Monthly Archives: October 2022

Classic Kitchen’s Shannon (?) came at 7:45am and worked on the problem of the drawer dishwasher width. In fact the cabinetry enclosure is 600mm wide and the walls making it fit the Bosch dishwasher were a stand-alone frame fitting within a standard width gap. So not a big deal at all, it was fixed and ready for the plumber mid morning. Plumber Dean says he’ll come tomorrow to fit the dishwasher.

As requested by Lachie the shearer, in the morning we put the flock in the yards without grass or water. Thsi took me and Karola quite a long time as the sheep were spread across all the paddocks. Once they were in the yards I ran a few at a time into the crush and turfed out the lambs back into the Middle paddock. Some of them were at least 20kg and the 18 large lambs were quite a battle. After a bit more manouvering we got 28 sheep in one pen and the three hogget mothers with their lambs in another. These lambs are so much smaller than the others I was concerned that they might get bruised in the melee of large lambs and their mothers.

Finally we had to get the 18 big lambs back into the yards fready for their vaccination. That took ages as splinter groups would take it into their minds to race off down the paddock 100 metres or so away and muggins would trudge after them and coax them back. We did eventually get them into the yards and penned up.

Lachie TXTed to say he’d be arriving between 3:00pm and 4:00pm so after lunch we three drove into town and purchased maize, wheat, and chook pellets from Farmlands. We also picked up my new TV from Noel Leeming along with a robust TV wall mount. Rubber Monkey’s response to my broken TV was to say “nothing we can do, Sony blames you”. I suggested that they find another one and sell it to me at near cost. Their response was to offer it at a “special price” of $1015 plus shipping. I checked and found both Sony online and Noel Leeming online were selling it for $988. I cursed Rubber Monkey and bought from Noel Leeming last night.

Shorn Ewe #004 With Wether Lamb – A Weight Off Her Shoulders, Much Cooler

Took Over An Hour For Lambs To Figure Out Who Their Mothers Were – Free Of Fleece

Oak Avenue Weather:13.3℃—24.4℃ 0.4mm rain [77.5] TdO eggs=1 Mark=0

After a quick walk round the orchard we abandoned Bangle to a day by herself and went off to pick up Max Rashbrooke for lunch at ClearView along the coast towards Cape Kidnappers.we had an address for Max’s lodgings, Te Mata Lodge, so punched it in and let Google guide us.

After about 20 minutes along the back roads of Havelock North, Google led us up high into the hills behind the township, along a No Exit road which led to another No Exit road and to a Private Road, Gummer Road which appeared to be a new subdivision with a scattering of finished houses all with wonderful expansive views across the Hawkes Bay plains. We came to a locked farm gate, the end of Gummer Road. Google advised us most charmingly that we had arrived. There was only one finished dwelling down a steep drive on our left with a clutch of cars parked out the front.

We drove down to the other cars and a man emerged from the house. No, this is not Te Mata Lodge and no he had not heard of it. We were at number 71 Gummer Road; Te Mata Lodge was at number 64, back down the hill and on the other side of the road. We retraced our steps and drove down to where number 64 might be – but it was some bare earth and building materials.

Called up Max and asked where he was. Turns out he was in the centre of Havelock North, about ten minutes back into town. We trekked down the hillside and back along into Havelock North and there, behold, was the sign Te Mata Lodge.

Called the restaurant and asked them to waylay our guests, Fergus and Esther Veitch, and let them know we would be a little late. We were 20 minutes later than planned and 10 minutes later than the reservation so no harm done. Delicious meal in very pleasant surroundings; I think everyone got on well together although for Karola and Max it was the first time they’d met the Veitch’s, I’d met them at Karl Matthys’ “free thinkers” meetings. I dropped Max off at the airport and then rejoined the others at our place for Rush Munro ice-cream dessert. Esther invited us for lunch at their place next Saturday, they live on the outskirts of Waipawa on a 1½ hectare lifestyles bock with three alpacas, four hens, a cat, and, a lot of Fergus’s vegetables.

Gill’s Red Manuka In Wellington – A-Buzzing With Bees – Delightful

Oak Avenue Weather:16.3℃—23.3℃ 3.8mm rain [77.6] TdO eggs=3

Another lovely day in Hawkes Bay. We strolled round the orchard mid morning and again in the late afternoon. Bangle was thrilled.

Otherwise just pottering around. Monique came and put first coat on the walls of the big bedroom.

Someone dumped two “dibbers” in the skip which I rescued. Spade handle cut to about 400mm with a rounded end. No idea who put them there.

Mark has weeded round the red beech and added mulch for summer drought resistance and to deter more weeds. About seven of the smaller trees have died leaving 13 with green leaves. A couple of the bigger ones have died out of 26.

As I Intended – Manuka Red And White

Clematis Vitalba (Traveller’s Joy) On Back Fence Line In Karola’s Orchard

Clematis Vitalba (Old Man’s Beard) After Vigorous Onslaught By Felicity & Geoff At Weekend

Clematis Vitalba – Killed Seven Trees Last Year

Oak Avenue Weather:17.0℃—28.3℃ no rain [77.6] TdOx2 eggs=2

A white van pulled up at the homestead this morning around 8:30a. Karola saw someone walk round to the front then back and then drove away. I assume they were looking for Paul who finished the GIBbing yesterday and won’t be back for a while.

Did most of Karola’s two-monthly GST return last night and finished it off this morning.

I talked to Stewart at Classic Kitchens and one of their folk are coming round early on Monday to see what can be done about the space for the single-drawer F&P dishwasher.

Mark weeded and added mulch to the 26 bigger red beech trees on the north side of the 133 entrance. He cleaned the Kioti and the Grillo and checked oil, water, etc.

Pleasant walk down on the stop bank. First time this season that I’ve heard frogs in the reed pond just past the horse arena on the land side of the upstream stop bank.

After Mark left we popped down to Diamond Dry Cleaners and picked up the laundry. This was an experiment to see whether the 10kg single load wash might suit us.

Rush Munro is moving next week so we bought two huge cartons of ice-cream in case we’re not passing Rush Munro for a while. These are five litre packs of “double chocolate” and “maple & walnut” – should last for a couple of months. I don’t think I’ve bought $100 of ice-cream in cold blood before.

We both spent time sitting out on the cottage kitchen verandah just relaxing in the sunlight and gentle breeze – very restful.

Ben’s Chilli Con-Carne Makes A Delicious And Easy Meal For Friday Night

Oak Avenue Weather:9.0℃—24.1℃ no rain [?] TdT eggs=3 Mark=4

Paul came and continued with putting GIB on the living room walls, finishing soon after lunch. Architect Ruth came and took some more photos for her report to the council re heritage monitoring of the changes; she was in a great hurry so escaped before i could speak to her. A bit plater plumber Dean came, as planned and cajoled by Paul. He “fixed” the bubble-up concrete lid which was an inch or so proud of the lawn surface. He took a look at the cloakroom where I found a puddle round the loo; he suggests was someone spilling water, not a leak so we’ve left it to see if it re-occurs.

Bin people came and swapped our full skip for an empty one.

Dean then came to cottage to swap the old Bosch single-drawer dish-washer for the new Fisher & Paykel one. He took out the old one ut, too our dismay, found the F&P was abut 25mm wider than the Bosch one. As Bridget and I had expected, the F&P dis-washer drawer is 600mm wide; unfortunately the Bosch is narrower and the cabinetry had been custom built to its size. Classic Kitchens will call in the morning to discuss how to fix it. I am disappointed that professional kitchen cabinetry makers would make an opening for a dish-washer or any other appliance at other than the industry standard of 600mm wide.

Three chooks still playing broody and the other four are only managing an egg or two a day.

Mark buried the green waste in his compost pit before continuing and completing his mowing down in the stump dump and the eastern end of the Long Ace. He then mowed the cottage lawn and mowed twice round the fence-line of the One Acre to provide a walkig path and so I can see whether there’s any lucerne still under the grass sward.

Captain Salty’s for take-away fish and chips tonight. The usual two Terakihi crumbed fillets plus a meagre half-scoop of chips.

White Duck (Muscovy?) Is Still Hanging Around

Paul Completed Living Room GIB

Bosch Drawer Dishwasher Is Narrower Than Replacement F&P – Bother

Oak Avenue Weather:7.7℃—24.4℃ no rain [77.5] TdT eggs=2 Mark=4

Up very early for me so by the time Paul came at around 8:00am I was wide awake. Our morning task was to move the 17 large sheets of GIB from their storage place, flat on the floor of the homestead garage, round to the front verandah next to the French doors into the living room. I used the old Fergie tractor with its mini-forks and one of the big pallets that carried earlier GIB loads here. Paul and I man-handled half the boards onto the pallet and I drove it round to the front where we off-loaded it. Another pass saw all the GIB relocated.

Paul asked if I wanted these large pallets and said that they were costing me $75 each. I had no idea, thinking they were just more rubbish I needed to clear away, so Paul and I retrieved the old pallets and now have four stacked near the house ready to be picked up.

Paul finished putting up the skirting extensions and by the end of the afternoon had put up half the GIB.

Mark continued weeding and mulching the youngest red beech trees near the 133 entrance. He then used the Kioti tractor and mower to attack the iris and long grass in the stump dump and the east end of the Long Acre paddock.

After our stop bank walk with Bangle and a bite to eat, Karola and I took the Landrover down to the VTNZ vehicle testing station and passed the rest of its warrant (WOF). Not crowded at 3:00pm so it went quite quickly.

Living Room, Walls Stripped Of Scrim & Wallpaper

Rapid Progress In Putting Up The GIB

Oak Avenue Weather:9.1℃—24.2℃ 0.4mm rain [77.5] TdT eggs=2 Mark=4

Paul was here early and began by stripping the living room walls. Spent the rest of the day adding the special strip to the top of the skirting that compensates for the GIB overlaying the match lining.

Electrician Ivan was here with Paul working on the power points and switches that needed access from the living room wall cavities. As the four lights in the cottage bedroom have suddenly stopped working I asked Ivan to take a look. To our horror the wall switch, incorporating a dimmer, was a charred mess of melted plastic and wiring insulation. We were lucky not to have burned the place down – and when I say “we” I of course mean “I” – Ian, master electrician NOT. That switch unit was where the ring main split to provide lights in the bedroom, bathroom, and wardrobe and my suspicion is that in forcing multiple stiff wires into the little sockets of the light switch I did a poor job and a wire eventually broke loose and shorted out on another wire.

Then we were off to take Bangle to her six-weekly grooming then to do the week’s shopping before picking Bangle up again, temporarily all fluffy and smelling slightly of pleasant perfume. Teeth cleaned and nails clipped. Took 1½ doz. eggs to the Food Bank and learned that today is the last day of the Hastings Food Bank which is amalgamating with Nourish For Nil which has different premises scattered round Napier and Hastings.

Today’s experiment is with Diamond Drycleaners where I’m using their “$22.10 for up to 10kg” of general wash-dry-fold as well as getting sheets and best shirts and trousers done separately. The bulk wash just puts all in one wash so colours better not run and no woollens or shrinking violets.

Mark came at noon, arriving just as we got home. I’d noticed the Leylandii we planted last year to complement the seven dead Casuarina windbreak trees strangled stone dead by Clematis Vertalba. He then finished mowing the homestead lawn before taking me and Karola to Tamatea Automotive to pick up the Landrover.

Later I checked the sheep – ewes and lambs all present and correct. And took Bangle round the orchard. On my way back I noticed a goose mating with another goose – or so I thought. Something we’ve never observed here before, ever. But, wait a minute, there are too many geese because nearby were another pair of geese. A second look and it’s obvious that the female while aquatic bird is quite a bit smaller than the male goose – so perhaps it’s a Muscovy duck.

Mark “Released” The Leylandii – They’re Doing Well

Now Here’s Two Of The Three Geese . . .

So Who Is This (I Suspect It’s A Female Muscovy Duck)

Oak Avenue Weather:10.1℃—13.5℃ no rain [77.8] TdO eggs=3 Mark=4

Felicity & Geoff head off soon after 8:00am for home. We laze about, it’s a public holiday, Labour Day, so no Mark nor Paul today.

Bangle, Karola, and I popped into Hastings because we’d been told we could cash in on the Briscoes Labour Day sales by just taking our receipt from Thursday into the shop. Turns out that was right and we got $80 back. On a roll I bought several ScanPan pots and pans for the homestead as they were discounted 60%.

Spurred on by these purchases I had a bit of a clean out of the cottage kitchen pots and pans taking the excess to the homestead kitchen and homestead garage. I then remembered to turn off the hot water in the kitchen and upstairs.

The three large cardboard archive boxes of clothes we’ve assembled during and since Bridget was here have now been taken up to the homestead garage where their eventual resting place will be in the storeroom up there once I’ve made some room.

It was a really decent day and Bangle, Karola, and I had a most pleasant stroll downstream along the Ngaruroro stop bank. It being a public holiday there were several families down there too; it’s a favourite spot for cross-country biers to zoom around on the river bank.

Under The Ngaruroro Expressway Bridge – Start Of Our Downstream Stop Bank Walk

Never Seen So Many Cars – Families Not Drug Dealers Which Makes A Change

Typical Kid’s Dirt Bike

Oak Avenue Weather:4.7℃—26.5℃ no rain [77.8] TdT eggs=2 Mark=0

We rose quite late and after their breakfast Geoff and felicity came over from the homestead and we chatted for a while over morning coffee.

Late morning we all wandered along the stop bank. It was a delightful day, not the heat of summer but sunshine and everything looking very green.

Lunch was the local mushroom soup and toast, and more discussions. Then after a siesta we, at Felicity’s suggestion, went over to the back fence of the orchard and tackled some patches of Clematis vitalba. This is the same noxious creeper which has killed seven of the southern boundary She-Oak (Casaurina) trees in the shelter belt.

Then more talk as we prepared a rather delicious beef fillet steak dinner. And more talk over Rush Munro ice-cream.

A most pleasant day.

Photo Of The Homestead courtesy Geoff Rashbrooke

Oak Avenue Weather:2.6℃—19.3℃ no rain [77.5] TdT eggs=2

Geoff went on a several kilometre run round the block while Felicity, Karola, Bangle, and I walked round the orchard.

Peter & Charlotte joined Geoff & Felicity and Karola & me at Bay Espresso in Karamu Road for lunch. After a relaxed and long lunch out the back in the court-yard we returned to Karamu where we continued chatting until late afternoon.

G & F, P & C walked round the homestead to see first hand what alterations and additions we’d made.

Karola, Bangle, and I popped in to Rush Munros to ensure we had enough ice-cream for tonight and tomorrow. We also picked up a small bag of spuds for tomorrow’s steak dinner.

For dinner we had a lamb casserole brought up from Wellington by Felicity. I added potatoes, kumera, carrots, asparagus, and green beans. Delicious. Followed by Rush Munro ice-cream and stewed fruit – apple, rhubarb, and boysenberries. We chatted far into the evening, mostly about the current chaotic state of UK politics.

Oak Avenue Weather:1.7℃—16.7℃ no rain [?] TdO eggs=3

Rather a sullen day no sunshine and a keen wind.

In the morning Karola and I sorted through a few more old clothes and a lot of old shoes, packaging up the clothes for storage in the homestead store room.

We went to Clive to the wetlands for a change and were surrised how many cyclists were braving the wind and zooming along the cycle path.

In the afternoon I rummaged around trying to match the sheets and pillow cases that Bridget had kindly washed and dried whilst here with their respective beds. In the end it was my carting bedding around that had temporarily mixed things up. Karola also mentioned she’d quite liked the old coverlet we had on the cottage bed so I swapped the one Bridget bought us with the old one – as I said to Bridget, it’ll do just as well on one of the beds in the homestead once we’ve got the bedrooms finished.

Everything ship-shape for the Rashbrookes, hot water, heaters in bedroom and kitchen, and they arrived late afternoon. I trundled off and got fish and chips as planned. Karola and I had each made lettuce salads earlier so, with the Rush Munro ice-cream bought earlier in the week, we had a delightful dinner. Good to chat with old friends again.

Three Full Boxes Of Clothes Going Into Storage

Clive Riverbank – Walkers Guide

Its All About Dotterels

See The Pair Of Grey Herons Foraging

… And The Usual Chooks Down Behind The Stop Bank

Bangle At The Kilometre Return Point

Oak Avenue Weather:6.0℃—14.8℃ no rain [?] TdC eggs=3 Mark=0

Todays adventure was getting the Landrover in for some maintenance on its shock absorbers and one of the wheel bearings. As arranged, Karola and I took the Landrover down to Tamatea Automotive just before noon and, on his way to work here, Mark picked us up from the workshop.

Mark weed-sprayed the usual places such as in front of each garage, the hard stand south of the homestead, round the base boards of the cottage. He then went on to tackle mowing of the homestead lawn.

Karola and I did some more sorting of old clothes, clothes I brought over to the cottage from the wardrobes in the bedrooms at the homestead. We have sorted about ⅔ of them and only saved one dark blue Laura Ashley dress and one suit for me. I’ll be wearing that suit to Brian Cobbe’s funeral on Friday 4th November at 3:00pm at St Lukes in Havelock North.

Heath Goldfinch, proproietor of Tamatea Automotive, called to say that due to another urgent job he wouldn’t get the Disco finished today so we agreed we’d leave it with him for the long weekend and pick it up next Tuesday.

The Rashbrookes are still coming for the weekend, setting off tomorrow, so we toddled into town and got a few more groceries. After dinner, lamb chops which we have infrequently, we went down to the stop bank in the Subaru as the sun set and Bangle and I scampered along our two kilometre walk while Karola watched the sun go down from the warmth of the car.

Oak Avenue Weather:7.7℃—20.1℃ no rain [?] TdT eggs=3 Mark=4

Mark came and mowed the cottage lawn and most of under the big oak. He reported another little lamb born to a hogget ewe making our total 21 lambs for 2022. Mark has also finished armour-plating the Kioto mower plastic grass guide. He suggested, and I readily agreed, that when mowing thick iris patches or areas with a lot of sticks we’d best just remove the guide.

Hastings in Zoe with Bangle and I bought a new electric razor – a Braun 7-Series as recommended by a couple of online web sites with tag lines such as “the best electric razors for men in 2022”. Noel Leeming show this model on their website but the local store has run out so it’ll be sent to me next week by mail from Hamilton.

We also popped into Briscoes and I bought a couple of washing baskets – the old ones have broken handles, perished in the stron UV light here in summer. Also a laundry basket and some more tea towels chosen by Karola. Karola just can’t find tea towels made of linen as she had in the old days.

Sent an email to Graham Boaler, joiner, commissioning a couple of panels to cover the fireplaces in the homestead living and dining rooms.

Oak Avenue Weather:7.1℃—19.9℃ no rain [?] TdT eggs=3 Mark=4

What a surprise, it’s weekly shopping day again. Started out quite late so it was rather busy and took longer than usual. Rush Munro was closed on Tuesdays for a while but open again this Tuesday so we got some Double Chocolate and Maple walnut for the freezer and a “kiddy cone” each for morning tea. We took in a dozen eggs for the Food Bank but all staff were off-site at an all-day meeting so I left the eggs on their doorstep and rang them later to let them know.

Mark worked on the new lining for the replacement Kioti mower grass guard until the break then he and I carried on moving stuff out of the living room ready for GIBbing etc. I finished around midnight with space round all the walls and pictures taken down.

Ben suggested I add a round and a flat perch to the bird table to see if one style were preferred over the other. So far the flat one has been used more – the round one is an old axe handle, the flat one a strip of plywood about 30mm wide. The question is whether, like chooks, doves prefer roosting on a flat surface or gripping a round one. Their preferences during the day may not accurately reflect their roosting preference but as the Internet has conflicting opinions it’s the best we can do.

Trial Dove Perches – One Flat, One Round

Living Room – Space For GIB & Painting

Some Went Into The “Library” (Old Front Hall)

And Some Into The Dining Room

Oak Avenue Weather:10.9℃—22.3℃ 0.2mm rain [?] TdO eggs=2 Mark=4

Karola and I had medical appointments this morning, she for a scan and I for my quarterly diabetes blood test. I dropped Karola off and then got coffee, dropped in on Farmlands to dispute a charge, finally going to the blood test clinic. Mildly interesting that next door in the car park there was an altercation between some men and women in cars and one, then two, then four police cars came to enjoy the spectacle. Certain amount of shouting but no obvious violence and no armed defenders squad.

Mark began by checking the sheep – all OK there – then burying the green waste for Karola and starting on adding a metal shield to the new Kioti mower grass spreader. After the break Mark and I started emptying the homestead living room into the old hall (new library) and the dining room.

Oak Avenue Weather:5.7℃—23.0℃ no rain [76.9] TdO eggs=2 Mark=4

Chooks are not doing well; three are broody, sitting in nest boxes but not laying any eggs while the other four laid but one egg today.

Lots of grass and ground is slowly drying out so sheep are happy.

For a change we went to the Clive wetlands for our walk today; cold wind but otherwise very pleasant.

Oak Avenue Weather:7.5℃—18.2℃ no rain [76.9] TdC eggs=1

Quiet day as the ground slowly dried out. Monique came and finished the Dining room. So downstairs that only leaves the Living room and upstairs just the “bee” room, “tween” room, and the “bed-sit” room plus outside some doors and windows. She won’t be back until after Christmas she says. I’ll be able to start clearing the Living room into the Dining Room and the “Library” so that Paul can GIB the Living room.

Oak Avenue Weather:8.3℃—13.2℃ 2.0mm rain [76.1] TdT eggs=2

Rain threatened then backed off. Still soggy underfoot.

Apart from a walk along the stop bank we didn’t venture out today; just reading and emails really.

Got hold of all three episodes of a murder/mystery serial, Karen Pirie, set in St Andrews and binge watched the entire series tonight – pretty good. Not nearly as violent or graphic as the five episodes of the new Van Der Valk, most of which I watched while Bridget was here.

Three chooks are now broody which has cut down egg production considerably. The Black Orpingtons, Blue-Tag and Yellow-Tag, make a fuss, clucking and ruffling their feathers when you lift them off the nest. But No-Tag is fiercely protective, jabbing savagely with her beak – takes after her Light Sussex father perhaps.

Oak Avenue Weather:8.7℃—13.1℃ no rain [76.9] TdT eggs=2 Mark=0

Mark TXTed to say that this week was rained out so we’ll see what next week brings. It’s been raining for hours and doesn’t look like letting up all day.

Power Farming called to say my replacement Kioti tractor mower grass-guide had arrived.

Bangle, Karola, and I went into town to pick up the tractor part and did a few other errands while out and about. Found that Top2Toe, a beauty salon in Mahora had moved round the corner and reduced hours so that Joyce Blok? (519a Frederick Street west, Mahora, Hastings 41720: 06-878-2424) only opens when she has a client.

On to Briscoes for tea towels and Mitre-10 for washing machine de-gunger. And lastly, picked up the tractor park and showed them the broken one where Mark’s neat copper lining has made it last many more weeks than the previous ones. The original grass-guide was made of almost indestructible rubber – like a car tyre – but after that we’ve had ones made of plastic which crack and tear too easily.

Blue-Tag and No-Tag chooks still broody. No walk today for Bangle, it’s just too wet everywhere.

Tried another bread making but this time following the instructions on the OMG packet and ending up with two delicious little loaves. It took over four hours in total and about ten minutes of preparation. Unlike Dave’s process we have a three-hour rising time in the hot water cupboard then another hour at 200℃ in the oven. But the real issue is, as predicted, already we only have 1½ loaves left – it is way too enticing.

Surface Flooding Returns

Oak Avenue Weather:__℃—__℃ no rain [76.5] eggs=2 Mark=0

Monique came a-painting again. Paul called to say she’d try hard to finish the dining room this week. I told Paul about the cloakroom loo leak and he’ll contact dean to come and take a look.

Rain off and on all day so no Mark.

For lunch we went over to Hygge in Clifton. The rain held off so we were able to sit outside with Bangle and Tux. However, it was mid-week and slow and the food really wasn’t that special, a disappointment after my last visit. Bridget, dogs, and I went for a stroll along the cycleway so we all got to stretch our legs and just in time because it began to rain in ernest shortly after we got back to the car.

We saw Bridget and Tux on their way and then went back into Hastings to finish yesterday’s shopping.

Two dozen eggs to the Food bank. Stationery Warehouse of a linen marker pen and more package tape. Pharmacy for more medications. Picked up laundry from Diamond Dry Cleaners but the main item was a new Fisher & Paykel drawer dish-washer to replace the worn out Bosch one. It, in its packaging, was rather larger than I’d expected so Karola had to hold Bangle on her lap in front and we laid flat the back seat and dismantled the back shelf.

Oak Avenue Weather:__℃—__℃ no rain [76.8] eggs=5 Mark=0

Monique the painter came and spent the day paining in the dining room; she says she’ll come also next Saturday. As Monique pointed out the plasteres have left some sizeable cracks along the edges of the walls which, if Monique fills them and paints over they’ll very probably crack. I need to alert Paul to that.

Bridget sat upstairs in the cottage working remotely.

Late morning Bangle. Karola, and I went off to do the shopping. We got ourselves coffees at BP and simultaneously I got more pharmacy supplies promoting sleep – a very expensive pastime. Then it was New World for the groceries and Cornucopia for the weeks GF bread. Cornucopia also sell the prepared mixture for self-baking so I got another fresh lot, the bag I’ve been testing at home is two months past its sell-buy date – was bought in 2019.

Rushed home as Bridget had a short window when she could come with us to lunch. Lappuccino’s for lunch with Bangle outside in the car and Tux in the small outside eating area at Lappuccino’s. Karola and I had Keto Chuffles with bacon. Not sure why but they were much too much for us and although less salty than in the past were way too salty. Bridget had a good idea, that Karola and I should share one next time.

Mark came and mowed the 121 driveway and associated grassy areas with the Grillo. He then switched to the Kioti tractor and mowed the Goose paddock and parts of the Middle paddock where the iris is making a come-back. This gives the grass a chance as the iris tends to smother grass and sheep do not eat the iris.

Gill came up with an idea from Annette that is really rather good – concerning our very small leak in the homestead roof. Annette suggests nailing up a bucket under the leak in the roof space. It being a very small leak only in extreme weather conditions – or so we think – it’ll evaporate between times. What a good idea. If i can pinpoint the rafter point at which the drip begins that’ll be a great solution.

We all, Bridget and Tux included, went for a walk downstream along the stop bank which tired out the dogs and gave us a bit of appetite for dinner. Thanks to the large lunch we just had a cheese salad and puddings.

Tried out another loaf in the bread-maker. This time we mixed up the prescribed amount of water, yeast, and pre-mix before decanting it into the bread-maker. As Bridget remarked the OMG bread mix is intended to be done in the oven not a bread-maker and would take about the same few minutes to do. So, as this second attempt in the bread-maker was much better but still barely edible and didn’t rise much despite using a full teaspoon of yeast, we’ll give the oven technique a try.

Apart from the elapsed time being several hours – only a few minutes of action but you are involved over 3-4 hours – the main disadvantage I can see is that one would be too tempted to eat more. bread, it’d smell and taste delicious when just baked.

Collecting the eggs today I noticed Blue-Band was back on the job, broody. So I must have just caught her yesterday when taking a break for a leg stretch and bit of food. Another hen who has repeatedly been on a nest in the evening – but who departs rapidly when I open the box – is Blue-Band’s chick from last year, now a fully fledged hen – an Orpington-Light Sussex cross. For now I shall call her “Bandless”.

Counted the lambs and today there are the original 18 plus the two unexpected additions born to ewe hoggets.

Oak Avenue Weather:7.2℃—23.1℃ 0.2mm rain [76.4] TdT eggs=3 Mark=4

Bridget was working remotely today so after a walk round the orchard with Tux and Bangle she spent much of the time with laptop, earphones, and mike in meetings with her colleagues in Wellington.

We did have a mid day break and got a bit of food and drinks from Lappuccino’s at the end of the road.

A bit more clearing out of unneeded garments including the cottage dining room coat cupboard, but there’s plenty more to do.

Karola, Bangle and I took the recycling down to the Henderson Road transfer station.

Mark came and finished mowing the homestead lawn; the grass was long and the ground quite muddy still. He then mowed the lawn under the big oak and it looks quite smart.

Bridget and Tux, I and Bangle, went for a shorter walk upstream along the Ngaruroro stop bank. Tux with his relatively long legs and boundless puppy energy darted hither and yon.

There was a dead dove by the bird table this morning, I hope it died of old age and not from a surfeit of the home-made bread gone wrong.

Looks like there are a couple more hogget ewes who have lambed; I counted two more lambs this evening.

And blow me down, I think Blue Band has decided she’s not broody after all – lucky that I have no eggs coming my way yet.

Oak Avenue Weather:4.0℃—19.6℃ no rain [76.4] TdO TdT eggs=3 Mark=4

Set off for Clive late morning and walked along the limestone cycle track inland of the wetlands and round the corner and down to the ocean. Lots of cyclists, many on electric bikes, and several dogs being walked.

Then on to Karamu Road Bay Espresso for brunch and from there back to Hastings where Bridget masterminded new bed linen for our bed in the cottage and her bed upstairs in the homestead. Once we’d added towels and duvet covers to the two sets of sheets and pillow cases per bed it topped out at over $800 but that was only half the price it would have been except for the sale. Bridget saw that there was a sale on at Bath, Bed and Beyond while in Wellington, hence the need to strike while the iron was hot.

Encouraged by Dave Mitchell’s experience with a bread maker we tried making a GF loaf from an old packet of OMG’s GF pre-mix. We followed the instructions as best we could but the OMG recipe assumed an oven bake. Using our elderly Panasonic bread maker our first attempt was an unmitigated disaster – one for the bird table. We’ll try again but this time add the ingredients in the right order and stir it a bit as recommended in the Panasonic cookbook.

Siestas in the afternoon and then, while Karola engaged Tux in some play out on the lawn, Bridget and I did a sort through Karola’s too-extensive wardrobe and drawers to separate out clothes she liked and had worn recently, baling up the rest in a large archive cardboard box for storage in the homestead garage. Tomorrow we’ll do the same for my clothes and the contents of the coat cupboard in the cottage dining room.

Another short walk round the paddocks then a steak dinner followed by lashings of Rush Munro ice-cream. Afterwards a serious conversation about enduring powers of attourney” and what, if anything would make Karola and me move from Karamu. We agreed that as long as I was both reasonably mobile and able to pay the bills on time we could make life simpler here but there was no need to move. However if either of us became wheelchair bound or I was unable to manage the domestic payments then we’d need to move to something like sheltered accommodation. Based on where Bridget and most of our long-time friends are that would ideally be in Wellington.

We also talked about the practicality of flying from here to Wellington with Bangle. To fly Tux from his home to Wellington cost almost $400 but if Karola or I were travelling with Bangle from Napier to Wellington it’d cost $75 plus the extra cost of a bag, another $20. So to take Bangle with us looks like about an extra $200 per return trip which is not out of the question.

Waterfowl At Clive Wetlands

Tux’s First Visit To The Seaside

View Out Towards Cape Kidnappers

Up Close And Dangerous With Sea Water

Karola With Tux In Pen

Oak Avenue Weather:3.6℃—20.6℃ 0.2mm rain [76.8] TdC eggs=3

Quiet morning waiting for Bridget and Tux to arrive. We did do our full Tour de Twyford along the Ngaruroro stop bank, upstream, while we got messages as they drove past Levin and Ongaonga.

Bangle, Tux, Bridget, Karola, and I walked along the gravel roadways in the orchard, avoiding the churned up mud left by the recent sprayer tractors. They got a few lemons while I found and carried off a dead lamb.

A good sized dead ewe lamb found in the Front paddock. It had no ear tag so was either from one of the ewes I marked as dry or, more likely, from one of the hoggets which was impregnated by a hogget who somehow missed the wethering. We know there was one.

What A Mess in The Orchard

Puppy Tux Begs Bangle To Play – “We Are Not Amused”

Oak Avenue Weather:1.1℃—14.8℃ no rain [76.8] TdT eggs=4

Wind machines made a fearful racket until after breakfast. Still very cold all day and in particular the wind was so biting that we started going for the walk on the stop bank around 11:00am and gave up because it was just such a massive wind-chill factor.

I awoke to a story from Karola that she’d seen sheep and lambs on the grass under the big oak. When I took Bangle out to ablute and for me to r=fetch the paper I was surpprised to find that she was right; there were six or seven sheep on the homestead lawn with their lambs. I walked round the fence line that might have given them access and spied a bloated sheep, motionless, with all four legs sticking in the air. Not a good sign. I walked slowly over to the corpse. The corpse winked at me. I poked it with my foot and it wriggled a little.

I rolled the ewe, #929 – no lamb this year, and stood her up. She lunged off and fell over on her back again. A couple more times of this and I managed to stop her breaking away and held her right-way-up, standing, for about five minutes. Releasing her she swayed and stumbled away but didn’t fall over. Minutes later she was grazing, obviously pretty hungry. An hour later I went to have another look and she was 200m or so away from where I left her and still eating greedily.

The little gate into the Middle paddock by the cottage pump shed was wide open – obviously Bangle left it open as surely neither I nor Mark nor karola would have done it. Got the sheep and their lambs off the lawn and back into the Middle paddock with some energetic barking from Bangle.

Dave Mitchell sent email extolling the virtues of a domestic bread maker. I have always shied away from these as, in my experience with bread makers over many decades, people get enthusiastic for a while but then use dwindles to very occasional baking with months in between. However, he’s right, it might be a way to get my GF bread a loaf at a time when I need it and, if it truely only takes five or ten minutes to do it, it could save rtime and money and avoid waste. Each weekly GF loaf costs $11and we detour from our main shopping to get it, and I eat about ⅔ a loaf a week so I’m throwing ⅓ of a loaf to the chooks every week. The baker, OMG, sells lots of his GF bread mix for his many customers who do bake their own.

Mark came and mowed much of the homestead lawn so it’ll look nice for when Bridget comes tomorrow. He also mended the broody coop where the rams had tried to use it as a climbing frame and had twisted and torn the netting on one side. I’m trying to get some fertile eggs to put under broody Blue-Band.

Late afternoon the wind had dropped considerably so we three did do the downstream walk on the stop bank before making one of Gill’s, I mean Ben’s delicious chili con carne meals.

Oak Avenue Weather:0.0℃—15.2℃ no rain [76.2] TdT eggs=4 Mark=4

No Mark today. The “polar surges” brought with them winter nights and cold days, so much so that Mark said his guinea-pigs had gone back into hibernation and he was doing likewise. We had two short hail storms this afternoon, one pictured below.

We had a very quiet day too, preferring our very warm and comfortable cottage to the world outside. We only went out to get the newspaper, go for our four kilometre walk along the stop bank, and get fish and chips for dinner from Captain Salty at the end of the road.

Temperature has dropped enough this evening to start the frost wind machines – they’re making a tremendous racket.

Hail Outside The Cottage Kitchen

Frost Protection Windmills In Surrounding Orchards

Oak Avenue Weather:2.4℃—10.7℃ 0.2mm rain [76.0] TdT eggs=5 Mark=0

Mark came, it being a sunny day and rain-free, although a nasty winter blast is forecast within 24 hours, hurtling up from the far south. He checked the sheep, set the two cage possum traps, mowed the cottage lawn and surrounds, and planted the small strawberry plants given to us by his mum, Jenny Hendery.

Meanwhile Bangle, Karola, and I popped into Hastings where I bought some more unmentionables at Farmers for Karola. Bridget and I hope to make life easier for Karola by setting out a few simple daily “uniforms” and packing up the rest of her extensive wardrobe of mostly very old and somewhat worn clothes. I did this for myself some years ago and it makes for a boring wardrobe but retrieves lots of wardrobe and drawer space as well as making each day’s choices much easier. And while we were in town we visited Alexanders and got Karola a new belt – to replace her three very worn ones – and another shirt – plain, Navy, cotton.

We got some Rush Munro ice-cream tubs for when Bridget comes though I’m not sure they’ll last that long. Bridget TXTed me to ask that I get some weird rubber milking machine liners for Tux to have as toys. Apparently Bridget’s vet suggested them because Tux isn’t showing much interest in conventional pet-shop chewing toys. Farmlands in Hastings didn’t have any but there was one box in the Napier store so we nipped over there and bought it.

Blue-Band appears to be broody.

Oak Avenue Weather:5.5℃—20.0℃ no rain [76.3] TdT eggs=5 Mark=4

It being Tuesday we went to do the week’s shopping. The ground was too wet for anything useful outside so Mark took a rain check. In fact the forecast was for rain in the afternoon but as often happens the rain was delayed several hours. The shopping run wasn’t too arduous – a whole heap of laundry to the Dry Cleaners, New World for groceries, Cornucopia for my weekly GF bread (back to weekly from fortnightly – it means I waste some but don’t run out). In Cornucopia I also, under instruction, bought some skin moisturiser for Karola who was keeping Bangle company in the car. This proved not to be a success.

After lunch we went back into town and this time Karola came and after discussion with the in-shop experts bought a replacement product that she has since found to be just right. As I was back in town I went to Noel Leemings and cancelled the wall mount for the broken TV – it’s already been two weeks without delivery. And continued my quest for an old fashioned large laundry bag, a big cloth bag with a drawstring. Of course the Hastings shops only stock mesh bags or waterproof bags with elaborate fasteners – and all too small.

Our postie team are Chris and Rae; Chris is the main postman on our run and recently delivered a new TV. Subsequently I found that the TV screen was shattered and so the box and contents had to be returned to Rubber Monkey, the supplier. With Karola’s help i wrapped it in some left-over building paper and applied the delivery sticker supplied by Rubber Monkey. Rae came late afternoon and picked it up and this was the first time we’d seen Chris’s wife – very friendly.

It as getting late so I foolishly took Bangle round the orchard rather than down to the stop bank. As the photos below demonstrate, Bangle got very muddy and even after a five-minute hosing down she was still pretty muddy.

The Orchard – A Sea Of Mud

… And Such Short Little Legs

… Do I Really Have To Do This?

Apple Blossom Just Starting To Bloom – Hives Already Deployed

Oak Avenue Weather:4.8℃—15.2℃ no rain [76.5] TdO eggs=3 Mark=0

Raining this morning and forecast all afternoon so Mark took a rain check.

Electrician Ivan called in to see what was occurring re the painting and so on – short answer is “nothing”. He woke me up and then Karola gave him half a dozen eggs which I’d earmarked for the Food Bank tomorrow. Luckily the chooks came through with another half dozen today.

So a morning of emails and online articles while rain gently fell. Enough of a break at lunchtime for a good walk along the stop bank, downstream. Three other dogs on the path. Apple blossom down this way too.

Had a wake-up call with BNZ about online banking. It turned out that RubberMonkey is a legitimate firm and I spoke with a rep in Wellington and we are on the way to getting a replacement or refund for the broken TV. However, I asked the bank what if the merchant had been fraudulent. If the purchase was on a credit card the usual insurance and dispute resolution is available. As Gill and Ben have experienced, credit card fraud response from the bank is quite good. If you use online banking – thereby not exposing a credit card number to the merchant – you have no redress, it’s like paying with an EFTPOS card or cash. I have been warned.

Wrapped up the broken TV in a piece of spare building paper and hope the courier takes it away in the next day or two.

More Apple Blossom, Downstream On The Ngaruroro Stop Bank

Broken TV Swathed In Building Paper For Its Return

Oak Avenue Weather:10.3℃—16.1℃ 5.2mm rain [76.9] TdT eggs=6 Mark=0

Mostly reading online articles and replying to emails today.

The little ram lamb born to a hogget ewe has died sometime in the last wet 48 hours. In a way it’s a blessing because having a much smaller lamb in the mob to be sold can depress the overall prices whereas a nice level bunch ups the price a little.

Otherwise all 31 ewes and 18 lambs all present and correct – there is one lamb that looks a bit forlorn and is limping so I’ll keep an eye on it.

We did try a walk down on the stop bank – the orchard being just a sea of mud – but rain interrupted play.

Inside most of the day as it rained intermittently all day, very wet underfoot. In the orchard some big tractors were spraying making a terrible racket and churning up the ground between the rows. Seems that, perhaps because the leaves were wet with rain, they had turned up the spray pressure as it was gushing out in a band perhaps four metres high and the spray was drifting across an extra row on each side.

Silly Place to Lay An Egg – Again

Oak Avenue Weather:__℃—__℃ no rain [76.6] eggs=4

Having found a small leak on the floor of the homestead cloakroom I turned off the cistern and put a note on the seat.

Pigeons from the colony up in the Canary island palm (not Pine) are dominating the bird table. Sparrows dart in and share but it’s keeping the doves – the intended recipients of the maize – from getting much of a feed.

Walk along the stop bank, upstream. Someone has painted big crosses on the limestone path every 500 metres. It’s happened before but I’m unsure why.

My Special Flowering Manuka Heavy With Blooms

Oak Avenue Weather:__℃—__℃ no rain [76.5] TdT eggs=6