June 2019

We returned from a balmy British spring to a chilly kiwi winter.  June's been a mixed bag of some rainy dull days interspersed with frosty mornings and sunny days.  The best days are always those that follow the coldest nights, and the morning feed-out is a tinglingly refreshing wake-up.  Only a few outdoor tasks have been completed, and though this is because nothing is urgent, I'm acutely aware that spring won't be so forgiving.



A little sweeping up of leaves and some general tidying has happened in the flower bed and vege garden.  All the compost zones had been tucked up for winter, so some creative thinking was needed to work out what to do with the leaves and trimmings.  As there's more than enough planting space, I figured that adding a few compost zones among the vege beds would be a good idea.  A few bamboo sticks and some mesh should hold in the decaying matter.  Et voila: compost in situ - very permaculture.




44 cuttings each have been taken off the two varieties of hebe hedge plants, in the hope that they will eventually replace the lavender.  It'll be sad to dig the lavender up, but the hebes will also provide pollen and nectar for the bees.  The lavender is patchy and leggy and never wanted to stay as a low hedge.  Hopefully, the hebes will be more obliging.




Frost protection for the citrus this season has been solely the organic frost spray that needs to be re-applied every 6 weeks.  So far so good - it's a pretty impressive product.  The 4 citrus that were transplanted from the horse arena to near the sleepout have not only survived but thrived.  The original lemon tree has never fruited as well as it is right now.  That savage haircut courtesy of Karyn may just have been responsible for its fine form.  Please don't tell her though.  The new lime tree in the half barrel under the eaves is also hanging in there.  It has the added benefit of its own puffer jacket to keep it warm on cold nights.  I bought the jacket to keep me warm in the UK but never needed it.  I'm happy to gift its services to the lime.


The beehives had their final wintering down inspection on a sunny 16-degree day.  The new swarm colony is doing great - loads of brood, plenty of bees and adequate stores should see it through the winter.  The original stalwart hive was also healthy, with heaps of bees and stores, but not so much brood.  This was the hive that ended up with miticide strips in the honey box because I'd managed to trap the queen above the excluder.  I took out the newer replacement miticide strips, and guess that the reduced brood is because the varroa mites got away.  Hopefully there were stopped in the nick of time; I'd hate to lose this long-standing colony.  Finally I got to the Queen Bitch hive.  Silence.  No bees at the entrance, and no bees inside either.  Ding Dong the Bitch is Dead!  Unfortunately so are all her offspring.  Though these bees have taunted me mercilessly and stung me numerous times, I felt a little emotional about their loss.  Gotta love feisty females, and they did bless me with fabulous honey.   

The new zone by the pizza oven seems to be rotting down into soil nicely, though despite being buried in horse poo and mountains of weeds, the woody sticks at the base are surprisingly intact.  I had to dig down to clear space to put in a half barrel that Karyn gifted.  Its base had rotted out so it'll be perfect to sit in the garden where whatever's planted in it can also access the ground below.  No decision yet what that will be, but it will probably include some spring bulbs.  Peter took a huge limb off the tulip tree to allow head space for the small copper beech to expand into.  He also chainsawed a side branch off the silk tree, to open up the new zone to more sunshine.  It looks like major surgery.  It is major surgery.  It feels way too radical, but I do tend to pathetically err on the side of caution when it comes to pruning.  My advisors (you know who you are) have no such qualms.


Karyn joined me for a currant pruning session.  Heaps of pruned branches later, we could finally see where we'd been.  We charged up Karyn's chipper and began the process of feeding the branches through.  Unfortunately, they were a little moist and supple so didn't chip well.  Should be ok once they've dried out a bit more.     


The sheep are just being their usual sheepish selves.  It's possible - though I wouldn't dare believe - that the ewes could be pregnant, as they have received a couple of doses of selenium.  Walter has grown into a magnificent specimen, and young Junior is fast catching him up.  Lambs would be an absolute joy, so here's hoping that selenium is the answer. 
We're feeding out the cows twice a day.  The girls are always first to dive into the hay, and Noddy is always last.  But he does get there.  He looks nearly normal now, just an occasional stagger that occurs when he tries to run quickly.  Erebus is increasingly affectionate, demanding a stroke and a scratch even before he tucks into the hay.  His demands can err on the slightly aggressive side, but he seems to have genuine intentions.  Neither Poseidon nor Noddy have any need for this kind of contact and generally give us a wide berth.

In my absence, Peter was instructed to pick 5kgs of feijoas.  You'd have to ask him how that ended up as 15kg, but there they were, filling every last crevice of the freezer.  The feijoa wine recipe used 5kg of fruit, so with much reluctance (yeah right) a triple, insteead of the planned single batch was commenced.  I re-checked the recipe as it was steeping, only to realise that the 5kg recipe was already a double batch.  A little re-interpretation has finally resulted in a quadruple batch (20 litres).  I'm keeping everything crossed that the cold temperatures don't stuff up the fermentation completely.  The Red Bartlett pear wine had to be bottled to free-up demi-john space.  6 bottles were put aside (for posterity...or at least a few months) and we're drinking our way through the remainder.  It's quite a pleasant little tipple.   

The orchard has had a big clear out.  It was getting worryingly overgrown, particularly along the boundary where the brambles were getting away, and also in the former chicken run zone.  Our neighbour Craig did lots of the grunty work along the fence line, and Sam did the mowing.  There's still a little more clearing to be done, and the trees need a decent prune, but otherwise, it's looking quite tidy.  Come spring that'll probably be a different story.

The giant pumpkin weighed in at a phenomenal 46kg and needed Peter and Sam to shift it.  It was gifted to a local kindergarten.  I don't know what happened to it there but hope that much fun was had.  Some seeds were saved for next year.  Several other more edible, chunky pumpkins were harvested from the garden at the same time, probably Queensland Blues.  They were from 2 vigorous plants that had self-seeded, and are absolutely delish.

Maggie takes her walks down the forestry road, close to the end of our driveway.  She never recovered from the experience of getting stuck in the electric fence soon after we arrived, and won't step a paw beyond the fence around the garden.  We have to walk her off the property - 8 acres and nowhere to go eh Maggie?  The forestry road goes down to the river, which is possible to ford when there hasn't been much rain.  One of the trees in the photo is dead but draped in lichen.  The other is a native black beech covered in honeydew.  The photo doesn't really do them justice - they're a stunning sight under a deep blue sky.  It's likely that my bees partake of that honeydew.  The bee club ran a workshop on honey tasting and the presenter (a honey judge) could taste honeydew honey in my offering.  


We finally traded in the old Subaru for a small and fuel-efficient car (a Mazda Demio).  To be honest, I'd been trying to drive the Subaru into the ground for a couple of years, but it admirably refused to submit.  With no sons at home (yippee!!!) we don't need a spacious car.  The new car (Gine - short for Aubergine as that's her colour) uses about half the fuel of the old one.  I did feel oddly emotional when I drove away.  That Subaru has been with us for many years and absolutely doesn't owe us anything.  Hope it goes to a good home.



June 2nd was a truly awful day.  My awesome buddy and colleague Tai (Dixon) was killed in a head-on car accident.  She leaves husband Scott and two beautiful daughters, Iona (6) and Lucia (3), to face a future without her.  I put this poem in a memory box created for her girls.                                                                                                                            RIP Tai.  
  
                                         Tai

We don’t love you because you were an inspirational and fabulous midwife.

We don’t love you because you were a beautiful, outstanding, proud mama and wife

Though you were all of those things in spades.

We love you because you were you. You were real, you WERE life.

Warm, vivacious, cuddly and passionate

Enriched with deep integrity and a wide-open, intelligent mind

All wrapped up in an immense bundle of humanity

And a heart as big as the earth.

Your amazing spirit lives on in your gorgeous daughters

Who are both blessed and bereft

To be part of you yet parted from you.

The world is a lesser place without our precious friend Tai.

We grieve for the tragic magnitude of all that is lost.

May 2019 (the sequel)

Ann and I arrived at Manchester Airport in the early hours, and my phone pinged as we were waiting for Peter and Billy to land.  It was a message from Molly who was dog/cow/sheep/fish/house-sitting, thanking us for leaving our bedroom door unlocked. The photo of the ladder accompanied it.  It was one of a number of challenges, including escapee cattle and fish fungus, that faced her in our absence and that she dealt with admirably. 
Peter and Billy arrived on time and in reasonable nick after a straightforward flight (no jinx for them).  We headed back to Ann's and to prawn cocktail crisps, Warburton's bread, Red Leicester cheese and Jelly Babies.  They both keeled over in the early evening but managed to sleep enough to get on with the next day.

We made our way to the West Midlands and arrived at mum's in good time.  A brisk spring walk around Leasowes Park and the allotment kept everyone going, and we woke refreshed the next day.  Mum's 80th Birthday (not her actual birthday, just the official one - but who's counting??) was spent at the Ewe and Lamb in Bromsgrove.  A delicious meal and celebration, followed by a trip to nearby Hanbury Hall and Gardens (National Trust).  The kids ran off some energy, the adults checked out the gardens and art display, and everyone had ice cream.  Even the weather played nicely!

Morning tea the next day was courtesy of Hilliers in Worcestershire, where we meandered around the gardens, lurked in the bird hide and shopped in the gift and farm shops.  From there we drove back into Birmingham to Kaja's place.  Mum and Nick stayed a while, and Marcus, Nikki, Jago and Freya joined us later.  There was a little rain in the afternoon, but the kids were oblivious to it in the spa pool. Some alcohol was consumed and we settled into a fun evening of Balderdash and a takeaway.  Both Melissa and Michael gave up their beds for us - thanks kids!

The next day we reached our last port of call - Ripon.  My childhood home and Peter moved there when he was 16.  We stayed with his baby sister Julie and her son/our nephew Jake and dog Bella.  We were well lubricated with old favourite beers and well-fed with Julie's lovely home cooking. We drove around a bit and re-visited some of the old haunts - some places very much stalled in time and others nearly unrecognisable.  Soon enough Billy was well over us oohing and aahing about familiar places.
We all went out for a meal, meeting Peter's youngest brother David, wife Lynda and son Josh in the Unicorn Hotel.  David's middle son Nick and wife Karine also joined us.  Down memory lane again, but very much feeling like we'd never been away.


We left Billy behind (too much nostalgia for him to bear) and took a day trip to the coast, heading to Redcar where Peter grew up, to visit his auntie Joan.  One doesn't ask a lady her age, but suffice to say that Joan is hanging in there beautifully.  She put on an amazing spread that we could barely make headway with.  It was a joy to spend time with her.  Both her grandchildren, David and Claire, are intrepid travelers and have visited us in NZ.  Before hitting Redcar, we'd skirted Whitby (great view of Dracula's Abbey) and made a stop at Robin Hood's Bay to drench ourselves further in nostalgia.  Years - rather decades - ago we trekked the Coast-to-Coast walk that ends in Robin Hood's Bay.  I could still feel the exhilaration of taking off my steaming hiking boots and soothing my blistered feet in the sea.  Then we took a route through Saltburn, lingering at the beach for a pie, and drove through Marske, checking out the homes that Peter had lived in.  

In the meantime, Peter's oldest brother John and his wife Carole had arrived from Cork for a couple of days.  Lovely to see them both and great to catch up with news from the Irish contingent of the family.  Billy had been in touch with them and their sons/his cousins a while ago and had made plans to travel back to Cork with them when Peter and I return to NZ. We headed out for a barbecue at Nick and Karine's place in Knaresborough that evening.  Other than a lack of young kids, it was very reminiscent of the days of yore when Peter's family events were big, lively parties.

    

The next day Peter's brother Michael arrived in Ripon, in anticipation of the shindig scheduled to take place that evening.  He came with wife Linda, daughter Jane and husband Steve, son Kevin and partner Jen, and daughter Sam with husband Adam and their kids Harry and Evan.  Linda has been very unwell and we weren't sure if she'd be able to travel, but delightedly she made it.  We all met up again later at the Royal Oak in Ripon and were joined by Peter's eldest sister Wendy, husband Tony, daughter

Heather and husband Pete and their kids Amelia and Oliver, plus daughter Carol with her baby Tiarnna.  Wendy and Tony had brought a very precious gift - a book of photos featuring family and places special to us.  A totally unique and wonderful gesture that we have already frequently re-visited.  His cousin Janet, husband Steve and daughter Claire also turned up.  Quite a crowd already, but Julie had invited some of his old mates too: Alister, Martin, Graham, Brian, Phil and Gillian.  No room at the Inn for us all, but the heated outside table area was perfect, even though the 3 wise men were a no-show!

The next day we took John, Carole and Billy to York where they were picking up a train to Manchester, and from there a flight to Cork.  We dropped them off at the Park n Ride and said our farewells to Billy.  He was finally beginning his bumming around Europe adventure, and it felt a bit like he was leaving home again (3rd time).  Au revoir Billy and Bon Voyage x

Back to Julie's for a final evening of reminiscing and good music, before packing our bags and heading back to Manchester ourselves.  To our massive relief, the car had survived without any damage.  The flight home was uneventful and home was...well it was home.  Home sweet home.  No plans to return to England other than on holiday, but very likely to wait less than 11 years next time!  Hoping we've spread the word to those dreaming of an Antipodean holiday that we're very much looking forward to seeing you here.

P.S. My apologies to those whose photos are absent.  I'm pretty good at getting carried away in the moment, and usually pretty useless at getting round to taking photos, so please don't take any omission personally.  And please please send me any pics that you'd like me to add.
 

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May 2019 (part 1)

No farming blog this month, as I spent most of May on holiday in sunny England.  Instead, I'll take the opportunity to reflect on the highlights of re-visiting my previous pommy life.  It's been 11 years since I last darkened the doors of old Blighty, and there was much and many to catch up with.  And yes it's shockingly late for May - excuses include jet lag, a cold and too much work (worked for 13 out of the last 14 days). Will that do?

Fog at Auckland delayed the start of my journey long enough to miss the connecting flight to Hong Kong.  Eventually I was re-routed via Vancouver (after a hasty visa application) and from there arrived at Gatwick. The tube took me to London Bridge where the lovely Rachel was waiting for me.  Soon Geoff (aka Jif), Sam and Joe joined us.  Jet lag was staved off with a brisk walk up the Thames, and an obligatory pint in a riverside pub.  The next day we took a Thames Clipper to Greenwich Park, had a fish, chip and mushy peas lunch and visited the National Maritime Museum.  A great day in the British sunshine!  Thanks to Sam for giving up his room for me.


Then onto Patsy and David's in Tooting, where I was able to spend precious time in the happy company of Katie and Ben.  They were very little kids the last time we met - fantastic to get to know them again.  Eldest sister Jenny lives in London and joined us all for the evening.  The next day I went to David's allotment and Pats and I pottered around until the early evening.  She had got cheap tickets for a Take That concert in the O2 Arena.  Rick Astley warmed the crowd up first, and Lulu made a guest appearance.  Rachel joined us for a very memorable evening.

My travel jinx was on form the next day, so my trip to Heathrow to pick up a hire car was delayed by a broken down train.  Eventually, I navigated my way out of London in a rainstorm and arrived safely at my god-mother Jayne's near Basingstoke.  We'd recently re-connected via social media and I was delighted that we could actually meet in person.  Jayne and Howard provided a delicious meal including more than one desert!  It was wonderful to meet up and begin to catch up on the last 50 years.



From there I headed west to Auntie Sally's in Somerset.  Uncle Peter was there, and I called into Pat and Pearl's place in Bath the next day on my way north.  Great to see them all and be updated about my cousins and extended family.  I'd recently seen Sally back home in NZ, but it had been more than a couple of decades since I'd been to her home. 

From the south-west, I headed north to Birmingham, towards Marcus's via Mum's at Halesowen.  Fantastic to spend time with the whole family. Kaja and kids joined us all for an Indian takeaway and a good old refresh on family events.  Thanks to Jago for kindly donating his bedroom for the night.

It was a brief Midland stop, and I was underway the next day to York (Stamford Bridge in fact) via the glamorous Trowell Service Station on the M1 to meet my lovely awd mate Pauline and 2 of her 3 triplet sons.  Graham and James, now well in their 20s, patiently waited for me following another travel jinx delay.  Suffice to say that they'd grown considerably since I bounced them on my knees many moons ago. 

Hag and Paul and Lexie the dog were all home to greet me, as usual never very far away from a bottle or 6 of wine.  They have a pretty well-stocked spirits cupboard too, and a few beers in the fridge - all bases accounted for.  Despite this, I managed to avoid the usual humdinger hangover that comes with a stay at Hag's.  We had some great grub, played card game Dobble, and of course that gem of a shower moment (eh Paul!).  It was an interesting visit to Hag's place of work - funny how she's found her niche with disturbed youth!  I'm still trying to persuade Hag to come to NZ, and she's still sure that she won't ever travel over.  Stale-mate but I'm not giving up.


Jane travelled down from Edinburgh and stayed in York for a couple of days.  We had a great day, visiting old haunts in York ('Lakeland', Museum Gardens and of course, Betty's Tea Shop).  I even had a video chat with daughter Jessica whilst we were there.  

I had morning tea with old fellow Stockton-on the-Foresters Jane and Hilary, whose sons Alex and Callum were Sam's school-mates.  Happily they haven't changed a bit and we exchanged photos of our collective off-spring who are all busy with their own young lives.

I also managed to catch up with Amanda, a fellow health worker who I met in NZ and who then returned to England earlier this year.  You won't have heard of it, she said, but we're moving to a small village called Stockton-on-the-Forest near York.  Her husband and sons Thanassi and Alexander are happily settling back to English life.

And I called in on Graham, husband of my dear friend and former colleague Joanna, who died of breast cancer after I'd emigrated.  Really good to find out about their 3 sons, and also to meet Nathan, Janet's son.  His intrepid sister Hayley had stayed with us in NZ a few years ago.

All the while the sun shone and springtime in Yorkshire was a sight for sore eyes.  Driving around the countryside - fanatically obeying the Sat Nav woman - tugged at my nostalgic heart-strings and was a timely reminder of Yorkshire's rugged beauty. 
Across the Pennines next, to Sheffield and Grannie-Annie.  We had a fab day shopping in Meadowhall - a place I'd usually avoid like the plague but years of rural living means that a shopping centre experience finally holds a novelty factor.  I met and enjoyed playing with Ann's youngest grand-daughter Ellie-May.  Then we picked up Peter and Billy at Manchester Airport - and that, as they say, is another story...