It's muddy, damp, cold and sometimes more than a bit miserable, but it is the middle of winter. The beauty is there, just in different guises. The beautiful lichen-draped logs in the picture are from the silky oak tree - the branch that I was talked into chopping off. The same branch that was the favourite landing spot of my old pal 'Kingy' the kingfisher. She or he (not sure which) has been hanging around on that special branch in wet weather, but now is obliged to linger on the power cables instead - much further away. Hope s/he re-considers and finds a new perch where s/he can be seen without binoculars.
The mornings have often been particularly beautiful. Mist rises in the warmth of the sun, forming ribbons of clouds across the landscape. Those days are the best - sunny and blue skyed - and also the coldest. Maggie, who will celebrate her 98th birthday in December, gets indulged a little with a warm blanket during the chilliest spells. 
This month's blog comes to you from sunny Westport. A work opportunity came up hot on the heels of Greymouth shifts, but the West Coast magic still lured me in. So did the thought of a few more dollars to put towards our bathroom upgrade. It has meant that I've only had 2 days off work this month, so very little has been done on the farm (though I'm guessing this blog won't be any less verbose). I managed to do a spot of Christmas shopping in Hokitika, and of course a bit of sourcing more Granity rocks for the vines. Hope I can get this lot home without damaging the car...
Derryn Scissor-Hands came to scalp the orchard. Peter joined us, so we could hack off the bigger branches straightaway. We got lots more firewood as those trees are now quite formidable. Derryn always manages to make them dance, and they seem relieved to be free of their burdens. The newly planted Cider Slack Ma Girdle and Perry Pear are looking promising, and all of the trees are budding up. It always seems way too early but nonetheless a reassuring harbinger of spring.
The cows are enjoying their twice daily hay feeds, even though they're obliged to nag if it doesn't come on time. Noddy is always last to the table but has worked out that there's always a new pile of hay especially for him, for a while at least. He has quite an unusual moo - deep and penetrating. I think the others encourage him to moo if dinner is late. They probably think that we're more likely to respond to his demands than to theirs. And they're probably quite right. Poseidon is looking cute in the photo, even though he's ankle-deep in mud. 
Some garden tidying has happened. The step-over apple trees have been pruned, as have the raspberry canes in the same bed. Karyn has kindly completed all the raspberry pruning. She has done the other bed in the horse arena while I'm away - how about that for a garden fairy! I've also tackled the nettles, and am absolutely regretting planting them out uncontained. Their roots are fabulously fleshy and profuse, and realistically I may never be rid of them. I will try though, and replant some of those roots in a half-barrel. I will definitely make sure I have decent gloves next time. 
Garlic has been planted too, about a month after the shortest day. That should be OK as there'll still be plenty of frosts to activate them. It's elephant garlic and I'm hoping that last years crop will also self-seed via bulbils left in the ground. Daffodil bulbs have been planted, courtesy of Karyn, in the half-barrel by the pizza oven and in the flower garden. The new shoots are already popping up - a truly delightful sign of the sunnier days ahead. I've potted up all the rescued plants and they're now poised to be planted out in the new bed when the temperatures rise.
I'm trialing a new composting system - bokashi. I'm trying to reduce our use of plastic, and getting rid of moister bin contents means we won't need bin bags anymore. Most food waste can go into the bokashi buckets where it is fermented before being chucked on the garden. Guests in the sleepout will also have a newspaper-lined rubbish bin and a separate collecting box for their food waste. 
Honey has been potted up and lots have been given away as gifts. Some reciprocal trade includes awesome soap (thanks again Gaylene) and chili sauce. Several demi-johns of wine are still maturing in the airing cupboard, some ready to be bottled. That'll have to wait until the next rainy spell. The strategy to remove and hide at least 3 bottles of each batch so that it can develop properly before it's quaffed seems to be paying off. Either that or I've made so much wine in the last few months we haven't needed to resort to opening wine before it's ready.
This gorgeous candle was a gift from Molly. It's a serene alternative to electric lights on cold evenings. Sam is on his way to Edinburgh to perform at the Tattoo, and Molly will be joining him soon. Billy is back in the UK after a brief break in Mallorca. With Lucas still living and working in Melbourne, it means that all our kids are out of the country! I'm feeling an equal measure of excitement and alarm. I'm looking forward to living my life vicariously through an assortment of their best adventures. In the meantime, I'll just wake up and enjoy the sunrise. 
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