Champions

Firstly, and mostest important, we won the rugby. Waikato beat Wellington in the final of the NPC. We have only ever won once before way back in the 90’s and we had the semi’s and the final on home turf to boot. It was an exciting game, the Mooloo’s came out all guns blazing and played at a pace that looked unsustainable. There were some silly errors and scrappy play at times but the scrum was solid and the lineouts awesome. Waikato people are passionate supporters of their rugby and this was on full display. I tried, half heartedly I have to say, to get tickets. I say half heartedly as the weather forecast was not good and Helen and Phil had offered to have us over to watch it on their enormous TV. Anyway, the website was not co-operating when I tried to book and I gave up. We had already watched the semi-finals with Helen and Phil as it coincided with a barbi we had already arranged to have at theirs. I took upper with us, Delias Chicken Basque and a crème caramel. Our chook are laying well so eggs will be a feature of our diet for the next few months. Chooks mean lots of pavlovas, lemon meringue pies and home made lemon curd!! Between Robyn and Mom lemons are nearly always in good supply.

I am so pleased with the progress being made in the veg plot. Eric has almost finished the fencing. Although a relatively short bit on fencing in relation to the rest of the block, about 60m in all, it has 2 gates and 4 corners(!), which means lots of strainer posts. Each strainer post means a hole 1.2m deep and we live on the hardest clay you could imagine. He has worked so hard on this and I am really grateful. I do feel a bit bad as I offered several times to help dig holes but then got distracted with my own work in the garden. I have sorted much of irrigation system and started to weed the strawberries, finding hundreds of fruit in there, a few of them already red. Unfortunately the slugs have also found them!! I am so tempted to use slug bait but this goes against all my near-organic principles (I say ‘near organic’ as I’ll use anything to kill the beetles that have decimated my fruit trees in the last few years, and I use week killer on the drive). The broad beans are looking great but I think I should have planted a second row. I put some warratahs in to put the supports through. I had to fight Eric for them as he is very protective of his fencing stuff and always insists his need is greater than mine! The potatoes are looking good as are the first lots of brassicas and beetroot that I put in. The dwarf beans are looking less than healthy, and I need to look up why. I am now putting in the brassicas that I planted in seed trays. We are going to be so over run with cauliflower, broccoli and broccoflower in a few months!!! I put the courgettes in yesterday and when the chooks have finished eating their way through the weeds I’ll get all the pumpkins in. ALL the peas have germinated but we will see if they grow to descent size. I usually produce pathetic sized plants that manage one pea pod each! I bought some aubergine plants yesterday and several different types of basil. I love the smell of basil. I have also been working in the orchard, watering trees for an hour each and clearing the base of the trees. I have been laying the sheep dags around the base to feed and mulch them. Trouble is the bl***y dogs come along and poke their snouts in through the tree guards and drag out the dags to chew on – disgusting creatures. We have marked off a section in the veg plot to make into a fruit plot. This is in addition to what I have as making the whole plot square meant incorporating a section of paddock not already cultivated. I have put black plastic over it at the moment and will till it, edge it and add more topsoil before planting. I put a raspberry plant in the veg plot about 2 years ago which has sent off tens of runners but I am loathe to dig them up and plant them where I want them as they have yet to produce any fruit. I’ll leave them and see what happens this year.

I didn’t mention that it is a public holiday today - hence it is raining!! Oh well at least it means I have been able to write this. With the longer days now I would have been in the garden (at 8.30am). Labour Day weekend is viewed here as the traditional start to summer (so like an August BH in the UK you can almost guarantee rain). I suppose that means I have no excuse for not doing the household accounts and other boring stuff indoors today!

A lazy Sunday evening after a day in the veg plot. I actually haven't done much, just pottered really, and watch Eric do all the hsrd work. He is currently putting up proper fencing for me. He gets so despondent digging a 4 foot hole only to fill it in again with the strainer post in. I also insisted on a gate (Eric thinks this is totally unreasonable and that I should just climb over a stile) which means 2 extra strainer posts. I did managed to sort out my irrigation system, having found goof plugs which means I can relocate the risers. A lot of them where in the wrong place once I'd moved the tubing. Otherwise I just put in a few seedlings and seeds and started weeding the hug strawberry patch that has been very neglected but seems to be producing more fruit than when I look after it! We had our first feed of broad beans and spinach today, AND the chooks are laying so I am long last feeling productive again. Rebecca came home with Harriette on Thursday having decided to give Waikato band a go again. The last time she was here was when I was in Auckland and they arrived home to find the sheep demolishing the veg plot. As we came up the drive she looked down and said "the veg plot's looking much better Michelle'!!!!!

I have avoided cooking for much of the weekend. On Friday we went to Mom and Daddys for supper. They have an odd room downstairs from their main living area which would make an ideal rumpus room, it is very big. Well they are trying to get it decorated and use it as another spare bedroom as they have 2 sets of visitors next month. Mom's sister is coming over from the UK and an aunt and her husband from Australia for Mom's 70th on 12th November. The decorating has been a long job as the wallpaper has been very reluctant to separate itself from the wall. Still I think they are nearly there.

Last night we went to Helen and Phil's. They had friends over from the UK. Waikato were playing in the semi-finals of the NPC final AND the Silver Ferns were playing their second test against Australia so we ended up watching the TV (at Harriette's begging I hacve to say). Helen and Phil have an obsenely huge screen so it was a real treat. Waikato thrashed Otago 44 - 15 in the rugby which means a home NPC final. We will definately try and get tickets for that. To cap the evening off we won the netball also. On top of that we had a lovely meal and an all round very pleasant evening. Thank you Helen. Helen and friend Vicki came over for a coffee today so Vicki could have a look at where we lived. "Relaxing' was how Vicki seemed to sum up Cedar Lodge!

Well I am going to relax off to my bed now.

Message for Marion

Marion can you email me please. I cannot find your email address. Thanks

A great weekend with The Jackson's

Our clocks have gone forward, and the temperatures plummetted! It was OK over the weekend but last week it was so chilly I lit the fire again. This weekend was OK but it is blowy and raining now (Mon evening) and there is a bad weather warning for the South Island with 20cm of snow expected down to sea level. For heavens sake, what is the weather coming to? Eric and I got outside when he got home at 5pm today but we gave up when the rain arrived. I must say I am pleased with the progress I am making in the veg plot. I do not have much luck growing peas. I diligently collect twiggy pea sticks to support the plant and put them in when I plant the peas and end up with about 3 scraggy plants in a 20' row. Eric laughed at me today and said 'you're not planting more pea sticks are you' I'll show him. I've planted about 400 plants this time!! The seedlings of broccoli, cauliflower, broccoflower, beans, silverbeet, spinach parsley, coriander etc are doing well and my broad beans look fabulous. Another 3-4 days and I'll pick the first ones I think. (I'm typing this while MSNing Katie, Eric's neice and I obviously can't multi-skill as well as I used to!!). Chooks gave up laying eggs 3 days after they got here but have just come back into lay so as long as they stay that way I will be happy.

Had a very busy few days. Beth, Graham and Luke came down from Auckland for a weekend in the country. They are such good company and we thoroughly enjoyed them being here. Luke (aged 10) loves all the animals and they bought their goergeous shaggy golden retriever Max. He was shampooed for his trip out(at Grahams insistence before he would let him in his car) and rolled in cow poo within 5 minutes of arriving! Actually they got dragged off to the paddocks before they got in the door as, just as they arrived, Eric had spotted a ewe trapped under his trailer and we were just going to release it. Eric had his trailer in a back paddock as it has all his fencing stuff on it. The daft creature had gone under the the towing arm and obviously knocked it. The trailer tipped and trapped her. She must have been their awhile as her back legs took a good few minutes to work once she was freed. Anyway, we finally got Beth and Graham indoors for a sup of tea.

Eric and Graham went to Rotorua to do some fly fishing early on Saturday morning and arrived back just as the rest of us were leaving to go swimming. We had a lovely supper that evening. Huge's aromatic pork belly. It is in his Meat book that Carol gave us and absolutely divine, and sooo simple. I also made bread and butter pudding but when I went to serve it I found we were out of apricot brany and one cannot serve B+B pud without it. Eric was not impressed! We had some pud left over and, after going in 3 liquor stores on Saturday, I managed to find some so he had it on Saturday. Saturday we had a great evening. R+R came round with the girls. The poor Scotts had to suffer Chicken Thighs Normandie again as Beth had particularly requested it (I always seem to be cooking it for the Scotts - and Richard doesn't eat chicken!). We had some pork left over and I served that also but I don't think that appealed to Richard either, not that he's fussy you understand!!!!!! We also had jacket potatoes, Robyns famous potatoe dish, asparagus (the local farm has started selling - hurray. I was beginning to think they had gone out of the asparagus business), broccoli and this new veg I have seen but not tried. Beth bought it down. It is like a bunch of about 30 thin, spring onions but 18" long, straight and garlic flavoured. Does anyone know what they are called? It was very nice. I also made a choclate cheesecake - again and Robyn did a fabulous meringue roulade. We went to bed stuffed!!!

Sunday was a bit of a lie in, a huge breakfast (home made sausage and bacon, our own eggs, home made bread, OK from the bread maker, and brought mushrooms - I can't be fagged to grow them) and then a wander down to the veg plot to discuss with Beth (a keen veg grower despite her hankerchief sized city garden. I'm amazed at what she produces), and then on to my orchard. It was while we were there that Eric spotted the calf that I posted photos on yesterday. After B,G and L left we had a lazy few hours curled up on the sofa reading. Bliss!

Today the girls are back to school after 2 weeks holiday and I spent the day trying to catch up with work that has been neglected! Eric is in week 6 of soliciting.

Todays new calf

Today our 'teenage mum' Daisy had her calf. We were quite concerned as she should not have got pregnant being only about 4 months old when she was deflowered by the murray grey on loan to impregnate Freckles and Carol. But she has produced this sweetie without any problems. She is quite small but feeding fine. As Carol has named her half sister Bronte we thought that Charlotte (Charlie, Lottie?) might be a good name for this one.

With Mom Daisy and Bronte...

This years 3 calves, Daisy and Al (I think)...

Getting to know you....

Some quiet time with Mom....




And just to remind you what Bronte looked like 6 weeks ago....