October 2016

Several episodes of rain have contributed to the lush spring pasture growth.  It’s fantastic timing to give the orchard tree roots a good soaking, as most are smothered in blossom. After their severe prune at the end of last season (thanks Sue McNabb - excellent tip!), the cocktail kiwifruit is actually fruiting for the first time ever.  It was warned it had one last chance to be productive or face the chop permanently.  The currants are flowering away too, and the gooseberry bed has been weeded and tended, and my arms are recovering from that spiky ordeal.  The cider apple trees are budding up but are yet to blossom so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.  It’ll be tricky to retain my queen of cider status without that key ingredient. 

Peter put the new hand shears to the test, with Sam’s help, and now the two scruffiest sheep – Shaggy and Simba - are successfully shorn.  ‘Successful’ is really a matter of opinion as far as our shearing is concerned, but at least they’re ready to face the summer heat.  Still no sign of imminent lambs, which is very disappointing, though all hope is not yet lost.  I’m probably imagining a few rotund ewe bellies, but I hope not.

Numerous vege, flower and herb seeds are planted and some are already germinating.  Spending time in Madame Cholet tending them is an absolute pleasure.  Outside, garlic and potatoes are sown out too, and only a little weeding will be needed to clear the other keyhole beds.  Most of the winter veges are over and done with, and I’m leaving the brassicas to flower so that the bees have a little extra nourishment.  The asparagus are cropping for the first time - barely enough for a meal, but at least it can be called an asparagus patch now.  Spuds are planted in the bed shown in the photo below.  They'll be joined by beans once the risk of frost is past.  Apparently they are good companion plants for each other.

The wetland is filling rapidly with millions of crack willow shoots.  It’s depressing to think about how much work it would be to get rid of it all – well beyond what we could achieve on a weekend or two.  At least I’ve finally got round to planting out some black beech and Ti Kouka (cabbage) trees, in the vain hope that eventually the native plants will overcome the introduced willow.  The cabbage trees from earlier planting missions have been the most successful.  They’re considerably bigger than the foot-high sticks they started out as.  I’m looking forward to seeing them evolve into weird and wonderful shapes.  There are many flax too, and a handful of lancewood, totara and others.  Not a huge success when you think about how many plants went in, but not a total disaster either. 

The chooks have been moved back into the orchard house/run, where they’ll be contained for a few weeks.  This should allow time to get the flower and herb gardens mulched before it gets too hot.  Peter’s added a couple of features to their run – a chook swing (I know) and a covered area over a dust bath.  It feels mean to coop them up when they have lots of fun clucking about the place, but hopefully it’s only temporary, and at least they can practice trapeze acts.

Three little shoots of ginger from some roots that were planted in a pot indoors are popping up.  The plan is to transplant them into a half wine barrel in Madame Cholet.  I’d be amazed if one day we’ll actually be able to harvest ginger roots, but maybe it’s easier than I’m imagining.  So far so good anyway.  Also planted are some turmeric roots, but they have yet to declare themselves.   Seeds of liquorice, peppermint, spearmint, chamomile, anise hyssop, lemon balm and bergamot are also starting to germinate.  The ‘tea garden’ is emerging!

I’ve been getting out ‘n about on a few walks, and am especially enjoying the Onamalutu reserve.  The only downside is that dogs aren’t allowed, so Maggie misses out.  There’s a circuit that takes around half an hour to walk, and it includes the open field of the campground, a forested stretch among native bush and magnificent kahikateas, and of course, the meandering Onamalutu river.  Magic.  

On the cow insemination front, we’re still waiting to coordinate their heat with ours and the

vets’ availability.  Our availability that is, not our heat.  Karyn has been looking for a steer to fatten up and convert into sausages as a fund-raiser for Greg’s cycling events.  She eventually appointed Peter as her stock agent, and he’s managed to find not one, but 2 steers, at a reasonable price.  They should be here in a few days, so photos in the next blog.  We’re going to keep the other in the absence of our own calves.  Also we have excess pasture right now, and still have lots of hay left over from the relatively mild winter, so could easily feed another couple of mouths.  Discussions are ongoing about names, as we’re insisting on Greek Gods.  Karyn may or may not hang onto ‘Gravel Rash’ as a nick-name for hers.

  

We’re also ready for more pigs at last.  The new run isn’t ready yet, but the old one has been prepared.  There’s hay in the shed (including in the rafters for insulation), clean water in the half barrel, and the potato crop is protected with solar electric fencing.  Peter has re-constructed the feed trough to be much weightier, and has built a platform for the old concrete horse trough so that it drains better.  It’s time to just add pigs.  Eventually the plan is to transfer them to the new run once we’ve had enough time to pig-proof it and sort out some shelters.

The bees received their miticide strips (for varroa) in mid-September.  A subsequent hive check showed healthy and very numerous bees in both hives, with hive 1 bursting at the seams.  I only had one spare honey box with frames, so that went onto hive 1.  Then the noise and activity of hive 2 started to rise, so I went back in and swapped the brood boxes around in the hope that would provide more space.  There were some empty queen cells and I assumed the hive must have already swarmed.  But that same afternoon (16^th October) they really did swarm – no wonder they were getting noisy.  It was a good volume of bees that settled onto the base of a post and on the grassy ground where it was nigh on impossible to capture them.  When they were still there hours later (and despite the provision of a rather attractive cardboard box hive right next to them), I brushed as many as possible into a box, in the hope that included the queen.  The swarm was then gifted to some ‘newbee’ beekeepers who were delighted to be able to kick-start beekeeping in earnest.

The ground was prepared and grass seeds were scattered in the area above the septic tank that was cleared last year.  Then the chooks scoffed the lot, so it’ll have to be re-sown now that they’re contained.  Also sown in the paddocks are a range of pasture seeds, including red clover, buck wheat and herbal lee seeds for grazing animals.  When I say ‘sown’ I mean sprinkled by hand after being mixed in a bucket of sand.  Not an exact science, but hopefully some will thrive and ultimately set more seed of its own. 

  

The mercury has hit 25 degrees, but the blustery nor-westers that remind you it’s still spring.  The sand-flies are taking over the world again, limiting the pleasure of working outside.  There are still several thousand jobs to be done, but for the first time, I haven’t committed myself to big new spring projects and I don’t feel overwhelmed.  The vege garden is complete, and if I’m honest, is probably too big, especially now that the boys are flying the nest.  It’s a luxury of a problem that I won’t dwell on.  I’ll just get on with planting it all up.  The gravel paths and thickly straw-mulched beds are already reducing the workload for this time of year.  The photo shows Karyn (well, Karyn's fine bottom) weeding her little slice of paradise.  She'd been gloating about her parsnip growing success.  To me, being smug about root vegetable success is not an attractive trait, so a shot of her backside is totally justified, if not strictly necessary.

All the boys are working on their life-plans.  Lucas is spreading his wings and actively seeking new work challenges.  Sam’s still waiting to hear if he’s employable as a musician, and Billy’s keen to leave school and take up a chef apprenticeship next year.  Watch this space…