Monthly Archives: June 2021

Had enough items left over from yesterday’s shopping that we went again into Hastings New World stopping only at BP for coffees on the way back.

Unannounced we had a visit from Marcus Ormond who arrived just as we did back from Hastings. Marcus is one of the late Arthur Ormond’s sons married to Chrissie, daughter of Cynthia Chalmers, one of Karola’s Woodford House classmates. They live somewhere up the Taihape road near where Cynthia used to live before she decamped to Hastings. It’s a thirty minute drive down to Hastings and so Marcus told us the family is going to rent a house in Havelock North to be near the children’s schools. Marcus has three children, the oldest is 16 and youngest 10.

We had morning tea and talked about our adventures on the Ngaruroro stop bank and our struggles with the house renovation plans. Marcus is enthusiastic to take over the sheep here from Karola when she decides to delegate looking after them, maybe this year or next.

With Karola, finished watching the 3-part TV documentary “Greta Thunberg – A Year To Change The World”. Quite amazing what she accomplished and sad that the Covid 19 pandemic overshadowed it to the point of eclipsing her actions. She had a very honest and forthright meme, “I don’t want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to the science”. The programme reinforced my feeling of the impossibility of organising mankind in any timely reaction to climate change, any reaction that could avoid immense and, for many, catastrophic changes to their lives and livelihoods. But then I have been sceptical for a couple of decades that the required social and political miracles could occur. I think that only when the consequences of climate change are so personal and dire that they cannot be ignored will society change and that change will be all about mitigation, not stopping, climate change. This is tough on future generations but then our generation, we are the charmed ones. Mostly throughout recorded history and even now in most of the world, during our charmed epoch, most people have had a very rough ride through life.

… and while I am still mildly gloomy, I stumbled across and read the following weird article, Meditations On Moloch by Scott Alexander Siskind, he of the Slate Star Codex, not the film script writer. Very strange.

Mark came and did some cleaning up after the recent gales and then began his next project which is to patch the walls of the end bay of the orchard big shed. It used to be used fitfully by the orchardist but Karola re-possessed it for housing wood salvaged from the forthcoming homestead additions and alterations. It is a lockable bay separated by an inner wall from the other three bays and it is this inner wall which has a number of holes which allow birds access for roosting and nesting. Mark will cover these holes with sheets of plywood we bought recently.

Oak Avenue Weather:5℃—14℃ 0.1mm rain [76.024] TdT eggs=2 Mark=4

Shopping today of course but no hurry as Mark isn’t coming. He rightly declared that it would be muddy underfoot and very cold.

Managed to forget more than the usual number of items today so will probably make another foray to the shops later in the week.

As Karola’s “carer” I have set up her iPhone to have alarms at 8:00am and every four hours until 8:00pm. These being the times for her eye drops, which I administer in a gentle yet firm way. This goes on for a month whereas the wearing of an eye patch at night is only for a week.

Karola surprised me today, after remarking for several days that the new artificial lens in her left eye didn’t really improve anything. She said that the bionic eye worked – she can read books and magazines without glasses. The built-in correction which mimics her reading glasses does work. I am much relieved.

Unkindly I did observe that Karola’s driving license photo is wearing glasses and a condition of driving is that she wear corrective lenses. As we have no old licenses to compare with we don’t know when this restriction first happened but from Mark Eagle’s (optician’s) comments I think this wasn’t a recent change. I cannot recollect Karola ever wearing glasses for driving. Anyway she’ll either have to produce a pair of glasses for long sight or not drive until after her second cataract operation. Karola has about eight pairs of glasses, all supposedly for reading and differing only in the shape and convenience and fashion of the frames.

It was so cold with very strong gusts and serious wind-chill so that cycling along ther stop bank seemed impractical. Instead we took Bangle down in the Zoe and, while Karola sat in the warm reading an Economist (without glasses), Bangle and I walked 1½km along to the fence post marker and back again. In addition to my usual protection of an old grey possum/merino jersey under the blue Icebreaker Merino wind-cheater Bridget gave me I wore my Dirt Road grey rain jacket, a free gift from GoldPine for being such a good customer for their fencing materials over the years. Despite that I still got very cold ears, nose, and fingers.

Later I zoomed (no not Zoomed) round the orchard with Bangle who is somewhat relieved to find the 100 or so lambs grazing Karola’s orchard have been moved on.

Oak Avenue Weather:5℃—9℃ no rain [76.545] TdT TdO eggs=0 Mark=0

Karola and I watched a TV documentary, Greta Thunberg: A Year To Change The World, about her crusade concerning climate change – episode one of three. I didn’t know that Greta is autistic and she certainly had an amazing few years.

Gales raged off and on all day. The wind turned to the south and the promised icy cold antarctic winds swept in. It was just too blustery to contemplate the daily cycle ride.

Meticulous Maids came and cleaned the cottage.

Late afternoon I completed mending the fence where the lambs were getting through from Karola’s orchard to the Scott’s. Karola is keen to get rid of the barbed wires so maybe Mark could do that in the summer.

Gill sent a photo of their Seatoun Heights house roof, recently undergoing some overdue maintenance and repainted – the repainting was completed today. Looks good as new.

Fence Mended, Snapped Wires And Two Broken Battens

66 Seatoun Heights Road – Roof Repaint Completed Today

Oak Avenue Weather:4℃—18℃ 2.0mm rain [76.721] TdO eggs=2 Mark=0

Janet Scott called to let us know there were some lambs in her orchard that didn’t belong; she wondered if they were ours. Not worried just concerned we might be missing them.

Late afternoon, after our walk/cycle on the stop bank, Karola and I strolled with Bangle round the orchard and shooed the five sheep that had escaped into Janet Scott’s orchard back into Karola’s orchard. Later I went back to the spot with the broken fence and began mending it. The day’s forecast had switched from some rain in the afternoon to no rain until after midnight. But as I finished straining up the wires of the fence, sealing the break, it started to rain and by the time I got back to the cottage I was soaked. It’s sheep proof but I still have some more to do to finish the mend.

I loaded up the tools and materials in the little tractor bucket and was about to go through from the farm shed into the Middle paddock when the sheep, thinking it’d be interesting to get out and under the big oak, rushed towards me. So instead I trundled along the drive to the 121 entrance and went through the gate there into the Long Acre. The old ram was busy up the far end. On the return as dusk fell and the rain poured down I tried to retrace my steps only this time the ram insisted he wanted to go through the Long Acre gate onto the driveway. So I went back to the Holding paddock and from there into the Middle paddock. This time the main flock had moved away and I slunk through the gate next to the farm shed. Rather wetter than strictly necessary.

Oak Avenue Weather:10℃—22℃ 3.6mm rain [76.486] TdT TdO eggs=2

Mild and overcast day. We noticed a large old oak tree had fallen recently, 10 metres long but with few side branches because it’s been standing dead for over a decade. We didn’t cut it down for fear of opening up canopy to more wind – I guess we’ll find out now whether that was a practical concern.

Five sheep have got through the fence from Karola’s orchard into the Scott’s. I ouldn’t see where they’d escaped yesterday but today I spotted where a couple of battens had been broken and wires stretched or snapped. Probably tractor work in the Scott’s orchard to blame. Anyway I TXTed Peter Fitzpatrick, Bostock’e manager responsible for Karola’s orchard, and he notified the sheep owner.

Oak Avenue Weather:10℃—22℃ no rain [76.195] TdT TdO eggs=0

Karola had a reasonable night, which surprised and delighted me. We sorted out the post-op routine and life returned pretty much to normal.

Debbie came this afternoon and we all went down to the stop bank. Led by Debbie, Bangle had a good long walk. Hardly anyone around.

Debbie and karola made the bed and poof, that was the afternoon gone.

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—16℃ no rain [76.440] TdT TdO eggs=3 Mark=0 Debbie=2

Up at 6:20am, fed the doves and chooks in the dark, took Bangle for a walk out to the front gate to fetch the paper, had breakfast. Meanwhile Karola who had fasted since 7:30pm last night had her last allowed drink of water at 6:30am and read the admission instructions one last time. We left at 7:10am and were at Royston hospital reception at 7:20am, in plenty of time.

Paperwork at reception, checking that we were the ones expected – Karola as patient and me as “carer” to take Karola home and hear the list of post-op actions so I could remind Karola if need be.

Then off to sit in the hospital’s spacious waiting room. Only about nine comfortable chairs. Free coffee at reception – execrable. Then one of the admissions nurses comes by, leads us into the hospital proper (curtained off cubicals) for more questions, more signatures, and for Karola to don the robes of surgery. Then another nurse asking more questions and taking blood pressure and other vital signs. Nurse explains the anaesthesia procedure for this operation. First Karola will be given a sedative that will render her pretty much asleep for the rest of the operation; then the anaesthetist will numb up the left side of her face.

Next the anaesthetist, very calming, practical, and reassuring manner, introducing himself and asking if Karola had any questions. And in popped John Beaumont, our eye specialist, looking very smart in a grey check suit and shiny black shoes. He puts a felt-pen mark above the eye to be operated on – just as I had threatened to do when yesterday morning we were phoned to discuss the admission time and pre-op procedures. Karola was #2 operation for John this morning. Penny Wilson, John’s practice nurse, also dropped in and said hello though I think that was coincidence, she wasn’t part of Karola’s surgery today – maybe she helps out at Royston hospital when John is doing operations rather than working in his consulting rooms, also conveniently located across the hall in Royston.

Another nurse comes and escorts Karola off to the operating theatre leaving me to retire to the waiting room until called for. That’s when I investigated the free coffee at reception, ugh!

After about 40 minutes my phone rings and I am then collected from the waiting room by yet another nurse and shown to a seat with Karola in another curtained cubicle where she is just finishing a cup of tea and egg sandwiches. Nurse explains the post-op actions and medicines. Karola re-dresses. A bit more discussion and we are let out, it’s all done.

Picked up coffees at BP on the way home – the whole process took just three hours. Relaxed once there with a wood fire and listening to an Iris Murdoch audio book and dozing. After lunch we did the Tour de Twyford and later the Tour de Orchard. Apart from the transparent plastic patch over Karola’s left eye we drifted back into normalcy.

Oak Avenue Weather:3℃—17℃ no rain [76.748] TdT TdO eggs=1 Mark=0

Well it was a mad rush to get Bangle over to Emma for her grooming session, then back to Karamu buying a coffee on the way. Then dress for dinner, I mean lunch, and back to pick up the clean and fragrant Bangle, drop her off back home and then up into the hills behind Napier for the lunch. Whew, we were in time. In fact we had just enough time for Bangle to stretch her little legs at the cottage when we relented and took her with us up to Puketapu. Bangle slept on the back seat while we lunched.

The meal was inexpensive ($35/head) and much to my liking. With difficuIty I eschewed the roast pork (GF) and plumped for the salad and pan-fried fish (GF). Followed by a creme brulee. Karola and I were towards one end of the long table. Karola was opposite Peter Offenberger; I was facing John Timpson and, next to him, Richard Peach – two outspoken young-at-heart gents who hang out with Peter regularly in Havelock North. Next to me was Paul O’Regan, husband of the current president of the Friendship Club, Julie. We had a thoroughly enjoyable meal and conversation.

Byline: Geoff & Edwina From The Yorkshire Dales – A Short Summer Break

Well, the best that can be said is that the weather here is nicer than it is back home in Hampshire. But the Dales are as charming and quirky as ever. The local wildlife very obligingly make sure that one has time to admire the view:

…and the local farmers are as obliging as ever in ensuring that – even whilst zooming down the major highways – you have plenty of time to admire their craft walling…

In my latest example of a Fermi problem, [“back of the envelope estimate” Ian] I estimate that, over the centuries, the Dales farmers have placed 5 billion (sic) individually selected stones by hand in these walls. Ian, think about that next time you are using your post hammer to knock in a quick fence.

Picturesque, those clints and grykes in the karst pavement on top of Malham Cove…

A clint is a block forming part of a natural limestone pavement, separated from others by fissures (grikes) – in case it wasn’t obvious.

Oak Avenue Weather:0℃—13℃ 0.1mm rain [76.307] TdT eggs=1 Mark=0

Shopping day again – same old, same old. Rain easing off but still occasional showers which caught us out on the stop bank and, later, going round the orchard.

Mark and I have decided to give it a miss this week – just too wet and also, for us, too busy with Bangle’s 6-weekly grooming and the Friendship Club winter lunch tomorrow and Karola’s cataract surgery on Thursday.

No-one has come to salvage the crashed car yet but today, when going down to the river, we spotted the tree that it hit. That’s a wing mirror in the photo plus some white plastic matching the car. I imagine a tow truck pulled it off the tree and dumped it on the wider verge on the other side 50 metres up the road. I do recall hearing a long skidding sound on the day but had put it down to some kids doing “wheelies” on the slick road.

We Found Where The White Car Must Have Hit This Plane Tree While Travelling North-East Along Oak Avenue

The Disabled Car, Still Here On Oak Avenue, Facing NorthEast, Wrong Side Of The Road

This Week It Rained A Bath-Full

Oak Avenue Weather:2℃—13℃ 0.2mm rain [76.535] TdT TdO eggs=3 Mark=0

The shortest day made even shorter by constant rain all day and all night, some of it heavy.

We stayed in all day, except for collecting the mail and rubbish bin. No walks for Bangle and the chooks and doves were looking somewhat bedraggled. The geese were loving it. It was too wet for Mark, too wet for my cycling, too wet for traipsing round the orchard. More tonight and for the next couple of days, it’s forecast.

Oak Avenue Weather:10℃—15℃ 17.6mm rain [76.358] eggs=2 Mark=0

Excitement of the day was Henare bringing his son Scott, Scott’s partner Coco (Taiwanese), and a couple of Aira’s grandchildren they were minding for the afternoon, to afternoon tea.

Aira is Henare’s older sister. We gave them drinks and the rest of the orange almond cake that Debbie cooked for us on Friday. Also Karola picked them some persimmons.

I checked the surveillance camera, set up on the railings, overlooking a dish in which I put slice of cat food most nights. You can see the visitors detected on Thursday 17th below.

Someone’s car took a battering in the avenue. No signs of the actual crash so it might have been a tree or might have been another vehicle – no idea, didn’t hear anything, but there it was out by the 133 gateway when I took out the rubbish bin.

Karola noticed an article in the local paper (see below). Unbeknownst to us our orchardist, John Bostock, by far the biggest organic apple grower in Hawkes Bay, has a trust dedicated to converting the riparian wasteland along a stretch of the Karamu stream into fenced areas planted with native trees. The Karamu stream is quite a long way from here on the other,eastern side of Hastings. (The area round modern Hastings used to be called “Te Karamu”, the Hastings railway station was the Karamu railway station, and Karola’s homstead here is called “Karamu” – all part of “Te Karamu”.

From Hawkes Bay Today 20-06-2021

Caught On Camera 17-06-2021

A Decent Dollop Of Rain

Irregular Parking Outside Our Gate

Oak Avenue Weather:11℃—14℃ 47.5mm rain [75.92] TdT eggs=1

Raining on and off all day. Quite cold and obviously very overcast.

Given that Debbie has baked us a delicious orange almond cake we thought it’d be a good idea to share it. And today is Peter Offenberger’s birthday so we invited Peter and Charlotte over for afternoon tea. After our Tour de Twyford in the rain we came back, lit the fire and settled down to wait for Peter and Charlotte, who were having lunch in Napier.

As expected they arrived shortly afterwards and we all had a very convivial and pleasant afternoon, and the cake was good.

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—14℃ 26.4mm rain [76.028] TdT eggs=2

Debbie came again this afternoon and baked me a cake – an orange almond sponge cake, gluten free.

I quizzed her a bit today, realising we didn’t even know her surname. Debbie Young was born in Tauranga and grew up in Gisborne, moving down to Hawkes Bay a few years ago. Her partner is Rangatira Tiaki Omana Fox, son of Rewa & Phillip Fox, grandson of Aira Ormond – that’s the connection to Karola. Of course Henare and Aira are brother and sister. Debbie’s mother’s family is Searle; Searle and Young are old pakeha New Zealand families. Debbie is studying to become a registered nurse at the local Eastern Institute of Technology, EIT.

Mark found more rabbit holes under the Feojoa tree in front of the homestead and filled those in before beginning weeding along the east verandah of the homestead – a tangle of re-growing camellia trees, hydrangeas, and sundry unwanted species including blackberry.

On our daily stop bank walk/cycle Karola met another dog walker, Jo, who lives in the Velvin’s house – the one with rather too many large sheds that started out as broiler chicken sheds. Jo said they’d converted one into a homestay and expected to do another one soon. The Velvins retired to Taupo after selling their orchard to Karola back in 2005; their house is a couple of hundred metres north-east down the avenue on the opposite side.

One Of The Last Remaining Unpicked Fuji Apple Trees In Karola’s Orchard

Oak Avenue Weather:6℃—17℃ 2.8mm rain [76.209] TdT TdO eggs=2 Mark=4 Debbie=2

Now I have enabled my credit card to act as an EFTPOS card I don’t need a separate EFTPOS card so I made a new BNZ sub-account for Mark, changed the password and gave it to him for farm expenses. We went down to the local petrol station and he purchased refills of 91-octane petrol for the lawn mower, chainsaw, and Grillo.

Mark helped me clean out the chook house and restock the nest boxes – they were very musty. He applied the droppings to each of the five Puriri trees and got a barrow load of dry mulched-up leaves and branches to replace the removed material. I cleaned out each of the nest boxes and swished around with hot water & disinfectant – I’ll put in some of the fresh meadow hay we got last weekend.

Mark went on to plug a few more rabbit holes.

Cockerel And One Of His Flock

Oak Avenue Weather:2℃—19℃ 0.2mm rain [76.410] TdT TdO eggs=3 Mark=4

Cynthia Chalmers, classmate of Karola’s, dropped in as arranged this morning for morning tea and a chat.

Mark mowed the cottage lawn after making up another six electric fence posts from parts. He then continued the plugging of rabbit holes in the paddocks for Karola.

We had a sad incident on the stop bank today. When we got there we saw a scruffy, thickset, miserable-looking man with a young short-haired brown dog on a long blue rope. The dog was a bit bigger than Bangle and had a doberman sort of face. I asked him if it was OK – we also had a dog. At first he ignored me but I persisted and he grunted that it was OK.

I cycled off and that’s the last I saw of him or his dog. But Karola, who came along behind me with Bangle, was horrified when he started beating his dog with the rope, quite openly, even as she and Bangle walked past him only metres away. Wisely Karola didn’t accost him – there’s no knowing whether he was on drugs or just naturally violent. But not a pleasant experience for Karola or Bangle. There was no suggestion of the outburst before I cycled away although he did look very miserable and was hobbling. I noticed that he had a surgical moon-boot on one foot as I passed him. He reminded me of some people I’d met from north England with huge chips on their shoulders about the unfairness of life.

Late last year Mark fixed up one of my Bushnell Surveillance cameras near the water trough down by the stump dump. Over a couple of days we got shots of several kinds of drinker including lots of pukekos. The one caught below was dancing on the float and could definitely have contributed to the troughs being full to overflowing. For me that’s mystery solved. Photos from 10th/11th December 2020.

The Intended Clients – Sheep

Pukeko dancing On The Float

Feral Cat

Blackbird

Possum

The Legitimate Imbiber

Oak Avenue Weather:4℃—20℃ no rain [76.340] TdT TdO eggs=1 Mark=4

Gosh, shopping day again – another week has scooted by.

Debbie TXTed to say she was unwell and so changed her stint here to Friday.

I sent a short document to Elizabeth Pishief (archaeologist), describing our interactions with Marei Apatu over the last couple of months, he being our contact for the iwi consultation needed to get an Archaeology Authorisation and begin the building work for additions and alterations to the homestread.

Mark finished painting the two plywood panels which will improve the electric fence posts rack at the back of the farm shed. He and I put the panels up and it does make hanging the posts much easier (see photo below).

Mark then spent some time scanning the photos taken by a surveillance camera Mark set up trained on the water trough down near the stump dump. We’ve captured photos of: sheep (obviously), possum, cat, unidentified birds (blackbirds maybe), and lots of pukekos. The pukekos do, as conjectured, jump up and down on the trough float so they are one reason the troughs fill right up and overflow.

Recently Dave Moss has not contributed any weights to the shared tracking program – shared among: me, Bridget, Chris, and Dave. It turns out he was. on a trip to Iceland and he sent me some stunning photos of his visit to an Icelandic volcano.

Electric fence Post Rack – Mark’s Enhancement

Dave Moss’ Photos From Iceland Trip

Oak Avenue Weather:__℃—__℃ no rain [76.611] TdT eggs=2 Mark=4

A bit late starting off for the daily stop-bank walk/cycle. When we got to the start point, at the bottom of Ormond Road, I decided to see what beckoned on the other side of the expressway so we three walked almost to Pakowhai Regional Park which is two kilometres downstream of the Ormond Road terminus. Bangle was very cheerful having her whole pack under her eye as she trotted along.

We stopped level with a large cropping paddock currently fallow for the winter and grazing five young cattle. Oner of the cattlebeasts was solemnly chewing on a length of electric fence tape and I wondered whether that was healthy. I tried to get close enough to pull it out but the beast shied away just as I was almost within reach. Oddly, after a few minutes of fruitless pursuit of this animal I noticed that the length of tape hanging from its mouth had doubled – so maybe wha started off down was able to come back unaided. And to my surprise another of the beasts started to disgorge a length of tape.

I called Harry and asked if this was life threatening behaviour. His response was that cattle seemed to like chewing on electric fence tapes and poly-wire and usually seemed no worse for the experience so we left them to it.

Mark started on mowing up the leaves under the big oak and other parts of the homestead lawns where leaves were heaped. He also undercoated the back of one of the two pieces of plywood destined to become a smooth covering of the weatherboard behind the elctric fence post rail on the back of the farm shed. After afternoon tea, despite the rain becoming a little more persistent, Mark and I searched the Long Acre and Holding paddock for rabbit holes, filling them in and ramming them hard to make it harder for Brer Rabbit to dig those particular holes again.

Meticulous Maids came and cleaned the cottage.

Golden Ginkgo Leaves Carpet The Ground – Long Acre

East Along Stop Bank – Other Side Of The Expressway

Looking East – More Cropping And Orchard Paddocks

Calf Chewing On Electric Fence Tape

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—22℃ 9.8mm rain [76.649] TdT eggs=3 Mark=4

After a late start and quick scramble down to the stop bank I drove over to Taradale for Karl Matthys’ monthly meeting he calls his “free thinkers”. There are fewer than 20 of us and seems that about a dozen turn up at most meetings. First half of the afternoon comprises a round robin moment to discuss the weeks hot issues – items in the local papers that have inflamed passions and world events optimistic and (mostly) pessimistic. After afternoon tea each meeting has a topic chosen at the previous meeting and the group discuss their views on this.

I think the good thing that makes it worth attending is that despite all the participants, while being white middle-class men and women, usually have someone who doesn’t agree with the rest of the group. We even have a couple of anti-vaxxers which boggles my mind. I’m learning about organisations in the Hawkes Bay and more widespread that are trying to make positive improvements to our society – the recycling enthusiasts, the worldwide Rotary organisation are examples. One common attribute amongst the members is that they are all, as far as I can tell, non-religious. Several have worked overseas or come from overseas so have a somewhat broader view of the world.

Oak Avenue Weather:8℃—20℃ no rain [76.714] TdT TdO eggs=2

First thing Anna TXTed that the French Open tennis championship was on and Nadal and Djokovic were playing out of their skins.

Dashed off to Nelson’s who sell hay over on the Gilpin Road – Middle Road corner, not far from Birdwood Cafe. We bought twenty bales of meadow hay from Mr Nelson. These days they come not as loose bales but in blocks of ten, tightly bound with vivid blue twine. The place was busy, only Mr Nelson and one other old codger doing business and a steady stream of life-stylers in their SUVs pulling trailers like ours. I wanted half a bale for my chooks nesting boxes which was partly why today seemed a good time to get the hay. Karola decided she preferred real hay to pea straw this time which fitted with my plans.

Set up a YouTube replay of the tennis for Karola.

Hay Shed With 20 Bales Of Meadow Hay Bought Today

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—18℃ 0.1mm rain [76.682] TdT TdO eggs=2

Karl & Wendy arrived early just as Karola and I were getting the sheep into the yards in preparation for today’s crutching. Everyone except the two rams were crutched and given a drench of Duell (withholding for meat of 10 days).

Mark came and first order of the day was to cut two full-size 1.2m x 2.4m sheets of H3 treated 7mm plywood into two 2.4m x 0.8m sheets and then undercoat them. They are destined for the end wall of the farm shed, behind the electric fencepost bar. We hang the fence posts on a bar offset a few inches from the wall but they are always catching on the overlapping edges of the weatherboard. These two pieces of plywood should solve that. Later Mark filled in a few rabbit holes, something dear to Karola’s heart.

Karola & I went off to the Hastings health Centre. I to have my quarterly diabetics examination and both of us to have another in our annual memory checks. According to my GP I am bristling with good health. On way home we got paint brush cleaner from Mitre-10, coffee from BP, and posted Bridget her two AirTags.

Upon our return Karola unlocked the cottage back door to find four fantails inside flitting about. She opened more doors and windows and they gracefully departed, no silly crashing into glass but just out through the open doors. Delightful.

Chook Trough With First Feed Of Layers Mash

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—18℃ 0.1mm rain [76.730] TdT TdO eggs=2 Mark=4

A very damp misty morning, so much so that Karl called and cancelled this mornings crutching session – maybe tomorrow.

Mark finished his maintenance of the electric fence posts. They are stowed in a rack along the back of the Farm Shed and it is frustrating that the clips and foot get caught on the overlap ridges of the weatherboard so Mark and I drove the Landrover and big trailer down to GoldPine and bought sheets of plywood to cover the weatherboard. I found that the 7mm “seconds” were on special as they were a little shorter than the standard 2.4 metre length so bought six sheets.

Mark then continued mowing the larger, deeper patches of leaves suffocating the grass in the Totara paddock.

After waiting patiently for a month for Matei Apatu to respond concerning our requirement for an iwi consultation on the proposed additions and alterations to the homestead and getting no response I TXTed him again and got a rather brusque response saying he wasn’t paid to do these consultations and was still too busy. If Matei Apatu has indeed done what he said and consulted leaders in each of his hapū then writing an email just documenting that wouldn’t seem to be particularly time consuming so I now wonder whether he did actually remember to talk with each of the hapū leaders. Discussed this with our archaeologist Elizabeth and she says that all we can do now is document the times I’ve tried to contact, or have contacted Matei Apatu and send that in with our Request for Archaeological Authority to proceed.

Mist Slowly Thinning As Day Breaks

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—20℃ no rain [76.662] TdT TdO eggs=2 Mark=4

Mark gave the chook food trough another undercoat and then continued with the electric fence post rejuvenation until afternoon tea. He then Grillo scooped up leaves off the Totara paddock in an attemtp to let the grass grow a bit more before it gets too cold.

We had the second meal from Debbie’s fish pie tonight. Karola also made a large bowl of cooked Granny Smith apples, rhubarb, and a tin of boysenberries – delicious with GF Wheatbix and cream.

Had a good telephone call with Cecilia Johnson this afternoon – her son Lucian has recently had considerable success in the NZ jazz scene and with his partner Lucy Marinkovich, dancer and choregrapher. They were interviewed before going to the USA two years ago on a Harriet Friedlander New York Residency.

Gravel Harvesting On The Ngaruroro River Bed – Been Going On For Weeks

Oak Avenue Weather:7℃—17℃ 0.4mm rain [76.097] TdT TdO eggs=3 Mark=4

Tuesday so shopping day again. The usual New World food followed by coffee and cakes from Artisan and my weekly GF bread from the OMG shop next door. Also more dry dog food for Bangle, Nutro For Seniors dog nuts, from Animates pet shop. On the way back from town we picked up another 20kg bag of wheat and 20kg bag of layers mash from Farmlands and picked up Karola’s repeat prescriptions in Stortford Lodge.

Mark buried the dead hogget #015 and then worked on a wooden trough for feeding the chooks mash. Karola is sure that the maize I’m giving them is indigestible and that layers mash would be much better for them.

Debbie and Karola made the bed and then Debbie cooked a fish pie for our dinners for the next two days. It needed a potato topping and we’d not any so I toddled off into town and got some from Countdown. As usual I complemented the main item with more fruit and vege and some sleep drops that I’d forgotten to get this morning. On the way back home I stopped at Rush Munro and got a 650ml tub of ice-cream for Karola plus ice-creams for Karola, Debbie, and Mark. I treated myself to an iced coffee.

Mark Makes A Chook Mash Trough

Oak Avenue Weather:8℃—16℃ 5.3mm rain [76.278] TdT TdO eggs=1 Mark=4 Debbie=2

A suitably relaxed day, no Mark today, no shopping. Overcast and cool.

We had a look at the sheep and decided enough of them needed dagging that we’d ask Karl O’Neale & Wendy to come and do that for them all as soon as possible – and drench any Karl thinks should be treated. Karl expects to come on Thursday morning.

Binge watched all eight episodes of a delightful TV series called Upright written, produced, and starring Tim Minchin who I last saw as MC of “Last Day At The Proms” a year or so ago – and I’d never heard of him before that.

Felix sent us photos from Scotland.

Felix And Friends Walking Near Loch Lomond

Looking Across Loch Lomond

Felix And Flatmate Of Three Years, Charlotte

Hollyrood Palace In Edinburgh

Inside Hollyrood Palace

Statue Of Adam Smith In Edinburgh

Oak Avenue Weather:11℃—17℃ 0.5mm rain [76.944] TdT TdO eggs=2 Mark=0

Overcast day after a mild frost.

Ewe hogget #015 was huddled over by itself against the western fence of the Totara paddock so we took a look. She was too weak to walk and very daggy so we gave her a drench with Maxim (withholding period for meat of 14 days), and 35ml of Ketol, a pick-me-up. But this evening she died.

A large, boisterous woman drove up and asked if she could take some branches off the Pittosporum shrubs at the 133 gateway, for floral arrangements. No problem.

Sheep Wintering Over Down By The Ngaruroro River

Oak Avenue Weather:9℃—17℃ no rain [76.836] TdT TdO eggs=2

I had another try at mending the cables gnored by rats in the homestead attic and this time succeeded. I have a tester which has components that attach to each end and tell you whether the wires are connected and whether any have become crossed in the join.

I also attempted to mend the broken tabs on the expensive “honeycomb” blinds in the cottage dining room. When they gave me replacements the agents said they’d just snap into place. In practice each tab is screwed into place with a central screw and two pegs giving rigidity. The screw, as I found out after much puzzlement, must be accessed from under the last fold of the honeycomb material and is seated in a deep narrow trough you can get to by turning the bottom rigid plate upside down. Oh, and the screw head appears to be a Tamperproof Torx number six , T6. Luckily I have a set of weird screw driver heads for electronics so that wasn’t the problem but the deep narrow trough was – my tools are too thick to fit into the trough. So I glued the tabs and we’ll see how long that lasts. Moderately frustrating.

Sheep checked and all present and correct, 32 females and two rams.

Oh, and as to where Lexi spent her school camp, it was four nights at the Hillary Outdoor Centre and one out in tents on the ski-field. Yesterday’s picture was taken 2100 metres above sea level on Mt Ruapehu on the Whakapapa Ski-field, somewhere near the “sky-waka”. It was a two kilometre walk from the road up to the camp site as the crow flies, rising 700 metres.

Karola Picking Some Of Her Plentiful Persimmons

Oak Avenue Weather:4℃—17℃ 0.1mm rain [76.725] TdT TdO eggs=1

Into town for Karola’s hair appointment, back before midday.

Mark came and spent another day split between electric fence maintenance and scooping up leaves from lawn and pasture.

Today, or perhaps it was yesterday, Karola joined her two mobs of sheep, the ewes and the hoggets, and gave them both the Front paddock and the Middle/Totara paddocks to roam.

Lexi is away on school camp for a few days, due back today. The group are camping above the snowline on one of New Zealands active (but not very) volcanos, Ruapehu. She said it was a teeth-chattering minus 12 degrees C overnight.

Youngest Grandchild Lexi’s School Camp On Slopes Of Volcano Ruapehu

Oak Avenue Weather:-1℃—17℃ 0.1mm rain [76.649] TdT TdO eggs=2 Mark=4

Mark continued with electric fence mainntenace and, later, scooping up leaves with the Grillo.

Debbie came for a couple of hours this afternoon and made two delicious-smelling and -looking beef mince vegetable pies topped with potato.

Late morning I called the local Covid-19 vaccination booking line, an apparently not widely known 0800 number for Hawkes Bay residents. A simple, quick, and satisfying call left us with appointments at the Hastings race Course at 3:45pm today for the first jab.

We went to the race course in good time and had to wait quite a while but the whole thing: registration, the jab, and the mandatory wait in case of after-effects, was over inside two hours.

Oak Avenue Weather:-1℃—16℃ 0.1mm rain [76.561] TdT eggs=3 Mark=4 Debbie=2

Mark continued with maintenance of the electric fencing gear and later with mowing the heavy leaf cover under the trees near the sheep yards.

Deb came this afternoon to help Karola and she’s coming again tomorrow and going to cook us a potato-topped mince and vegetable pie for the freezer – that’s the plan. So mid afternoon Karola, Bangle, and I drove Zoe down to Gagan’s and got extra vegetables and fruit, some essential for the pie.

I gave Mark a couple of dozen persimmon from Karola’s two trees, bowed down with bright orange fruit, so that he could share them with his parents, Jenny & Noel Hendery. Karola planted these trees, sale items from a supermarket, and they have been amazingly prolific year after year.

Intriguing Cartoon Sent By Anna In Ealing

Oak Avenue Weather:-1℃—16℃ no rain [76.533] TdT TdO eggs=1 Mark=24 Debbie=2

Breakfast with Gill & Ben who were preparing to set off back to Wellington. Karola, Bangle, and I set off in two vehicles and dropped off the Zoe for its annual service at Ebbett Hawkes Bay (Hastings) on the corner of Karamu road and Albert street (ph 06-873 3336).

Then it was the weekly shopping including coffe, GF bread, and more cash, ending up with my quarterly government-sponsored blood test.

Back in good time before Mark arrived. He began the maintenance of the electric fencing gear – mending and adjusting the hundreds of electric fence posts.

After afternoon tea (coffee and two macaroon biscuits and today’s paper) Mark continued Grillo mowing the leaves under the trees stretching in a belt from the sheep yards.

We got a TXT from Gill saying they’d arrived safely back home around 4:00pm.

Late afternoon we went to pick up the Zoe. On the way I checked at two pet stores but neither had any oxygen weed only wanting to sell me oxygenation pumps. However one saleswoman did suggest going to the show grounds, where the Farmers market is held, and getting some out of the stream there.

We got back home in time for dinner before setting out for EIT in Taradale where we attended Predator Free NZ – Peril, People and Progress a talk by Al Bramley, CE of Zero Invasive Predators, sponsored by Biodiversity Hawkes Bay. Since retiring from VUW, Ben’s friend and university colleague Charles Daugherty has been the chairman of Biodiversity Hawkes Bay.

In a nutshell the answers include “possums don’t cross rivers”, “cameras make all the difference re the cost”, “huge amounts of 1080 now leads in the future to no 1080 at all”. They train small populations of animals like kea to avoid the baits before carpet bombing the canopy with the poison baits. The result is “almost too many keas”.

66 Seatoun Heights Road – Ben & Gill Back Home

Oak Avenue Weather:-1℃—14℃ no rain [76.839] TdT eggs=2 Mark=4