It’s been a busy old month on the harvest front. And a busy old work month too - not a great combo. A long stint in lovely Westport meant an 18-day stretch all up. It’s safe to say that the farmlet got a little abandoned, and all of a sudden, Autumn is knocking at the door. Much shorter days but still lots of heat. It was 28 degrees again at the weekend, making it unpleasant to work outside even when there was time. The drought persists, but some rain on the horizon. At least that’s what the weather-folk are saying.
Westport was busy but not frantic. Peter joined me for the first weekend, and I got to show him some of my favourite places, including Granity beach where he's posing. I was staying in a lovely studio attached to the house of a fellow health worker, right on the Orowaiti estuary (pictured top). Absolutely gorgeous, and a real tonic after working. By the end of my locum time, and including the last Westport trip in January, I’d caught two-thirds of the babies born at Kawatiri this year.
The home-kill guy came for the 2 steers and 3 pigs on the same day. Our neighbour Craig hired a digger and came over to bury the innards and carcases. It would have been a massive task to have done this as we usually do - ourselves by spade - especially with the dried-out concrete-like ground. A very sad day though. Hera and Athena were cowering in the corner of a paddock when we got home, so Peter went and had a kind word. 
In the meantime, Peter had been eyeing up cows on the internet again, as is his wont. He was drawn to the sale of a Speckled Park bull calf that was for sale somewhere near us (according to the phone number). Sure enough, it was down the next valley (North Bank), and we knew the seller. John came many years ago to chop down the curtain of pine trees that bordered our property. He was also advertising Speckled Park heifers, but these had already sold. In the end we bought the young bull calf and 2 Black Angus steers. Billy was keen to invest in his own calf, so he owns one of the steers. In keeping with our naming theme, he named his steer Poseidon. The other Angus is Erebus, and the Speckled Park bull is Kronos.
Kronos seemed OK when he arrived, but within a few days we were noticing that he was staggering and shaking. Dr Google diagnosed Grass Staggers, and the vet agreed when Peter spoke to him. The only cure is to take him off grass, and feed hay until the staggers pass. The trouble is that we don’t have a grass free area, so we put him in the tiny paddock at the back of the house, where at least the grass is limited. He seems to be getting better, but not there yet. He was being knocked around by the other cows (particularly Poseidon), so he needs to build himself up a bit before re-joining the herd.
We’ve been doing a little research into the likely cause of stock infertility, and the number 1 suspect is selenium deficiency. Drenches often contain selenium as well as their active ingredient, and we haven’t drenched. Other than the infertility, our stock animals are healthy, hence the decision to avoid parasite drenches. Peter bought some selenium-drench, and the sheep have had their first dose. Graham borrowed Walter again (another shagging holiday) so we had to round them up to load him into the trailer. It was a good opportunity to check them out as well as drench them, and Graham is experienced at drenching. We’ll repeat the process in a few weeks and dose the cows too. Here’s hoping that Kronos gets big and strong pretty quick, so that he’s able to service the girls before they get too old!
We’d pretty much given up on the shii-take mushrooms, but luckily they hadn’t given up on themselves. A glorious crop of delicious mushrooms, ready for picking. Such a lovely surprise, and hope the upcoming rain will trigger another sprouting.
The Blackboy peaches were dropping off the tree in vast numbers when I got to them.
The peachcots were also in the millions, and I got to them late too. Some of those left on the tree had been nibbled at by birds. The eventual crop wasn’t huge, but way more than we can eat, and I managed to get some into the freezer. Meanwhile the pears were ripening and needed picking. Apparently they’ll store in the fridge for several weeks, so that’s what I’ll do with those that I can’t give away. Oh, plus a quadruple batch of more pear wine of course. Just waiting for them to get over-ripe before I start that off.
The cider apples were a flop crop this year, but all are quite young trees. Next year will likely be a significant crop, and I still have cider left over from last season, including the ‘damcider’ that’s so potent I’ll only drink it when I’ve got a week off work. The eating apples cropped OK, except the giant Peasgood Nonsuch that lost most of its fruit in a storm. The delicious and nutritious Hetlina apples are all picked (Peter enjoyed climbing the tree to get them) and I’m going to have a bash at storing them (and the Bramleys) in a box, the old-fashioned way. They’ll need wrapping in newspaper and layering up, then will be put in one of the old non-functioning freezers. It’s worth a try. If it’s a disaster, I haven’t lost much as I won’t get around to cooking and freezing them.
Distracted by the pears and apples, I nearly missed the peaches. There are 2 trees of Golden Queen (probably – not sure as the trees were already on the property) and I’d thought it was a relatively small crop. The peaches must have been well-camouflaged on the trees, and it was in the nick of time when I finally noticed the branches heaving under the weight of fruit. Peter and me picked as many as we could reach, generously leaving the fruit on higher branches for the birds. Loads have been gifted, and those that remain should find their way into the freezer too.
The vegetable garden beds are at their worst in terms of tidiness, though are still productive. Weeds everywhere, and hedges and pathways seriously overgrown. Having decided to plant green manure crops instead of using pea straw as mulch, this is a task that needs attention. If delayed too long, it won’t be warm enough for the green manure to germinate. I tackled 2 and a half beds at the weekend and will sow lupin seeds when it rains. Another 3 and a half beds to go, and the other beds to tidy up, so the pressure is on. The photo shows one bed ready for sowing, and another that is more than a tad overgrown. There are numerous fabulous carrots hiding in there somewhere. 
The weeds and hedge clippings are being used to create soil in the new bed by the pizza oven. Wool shearings and vermicompost have also been added, as will any organic matter I can get my hands on. I'll probably end up transplanting weed seeds, but I'm figuring it'd be worse to transplant someone else's weed seeds from bought topsoil. Hopefully the lesser of two evils, and at no cost except for a couple of $2 bags of horse manure to kickstart the composting. In spring I'll have the pleasure of getting more flowering plants to add to the bed. The peach tree that started as a peach stone seedling tree, is protecting the plants around it from the sun and wind, but will eventually be chopped down as it'll get too big.
The extended flower bed in the garden continues to fill out nicely and colourfully. Karyn will help transplant some of the plants from the back of the bed to the front to balance it all out. This will include the beautifully scented white azalea that currently resides under the Tulip tree. It was very leggy and Karyn pruned it savagely a while ago. She’ll do so again when we move it. Once everything is in place, the whole bed will be thickly mulched with peastraw. The native bed will be too, and maybe a few more plants put in before winter.
Next year I'll have reduced working hours. I'm regretting taking on the extra undergraduate work, though it is only for this year. My earnings with basic part-time DHB hours plus clinical locums last year were similar to what I'll get this year. I enjoyed the freedom of being able to choose what I did over and above the basics, and the extra stress and hassle of the extra regular work just isn't worth it. I'll stick it out, but be kinder to myself on the work front next year. It's gutting to spend time and energy preparing the land for produce, and then not being around enough when it all comes to fruition. The clocks change in a couple of weeks (eeek). The preparations for winter on the land are really satisfying, and I'm looking forward to being obliged to do something other than work outside in the evenings. Soon enough I'll be holding out for longer days again. The pleasures of the seasons are always humbling and contenting, and I'm blessed to have this 'happy place' to call home.
