Just spoke to Mom and Daddy. They had packers booked for next Tuesday and were rushing around in a dizzy flat spin after everything came together so quickly. Their caseworked at NZ House went off for 2 weeks, with Mom and Daddy's passports on his desk so their was a panic about them getting their passports back in time to leave. Daddy went up to London yesterday (his first trip on a train for 30+ years!!!) and they have them now. Their solicitor has phoned to tell them the solicitor in the bottom of the 4 link chain hasn't done his searches yet and so there will be a delay of one week now. It gives Mom and Daddy a bit of a breathing space but the people buying their house are livid as they are living off boxes having virtually packed everything already. Mom and Daddy's server has crashed again and although partially sorted they have restricted internet access at the moment - a bugger if you want to house hunt from the other side of the world! Other than that they are fine and MOST IMPORTANT they have done my massive IKEA shop - having hired a van for the trip. Thank you soooooo much. I spoke to a colleague in Katikati yesterday and she has offered to take Mom and Daddy for games at the 3 local golf courses there so that will keep them happy (Mom and Daddy are thinking of settling in that sort of area).
Trip to Wellington yesterday was good, if tiring and we woke at 6.30am this morning to hear the transport lorry arrive (it usually doesn't get here until 7.30-8am). We had to dash out of bed to shift Saddle and No 3 into the pens to get them off to market. Saddle is Alice's first calf so she is excited at her bank account being seriously boosted. The money we get from No 3 will go to Harriette as we are buying Freckles off her. We want to keep her to breed from, again. We got our 3rd calf from Richard and Robyn on Monday which gives us 3 from this year + the 2 born here. That will do now. Although the 3 new calves are in the paddock next to the rest of the cows the 2 calves born here often go under the electric fence to play. I can waste so much time watching them frolicking around.
Harriette is back to school today after 4 days off with a bad chest. Had a bit of drama at the start of the week when a GP (not ours) said she had asthma!!!! Load of rubbish and a trip to our GP the next day got it sorted. Hopefully she is on the mend now though she has been going up and down.
I MUSt go and spray my nectarines now, I meant to do it 2 days ago but haven't had time. I am DETERMINED to not loose the fruit to brown beetle and curly leaf this year!
Friday, September 09, 2005
Sunday, September 04, 2005
A partial blog.
It’s awful not blogging for so long. I have a brain like a sieve at the best of times and trying to remember 2 weeks worth of happenings is flippin' difficult. Perhaps if I work backwards…
Today is Father’s Day, well it is here anyway. The girls bought Eric books on farting - Harriette (he is laying in bed next to me reading that one as I type and keeps shaking the bed he’s laughing so much!Typing is not easy!), and AB’s/ Lions rivalry over the years- Alice. I bought Eric a Gofa shovel!!! It’s the invention of a local guy and is for digging fence posts (no of course I’m not hinting that 3 years later my veg plot still has no ‘proper’ fencing – would I?!!??) The shovel is very long with a lever in the handle that tips the blade 90 degrees so you can scoop the dirt out from the bottom of the deep hole. Very clever, and very effective. Eric had had a generally non day as he has spent most of it writing an assignment due in tomorrow. He is on leave from uni at the moment so I will drop it off when I am in Hamilton tomorrow. I am going to Polytech! I am starting a Adult Teaching and Education course. I don’t think the course will be terribly challenging as I have done all this stuff before but I am really looking for some alternative ways to teach in the classroom. I feel I can usually get over what I want but am not very imaginative and cannot use different forms of teaching very well. I have been assured this is the course to show me. It actually can be counted towards a Diploma in Adult Education so may go further with it, we shall see.
Yesterday was the final game in the Tri-nations and watched it at R+R’s. A really enjoyable match, not least because Australia did a good job trying to catch us up after being 20-0 at half time (I think). They put in a sterling effort as NZ went off the boil but couldn’t quite make it. I am very impressed with new boy Luke McAllister. Don’t know that he can quite rival Carter but certainly has a brilliant future in front of him. And those thighs……..!!!! I’ve never seen anything like them!
I have spent another weekend gardening and the veg patch is definitely coming on. More carrots and beetroot went in today and the seedlings in the greenhouse are coming along. I have also put fert round the fruit trees and will spray them again tomorrow. We will have some fruit this year!
This was taken on 26th August...
...and this was taken today.
We also, at long last, had the paddocks limed. 11 tonnes of the stuff. It is something we should have done before but haven’t and now have been forced to because there is more moss than grass growing these days.
The lorry arrives (refilled)...
The goosers weren't too happy!
One of the goosers is laying and has made herself a nest so maybe little goosers will arrive before long. On the subject of babies, last years piglet, saved for the freezer, has just produced 8 piglets. She was not supposed to be pregnant as we got rid of the boar, but it looks like he did the damage before he headed for the freezer, 3 times over looking at the 2 sows!! Unfortunately 3 of these piglets died. Eric found them outside the pen so it looks like they wandered off shortly after birth and couldn’t find their way home. We were planning to scale down the pigs but looks like we’ll be carrying on for awhile!
No Ninja here!!
Mom and Daddy are flat out now. Their house sale looks to be proceeding OK and the packers are booked for 12 September. I have sent my IKEA shopping list and all seems to be going OK. They haven’t booked their flights yet as they are waiting for all to be confirmed, and they haven’t got their passports at the moment. They are planning to do a few weeks in Australia on the way to stay with Auntie Joan. Coincidentally my cousin Teresa is getting married on 1 October so that will tie in nicely. It will be strange, and nice, to have them here all the time. I do feel for Sharron (my sister) though. It would be nice to think she might one day come and visit us but I don’t think that will happen.
Well I will finish now and try and come back to this in the next few days to tell you about the Winter Feast and my job interview (no I’m not leaving IMAC). Night night all.
Today is Father’s Day, well it is here anyway. The girls bought Eric books on farting - Harriette (he is laying in bed next to me reading that one as I type and keeps shaking the bed he’s laughing so much!Typing is not easy!), and AB’s/ Lions rivalry over the years- Alice. I bought Eric a Gofa shovel!!! It’s the invention of a local guy and is for digging fence posts (no of course I’m not hinting that 3 years later my veg plot still has no ‘proper’ fencing – would I?!!??) The shovel is very long with a lever in the handle that tips the blade 90 degrees so you can scoop the dirt out from the bottom of the deep hole. Very clever, and very effective. Eric had had a generally non day as he has spent most of it writing an assignment due in tomorrow. He is on leave from uni at the moment so I will drop it off when I am in Hamilton tomorrow. I am going to Polytech! I am starting a Adult Teaching and Education course. I don’t think the course will be terribly challenging as I have done all this stuff before but I am really looking for some alternative ways to teach in the classroom. I feel I can usually get over what I want but am not very imaginative and cannot use different forms of teaching very well. I have been assured this is the course to show me. It actually can be counted towards a Diploma in Adult Education so may go further with it, we shall see.
Yesterday was the final game in the Tri-nations and watched it at R+R’s. A really enjoyable match, not least because Australia did a good job trying to catch us up after being 20-0 at half time (I think). They put in a sterling effort as NZ went off the boil but couldn’t quite make it. I am very impressed with new boy Luke McAllister. Don’t know that he can quite rival Carter but certainly has a brilliant future in front of him. And those thighs……..!!!! I’ve never seen anything like them!
I have spent another weekend gardening and the veg patch is definitely coming on. More carrots and beetroot went in today and the seedlings in the greenhouse are coming along. I have also put fert round the fruit trees and will spray them again tomorrow. We will have some fruit this year!
This was taken on 26th August...
...and this was taken today.
We also, at long last, had the paddocks limed. 11 tonnes of the stuff. It is something we should have done before but haven’t and now have been forced to because there is more moss than grass growing these days.
The lorry arrives (refilled)...
The goosers weren't too happy!
One of the goosers is laying and has made herself a nest so maybe little goosers will arrive before long. On the subject of babies, last years piglet, saved for the freezer, has just produced 8 piglets. She was not supposed to be pregnant as we got rid of the boar, but it looks like he did the damage before he headed for the freezer, 3 times over looking at the 2 sows!! Unfortunately 3 of these piglets died. Eric found them outside the pen so it looks like they wandered off shortly after birth and couldn’t find their way home. We were planning to scale down the pigs but looks like we’ll be carrying on for awhile!
No Ninja here!!
Mom and Daddy are flat out now. Their house sale looks to be proceeding OK and the packers are booked for 12 September. I have sent my IKEA shopping list and all seems to be going OK. They haven’t booked their flights yet as they are waiting for all to be confirmed, and they haven’t got their passports at the moment. They are planning to do a few weeks in Australia on the way to stay with Auntie Joan. Coincidentally my cousin Teresa is getting married on 1 October so that will tie in nicely. It will be strange, and nice, to have them here all the time. I do feel for Sharron (my sister) though. It would be nice to think she might one day come and visit us but I don’t think that will happen.
Well I will finish now and try and come back to this in the next few days to tell you about the Winter Feast and my job interview (no I’m not leaving IMAC). Night night all.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Veggies - lots of them
Kids eh! Here I am trying to do bits online and Harriette is chirping in my ear every 3 mins 'can I have the cable?' - the broadband modem cable, as we are both on the computers. She has found a 'fan fiction' website that is basically stories online. We have an ongoing battle about this. Her argument being it's just the same as reading a book, mine being it can't be good for her brain, or her eyes, to be in front of the screen for hours each day. I sort of see what she means but I am much happier seeing her with her nose in a proper book than clicking through pages on the web. It has one advantage though, a threat of computer ban will get her doing almost anything!! She even sets her alarm for 5.15am so she can go on the damn thing prior to school. I thought I had put a stop to that but when her alarm woke us up at that time on Thursday we were not impressed. Especially as Eric had to get up to turn it off as Harriette was staying at a friends!! Harriette seems to require less and less sleep, she is almost at the stage where she sleeps less than us, reading until 11pm some nights and up before 6am most days. I wish I was like that. I'm usually ready for bed by 9pm though I do read a lot.
I am in one of those sanctimonious, 'aren't I good' moods, - and I ache! I have spent over 7 hours in the veg plot today. For those of you who know what I am talking about, I have been working on the left hand bed as you look down there. Where I have had topsoil and horse poo delivered and have worked different bits of the plot at different times it is on different levels. Saddle, as you may remember, was in there a week or so ago, and several sheep were recently chased out so they had made a veritable mess! I spent today firstly weeding, particularly fiddly as the weeds were mainly around the carrots and coriander, which are still quite small plants. Then I barrowed about 12 loads of soil from one part of the plot to the other. When I was on my knees with exhaustion Eric came and shifted the rest of it. I then planted seedlings I bought on Friday: 85 red onions, 40 silverbeet, 40 spinach and 35 cauliflower plants. I have more to go but ran out of time. In recent weeks I have also planted broccoli, cabbage, brocoflower and broad beans in the same bed. There are full grown leeks and cabbages there as well as the afore mentioned carrots and coriander. It actually looks like a veg plot and not a weed bed for a change. I may take weekly photo's a.to incentivise me and b.to have a record of the progress.
We also moved all the sheep into Claire and Ian's races (pens and run) today and Eric binned them (the sheep not Claire and Ian, just to clarify, as it didn't read quite right)up in the woolshed this evening. Tomorrow we plan to dag (cut poo and fleece from their rear end), drench (give medicine orally to fight all the worms etc), tag, vaccinte and dock the lambs, pedicure the older ones and give them a shot of vitamins. Eric will be the one throwing the animals around so he will be seriously aching tomorrow night!! The girls have been warned it's all hands on deck.
I have started compiling shopping lists for Mom and Daddy. The IKEA website has been perused for hours and the list sits next to the computer. Ditto Lakeland and Screwfix. And then there are those essentials, custard creams (though Cheryl posts us a parcel on a regular basis - Bless her), chocolate Hobnobs (last ones from Juliets parents have just about run out), and solid blocks of coconut cream which you cannot get here at all. I am sure I shall be adding to the list daily. I just hope Mom and Daddy find the time to get everything. The person buying their house wants to complete by mid-September!!!
On the day Mom and Daddy got their residency the geeses started laying. But what does one do with goose eggs, except make omlettes? They are very rich. When I can get the modem cable back I will look online!! We had planned to look at the fencing around the tree stand in order to confine them but I can't see us having time this weekend. On the subject of eggs I am at my wits end over the chickens. They have never laid well and I can't find a reason why. Robyns chooks are laying and during the course of today I reckon I have heard 6 of Claire's chooks lay. Ours are laying - nothing!! I popped into a chicken farm where we bought the last few chooks and asked the women there what I could do and she was no help beyond saying they should start next month. We have decided to move the chooks into the orchard. Just need Eric to build another chook house so may have to wait until the summer, unless Daddy you want a little project while your staying here. Mind you, if you do, there is the little job of the Range Rover!!!!!!
I am listening to National Radio. Well listening is an exageration. In fact I should turn it off, it's like listening to Radio 2 30 years ago - but worse!!!
Short break to put some CD's on!! Brooke Fraser - much better.
I have a yearning for the chocolate cheesecake I made last weekend. I sent half of what was left back with Steve and Fiona and eeked the rest out over the following 3-4 nights. I was actually really impressed with myself, I am usually one for having a scoop of leftover goodies every time I open the fridge but I was very restrained this week!! And I think it actually improved with age! The recipe has the honour of being the first one to go into the recipe journal Juliet bought me for my birthday and now going onto blog so you can all share it. It is actually supposed to be made with toblerone but I made it with milk chocolate.
Use a 22cm tin. Make a base with melted butter and a cup of crushed choc biscuits.
Beat 500g Philadelphia cheese for 2 minutes then add 1/2 cup castor sugar, 200g melted choc and 1/2 cup thickened cream.
Chill overnight.
Try it. I love chocolate and cheesescake so you can see why it appealed to me.
The weather has been - fantastic. In fact Harriette and I have caught the sun today. Harriette through playing netball. Today was the LAST WEEK OF NETBALL - HURRAY!!! That means we get our Saturdays back! I even had to pull out a pair of summer 3/4 length pants it was so warm today. And they said on the radio today we are set for a warm spring to follow the incredibly mild winter we've had. Just hope the summer is good too. Eric has cleaned the pool this week and it now looks something like swimable - if you ignore the temperature! How's yours looking Richard????
Well as usual the weather means I've run out of things to say. I will now drag my weary body to bed to read my book The Torment of Others by Val McDermid - very good, quite Prime Suspect-like. Night night.Oh I forgot to say, Richard has some calves for us so the Cedar Lodge population is set to increase further this week. Photos - I promise.
I am in one of those sanctimonious, 'aren't I good' moods, - and I ache! I have spent over 7 hours in the veg plot today. For those of you who know what I am talking about, I have been working on the left hand bed as you look down there. Where I have had topsoil and horse poo delivered and have worked different bits of the plot at different times it is on different levels. Saddle, as you may remember, was in there a week or so ago, and several sheep were recently chased out so they had made a veritable mess! I spent today firstly weeding, particularly fiddly as the weeds were mainly around the carrots and coriander, which are still quite small plants. Then I barrowed about 12 loads of soil from one part of the plot to the other. When I was on my knees with exhaustion Eric came and shifted the rest of it. I then planted seedlings I bought on Friday: 85 red onions, 40 silverbeet, 40 spinach and 35 cauliflower plants. I have more to go but ran out of time. In recent weeks I have also planted broccoli, cabbage, brocoflower and broad beans in the same bed. There are full grown leeks and cabbages there as well as the afore mentioned carrots and coriander. It actually looks like a veg plot and not a weed bed for a change. I may take weekly photo's a.to incentivise me and b.to have a record of the progress.
We also moved all the sheep into Claire and Ian's races (pens and run) today and Eric binned them (the sheep not Claire and Ian, just to clarify, as it didn't read quite right)up in the woolshed this evening. Tomorrow we plan to dag (cut poo and fleece from their rear end), drench (give medicine orally to fight all the worms etc), tag, vaccinte and dock the lambs, pedicure the older ones and give them a shot of vitamins. Eric will be the one throwing the animals around so he will be seriously aching tomorrow night!! The girls have been warned it's all hands on deck.
I have started compiling shopping lists for Mom and Daddy. The IKEA website has been perused for hours and the list sits next to the computer. Ditto Lakeland and Screwfix. And then there are those essentials, custard creams (though Cheryl posts us a parcel on a regular basis - Bless her), chocolate Hobnobs (last ones from Juliets parents have just about run out), and solid blocks of coconut cream which you cannot get here at all. I am sure I shall be adding to the list daily. I just hope Mom and Daddy find the time to get everything. The person buying their house wants to complete by mid-September!!!
On the day Mom and Daddy got their residency the geeses started laying. But what does one do with goose eggs, except make omlettes? They are very rich. When I can get the modem cable back I will look online!! We had planned to look at the fencing around the tree stand in order to confine them but I can't see us having time this weekend. On the subject of eggs I am at my wits end over the chickens. They have never laid well and I can't find a reason why. Robyns chooks are laying and during the course of today I reckon I have heard 6 of Claire's chooks lay. Ours are laying - nothing!! I popped into a chicken farm where we bought the last few chooks and asked the women there what I could do and she was no help beyond saying they should start next month. We have decided to move the chooks into the orchard. Just need Eric to build another chook house so may have to wait until the summer, unless Daddy you want a little project while your staying here. Mind you, if you do, there is the little job of the Range Rover!!!!!!
I am listening to National Radio. Well listening is an exageration. In fact I should turn it off, it's like listening to Radio 2 30 years ago - but worse!!!
Short break to put some CD's on!! Brooke Fraser - much better.
I have a yearning for the chocolate cheesecake I made last weekend. I sent half of what was left back with Steve and Fiona and eeked the rest out over the following 3-4 nights. I was actually really impressed with myself, I am usually one for having a scoop of leftover goodies every time I open the fridge but I was very restrained this week!! And I think it actually improved with age! The recipe has the honour of being the first one to go into the recipe journal Juliet bought me for my birthday and now going onto blog so you can all share it. It is actually supposed to be made with toblerone but I made it with milk chocolate.
Use a 22cm tin. Make a base with melted butter and a cup of crushed choc biscuits.
Beat 500g Philadelphia cheese for 2 minutes then add 1/2 cup castor sugar, 200g melted choc and 1/2 cup thickened cream.
Chill overnight.
Try it. I love chocolate and cheesescake so you can see why it appealed to me.
The weather has been - fantastic. In fact Harriette and I have caught the sun today. Harriette through playing netball. Today was the LAST WEEK OF NETBALL - HURRAY!!! That means we get our Saturdays back! I even had to pull out a pair of summer 3/4 length pants it was so warm today. And they said on the radio today we are set for a warm spring to follow the incredibly mild winter we've had. Just hope the summer is good too. Eric has cleaned the pool this week and it now looks something like swimable - if you ignore the temperature! How's yours looking Richard????
Well as usual the weather means I've run out of things to say. I will now drag my weary body to bed to read my book The Torment of Others by Val McDermid - very good, quite Prime Suspect-like. Night night.Oh I forgot to say, Richard has some calves for us so the Cedar Lodge population is set to increase further this week. Photos - I promise.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Residency
Had an email from daddy this morning. It started like this:
Yes!!!
...written in very big letters on a red background. They have had a call from NZIS to say they have been accepted. I have tears in my eyes as I type. I am sooooo relieved. Partly because we want them here (obviously) but I think moreso because I know they so desparately want to be here and they (Daddy in particular I think) would have been devastated if they had been turned down. They have a buyer for the house so hopefully it won't be long before they are here
YES! YES! YES!!!!!
Yes!!!
...written in very big letters on a red background. They have had a call from NZIS to say they have been accepted. I have tears in my eyes as I type. I am sooooo relieved. Partly because we want them here (obviously) but I think moreso because I know they so desparately want to be here and they (Daddy in particular I think) would have been devastated if they had been turned down. They have a buyer for the house so hopefully it won't be long before they are here
YES! YES! YES!!!!!
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Lamb that tastes like hay.
Ah, the end of a weekend. Actually for me it's been a long one as I took Thursday and Friday off sick, sinusy, headache and just shattered really. I'm not usually one for taking sick time for such vague-itys but it did me the power of good.
No blog for awhile but not a lot to report really. Alice has a new lamb, borrowed for calf club this year from a local farmer. He wouldn't let us buy it so we get to feed it for 4 months and then return it after Alice has trained it (!) and shown it at Ag. Day, or calf club as it is more commonly known. This photo was taken today.
I did take some the day it arrived but they did not come out well. You may recognise Meg from the Hukajet photo's. Fiona and Steve, Meg and Amber, came up from Taupo today for Sunday roast and we have had a nice day. Fiona is disgustingly fit (said as I tinge green with envy) and cycled the first 20km here ("only 20km, not enough to break out in a sweat"!!) and was collected en route by Steve. I had planned to eat around 2.30 - 3pm. You know I'm going to say we didn't aren't you! Well you'd be right. I seem to loose an hour this morning. I was busy baking and cooking and was just thinking it must be about 11am and I should put the meat in, when I looked at the clock and saw it was 12.15pm!!!!!!!! Bugger. I resigned myself to a 3-4pm meal. Now dinner was a little unusual as Eric decided to try Hugh F.W.'s lamb cooked in hay. Well the hay was retrieved from the barn and Eric had prepared it all before popping into town to feed the dogs in the pound and collect pig food from the veg shop. When I took it out, at the end of normal lamb cooking time Eric said it did not feel very hot, and what temperature did I have it on. The normal 180 degrees. Well no. It was supposed to be on 220. Oppps. So it when back in, on a high temperature - and we ate at 5pm.
Unfortunately it was not one of my 'everything from the garden type of meals' (the chickens have decimated the cabbages and bloody Saddle, he is overdue for removal, got in the veg plot last week, tramped on everything and ate all my silverbeet. I won't say who left the electric fence off but he's sitting not 3 feet away!!!!!) but I think they appreciated it nonetheless. The meal was topped off with apple crumble, chocolate cheesecake, chocolate fudge cake and ice cream. no-one had room for coffee afterwards!!! As to the verdict on the lamb in hay, I wouldn't bother with it again, it tasted of all hay and no lamb. I can get that from just standing in the haybarn and breathing deeply through my nose.
We have bought a DVD player. I know, I know, we don't watch TV. Well we do, and we don't. We now have 2 TV's, an English one to watch videos on once in a blue moon, and a NZ one given to us prior to the World Cup, to watch rugby on. Apart from rugby Eric and the girls watch about 5 episodes of Antiques Roadshow a year, but that's it - honest. Now we all know that before long videos will stop being made so any films we want now have to be in DVD format, and all we would buy is the Harry Potter movies. Well I bit the bullet and used my Flybuy's points for a DVD player. So, despite not watching TV, in principle......Well the girls bought the HP3 DVD between them from their birthday money. I got it home, from the Warehouse in Hamilton, and the woman had put the wrong DVD's in the box. Matamata Warehouse would not change them so I decided to buy another copy and take the other one back when I was next in Hamilton. According to their computer they had 8 copies in stock. Between helpful lady in shop, H, A and I we turned the store upsidedown but could not find them. We left and headed for the video store to hire the movie. Now while there I sucumbed and also rented 'In My Father's Den'. What a fabulous movie. I must admit it took awhile to get into the story, chopping around all over the place and for awhile I was thinking 'what is this about?' but when it came together it was worth the wait. A fabulous movie, brilliant plot, excellent acting and superb photography. Set in NZ by the way. Oh and Mathew MacFadden is definately thinking woman's crumpet! Carol you'd love it. (I wrote that before adding the bit about Mathew MacFadden by the way!)And the music is great, Patti Smith and Canteloube's Bailerio. The latter I have played over and over since watching the movie.
We have had some fabulous weather - and some rain, of late. What a mild winter it has been. Signs of spring are definately in the air with rhododendron trees and daffodils in flower. The white arum lilies were sadly lacking through the winter though, maybe it wasn't cold enough for them.
Weather talk means I've run out of things to say. Night. Night.
No blog for awhile but not a lot to report really. Alice has a new lamb, borrowed for calf club this year from a local farmer. He wouldn't let us buy it so we get to feed it for 4 months and then return it after Alice has trained it (!) and shown it at Ag. Day, or calf club as it is more commonly known. This photo was taken today.
I did take some the day it arrived but they did not come out well. You may recognise Meg from the Hukajet photo's. Fiona and Steve, Meg and Amber, came up from Taupo today for Sunday roast and we have had a nice day. Fiona is disgustingly fit (said as I tinge green with envy) and cycled the first 20km here ("only 20km, not enough to break out in a sweat"!!) and was collected en route by Steve. I had planned to eat around 2.30 - 3pm. You know I'm going to say we didn't aren't you! Well you'd be right. I seem to loose an hour this morning. I was busy baking and cooking and was just thinking it must be about 11am and I should put the meat in, when I looked at the clock and saw it was 12.15pm!!!!!!!! Bugger. I resigned myself to a 3-4pm meal. Now dinner was a little unusual as Eric decided to try Hugh F.W.'s lamb cooked in hay. Well the hay was retrieved from the barn and Eric had prepared it all before popping into town to feed the dogs in the pound and collect pig food from the veg shop. When I took it out, at the end of normal lamb cooking time Eric said it did not feel very hot, and what temperature did I have it on. The normal 180 degrees. Well no. It was supposed to be on 220. Oppps. So it when back in, on a high temperature - and we ate at 5pm.
Unfortunately it was not one of my 'everything from the garden type of meals' (the chickens have decimated the cabbages and bloody Saddle, he is overdue for removal, got in the veg plot last week, tramped on everything and ate all my silverbeet. I won't say who left the electric fence off but he's sitting not 3 feet away!!!!!) but I think they appreciated it nonetheless. The meal was topped off with apple crumble, chocolate cheesecake, chocolate fudge cake and ice cream. no-one had room for coffee afterwards!!! As to the verdict on the lamb in hay, I wouldn't bother with it again, it tasted of all hay and no lamb. I can get that from just standing in the haybarn and breathing deeply through my nose.
We have bought a DVD player. I know, I know, we don't watch TV. Well we do, and we don't. We now have 2 TV's, an English one to watch videos on once in a blue moon, and a NZ one given to us prior to the World Cup, to watch rugby on. Apart from rugby Eric and the girls watch about 5 episodes of Antiques Roadshow a year, but that's it - honest. Now we all know that before long videos will stop being made so any films we want now have to be in DVD format, and all we would buy is the Harry Potter movies. Well I bit the bullet and used my Flybuy's points for a DVD player. So, despite not watching TV, in principle......Well the girls bought the HP3 DVD between them from their birthday money. I got it home, from the Warehouse in Hamilton, and the woman had put the wrong DVD's in the box. Matamata Warehouse would not change them so I decided to buy another copy and take the other one back when I was next in Hamilton. According to their computer they had 8 copies in stock. Between helpful lady in shop, H, A and I we turned the store upsidedown but could not find them. We left and headed for the video store to hire the movie. Now while there I sucumbed and also rented 'In My Father's Den'. What a fabulous movie. I must admit it took awhile to get into the story, chopping around all over the place and for awhile I was thinking 'what is this about?' but when it came together it was worth the wait. A fabulous movie, brilliant plot, excellent acting and superb photography. Set in NZ by the way. Oh and Mathew MacFadden is definately thinking woman's crumpet! Carol you'd love it. (I wrote that before adding the bit about Mathew MacFadden by the way!)And the music is great, Patti Smith and Canteloube's Bailerio. The latter I have played over and over since watching the movie.
We have had some fabulous weather - and some rain, of late. What a mild winter it has been. Signs of spring are definately in the air with rhododendron trees and daffodils in flower. The white arum lilies were sadly lacking through the winter though, maybe it wasn't cold enough for them.
Weather talk means I've run out of things to say. Night. Night.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
More nocturnal ramblings!
But don't worry he had a driasabone on this time - it was raining (nothing else just the coat!). Woke at 2am and Eric says 'I think Freckles has started'. Needless to say I couldn't hear a thing. He was adamant she was lowing. Luckily she was in the top corner of the front paddock so he didn't have far to go to check on her. He came back announcing she had just had a heifer calf!! It was much smaller than the other days calf so we were worried, in view of her enormous size, that she may have another one on board. This ensured we did not get back to sleep for HOURS!
These are piccies taken this afternoon.
Carol's bull calf sunning himself:
And introducing:
We need names. We are leaving the bull calf to Carol to name but I want a pretty girlie name for Freckle's baby. I like Daisy or Maisie. On discussing names at supper Harri said 'Jester because the mark on her face looks like a jesters hat' (?) To which Eric replied, muttering 'Looks like a target to me' Will he ever change?
On the subject of names Carol, I was going to follow your comment with "Jim Bowen?" Bully didn't mean a thing to me. Eric then explained and pulled out Stan's (?) Peter Kaye tape with his take off of Bullseye. Bully - Sorry No!
Eric is struggling and I insisted he take the day off uni today. He has pulled a muscle in his good leg and as a result his bad leg is playing up. I think he probably favours the good leg most of the time and now he can't the bad leg is taking more strain than usual. You may be thoroughly confused, I know what I mean. The consequence is he can hardly get around at the moment. I didn't remember this at 2am though else I'd have gone and investigated Freckles myself - honestly.
Now George, Carol etc. Less talking about 'shooting up' please, this is a family site!!!!
Off to get much needed beauty sleep.
These are piccies taken this afternoon.
Carol's bull calf sunning himself:
And introducing:
We need names. We are leaving the bull calf to Carol to name but I want a pretty girlie name for Freckle's baby. I like Daisy or Maisie. On discussing names at supper Harri said 'Jester because the mark on her face looks like a jesters hat' (?) To which Eric replied, muttering 'Looks like a target to me' Will he ever change?
On the subject of names Carol, I was going to follow your comment with "Jim Bowen?" Bully didn't mean a thing to me. Eric then explained and pulled out Stan's (?) Peter Kaye tape with his take off of Bullseye. Bully - Sorry No!
Eric is struggling and I insisted he take the day off uni today. He has pulled a muscle in his good leg and as a result his bad leg is playing up. I think he probably favours the good leg most of the time and now he can't the bad leg is taking more strain than usual. You may be thoroughly confused, I know what I mean. The consequence is he can hardly get around at the moment. I didn't remember this at 2am though else I'd have gone and investigated Freckles myself - honestly.
Now George, Carol etc. Less talking about 'shooting up' please, this is a family site!!!!
Off to get much needed beauty sleep.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
It's Christmas.
At long last. Some time to myself to catch up on things.
Juliet, Kev, Emma and Hannah were due down for the weekend for our traditional mid-winter Xmas dinner (a little later than usual because of their sojourn to the UK). A saddle of lamb this time. On Thursday I had been to Taumaranui and popped into Helen and Phil's new (beautiful) house on the way home, so did not get in until after 7pm. Friday I was working, and though I took a few hours off, I managed to get very little done. I was thinking that J and K would probably collect the girls from school and be here around 4.30pm, but hoping they would be later! It was only when Alice started saying 'When will they be here' (in a whining tone!) and Eric said they have to wait for Kev to get home from work that I realised I had more time. Phew! I'd forgotten that Kev worked now!! Before unemployment he worked from home so they still got here a reasonable time. Anyway they arrived around 7.30pm and we ate around 8pm. When we went to bed, I thought it was around 11pm and got a huge shock when it was gone 1am!!!
Yesterday did not turn out as planned. We had a planned our meal for about 3pm, but the day was so nice we decided we did not want to spend it indoors cooking so we'd eat later. It was turning out to be busy anyway. Eric and Kev fetched the goosers in the morning, so we had to spend a few hours on that, getting them settled into their new home.
This is where they should be living.
No sooner had they had been settled in than they walked straight through the electric fencing and waddled around the paddocks! As long as they stay in our they'll be OK.
Juliet had to do some shopping in Matamata so saved me some time by taking Alice to and from netball (they beat arch rivals Waharoa). Harriette didn't have a match but was instructed to go the jewellers and get my watch and get me a replacement novel at the library. I have just finished Above Suspicion - an excellent read. Now H and A have for the last 3 years been trying to work out my PIN for my eftpos card (bank debit card). When I handed her the card and told her my number she couldn't believe it. I just forgot to give her clear instructions on how to use it. She typed in the number without first specifying which account to use and the card wouldn't work!! So she came home with the watch and a bill and 2 books I'd already read!!!
To add to the days activity Eric decided to build his smoker. He had made bacon and wanted to warm smoke it. I was not impressed at his timing but there you go.
On top of this Carol went and decided she would produce her baby. Now I have to say I was surprised at this as I was convinced Freckles would deliver weeks ahead of her. Anyway. We managed some canapes and a glass of wine, or 3, on the deck at around lunchtime.
It was now around 3pm and we were getting a little anxious about Carol. She had been at it for about 4 hours and did not seem to be progressing. We consulted the books (don't laugh R+R!) and decided she needed to be examined. Problem was Eric couldn't get near her, so we phoned Claire next door and asked if we could use the race (pen and cattle crush). We moved her into the crush and Eric examined her.
She was in an OK position but the hooves looked big and we decided she needed help. I phoned Warwick over the road but he was milking, so tried John next door. We were on the scrounge for some calving ropes (Eric had looked at some in the morning but not bought them!!!!). John came up with John jnr. John jnr took charge and the 3 of them pulled her out within a few contractions. Washed up and they were gone in 15 minutes!!!!
Xmas dinner was now destined to be an evening meal as it was now 5pm. Back to the house for some serious cooking. Camera battery died at this point so I'll have to wait for Kev to email me his photos.
I was exhausted by the time we went to bed. I woke totally disoriented and confused at 6am. The phone was ringing! It was Claire (in the UK). She was totally apologetic but once I'd actually woken I was OK about it. She is so busy, with 5 children, that she can be forgiven for getting the times mixed up. It was great to have a chat.
These were taken this morning...
..before we sat down to a breakfast of home produced: bacon (smoked and unsmoked), sausages, liver, black pudding and eggs (Juliet's. Cedar Lodge chooks don't know how to lay!!!). I haven't got as far as growing the wheat for the bread yet and the tomatoes and baked beans came out a tin.
R+R were meant to be coming round for tea sometime today but when I phoned they said they were having a busy and disasterous weekend and have lost 3 cows so would take a raicheck on the tea (they are in the depths of calving so it was always going to be a tenuous arrangement. So now, we are having a wonderful doss afternoon. It's been tipping down for hours so I lit the fire and got a jigsaw out. Early to bed tonight.
Juliet, Kev, Emma and Hannah were due down for the weekend for our traditional mid-winter Xmas dinner (a little later than usual because of their sojourn to the UK). A saddle of lamb this time. On Thursday I had been to Taumaranui and popped into Helen and Phil's new (beautiful) house on the way home, so did not get in until after 7pm. Friday I was working, and though I took a few hours off, I managed to get very little done. I was thinking that J and K would probably collect the girls from school and be here around 4.30pm, but hoping they would be later! It was only when Alice started saying 'When will they be here' (in a whining tone!) and Eric said they have to wait for Kev to get home from work that I realised I had more time. Phew! I'd forgotten that Kev worked now!! Before unemployment he worked from home so they still got here a reasonable time. Anyway they arrived around 7.30pm and we ate around 8pm. When we went to bed, I thought it was around 11pm and got a huge shock when it was gone 1am!!!
Yesterday did not turn out as planned. We had a planned our meal for about 3pm, but the day was so nice we decided we did not want to spend it indoors cooking so we'd eat later. It was turning out to be busy anyway. Eric and Kev fetched the goosers in the morning, so we had to spend a few hours on that, getting them settled into their new home.
This is where they should be living.
No sooner had they had been settled in than they walked straight through the electric fencing and waddled around the paddocks! As long as they stay in our they'll be OK.
Juliet had to do some shopping in Matamata so saved me some time by taking Alice to and from netball (they beat arch rivals Waharoa). Harriette didn't have a match but was instructed to go the jewellers and get my watch and get me a replacement novel at the library. I have just finished Above Suspicion - an excellent read. Now H and A have for the last 3 years been trying to work out my PIN for my eftpos card (bank debit card). When I handed her the card and told her my number she couldn't believe it. I just forgot to give her clear instructions on how to use it. She typed in the number without first specifying which account to use and the card wouldn't work!! So she came home with the watch and a bill and 2 books I'd already read!!!
To add to the days activity Eric decided to build his smoker. He had made bacon and wanted to warm smoke it. I was not impressed at his timing but there you go.
On top of this Carol went and decided she would produce her baby. Now I have to say I was surprised at this as I was convinced Freckles would deliver weeks ahead of her. Anyway. We managed some canapes and a glass of wine, or 3, on the deck at around lunchtime.
It was now around 3pm and we were getting a little anxious about Carol. She had been at it for about 4 hours and did not seem to be progressing. We consulted the books (don't laugh R+R!) and decided she needed to be examined. Problem was Eric couldn't get near her, so we phoned Claire next door and asked if we could use the race (pen and cattle crush). We moved her into the crush and Eric examined her.
She was in an OK position but the hooves looked big and we decided she needed help. I phoned Warwick over the road but he was milking, so tried John next door. We were on the scrounge for some calving ropes (Eric had looked at some in the morning but not bought them!!!!). John came up with John jnr. John jnr took charge and the 3 of them pulled her out within a few contractions. Washed up and they were gone in 15 minutes!!!!
Xmas dinner was now destined to be an evening meal as it was now 5pm. Back to the house for some serious cooking. Camera battery died at this point so I'll have to wait for Kev to email me his photos.
I was exhausted by the time we went to bed. I woke totally disoriented and confused at 6am. The phone was ringing! It was Claire (in the UK). She was totally apologetic but once I'd actually woken I was OK about it. She is so busy, with 5 children, that she can be forgiven for getting the times mixed up. It was great to have a chat.
These were taken this morning...
..before we sat down to a breakfast of home produced: bacon (smoked and unsmoked), sausages, liver, black pudding and eggs (Juliet's. Cedar Lodge chooks don't know how to lay!!!). I haven't got as far as growing the wheat for the bread yet and the tomatoes and baked beans came out a tin.
R+R were meant to be coming round for tea sometime today but when I phoned they said they were having a busy and disasterous weekend and have lost 3 cows so would take a raicheck on the tea (they are in the depths of calving so it was always going to be a tenuous arrangement. So now, we are having a wonderful doss afternoon. It's been tipping down for hours so I lit the fire and got a jigsaw out. Early to bed tonight.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
A beautiful baby boy
It required 3 men pulling on ropes but Carol (eventually) gave birth to a beautiful bouncing baby boy this evening around 5pm. Weight "kin heavy" according to Eric who carried her into the front paddock from the races. A 3pm dinner had to be postponed to 8pm to accomodate this. Piccies to follow when I have time to post them.
Carol's in labour.
Sat 11.12am. Contractions every 4 minutes. Carol looking very confused. Geese arrived this morning and promtly escaped, recaptured and last seen where they are supposed to be - down by the pond. Mid-winter Christmas dinner today and I'm supposed to be peeling spuds!! Will repost back asap.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Hunting In The Raw
This would never have happened if we lived in England!
We went to bed last night. I was reading Above Suspicion, Linda La Plante, it's unputdownable. Eric, who had finally got his hands on the Harry Potter book now we've all read it, suddenly went rigid and gave me that 'don't tell me you didn't hear it' look I am becoming very familiar with (I hadn't heard a thing). I listened intently then heard the possum. Now for those of you outside Australasia, take a deep breath, pull a grimace while gritting you teeth together, push your tongue onto the roof of your mouth, now force the air out hard. That's what it sounds like. This could only mean I had to put my unputdowmable book down. Eric lept up, dashed to the gun cabinet and pulled out his rifle. I found the torch and scanned the trees outside the bedroom windows. I located the bugger, not difficult you just look for red eyes. Eric couldn't get a clear shot and I realised there was a curled up bundle in the Y of the tree closest to us. Eric shot at it, it jumped up, he fired again but it turn and he hit it across the nose, it shrieked out and moved, Eric fired again and click, nothing happened, same again. He then realised he was out of ammo. Now despite his apparent love of killing things Eric is always careful that animals don't suffer. He realised he had to dash to his ute and grab the job rifle in the gun cabinet he has in there. Worried that the animal was in pain he did not waste time dressing. As I tried to keep a light on the animal, I was desperate not to loose it, the torch faded. I grabbed Eric's head torch and as he prowled around outside the window I threw it to him so he could get a light on the creature from where he stood. Another shot and there was a loud thud as the possum fell out the tree. Hurray. Once I reaslised it was no longer suffering I then took in the hilarity of the sight before us (Harriette had got up at all the drama). Sorry Eric, I couldn't resist it!!!!
We went to bed last night. I was reading Above Suspicion, Linda La Plante, it's unputdownable. Eric, who had finally got his hands on the Harry Potter book now we've all read it, suddenly went rigid and gave me that 'don't tell me you didn't hear it' look I am becoming very familiar with (I hadn't heard a thing). I listened intently then heard the possum. Now for those of you outside Australasia, take a deep breath, pull a grimace while gritting you teeth together, push your tongue onto the roof of your mouth, now force the air out hard. That's what it sounds like. This could only mean I had to put my unputdowmable book down. Eric lept up, dashed to the gun cabinet and pulled out his rifle. I found the torch and scanned the trees outside the bedroom windows. I located the bugger, not difficult you just look for red eyes. Eric couldn't get a clear shot and I realised there was a curled up bundle in the Y of the tree closest to us. Eric shot at it, it jumped up, he fired again but it turn and he hit it across the nose, it shrieked out and moved, Eric fired again and click, nothing happened, same again. He then realised he was out of ammo. Now despite his apparent love of killing things Eric is always careful that animals don't suffer. He realised he had to dash to his ute and grab the job rifle in the gun cabinet he has in there. Worried that the animal was in pain he did not waste time dressing. As I tried to keep a light on the animal, I was desperate not to loose it, the torch faded. I grabbed Eric's head torch and as he prowled around outside the window I threw it to him so he could get a light on the creature from where he stood. Another shot and there was a loud thud as the possum fell out the tree. Hurray. Once I reaslised it was no longer suffering I then took in the hilarity of the sight before us (Harriette had got up at all the drama). Sorry Eric, I couldn't resist it!!!!
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