Monthly Archives: May 2021

Gill & Ben mosey over to Havelock North after breakfast for lunch with Peter and Charlotte.

Meticulous Maids come just before noon so we arrive back from the stop bank just after they arrived. Mark is already here too and has continued mowing the 121 driveway and adjacent grassy areas. Mark then began mowing the areas under the trees in the Middle paddock, removing the top layer of leaves and we hope allowing the grass to breathe. The leaves are off all but the oak tree next to the Canary island Pine now, after the fierce winds last week and almost freezing temperatures at night.

As planned this morning, Karola and I went over to The Figgery in Havelock North to join up with Gill & Ben and Ali and Shann McCarthy for afternoon tea. Ali and Gill were for a while at the same school in Roseneath in Wellington in the mid 1960s.

Gill On A Break – Cottage Kitchen Courtyard

Ben In Typical Pose – Focus On Frogs

Almost Next Door To Anna In Ealing – Beautiful But Hugely Expensive New Veg Shop/Deli

“Muscle Car” Owner Dave Having Pit Stop In Welcome Sunshine – Ealing, London

Oak Avenue Weather:5℃—18℃ 0.7mm rain [76.896] TdT TdO eggs=3 Mark=4

Gill and Ben came over for breakfast around 9:00am looking refreshed after a much more peaceful night over in the homestead. They took off in good time for their lunch with Charlie and MaryAnn Daugherty at Birdwood Cafe on Middle Road in Havelock North.

Karola, Bangle, and I relaxed most of the day, sunning ourselves on the cottage kitchen verandah – it was pleasantly warm in the sun.

Ben did. a bird species count late afternoon and recorded 20 different species including tuis, a bellbird, a harrier, and a black-backed gull.

Oak Avenue Weather:1℃—19℃ no rain [76.951] TdT TdO eggs=2

Gill & Ben staggered in after an appalling night at the Cumberland Motel on the Stortford Lodge roundabout. The rugby supporters making merry complemented the rough couple upstairs having night-long bouts of loud angry (probably drug-fuelled) argument.

The rugby event was the Forsyth Barr Hawke’s Bay Sports Awards. As The NZ Herald said: “The Hawke’s Bay Magpies became only the second team to claim the supreme award at the Forsyth Barr Hawke’s Bay Sports Awards in the event’s 53rd year on Saturday night.”

Anyway we set Gill & Ben up in the homestead just as we had the Middletons a few days earlier. They went over to see Peter and Charlotte in Havelock North returning late afternoon with them and we all went over to Napier to Rasoi Indian Restaurant on Marine Parade(06-835 4494 therasoi.co.nz) for a convivial Indian meal. Afterwards we parted ways with Peter and Charlotte returning to a light dessert and chatter before we all settled in for an early night. I watched and enjoyed an old Midsomer Murders in front of the fire, relaxing.

Oak Avenue Weather:6℃—15℃ 8.8mm rain [76.673] TdT TdO eggs=2

Debbie came at 8:00am and helped Karola with housekeeping plus Debbie cooked a batch of the GF soft ginger cookies based on the recipe gven to us by Margery Cobbe on Wednesday.

Popped down to the local Caltex garage and bought another small bottle of cream and litre of milk just in case our visitors strained our supplies.

Gill & Ben made unexpectedly good time from Coromandel and arrived in time for us all to have lunch at Lappuccino.

Mark came after lunch and finished a bit of the goose paddock he’d not finished before dark on Wednesday then put the rams back where they belonged: young ram in goose paddock and old ram in the Long Acre. Mark then mowed under the big oak – it’s mainly picking up of the heavy cover of leaves at this time of the year.

Later I got more supplies of petrol and diesel for the machines and filled up the Landrover.

Gill & Ben returned from their motel as arranged at 5:30pm. I set off for Takitumu Seafoods – the fish shop – to get this evenings main course of grilled or crumbed fish and a few chips. Unfortunately there seems to be an important rugby match in Hawkes Bay tomorrow so Gill & Ben can look forward to a rowdy evening in their motel. We’ll find out tomorrow how bad the night was.

Oak Avenue Weather:2℃—16℃ no rain [75.834] TdT eggs=2 Mark=4 Debbie=2

Still very wet underfoot from rain that continued overnight. Mark not coming today. It was an absolutely splendid day, the weather which makes Hawkes Bay one of the best places on earth to live. Sunny bright skies with cool temperatures and almost no wind.

Paul came mid-morning and mixed and poured the slab for the heat pump (photo below).

Late afternoon I went to CountDown in Hastings in Zoe to get the ingredients for some soft gluten-free ginger biscuits so that we could make more of the delicious recipe Margery Cobbe used to bake the ones we had after lunch on Wednesday. We had a few of the ingredients already, such as one fresh egg, but most were so exotic that I had to ask a shelf-stacker where almost all of them were. He knew immediately where all but a couple were and was able to look them up on his hand-held scanner without fuss.

Karola got a package of forms to fill in the mail from Royston Hospital, relating to her first cataract operation next month.

Truck Carting River Shingle – Ormond Road River Entrance

South-West From Ormond Road River Entrance

Frog Pond South Of Stop Bank

Looking Back From Post At 1500 Metres Along The Stop Bank

Looking Back From Gate #2 At 1600 Metres Along Stop Bank

Carrick Road River Entrance – Car Park – 1800 Metres

Carrick Road Looking West From Stop Bank

Twenty Bee Hives At 2200 Metres Along Stop Bank

Gate #4 At 2900 Metres Looking Forward Along Stop Bank

Slab Poured For Heat Pump

Oak Avenue Weather:0℃—17℃ 0.1mm rain [75.719] TdT TdO eggs=2 Mark=0

We were cajoled into attending today’s Friendship Club talk at the Havelock North Club and then invited to lunch with the Cobbe’s just down the road from the club. Peter Offenberger was at the talk, he’s the club treasurer, and we talked about Gill & Ben’s impending visit at the weekend.

I was not looking forward to the talk on the history of the new sports park just across the expressway but in fact the talk was really quite interesting. Margery made a very pleasant light meal for lunch at their place and I was uncharacteristically loquacious to Karola’s mild annoyance – after all Margery was her primary school teacher. Margery and Brian are both in their nineties – well maybe Margery is not quite there, but close.

I’d left Mark a long series of TXTs about what needed doing today, more than enough to fill the afternoon. The afternoon was quite dry here despite the forecast so Mark set out to mow the goose paddock the idea being to remove most of the heavy cover of leaves that are suffocating the grass. As rain is forecast for most of tomorrow he stayed on for an extra 90 minutes to get as much of the paddock mown as possible. I penned the old ram in the yards in the holding paddock temporarily so that Mark could leave the gates open between the goose paddock and the bund where mowings are emptied.

Oak Avenue Weather:5℃—16℃ 0.8mm rain [75.715] TdT eggs=2 Mark=5½

As usual on a Tuesday, shopping including a coffee from Artisan. Got another couple of the push-down ethernet cable connectors from Cory’s Electrical. Dropped in at SKF (Allied Industries) on Omahu Road and picked up the fatter O-rings needed to stop our taps leaking up the shank when turned on. Mark fitted these to the remaining leaking taps and so that maintenance is done for the year.

Mark mowed the cottage lawn and began edging the Fuschia shrubs recently transplanted into a corner at the south-eastern end of the cottage.

I was surprised by seeing three cats stroll along the gravel driveway a metre or so from the cottage diningroom windows: tabbly mother and two young cats, one black, the other (presumably) the tabby we’d caught and released a few days ago.

Out of the discussion between Iain Middleton, Murray Robb, and myself concerning one of our teachers at Rongotai College came an email from Murray this morning with a photo of our class in 1964. Not only that but the photo had our names on the back. What an unexpected find. The appellation “Crème De La Crème” was an actual pleading quote from one of the several teachers who found us irredeemably unteachable, hoping we would settle down and listen to his wisdom – fat chance.

“Crème De La Crème” of Rongotai College – Upper Sixth In 1964

• Form Teacher: “Bonk” Scotney – this was before the day of the modern meaning of “bonk” so heaven knows what it referred to
• Back row: Murray Kennedy, Brent Gatfield, Jim Mummé, Brett McKay, Doug Webb, Dave Coulter, Phillip Oliver (Dux)
• Middle: John Gibson (aspiring Dux), Ben Fleigner, Chris Will, Don Newman, Rawson Aislabie, Iain Middleton (could-have-been Dux)
• Front: Ian Brackenbury, John Rowe, Clive Cockburn, Stewart Smith, Murray Robb, Gary Denhard, Paul Hansen

Oak Avenue Weather:8℃—15℃ 0.4mm rain [75.889] TdT TdO eggs=2 Mark=4

Paul came in the morning and put out the boxing for the little concrete pad for the heat pump, he’ll be back to mix and pour the concrete later in the week.

Mark and I agreed he’d not come today due to forecast and see what tomorrow brings.

Karola’s jersey birthday present from Bridget arrived today – it’s a smashing shade of green and very soft and warm.

Ordered the four Apple AirTags today, two for us and two for Bridget.

Karola In Birthday Gear – Jersey From Bridget, Shoes From Ian

Gill & Ben Staying At Seaspray, Waiumu, Coromandel

From Their Motel Room – Looking Across The Firth Of Thames (UFO Extra)

Oak Avenue Weather:11℃—15℃ 1.4mm rain [75.77] TdT eggs=2 Mark=0

Overcast with some light showers but rain forecast for the next ten days so we do hope some of it comes here.

Builder Paul was caught in the same email blocking as Gill and Geoff Rashbrooke but he re-sent today and so it’s arranged he come tomorrow morning to start on the little concrete pad for the heat pump.

Got some 4”x1” boxing timber and an odd length of rebar (reinforcing steel rod) ready for Paul.

Karola pointed out the folly of trying to tame the scraggy little tabby cat so she released it. It has eaten two tins of cat food since yesterday and once released was seen running around between the homestead and the homestead garage so none the worse for wear.

Had a warming fire in the cottage most of the day.

Oak Avenue Weather:11℃—15℃ 3.5mm rain [75.579] TdT TdO eggs=2

Annoying email glitch last night; emails to me from anyone using Spark as their service provider were not getting through. After a number of experiments, including asking Geoff Rashbrooke to send me email to corroborate our theory that it was the Spark – HostPapa connection that was playing up, I got Hostpapa technical support involved. this morning they reported it was a Spark issue, temporarily not delivering email to HostPapa because of a significant burst of emails to non-existent addresses, allegedly. And at the same time I got email from Geoff Rashbrooke and gill proving that the temporary glitch is over.

Gill & Ben began their two-day drive up to The Coromandel where Ben will do some research work (frogs) with DOC before returning home via Hastings at the turn of the month.

Spent much of yesterday evening and today doing maintenance and housekeeping on my HostPapa leased web space. Also, yesterday, I fixed a setting whereby the websites and my weight-tracking programs were using GMT instead of New Zealand time. It really only mattered when graphing the weights because “the last month” didn’t include the morning in New Zealand, only showing today after lunch.

We took the young cat to the SPCA this morning. Attendant said that the cat had already been de-sexed as they call it, and anyway she couldn’t give us a voucher for vet neutering at the weekend, we’d have to come during the business week. So we took cat back home again and I set him/her up in the homestead sun porch for now to see if it’ll get attached to us. When let out it raced round the porch leaping high up the walls including one prodigious leap of about two metres when it touched the roof. It has food and water.

Karola is annoyed that I took Bangle round the orchard in the rain as Bangle, only days out from her grooming, got muddy legs and tummy. Probably not a good idea.

Ruapehu/Ngarahoe – No Cloud – From Gill While Travelling Along The Desert Road

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—16℃ 9.2mm rain [75.745] TdT TdO eggs=3

I tried yet again to mend the ethernet cable connection in the attic, where rats had eaten through the insulation. Still no joy and I suspect I’ve broken the push-down connectors in the connection block so will need to get another one. I guess I should be pleased that one of the two damaged cables seems to be mended even though at the time I was using the flimsy plastic tools that repeatedly broke.

Hair appointment for Karola and on the way home I dropped in at JayCar to get a replacement ethernet connection push-down block. I was very sure I’d bought the original two a couple of weeks ago from JayCar but after a certain amount of insisting that JayCar stocked it I was persuaded they did not – then I remembered I’d got them from Cory’s Electrical in Hastings. Ooops. Amazing how convinced I was, but wrong.

Mark caught a young tabby cat – presumably the one that chased Bangle away the other day – and we intend to take it to SPCA tomorrow. SPCA is closed until 10:00am tomorrow.

Mark finished clearing the firewood and slash from the downed branch I cut up yesterday. He then completed the new corpse pit and finished the afternoon by putting one of the old baths from the homestead in a shallow ditch along the back of the cottage pump shed. The idea is that water running off the pump shed roof will empty into the bath. I also have designs on it for oxygen weed and goldfish but certain parties are not so keen.

Gorgeous Autumn Day – Looking South West From The Ngaruroro Southern Stop Bank

North-West Along The Southern Stop Bank Of The Ngaruroro

East Towards The Expressway

Uncommon Sight – Main Line To Napier Through The Middle Of Hastings

Oak Avenue Weather:2℃—21℃ no rain [75.852] TdT TdO eggs=1 Mark=4

I did a quick run round the outside taps and confirmed that there are about six left to do. They have to wait until the right-sized O-rings arrive.

Mark has taken the special covers he made for the three raised beds – to add to his chook pen at home. The raised beds are coverless and without the sheep they seem to be OK – no predations by chooks or pukekos.

No kittens in the cage traps but Mark did see one over in the north-west corner, stalking a rabbit. There are so many rabbits and young pukekos that perhaps they’re not going to be interested in what’s in the cage traps.

Mark began digging us another pit for animal corpses, nearly finished.

I chainsawed up the large branch near the wooden gate into the Front paddock and the big lime tree. Mark started carting the firewood and slash away as the afternoon came to a close.

Late Autumn On The Stop Bank

Oak Avenue Weather:4℃—20℃ 0.2mm rain [75.770] TdT TdO eggs=3 Mark=4

Karola, Bangle, and I went into town for the second day running, getting the bits and pieces we forgot yesterday:

• two more copies made for the padlock securing the homestead for now – where the missing three copies have gone to is anyone’s guess
• four small tins of cat food for Mark to use as we try to trap the several kittens spotted in the planting area
• Karola got some of her special Zany Zeus greek yoghurt from Cornucopia organics shop
• Single original Colombian coffee – Arabica beans – from BP’s Wild Bean Cafe – delicious
• 25kg of whole maize – I think the doves prefer kibbled maize but the chooks like the whole maize as do the sheep.

Mark and I discover that the o-rings I got for the taps are in fact a little too thin so I bought four fatter ones today and they work much better. More on order.

The postman brought my ethernet push-down tool today. And when I went to get the fatter o-rings I was able to pick up the new belt for the Grillo.

Mark continued with tap maintenance today also replacing the existing Grillo drive belt with the new one. So far the new belt looks like it will be good half-price alternative for the expensive Grillo-supplied one.

Debbie arrived as planned at 2:00pm and later we four went down to the stop bank for the Tour de Twyford.

In the evening Emma Speeden called as planned and we rescheduled all Bangle’s grooming visits to be every four weeks on Tuesday mornings with every second visit being just a bath and brush.

My Special MCP Sculpture Provided By Eldest Daughter Anna Long Long Ago

Oak Avenue Weather:2℃—20℃ no rain [75.898] TdT TdO eggs=2 Mark=4 Debbie=2

Tremendous gusts of wind are piling the leaves up against fences, hedges, and railings which is good for us because it lets the grass breath again.

There’s quite a big branch down, luckily only the final couple of metres are on a fence so nothing broken, in the Front paddock just by the big wooden gate.

The first day I haven’t been on the Tour de Twyford in months – the wind gusts are just too strong, I’d be blown off the stop bank.

This morning we set off for Karola’s appointment with Dr John Beaumont, opthalmologist, for he pre-surgery consultation. Dropped some post off on the way. Parking at Royston hospital becoming very congested. The upshot is that we agreed that both eye cataracts should be done, with a month or so in between. One eye will favour reading, the other long-distance viewing, much reducing the situations where Karola needs glasses.

Then on toPaper Plus, New World, OMG GF bread and coffee and off home. OMG shop is going to move to a new micro-mall down the street, the mall is called Lighthouse. The milling of grain and baking will still be done in the old shop building; the existing public area will become a community meeting and working space. In the new shop they will expand from GF bread to coffee, sandwiches, and similar so I will have to choose: do I continue going to both Artisan and OMG or get coffee and bread at the new OMG shop which will be another ten minutes walk away when it opens mid-year.

Mark continued spreading out the piles of Grillo grass cuttings tipped over the fence into the planting area until we arrived back around 1:30pm. We had afternoon tea – well I had brunch – and then Mark began his maintenance of the taps in the paddocks and garden, replacing a little o-ring that, when perished, allowed a stream of water to escape up the shank when you turned it on. The wind gusts continued fiercely all afterrnoon.

Karola new AllBirds shoes arrived today, blue size “women’s 8” and, crucially, uppers made of wool.

Funny sight on the way round the orchard this afternoon. Bangle sniffed into the undergrowth beneath the Casurina hedge then jumped backwards. Sniffed again and the turned tail and ran as fast as she could away into the orchard – followed by a small tabby kitten with arched back, spitting and screaming.

Bridget TXTed to say that sadly her rescue cat of many years, “Cattie” has been put down after being diagnosed with incurable kidney failure. Sad for Bridget and the grand-daughters.

Cattie In 2020 – Typical Pose

The New Luxury AllBirds For Karola

Leaves Piling Up Under Fierce Gale Wind Gusts

Oak Avenue Weather:12℃—18℃ no rain [75.459] TdO eggs=2 Mark=4

Anna’s family and we have been trying to connect online over the weekend and finally made it this morning:

Anna, Dave, and felix in Ealing, Karola, Bangle and me in Hastings. It was really good to see them, not just via TXT or email.

Mark came and finished topping the lucerne in the One Acre. Now it’ll grow fresh and green for the winter.

We checked, no more dead sheep today. Meticulous Maids came in the afternoon and did their cottage clean.

Gill sent me more old Brackenbury photos, pictures of my paternal grandfather Graham Brackenbury.

Graham Brackenbury With Small Goat Pan – 1941

Goat Paddock: Graham With Mandy and Murogli – 1951

Graham With Geese Bred By Peter Scott, In Little Fosse Field – 1950

Oak Avenue Weather:8℃—21℃ 0.1mm rain [75.841] TdT TdO eggs=2 Mark=4

Looking out of the bedroom window this morning I saw a sheep lying unnaturally still and no other sheep nearby. Didn’t look good and sure enough it proved to have died overnight. Karola and I used the Kioti tractor’s bucket to cart #721’s corpse over to our current pit and bury her. Only took ten minutes, but not something you want to do too often.

On way to the stop bank we detoured via JayCar in Heretaunga street and I bought two more of the little plastic tools for joining ethernet cable to a socket. Got some Colombian Arabica coffee from BP on the way back.

Went back to the old Tour de Twyford route, from Ormond road upstream for 3½km and back, as Bangle seems to prefer the more familiar haunt. Met a few parties bicycling or dog walking as it was a pleasant sunny afternoon with no wind and mild.

I tried again to join up the rat-damaged ethernet cable in the attic but just broke the two tools I bought today and no joy. I’ve now ordered a more robust tool online and will wait until it arrives later in the week.

Oak Avenue Weather:8℃—21℃ no rain [75.858] TdT TdO eggs=2

Elizabeth (archaeologist) sent through the “application for authority” for the archaeology which she is completing for us and submitting. I signed in three places as requested and scanned/mailed back also including a copy of our Conservation Methodology as requested. I await input from Matei Apatu and then we should be ready to submit the application.

Up in the attic I tried to repair the two media cables that rats had savaged. One is now working OK, one to do – I think I broke the little plastic tool used to press in the wires into the connection block.

Oak Avenue Weather:1℃—23℃ no rain [76.082] TdT TdO eggs=2

Another good Hawkes Bay autumn day – cold night and warm day.

Bridget sent Karola a hand-delivered sample of Rush Munro ice-creams as a birthday treat.

The All Birds shoes that Bridget suggested I send Karola arrived in the post. Karola and I chose the shoe online on the All Birds website. What we didn’t realise was that they do two major selectiosn of shoes these days, pure wool uppers and eucalyptus fibre uppers. Karola very much likes the ones with woollen uppers. So we’ll be returning the ones that arrived today and this evening karola chose a woollen pair which will be here in a couple of days.

Karola had greetings from her daughters and Gill & Ben as well as Annemarie More, Bridget’s mother-in-law who also has a birthday quite soon.

I planted the dozen silver beet seedlings and the three rhubarb plants.

More email discussions about the Archaeological Authority we need before getting going on the homestead additions and alterations. I’ve sent a proposed template for an email to Marei Apatu after review with Elizabeth and we think that if he fills it in and sends it back we’ll be able to proceed. I eagerly await his reply.

Ben Photographed This Falcon From Living Room, Seatoun Heights Road – MAGNIFICENT

Grim Little Thicket Of Fungi Sprouting Out Of Gravel Behind Homestead

Oak Avenue Weather:2℃—18℃ 0.7mm rain [76.187] TdT TdO eggs=2 Mark=0

Rain stopped mid morning, turning into a cold sunny day with a bitter southerly breeze.

We varied the Tour de Twyford routine today by beginning in the middle, at Carrick Road, so that Bangle and karol had a new piece of the stop bank to explore and a different view.

Elizabeth Pishief (archaeologist) called in response to my voicemail last night. She has already chatted to Christine Barnett in Heritage New Zealand but when I relayed the message I heard from Marei Atapu yesterday about more delays and process she was very concerned. Afterwards Elizabeth called Christine again and then sent me an email which implies we’re done with our “iwi consultation”. I await confirmation that we can get moving with the Request for Archaeological Authority” which is what Elizabeth is doing for us.

Elizabeth,s email to me today:

I spoke to Christine Barnett who reminded me that on the a authority application form it says

‘Provide details of the consultation undertaken and views expressed for archaeological sites that are of interest to Maori or Moriori (Chatham Islands). ‘

This means that if a site is not of interest to Maori they may say so and no further obligation is on them. It is important to say who and which hapu were asked but that is all.

I do not believe the land beneath Karamu House is of interest to Maori. Moreover the impact on the subsurface is minimal being almost entirely replacement of piles that are already in situ.

If by chance while monitoring is taking place the archaeologist notices archaeological remnants of Maori origin s/he should stop and consult with HNZPT and iwi so that enables iwi to be involved at that point.

As Bangle, karola, and I drove down to Carrick Road Karola noticed this addition to a plarge plane tree almost opposite our 133 gateway. Overnight it had been carved into and a red cross with bunting nailed up. I am not aware of any recent vehicle accident nearby – that quite often results in a cross and flowers for several months or years – so don’t understand what the significance of this graffiti is. The cross is painted red and nailed but the rest of the disfigurement is carved and gouged into the living wood.

Disfigured Plane Tree In Avenue

“HAYDEN Love [swasticka]” Is The Message

Oak Avenue Weather:1℃—13℃ 0.2mm rain [76.443] TdT TdO eggs=2 Mark=0

Every six weeks Bangle is taken over to Emma’s Speeden’s Grooming Salon and spends a couple of hours being cleaned up and made very presentable. Bangle has been a bit subdued for the last couple of days and was reluctant to go to grooming today, but once done she perked up and by nightfall was pretty much back to normal. It may have been the big cooked lamb bone I gave her yesterday or something nasty she found in the orchard or our undergrowth – we will never know.

Janet Scott dropped in for a chat which included some indignant outrage at the felling of a row of big old oak trees, not much younger than the avenue itself, bordering the large cropping paddock a few doors down on our side of Ormond Road. Apparently, after decades of use as a rotational crop of onions, squash, and short-rotation ryegrass (fattenng lambs), it has been sold and will be put into apples. Not John Bostock this time.

Marei Apatu called in response to my TXT last night. He achieved his goal at the meeting last week and got the iwi approval to represent them in advising Heritage NZ they had no interest in the homestead and its additions and alteration. Marei said that however Christine Barnett, his contact in Heritage NZ, was concerned that there might be aspects of the wider area that needed consideration. She left it that she would adding one of her staff to the matter and they would need to essentially audit Marei’s actions to ensure they constituted proper iwi consultation. That didn’t sound very promising.

Thick coating of leaves on the paddocks in the vicinity of our predominantly deciduous big trees await a decent gale or two to sweep them away. Every year it happens and a couple of winter storms push the leaves against the fences and railings.

Leaves Carpet The Paddock Inhibiting Grass Growth

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—14℃ 8.5mm rain [76.400] TdT TdO eggs=2 Mark=0

Another weekly shop and also the Subaru had its service and WOF this morning. So off we went in convoy, dropped off the Subaru, and continued in the direction of new World. We detoured to Farmlands to buy a replacement “top link pin” for the old tractor – but they didn’t have any of the right size. So we shopped, got thwe weeks GF bread and coffees, and dropped in at Power Farming on the way home – they did have the right size of pin.

Before breakfast we had a it of consternation because I couldn’t find the manilla folder containing Karola’s medical and optical certificates assuring that she was medically fit to drive. Thats what happens when you put things in a “safe place”. After we returned from shopping, and after I’d rung the Health Centre to see if we’d left the manilla folder there, it turned up.

So Karola and I completed the forms and she signed everything, all set to go. Last week Peter Offenberger told us that you could just walk in to the Hastings AA and get your renewed license on the spot, so that was the plan. Just as we were about to leave I got a TXT saying the Subaru was ready to pick up. And I remembered that I’d intended to buy some waterproof gloves for gardening but forgotten them on our earlier trip.

Second trip in one morning but quite productive: gloves from Mitre-10, tick, Karola renewed her driving license, tick, Karola dropped me off at the garage and I drove the Subaru home, tick.

Mark came and finished moving the third raised bed. Late afternoon I went down to The Plant Shop on Pakowhai road and bought a dozen silver beet seedlings and three rhubarb plants – all destined for this third raised bed.

Mark then began mowing the lucerne paddock, the One Acre, just to clear out the stalky stuff and encourage lots of fresh leafy growth.

Debbie, Rangatera Ormond’s girlfriend who wants to do some odd jobs for Karola to supplement her other part-time jobs as she works towards a nursing qualification, came round as planned at 2:00pm for a couple of hours. We all, Bangle, Deb, Karola, and I went down to the stop bank for my daily cycle.

Oak Avenue Weather:12℃—24℃ 1.3mm rain [76.473] TdT TdO eggs=1 Mark=4 Debbie=2

Mark came and mowed the cottage lawn then began moving the third raised bed. After afternoon tea we both went up into the homestead attic yet again. Mark hovered up rat droppings while I used cable clips to fasten some of the media cables more securely to rafters out of the way. Then we both tried to determine which of the three cables running from the control box under the stairs to each of four TV connection points were the ones eaten by rats.

The three ethernet cables to each TV connection point comprise a yellow cable carrying HDMI signals, a blue cable connecting to the Internet, and a spare, also blue. In addition each connection point has a regular video coax cable connected to an aerial in the attic space. The ethernet cables are tagged at each end with a coloured bit of electric tape: yellow for the living room, red for upstairs, blue for the dining room, and green for the new kitchen. The apparently damaged wires are the dining room datat1 and all three upstairs – I thought only two had rat damage so maybe more.

Grayson Allen came as planned with Vincent Selby from BDT selling Mitsubishi heat pumps and discussed a suitable heat pump replacement for our expensive and barely acceptable electric solution to heating the cottage. We now await a quote for a replacement cylinder – the one that has been slowly leaking for many months – together with a heat pump.

Builder Paul happened to ring today, find out how we were getting on wih our iwi consultation, and he’s agreed to do the little concrete pad outside the cottage laundry loo for the heat pump. We may also get Grayson to install a water softener, something dear to Karola’s heart.

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—27℃ no rain [76.964] TdT TdO eggs=1 Mark=4

Mild but overcast day, a little rain at night and occasionally during the day.

After the daily Tour de Twyford I went off to Karl Mattias’s house in Taradale where he and Lorraine hold a monthly meeting of 10 – 20 friends who chat about issues and enjoy a late lunch mid-afternoon. Peter Offenberger was there and a few others I am beginning to recognise like John Timpson. Ali McKay (nee Alison Stevenson) again spoke about knowing Gill while we were in Roseneath and coming to our house to play after school. Ali found an old school photo (below).

Gill does remember her and perhaps they’ll get together when Gill comes up here with Ben in a few weeks time.

Eclectic group from Trotsyite Timpson to firmly conservative but I’d say that most of us are left of centre. Couple of hours airing our current grievances from anti-vaxxers to public service wage freezes. Then, after lunch, the topic was “democracy”. The odd and rather refreshing thing was that, despite the many failings the group perceived in New Zealand’s version of democracy, New Zealand seems to be much closer to the idea we have in mind than almost any other country – we are doing far better than all the major players.

School Photo 1961 – Roseneath, Wellington

Oak Avenue Weather:12℃—24℃ no rain [76.814] TdT TdO eggs=2

Had another fire this morning in the cottage – took the edge off a cool night.

Finished transplanting the second raised bed. It’s still pretty dry a few inches below the surface so I gave my Puriri a drink along with the swan plants, recently transplanted Fuschia, and cornflowers. Otherwise a pretty relaxed day. Also gave the Puriri a fertilizer tablet which I forgot to do when planting them initially.

Oak Avenue Weather:8℃—20℃ 1.0mm rain [76.631] TdT TdO eggs=2

And then there were none – again Red Band fails to bring up either of her two chicks.

Power cut planned for this morning, beginning just before 9:00am. Karola and I had haircut appointment at 9:00am. Debbie has been sent a message via her grandmother Ira that we can’t make our meeting with her today.

So we left the Middletons to have breakfast in a power cut, Gaylene just squeezing in her cup of tea before the lights went out.

Haircuts went just fine and while Karola was having hers I got a couple of spare keys for the padlocks temporarily being used to secure the homestead during the building work. Of course we rewarded our adventure with coffees from Artisan.

We got back in time for us and the Middletons to traipse down to Lappuccino’s for brunch after which they set off for Wellington.

The Tour today was a 3km walk with Bangle rather than a bike ride preceded by all three of us going round the orchard.

Graham Harvey popped in late afternoon for a cup of tea and chat and to pick up some more lemons plus the15kg or so of chook layers pellets that my chooks refuse to eat. This is all that’s left of 50kg I got when the chooks first arrived but since when they have mostly ignored leaving the pellets to be eaten by pukekos and other unspecified denizens of the night.

From Anna In Ealing – How The English Celebrate Loosening of Lockdown

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—18℃ 0.5mm rain [77.230] TdT TdO eggs=3 Mark=0

Breakfast with the Middletons and they then left for their day up at Iain’s forrest inland from Napier.

I completed filling the second raised bed with soil. Mark won’t be back until next week.

Middletons returned about 5:00pm and we set off for Havelock North shortly afterwards.

This Morning There Were Two, Now Only One Chick

From Stop Bank – Asparagus Bed

Oak Avenue Weather:10℃—23℃ 2.3mm rain [76.422] TdT TdO eggs=1 Mark=0

It was so cold this morning that I lit the fire before breakfast.

Mark is still off with a nasty cold.

“Lorraine of Longlands Road” was the address on the little parcel in our mail box this morning, someone’s online shopping gone astray. I think it was a watch strap. Anyway I called the contact number on the packet and she and a few friends tootled round in a brand new Landrover Discovery – $120,000 if it’s an ounce – and picked it up late afternoon.

Bangle had her longer 3km walk today.

Red Band still has two chicks.

Karola and I moved the baths and other fixtures from the old bathroom to avoid blocking the Middleton’s access to their homestead bedroom.

Middletons arrived around 4:00pm from Wellington and Karola cooked us a delicious, splendid lamb roast with traditional vegetables, gravy, etc.

We and the Middletons walked Bangle round the orchard as the sun slowly sank into the horizon.

The Mowers Tidy Up The Stop Bank

Oak Avenue Weather:3℃—24℃ no rain [75.814] TdT TdO eggs=2 Mark=0

Red Band’s two chicks are still with us this evening.

Got a call then a visit from electrician from Newport Auto Electricians – young man who quickly found where the detached wires were supposed to be and fixed them, the tractor roaring into life once more.

Shopping for food plus animal feedstuff and some electronics to fix the cables eaten away by rats in the homestead attic.

Mark called in sick today.

We went on the tour de Twyford soon after midday and were then late for 1:00pm meeting here with Ira (Henare’s older sister) and Rangatira’s girlfriend, Debbie, who might do some inside work for Karola to help with her nursing training expenses. Debbie is a very pleasant young woman but I do wonder whether Karola’s idea of someone we can rely on when older and infirm is useful to Debbie – I think she wants cash for hours right now. Best thing is for Debbie to come and be with Karola for a morning and see how they get on.

Rushed off to the Hastings health Centre where karola had her medical tests prerequisite to applying for her 75th year driving license. Karola passed without any problems at all. So we can now apply for the license. So delighted that we had Rush Munro ice-creams on the way home.

Separated the rams from the ewes again. Older ram in Long Acre, younger ram in the Goose paddock, rest of the ewes in the Middle and Totara paddocks.

Turned off the tree irrigation.

Oak Avenue Weather:0℃—22℃ no rain [75.652] TdT TdO eggs=3 Mark=0

Karola and I had long phone discussions with Chris Ryan about the IDS meetings next year – the New Zealand one 21st-24th April 2022 and the IDS International one in November 2022.

Meticulous Maids came early, before lunch today.

Down on the stop bank again Bangle trotted and galloped the three kilometres with me accompanying her on bike for most of it.

Mark did more work on moving raised beds and after afternoon tea (coffee and biscuits and a glance at our daily paper) Mark helped me in the homestead attic. He swept up copious rat droppings until the Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner ran out of power then, using the electric cordless reciprocating saw with a blade for metal, chopped up the copper pipes that used to be connected to the header tank supplying our low-pressure water supply in the homestead. He finished the day by watering my five Puriri.

Meanwhile I began fastening the TV aerial and Internet cables to the homestead rafters, making them a little less exposed to being snagged and ended the afternoon by fastening a dozen fresh rat poison sachets to the old header tank base.

I mended a leak in the irrigation piping along the cottage bay tree hedge.

Another wood burner fire this evening, very cosy.

Red Band And Her Two New Chicks

Oak Avenue Weather:1℃—20℃ no rain [76.207] TdT TdO eggs=1 Mark=4

Quiet day, cold again. I donned Karola’s boiler suit and took tools up into the homestead attic to see how Mark had been getting on with removing the header tank and pipes etc. The extraneous bits of wood supporting the tank have been removed and all that remains is to remove the various copper and plastic pipes that connected the header tank to the low-pressure system in the homestead.

Checked on the ewe hoggets, they all seem pretty fit and active.

On the Tour de Twyford today Bangle decided to run with me on the bike so I rode as slowly as I could and she galloped up the the 1½km post with Karola walking along behind. I then rode back to Karola with Bangle again galloping along. When we met up Karola and Bangle went back to the Landrover and I did my usual bike ride of just over 7km.

It’s still so dry that I turned on the irrigation for the lime & swamp cypress trees, the two lots of red beech saplings, and the cottage bay tree hedge including my special manuka and Karola’s micro-orchard.

Another cottage woodburner fire tonight.

Oak Avenue Weather:0℃—18℃ no rain [76.271] TdT TdO eggs=2

Quite cold today and largely overcast. Apparently it’s also the first day of the duck shooting season so I should not have been disconcerted by the Māori guy standing on the side of the stop bank with a broken (as in ready to load) double-barrelled shotgun held at the ready.

I saw ewe #817 showing a lot of interest in the ram, and vice-versa, so I recombined the flocks for a couple of days after all another ten days of potential lambing isn’t going to be a problem this year – we’re not travelling.

I was inside programming most of the day while Karola read and sorted her historical papers. Early afternoon we lit the fire and it kept the cottage warm all afternoon and evening.

The Cotswolds Today – Geoff & Edwina On Short Holiday

Oak Avenue Weather:2℃—16℃ no rain [76.354] TdT TdO eggs=3