felix birthday.

I went out to get the paper and it being Friday (in New Zealand) I expected to find it bundled with The Listener, however not so. Got somewhat riled at the sloppy delivery but by the time the MagShop distributors were open I’d calmed a little so I first asked “Was The Listener published today?”. The help desk pointed out that last week’s copy was a double issue covering Christmas, as it said in big letters on the cover. Deflation of stout party – another strong coffee called for.

Let Karola’s sheep under the big oak for the morning, chasing them back out again before Mark arrived and we needed to get out. They gain access across the drive so a short piece of electric fence has to be erected and then disassembled each time.

Mark came and spent the afternoon mowing the larger patches of barley grass, just finishing when the Grillo stopped working again, this time with the breaking of a different belt. Nothing in stock in Hastings but they will get one couriered down ASAP from Auckland – Monday or Tuesday next week.

We had an afternoon appointment for haircuts this week – we operate on a six-weekly cycle of hair cuts with Karola having her hair washed every fortnight. Kim the “stylist” is good and remembers much of the Brackenbury goings-on we regale her with each time. On the way home we picked up coffees from Artisan and ice-creams for Karola and Mark at Rush Munro’s.

Some of the doves come to the table even when I’m standing right next to it and, observing them closely, I noticed one, the one in the photo below, has a broader bea than the others and it’s buff coloured rather than dark grey. It also has only the merest suggestion of a collar whereas the others have very distinctive black clergymen’s collars (ie back-to-front).

Found two fresh egg shells at the bottom of the chook house ramp. I still don’t know how this happens. I think three eggs are laid every day, one is on a hidden nest over by the rainwater tanks and the other two in the chook house. So how do they get out of the chook house onto the gound at the foot of the ramp. And the eggs are consumed by something. Even more puzzling is the occasional shell seen in the nearby sheep water trough.

Bridget’s bubble are up at the northern tip of New Zealand, helping the economy get back on its feet by travelling domestically. They are sending a regular set of photos recording their exploits which we enjoy on the big TV screens here in the evenings.Annemarie is also getting them and it helps us all keep in touch.

Twentyone Today (17th UK) – Felix Florent My Eldest Grandson

A Dove Only a Foot Away – This One Is Similar But Not Same As The Other Barbary Doves

Still Eight Chicks Today – My How Fast They Grow

Oak Avenue Weather:10℃—22℃ no rain [75.93] TdT eggs=0 Mark=4

Out early this morning and could only count seven chicks. Was just getting philosophical about it when the eighth one flew – literally flew – from the top rung of the chook house over to where the others were pecking up their breakfast wheat. Must have over-slept, I think Mrs Blue-band’s family commandeer a nest box for sleeping each night.

The Grillo is back from its service and repair.

Mark spent the afternoon on mowing barley grass with the Grillo, quite large swathes of it already waving its treacherous spiked seed heads in the breeze.

Karola wants her sheep to graze under the big oak now that the grass has grown luxuriant there as well as in the paddocks so I put electric fence up and borrowed the ram’s solar electric fence energizer to avoid traipsing wires from the nearest live wire in the paddocks across the drive.

Ewe Lamb #020 Died. Mark found one of the lambs had died – was a bit hidden so we hadn’t noticed it – could have happened a few days ago. Mark kindly buried it. No idea why, but most years we lose one or two due to unidentified causes.

I water blasted the cottage garage door – and as it was nearby, I tried to clean the Landrover windows with modest effect.

Karola let the sheep out of the Long Acre into the Middle and Totara paddocks. She’ll let them under the Big Oak from there over the next few days, just a few hours a day.

Peter Fitzpatrick, the Bostock’s manager of Karola’s orchard, dropped round as he does at this time every year, bearing gifts from John Bostock. This year it was a couple of bottles of wine from John Bostock’s winery, a new project he embarked on when his wife Vicky died.

Karola’s Drift Of Araucariacea (Kauri family) With Coral Tree In Background

Crimson Blush Of The Coral Tree (Erythrina xsykesii)

Oak Avenue Weather:11℃—24℃ no rain [75.66] TdT eggs=0 Mark=4

Grillo due back tomorrow; Craig from Outdoor Power called and explained. The nicks in the nylon fan should not matter. The two belts driving the blades both needed replacing. The other blade, the one not replaced recently, had cracks. It needs replacing but replacement won’t arrive until January at the earliest so Craig has temporarily welded the cracked blade.

Usual mid-week shop but this week went to Countdown and New World supermarkets because New World don’t stock a few things like:

• Paul Newman’s Ranch Dressing (Karola’s favourite)
• Beyond Meat patties (plant-based, no animal meat)
• Gluten-free Wheatbix (a contradiction in terms but they do exist)

The OMG bread shop is closing for Christmas so doubled up on the order there.

Mitre-10: The gates into the cottage go-between open inwards but get buffeted by strong wind gusts which tend to bend the hinges by forcing them to open outwards. My solution was to add a rubber tie-down that stops the gate opening outwards. The current tie-down is losing some of its stretch so today I bought an identical one and now use both.

While at Mitre-10 I enquired about the Puriri tree I ordered, not having heard anything for a while. Turns out they cannot get one until next season so I’ll need to re-apply next March. Karola thinks that’ll be a better time to plant anyway.

Farmlands for yet more Christmas cards and more wheat and whole maize for the poultry. What am I going to do with the eight chicks when they grow up.

Mark continued water blasting, finishing the homestead garage and then doing the north and east verandahs of the homestead. Makes a difference.

In the afternoon Karola and I did a second shop, now we’ve remembered all the things we forgot this morning: a ew groceries but also visits to: BNZ, Farmers, and Paper-Plus. Rush Munro ice-creams for all – well Bangle just gets to lick the empty tubs.

Oak Avenue Weather:10℃—30℃ no rain [75.63] TdT eggs=2 Mark=4

New plan to get up earlier and try to move the programming along. In the afternoons with Mark helping here and the Twyford tour, the day seems to vanish.

Grillo was picked up this morning for repairs and service.

Mark continued his water blasting cleaning of the building exteriors. Last night he caught another possum, a female with joey, they are reproducing thick and fast like rats it seems. Last week Mark used overripe banana for bait and I noticed and released first a blackbird then a hedgehog. He must have switched baits to get the possum last night.

Se ran out of milk and gingernut biscuits so a quick drive to the shops remedied that. Karola and Bangle both like gingernuts they say but as they are very sugary and have gluten they’re off bounds for me.

Oak Avenue Weather:8℃—23℃ no rain [75.42] TdT eggs=2 Mark=4

Late morning I popped down to Stortford Lodge to post Anna’s Christmas card – they say it’ll be there in 6 – 8 weeks so may not arrive in time for Christmas this year.

Also got some of the New Zealand equivalent of Nytol – sleeping tablets sold by the bucketful over the counter in Boots in the UK but under a different brand name, Unisom, in New Zealand and only from the pharmacist personally who is supposed to grill the purchaser on intended use etc. The active ingredient is diphenhydramine.

Mark continued his cleaning of the cottage gutters, removing a thick layer of moss growing on the fine slit that percolates through the metal gauze supposedly protecting the gutters. Some of the mossy substrate is pictured below.

Mark and I had a look at the Grillo again, hoping to be able to clean the spark plug but none of my spark plug wrenches would budge it so maybe there’s a special tool used by the agents.

Went to check for eggs this evening and was surprised to find Blue-Band and her chicks occupying one of the nest boxes.

Oh, and on the subject of eggs, Karola has been quite unkind in her denigration of the modest size of my eggs and the fragility of their shells. Not sure what to do about the latter except continuing doling out plenty of oystershell. But internationally my orpington eggs are Medium sized, not small at all.

Some Of The Gutters’ Mossy Substrates

Oak Avenue Weather:6℃—22℃ no rain [75.78] TdT eggs=1 Mark=4

After much fiddling and reading of Grillo owners’ manual and a tip from online I got the Grillo to run for several minutes at a time befoe it lapsed back into silence. But I did get the cottage lawn and the tear-drop lawn outside the cottage kitchen mown today.

The flax along the drive towards the cottage has flowered, giving tui some nice nectar, but the tall flowering stems have leaned over into the driveway so today, at Karola’s request, I cut off most of the long stems heavy with seed heads.

Turned off the watering for the micro-orchard etc, both lots of red beech saplings, and the avenue of lime trees.

Ram enthusiastic about his return to the southern ¾ of the Goose paddock.

Flowering Stems Of Flax – Were Leaning, Heavy With Seed, Over The Drive

Still Eight Chicks, Adult Plumage Beginning To Show

Oak Avenue Weather:6℃—21℃ no rain [75.93] TdT eggs=2

Late start to the day. Set irrigation going as there’s no rain on the horizon – included watering the Mustard & Cress, the octagon, and giving each of the eleven Totara saplings a bucket of water.

Had a minor breakthrough with the penguin egg boiling canister. I was looking for something like the small metal basket used by the motel in Gorges du Verdon with which breakfasters used to individually boil their egg in a communal gently simmering metal trough. Best I could find was the penguin half dozen pictured below. The breakthrough was, snip, snip, I had roughly what I was after (the next picture).

Watched an interesting but mildly depressing video yesterday about how IBM’s leadership has effectively ransacked IBM over the last decade, but how the new chap at the helm (Arvind Krishna) might be its salvation. And Dave Mitchell sent me another link today, this time an interview with Elon Musk which was quite encouraging, most of what he said made good sense to me. Videos included below.

Penguin Egg-Boiling Holder Six Pack

Just What I Wanted – Heat-Resistant Plastic, Hooks Onto Side Of The Pan, Holds Two Eggs

Gorges du Verdon – Oh Happy Days

video: The Decline Of IBM Since The Turn Of The Century

video: Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX, Hyperloop, The Boring Company) – WSJ Interview

Oak Avenue Weather:6℃—24℃ no rain [75.56] TdT eggs=2

Heigh ho, late again – but even though the Friday journal entry is being written on Saturday, repeating last weeks tardy entry, it doesn’t matter that much because the weekly Digest has a mysterious way of dating the journal entries and anything it misses in its weekly scoop up of the available entries at 1:00am on Saturday mornings is swept into the next week’s digest.

I had a regular dental checkup this morning and at the same time Karola went over to Kirsten’s cherry orchard off Railway Road and got some cherries – the cherries were OK but not brilliant. Kirsten and husband were talking of selling a year ago but the only serious purchaser couldn’t afford it so the three of them went into partnership instead. Discerning Hastings residents are pleased to see Kirsten in her shop again.

After he finished washing down the outside of the farm shed, Mark cracked on with cleaning the cottage gutters including getting a lot of pine needles and other detritus out from under the solar panels. He, kind-hearted soul that he is (except when it comes to possums and rabbits), left the myna’s nest with squawking fledgelings alone. The Mynas have been nesting under the solar panels on the cottage kitchen verandah roof for several years.

The ram is still in the north end of the Goose paddock containing the chook house – just to get the grass down. He’s boisterous and while pushing me around as I was attempting to fill the chooks water fountain, knocked me over and broke the water fountain. It was very old and I didn’t know the plastic was so brittle.

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—28℃ no rain [75.82] TdT eggs=2 Mark=4

It’ll probably be the only Christmas card I send this year – nor will there be a Christmas letter either. The chemist TXTed on Sunday to say some more of Karola’s meds were ready to be picked up so today we Zoe’d down to Stortford Lodge. The chemist shop contains the remnants of the local post office, post offices, like bank branches, seem to be closing all over the place.

Goodness knows when the UK envelope will be delivered; the Post Office people don’t know. Apparently the post leaves them before 5:00pm each night to one of the main centres but is then dumped with a lot of other mail until an international flight has spare capacity for it. International planes are crowded and infrequent, they told me.

Janet Scott dropped in after lunch and had a long chat with Karola, getting her up to date with all the local goings on, it turned into afternoon tea.

Mark finished the mowing of the 121 driveway andthen began water-blasting the outside of the Farm Shed. Slight moment of excitement when water got into some electrics and he closed down all electricity to the Farm Shed. Once we isolated the short it was simple to reset the “RCD” switch and be back in business.

Mustard & Cress – Latest Attempt In Front

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃30℃ no rain [75.86] TdT eggs=1 Mark=4

Another mid-week shopping morning, very crowded today. And hot again, in the low 30s.

The only Christmas cards we like are country scenes produced by an English photographer, she has spent a lot of time in New Zealand and horseback ridden the length and breadth but her cards are English scenes which one cannot really send to UK friends and family for Christmas. I think we’ll do as we did last year, only send cards to those who send us cards, real ones.

The mail brought parcels today – some books. and two Christmas trinkets: an egg-shaped piece of plastic that allegedly indicates when your egg is soft-boiled or hard-boiled; and a plastic holder for up to six eggs that clasps each egg in the arms of a penguin – the idea being that eggs in this container can be lowered into a pot and protect the eggs from bubbling up and down and breaking the shell.

Bruce Utting called from Otaki and we discussed the pros and pitfalls of surveillance cameras.

I explained t Mark how the Grillo had started OK last night after I towed it from the Front paddock to the farm shed. He suggested we look at the air filter. It was completely blocked and it took us several minutes to clear it of the thick infusion of dust. I hoped and expected that was he cause of the Grillo cutting out every now and then.

Mark completed his clearing of the area previously used by Karola as an auxiliary compost heap, carting the material onto the bund.

He then carried on cutting the heads off barley grass in the Front paddock for a while. Unfortunately the Grillo again hiccupped and stopped so I assume some of the dust clogging the air filter has got further in and is blocking a fuel line or the carburettor. So we’ll wait until it’s serviced before attempting more barley grass.

After tea break Mark began setting up a surveillance camera to spy on the activities at the water trough near the stump dump. I hope to find out why the trough fills up to the rim when the float stops it 150mm from the top when I test it. Ans why so much water appears on the ground round the trough.

Mark finished the day by beginning to mow the 121 driveway using the little tractor.

Christmas Trinkets – Egg Timer & Egg Cooking Protector

Old Compost Heap Cleared Away

Oak Avenue Weather:18℃—30℃ 0.2mm rain [75.83] TdT eggs=1 Mark=4

Karola wanted to do a bit of shopping today so I drove her down to Farmlands in Stortford Lodge then on to New World on the other side of Hastings, and we picked up coffees from Artisan before returning home.

The damaged belt on the Grillo is continuing to work so Mark finished off the cutting of half the One Acre – to match the other half mown a couple of weeks ago – and the plan is to leave it now until the lucerne has flowered and seed has set.

Mark then began mowing the patches of iniquitous Barley Grass but was soon thwarted because the Grillo wouldn’t start. Neither of us could get it started and so Mark moved onto his next project. Some years ago Karola used discarded pieces of chicken run to make a compost heap in the Front paddock, just through the wide wooden gate beyond the big Lime tree. It has since fallen into disrepair and Karola wants it gone. By this evening Mark had disassembled it and carted almost all the compost to Karola’s “bund”.

It’s been quite warm today, up to 33℃ in town this morning and over 30℃ here until after 6:00pm.

I decided to tow the grillo back to the cottage garage and once there it started no problem so I suspect a temporary blockage in the fuel line, not surprising in the very dusty conditions when mowing the paddocks.

Karola let the sheep into the Long Acre where the grass is very tall and mostly gone to seed, so now they have the Long Acre and the Holding paddock and are delighted.

From The Stop-Bank – Resurfacing The Arena

Oak Avenue Weather:16℃—30℃ no rain [75.91] TdO TdT eggs=1 Mark=4

Paul came round late morning and read through Ruth’s building plans. It turns out that he and his son Matt have quite a lot on at present so won’t be able to start until March. Given the delays since we started in 2018 this isn’t a big problem.

Mark used the air compressor to clean the Grillo and the Kioti tractor before rolling up all the electric fencing in the One Acre and starting on mowing the half of the One Acre that is still quite tall – the other half has been grazed and mown recently. I’m not sure if Mark got as far as he could by 4:00pm or the damaged belt on the Grillo broke – I’ll find out tomorrow.

I turned off the watering for the lime trees, beech trees, and bay tree hedge. Forecast says there’s a slight chance of rain mid-week.

One of my computer projects at present is to tidy up my many audible book files with a view to labelling them and making sure I have complete series/chapters in a standard format called MP3.

Mrs Blue-Band With Her Fast Growing Chicks

Chunk Out Of Main Belt Driving Grillo Blades (belt de-tensioned)

Same Belt – Under Drivers Seat

Nylon Fan That Blows Grass Into Catcher

Oak Avenue Weather:18℃—28℃ no rain [75.87] TdT eggs=1 Mark=4

Mowed the cottage lawns and when I’d almost finished I heard a knocking sound that stopped when I turned off the blades. Hoisted the Grillo front up with the tractor – no, the blades looked OK. The cover over the main blade drive belt is missing a screw and the belt itself has a big gash in it, so that means another replacement. Also I noticed that the white nylon fan that blows the grass up into the bin has large gashes in most of the fins. Also the motor stalled several times but restarted after a it of a rest, almost as it=f it’s over-heating. So, time to call in Outdoor Power again.

Shut the sheep in the yards holding paddock today – they have shade, water,, and plenty of long grass there. Hope they’ll get the grass under control in a few days then they can start on the overgrown Long Acre.

Karola planted the bay tree saplings I’d uprooted from inside the micro-orchard tree guards but the bay trees are seeding themselves so well it’s hardly necessary. I weeded and watered the herb raised beds. Also watered the newly sown and sprouting mustard and cress.

There’s no rain foreecast for several days and we haven’t had rain for several days, so time to do some watering. Turned on the watering for: lime trees and swamp cypresses, both lots of red beech trees, and the special manuka, bay trees, and micro-orchard.

The old runner bean and raspberry enclosure which Mark cleaned up for us last autumn has been overrun by raspberries and I picked the handful of ripe ones for Karola to taste.

Mrs Blue-Band’s Family, Two Aunties, Dad, And Extended Family: Geese & Dove

Mrs Blue-Band & Eight Chicks

Herb Raised Beds Getting Weedy

A Start On The Weeding

Cottage Lawn Mown For Another Week

Damaged Grillo Belt Driving The Blades

Oak Avenue Weather:12℃—23℃ no rain [75.87] TdT eggs=1

Ewes who lost their lambs have ceased their bleating which I’m sure the neighbours appreciate as we do.

I fiddled with my program, Karola read and so the day disappeared.

Oak Avenue Weather:11℃—25℃ no rain [75.76] TdT eggs=2

We had a smooth and quick trip into Hastings for Karola’s fortnightly hair appointment.

Mark came mid-day and set off to mend the several cuts we’d made yesterday in the alkathene pipe carrying water to water troughs and trees along the eastern and northern boundaries – that quarter of the property. Mark had made one deep cut near the letterbox and I’d made what I thought were a couple of small nicks on the other side of the drive. In practice Mark’s accident turned out to be two substantial leaks about 400mm apart whereas mine were small leaks sprread across 3 – 4 metres of pipe. So Mark cu out the leaks and just pulled the pipes together to fix his chopping whereas my carelessness necessitated inserting several metres of fresh pipe. Thanks to the ease of working with alkathene and the very well designed couplings it was quite simple to fix.

We tidied up the last remnants of Acanthus before afternoon tea and afterwards Mark emptied, cleaned, refilled and repositioned our eight sheep troughs. Karola had noticed they were getting heavy coatings of algae so they were overdue a bit of a scrub.

We get the Hawkes Bay Today delivered six days a week and every Friday they also deliver Gill & Ben’s present of the New Zealand Listener. With the cleared Acanthus you’d think that the newspaper would be thrown somewhere near the letterbox – but no, today’s newspaper landed almost at the end of the cleared ditch, about 15 metres from the letter box. Sigh.

The 133 Entrance Now Cleared (Temporarily) Of Acanthus

Oak Avenue Weather:10℃—26℃ no rain [75.93] TdT eggs=0 Mark=4

Mark and I vanquished most of the remaining Acanthus outside the 133 entrance. In so doing we both, independently, damaged the alkathene water pipe running along the roadside fence and up to the five Swamp Cypress trees. So fixing that will be Mark’s first task tomorrow.

In the morning Karola and I talked about the sheep and how it was getting near to Christmas. Marcus Ormond’s visit had reminded us that now was the time to unload the spare sheep, not when the drought strikes next month. So we decided which of the faithful older ewes must go – in order to keep the flock at about the same size year on year – and which lambs.

Karola still wants to hang onto the matriarch #209, born in 2012, but I hope next year she can be kept away from the ram and just enjoy life. We’re also keeping both of #209’s lambs this year. She had a ewe and a ram lamb and we have the ram lamb as backup for #977. So James Russell (Jimmy Rural) took away seven older ewes and 14 wether lambs. Five of the lambs were big and fat, top dollar destined for Christmas dinners right away. There were three late and small lambs that James really took as a favour to us, they would take a lot of feeding up to be big enough to send to “the works”. But all in all, compared to the miserly amounts for lambs ten years ago, Karola was very pleased with her sheep cheque.

A couple of very large agricultural machines rolled down the road late afternoon, pea viners. I remember seeing them trundling down the avenue twenty or more years ago, at night, lights blazing, quite an alarming sight.

A Pea-Viner – Very Scary At Night

Oak Avenue Weather:6℃—26℃ no rain [75.57] TdT eggs=2 Mark=4

Shopping day again. We’ve mislaid Bangle’s best leash for a couple of days so I went to Animates to see if i could get something similar. Also, the dog food is getting low. Our lucky day, there was just one leash left identical to the one we’ve mislaid so I walked out with that plus two heavy bags of dog biscuits. Of course, the moment we got home the original leash turned up, so now we have a spare.

In fact, apart from the significant time Karola and Bangle spent in the Zoe waiting for me, it was a very good morning. Our first stop was at the Stortford Lodge pharmacy where I posted the “Lexx” sci-fi DVDs to my friend Dave Mitchell (not the Jam & Jerusalem, Would I Lie To You, etc etc one, but just as interesting) in Totnes – he of the kite camera vocation. Also got some refills of harmless enough “supplements” on sale.

Then Animates, as above, and on to Mitre-10 to see if I could get the tree I’ve promised Ben Bell for his 79th birthday at the end of November, a Puriri. The young Māori lass at Mitre-10 had quite a bit of trouble understanding my mumbling of Puriri so after I’d ordered it I asked her to speak its name – and I’ve included that voice recording below.

There was a small-ish possum in one of the cage traps overnight so Mark’s first task was to dispatch and pluck it. Then he continued with his transplanting of about a dozen young Ngaio trees that have self-sown themselves about the place and create a bit of a grove of them in the north-east corner next to the 145 driveway.

I had one of my regular opthalmologist appointments late afternoon. Dr John Beaumont and his very pleasant practice nurse Penny Wilson, Their time-keeping is abysmal, always has been, so poor Karola spent best part of two hours waiting for me to have what took about 15 minutes once my turn came round.

Of course the highlight of the day was an email from Ruth Vincent (draughtsman) saying we’d got approval from the council to begin the additions and alterations to Karamu homestead. I let our builder Paul Libby know and he replied that he’s got a couple of little things to finish but is ready to begin in the new year.

From the online journal (web log) entry for 17th May 2017:

Worked on the homestead plans most of the day – trying to get it to the point where Karola and I agree on the wording and intent. Karola did say today that I could have the wood-burner I have set my heart on in the living room. I think the most persuasive argument may have been that a house that’s lived in with a wood burner is still safer than an empty house. Anyway, she’s agreed so we can proceed. Karola had a long talk with Bridget and I think that helped too, Bridget is insisting we get on with it, immediately. So I emailed Ruth, the architectural draftswoman, and she’s coming round for a preliminary look at our proposals next Friday, 25th. Meanwhile I called our builder Paul and he is willing and able to be our project manager and is popping in for a chat on Tuesday next week.

From the online journal entry for 13th November 2018:

Ruth emailed through her first pass at building plans for the Karamu renovation

From the online journal entry for 1st March 2019:

Got a call from Paul Libby, our (patient) builder to see whether we were close to starting as he’s been filling in with small jobs for many months now and wants to take on a bigger one. I called Ruth Vincent, our architectural draughtsman, and found that she was about to email us the finished drawings – finished apart from any minor changes we might want incorporated now. With the most positive outlook it is very unlikely that we would get the plans through council approval by April and so as we are going to be overseas from mid-August till mid-September we decided to defer the actual building work until we get back, late September.

From the online journal entry for 7th August 2020:

Our Heritage NZ assigned agent, Laura Kellaway, sent her first email about the Karamu Homestead renovations, on 18th June 2019. Today, 7th August 2020, we got the letter of approval. As I have repeated to myself many times, we must be thankful for Laura’s unhurried painstaking attention to detail such as would befit the assessment of a major public asset like a library or museum. Yeah, right!

… and, today, 2nd December 2020: WE HAVE FULL HASTINGS DISTRICT COUNCIL BUILDING CONSENT.

Puriri in Māori 

Oak Avenue Weather:11℃—23℃ 0.4mm rain [76.14] TdT eggs=2 Mark=4

Rained on and off all day, mostly on. Inside enjoying a spell of programming. Karola reading papers, Economist and books.

Farm shed garage door does seem to be fixed – simple expedient of bending one of the galvanised iron guides so it didn’t catch.

Paper retrieved from ditch again this morning; hoping for it to be put in the letter box as the newspaper help desk said it would.

Gill forwarded a rather splendid write-up for her book on the Donkeywise website.

Blue-band With Chicks & Doves In Attendance

Off the beaten track: 1920s Eve leads the way with a donkey by her side

November 30, 2020 by Donkey Wise

When Gill Brackenbury opened the notebooks left by an English grandmother she hardly knew, she had unwittingly stumbled across something extraordinary.

Eve’s Journey: 1923 is Doris Eve Brackenbury’s diary of her walk from England to Scotland with her pack donkey, Hotep. The author tells us more…

Eve was spirited, droll, controversial, always had an enquiring mind and loved to shock people – oh, and always enjoyed her evening whisky.

Being brought up in New Zealand I barely knew Eve, my English grandmother. When she died she left a handful of rather nondescript notebooks, diaries of her ‘Donkey Tour’. I was lucky – they were given to me.

Although quite curious about them I didn’t appreciate what I had until beginning to read them: I was completely floored. What an amazing journey in 1923 for a lone young woman and her delightful donkey – and what an unusual, intelligent, and resourceful person she was. This was a story to share!

The authenticity of her 30 year old voice is striking: daily intimate diary notes about her thoughts and feelings, her sometimes risky encounters, humorous observations and some off-the-wall interests and experiences. And all the while you are immersed in the 1920s.

Eve’s long walk would have been very lonely and more hazardous without Hotep, her donkey. Hotep was reassuring company and together they tackled some dreadful weather and isolated moors. There was hardship and no high-tech weather gear at that time – just strong shoes, breeches and a warm coat. So too they shared hot days, beautiful countryside and some funny happenings.

Eve loved Hotep and seemed tuned-in to how her donkey was feeling; talking and sometimes singing to her. She loved Hotep’s calm, quiet (mostly) and accepting presence which gained a lot of friendly attention. Hotep also protected Eve and her intervention once saved Eve from harm. Even when she was exhausted, Eve made sure that Hotep was dry, safe and fed at night.

I began this writing project in the 1990s and as time went on much more information became available on the internet. The more I read and researched to validate, or provide footnote documentation for, Eve’s experiences the more I realised I had a rather unique story about a brave and at times outrageous woman who did some extraordinary things. Her very matter-of-fact attitude to men and sex, courage to push boundaries and her wry humour captured my imagination.

As Eve’s story unfolds, however, there is laid bare a very human predicament. With this in mind it wasn’t until recently that I felt it was the right time to publish her story. Now this is done, I hope that with some laughter and perhaps some sadness you can enjoy Eve’s and Hotep’s journey.

FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!

Courtesy of Gill, there is a free hard copy of the book available for one lucky Donkey Wise follower. Just comment below, and the person who posts our favourite comment will receive a book!

TERMS & CONDITIONS:

1. This contest is open to Donkey Wise followers anywhere in the world, aged 18 and over.
2. Entrants agree to allow Donkey Wise to publish their name on the Donkey Wise website and Facebook page.
3. To enter, simply post a comment below, and be sure to enter your email address in the box that comes up.
4. Comments must be posted here. Comments posted on the Donkey Wise Facebook page will not be counted.
5. Only one comment per person will be counted.
6. The deadline for entries is 10pm UK time (5pm USA EST) on Wednesday 2nd December 2020.
7. Donkey Wise will select one comment as the winner.
8. The winner will receive an email within three days of the deadline and will have three days to respond. If the winner has not responded, a new winner will be selected.

If you have any questions regarding this giveaway contest, please contact Donkey Wise at info@donkeywise.org.

Best of luck!

Eve’s Journey:

Free eBook!!! Eve’s Journey: 1923 is available in eBook format. Download your free eBook here.

To purchase a hard copy of the book, you can email Gill direct at: gbrackenbury@xtra.co.nz

Related Links:

Have donkey, will travel: Woman’s intrepid 1923 journey revealedHorsetalk.co.nz

Find more books about travelling with donkeys, training and care, donkey rescue, fiction and real-life stories on the Donkey Wise Donkey Books & DVDsand Donkey Books for Children pages!

Images:

2 x Eve and Hotep, Shap Fell, Cumbria, U.K. Sept 1923

Book cover: Eve and Hotep, Dyneley House Private Hotel, Skipton, U.K. 1923

Copyright 2020 Amy Swift

Oak Avenue Weather:_3℃—14℃ 1.4mm rain [76.23] TdT eggs=2 Mark=0