Monthly Archives: January 2024

Tedious behaviour of Apple Mac updates messes with some of my system settings; this time it switched my preferred browser from DuckDuckGo (a pretty private browser) to YaHoo which has never before been my primary browser of choice. A bit of mucking about and.a restart/reboot seems to have set that back to what I prefer.

Curious but (eventually) understandable behaviour of our new car, and I assume of most modern cars with electronic key to start. It being Friday we all set off to Captain Salty’s to get fish & chip dinner. I fetched the key from the kitchen table and put it in my pocket. Anna drove and, the key being in my pocket, in close-enough proximity, the car started and off we quietly went. Anna dropped Karola and me off to get the fish and tootled off to get some wine. As the car disappeared I stood there futilely waving the keys, she could not hear nor see me by then. I called Anna repeatedly on phone, shouting “don’t turn it off” but she didn’t pick up. I was saved a long walk because when she stopped she realised what she’d done and didn’t turn it off, didn’t even close the door in case it automatically turned itself off – you never know what the damn things will do under the guise of being helpful. Whew. Didn’t expect that one.

Keith the forester was cleaning the big cherry-picker machine at night, in the dark, on 24th January, when he broke off the top of an old bore (well) and water spewed out, not under a lot of pressure, just the natural metre or so “head” on the bore. We were having birthday celebration with Anna and friends Petewr & Charlotte Offenberger at “Pippies” in Havelock North. So I fielded a rather wrought phone call from Keith to explain. The circus was still going on with a small lake forming round the bore when we came home. Later Keith did a good temporary fix by hammering a round branch into the exposed bore head.

To my surprise, because I thought the peg-in-the-hole was a cheap and almost leak-free solution that could last for years, Keith actually got a plumber – usually impossible to find since the cyclone – and the plumber put on a new capping to the well, including the tap and valve and toby from the old well head. Keith and the plumber both agreed that the well water was “sweet-as”, delicious to the taste.

We have happily (so far) had the services of Keith, the retired forester who lives just across the road and he not only cleared our obstructing trees after the cyclone last Feb but has been here doing tree work on and off ever since. He won’t accept payment so I’ve resorted to paying for his old fire truck to have a major overhaul and for the bits of chainsaw he wears out – but his time, he says he does it for love of the work. I do pay for the associated costs such as hiring cranes and cherry pickers.

Keith cut up three large oaks and two conifers all 20 – 30 metres tall, and one of Karola’s favourite “protected” tall trees, a 50m+ Himalayan Spruce all as part of clearing the driveways and machinery tracks after the cyclone February 14th. Now he’s attacking a grove of tall Lawsoniana (30-40m) which could, given another cyclone like Gabrielle, fall either on the house or across the road, neither being particularly desirable. He’s also planning to tackle a larger group of Eucalypts which all could fall cross the road given heavy rain and wind. In February the avenue will be closed for several days while a crane grabs them before being cut way up, then lowering the top half safely (we hope) to ground.

Keith trimmed the Lawsonianas up to 20m – we’ll need a crane to nip the last 15m off. When we saw the lean on one of the trunks we were horrified – it was disguised by the foliage before.

Keith’s fire truck, he’s damping down one of the bonfires of branches from his sawing.

Keith enjoying himself managing one of bonfires using my old tractor

Keith trimming the Lawsonianas up to 20m

Yes Anna and I did go up in the bucket and took photos

Keith And I

Zoe Spick & Span Ready For Sale

Mark Assembling First Of Four Flat-Pack Adirondack Chairs

Birthday Girl Anna, Mowing A Little Fire Break Round The Bonfire

The New Car, Same Make And Model As Bridget’s Blue One, And Cleaner Pavla’s Red One

Karola With Bridget’s Tux Peering From The Boot

Oak Avenue Weather:__℃—__℃ no rain [?]

Fri 12th Jan

Anna & Bridget went down to Wellington today. They fly to the South island tomorrow, spend the week walking the Heaphy Track in a party of under a dozen, then return to Wellington next Friday. Karola, Bangle, and I left behind. We shared a F&C meal with Karola’s cousin Henare – F&C from the Frimley shop which are, according to Anna, Bridget, Henare, and “trip advisor” the best in the area.

Keith’s Fire Truck – Bonfire In The Distance

Keith Damping Down After Fierce Fire Consumes Wood

Keith Pushing The Edges In

Thu 11th Jan:

Anna Mowing Long Grass As A Fire Break Round Bonfire

Anna Restores Bedside Table – Before

Anna Restores Bedside Table – After

Wed 10th Jan:

Bridget and I picked up the new car without fuss. It is really quite nice. Almost identical to Bridget’s new car, Charlotte Offenberger’s, and cleaner Pavla’s. MG is now a Chinese brand, made in China.

Ian’s New MG Electric Car

Tue 9th Jan:

Crowded Regional Dog Park

Mon 8th Jan:

Eucalypt On A Lean

Sun 7th Jan:

Sat 6th Jan:

Ian Tackles The One Acre Of Californian Thistles

Oak Avenue Weather:__℃—__℃ no rain [?]

Fri 5th Jan:

In the morning Anna took Ian & Karola to their annual vision test with Phil Donaldson at Shatkey Visique in Hastings.

Layer we had afternoon tea at Te Mata House café while the rain and hevy mist swirled by. It’d been a warm sunny morning.

Karola, And Tux, In Car On Way To Afternoon Tea

Thu 4th Jan:

We all went over to Haumoana where Bridget, Karola, Tux and Bangle had a walk along the waterfront. Anna went for a walk towards Black Bridge and back, I rode my Wisper electric bike to Black Bridge, back and on to the Ahuriri Motor Camp, and back.

Outing Of A Dozen Or More Triumph Owners With Their Cars Leaving Haumoana Shops

Wed 3rd Jan

Tue 2nd Jan

Mon 1st Jan

Sun 31st Dec

Lunch-time Meal At Te Mata House Café

Anna’s Run Along Cycle Path, Te Mata Peak On Left, Craggy Range Winery On Right

Cracked Pipe Supporting Grillo Mowing Deck

Sat 30th Dec:

Five past midnight, almighty crasging sound. Car vered slowly off roud, clipped big fir tree the smashed decisively into

a big plane tree on our roadside boundary. Keith McCauley was first on scene and notified emergency services. Driver reported as

a man, critically injured, alone in the car.

Keith found a mobile phone and a small black drawstring bag containing a locket with ashes at the crash site the next day. Anna and Bridget took them in to the Hastings police station later in the week.

Eight Foot Scar Up The Plane Tree

Oak Avenue Weather:__℃—__℃ no rain [?]