February 2018

I began writing this in the middle of ex-cyclone Gita last night.  States of Emergency had been declared in Christchurch and the West Coast, Kaikoura was flooding, and roads and schools were closed across the top of the south. We had around 150mms of rain in a few short hours.  We've never seen so much flooding on our property, and this time, the river was worryingly overflowing into the paddocks too.  You can see in the photo where the brown river water is combining with the fallen rainwater.  The brown splash in the paddock behind Madame Cholet shows the river being just contained at that point.  The rain finally eased off, but there is more forecast for tonight.  Probably not enough to cause too much harm, but on top of the existing flood water, who knows?  We took the precaution of clearing the furniture from the sleep out as much as possible, as this has flooded in the past (not since we’ve been here).  The bed was raised on blocks of wood and rocks.  Not a great moment to remember we didn't get round to insurance for the sleep out. 

We’ve been considerably luckier than many, and are keeping everything crossed that we'll have the luxury of looking back on a decent watering and a nourishing layer of silt across the paddocks, rather than storm damage. 

Meanwhile, back on the land, productivity has exceeded all expectations.  Plums are finally over, though the freezer is groaning under their weight.  Onions are harvested and plaited and should last us the year.  Some corn has been dried, and the remaining cobs need picking, shucking, blanching and freezing.  Bramley apples and Nashi pears have been processed into pies and chutney.  The piece de la resistance has got to be the tomatoes.  24 jars of tomato sauce in the freezer and a massive batch of tomato relish - already more than we'll eat.  I took 2 overflowing buckets into work and have given lots more away.  But that's probably less than a third of the total crop.  It's a truly lovely problem.  

Madame Cholet has also been hosting some action in the form of chillis.  Some of them are HUGE and they're starting to blush. Some have already made their way into the dehydrator, others into that tomato relish.  The ginger is taking off too, though I haven't bandicooted around to see how big the tubers are yet.  Abundant marrows have also featured on the top crop list this month. That's what happens when you plant about 24 zucchini plants.  Our neighbour's pigs have done well out of the excess, which is great because we'd run out of the rotten plums that they'd been rather partial to.

The crop abundance has also necessitated the brewing and general titivation of alcohol.  Damson plums were totally weighing down the branches of the little tree, and I'd already made more plum jam than you can shake a stick at.  Out came the gin, and to my utter joy, the discovery that Damson Gin, even at the very tender 3-day old stage (you should leave it 3 months before imbibing) is gob-smackingly delish.  Maybe even better than sloe gin - unbelievable.  3 litres of gin transformed and still a million damsons remaining.  What's a girl to do?  Damson Brandy and Damson Vodka, that's what.  6 litres of spirits now, and still the dilemma of what to do with the remaining damsons as I haven't managed to give them away.  Meanwhile, 15 litres of elderberry wine is bubbling (I picked a bucket of elderberries and somehow managed to get enough for 3 whole batches), as is another 15 litres of cider - Foxwood Broxwelp cider no less.  I've just strained it in my usual precarious fashion, and was quite grateful that there wasn't an earthquake at the time.  That cider could have gone a long way, and it's not that long since the ginger-beer-kitchen-redecorating-incident.

More fruit is waiting in the wings.  The peachcots are looking very promising, which is a relief because the peaches themselves are quite a flop this year.  Apples and pears are starting to ripen, and grapes too.  Peter's put bird netting around the grapes. It's very effective.  The birds can get in and eat the grapes, but we can't.  There must be a better way - I'm sure it's not meant to work like that.

It was time for sheep toenail clipping and general coiffure, so we enrolled the help of Karyn.  She flat refused any toenail involvement, so muggins here got the job.  Toenails of all types make me heave and I'm even quelling a wave of nausea thinking about it.  Anyway, the job got done and antiseptic iodine spray applied. 3 ewes needed a partial or full shear, and Karyn got stuck in.  She also took responsibility for quality control when it wasn't her turn to shear.  Yes, you know what I mean Karyn (picky picky picky).  Just be grateful I'm not publishing the cleavage shot.

Karyn's bed is also being very productive.  Though it pains me massively to admit it, her carrots are fantastic.  I'm trying to take some of the credit for that of course - my beautifully nourished soil, my watering, my shared expertise etc etc.  Hmmm.  Working on that.  She also planted these gorgeous foxgloves to brighten the plot up.

Rogue pumpkins have been popping up.  Utterly delightful.  There's one that was hiding among the tomatoes that's recently made a break for it across the path.  And another that disguised itself as a leek.  Or maybe it was trying to be lavender.  It's broken ranks now and is heading towards the raspberries.  Another has popped up in the most obvious place - the compost heap.  No idea what varieties they may be, but I am enjoying the suspense!

The bees are busy but there hasn't been another honey flow yet.  I'm hoping to do a final honey haul in the next couple of weeks.  The clover is flowering, plus a few other splashes of colour.  I still give the aggressive hive a wide berth.  I'm excited to soon be going on a 'buzz' weekend.  It's run by the Wellington bee club for non-beginner beeks who don't mind a 'no-frills' approach.  It's in the middle of what looks like a lovely forest near Palmerston North on a campsite.  I need to bring my sleeping bag for the bunk bed, and my own (named) crockery and cutlery and cash for the sausage sizzle.  Haven't done that since I were a lass (more than 10 years ago maybe).  I'm keeping an open mind about the hospitality and very much looking forward to the lectures and fieldwork.

Peter's made a new Gin Palace sign (maybe he thought he ought, given the copious quantities of gin currently in the kitchen).  The previous sign was totally obliterated by the cocktail kiwi, which has again failed to produce a crop.  Not even any flowers this year.  The new sign is bigger and further away from the rampant kiwi.

We don't tend to see possums, nor do we get much possum damage, though they are a pest around here for others.  They may have stunning fur, but they are quite freaky animals that can look really evil.  They also make a lot of noise when they are around.  They are fantastic climbers so when I heard a commotion on the roof and down the walls outside, I immediately suspected the culprit in the photo.  Maggie - brave hunter dog - took one sniff outside and then came back in to hide under the table. 

Happily the Airbnb sleepout seems to be quite popular.  We've had several guests through this month, and more bookings ongoing.  It's been quite lucrative too, though I've never done so much cleaning in my life.  It's also been lovely and soul-nourishing to hear the 'oohs and aahs' about how beautiful a place we live in.  I hadn't anticipated how rewarding it would be to share our little piece of paradise with visitors from all over the world.  It's not enough for me to give up the old day job, but I've already reduced my contracted hours and am enjoying a bit of a reprieve from full-time work.  It's perfect timing because late summer crop processing is pretty labour intensive.  Not that I'm complaining!