June 2021

It's been a very wet June, especially at weekends, and this has curtailed many outside activities.  It's raining again now, despite a more optimistic forecast.  I'm thinking it may be a day for candle-making if that sun don't shine.  There is plenty of work to do in Sam's old bedroom in the garage, but we have Airbnb guests so we can't get in there yet.  And realistically, there's no hurry (unfortunate really, because this also reduces our motivation).

 A few jobs have been squeezed in, but no great shakes alas.  The horse arena beds are now weeded and most of the autumn leaf fall has been swept up and deposited on the beds-to-fallow.  The paths will be weed-sprayed once it's dry enough.  Then it'll be the pea straw blanketing, though those bales are going to be pretty tricky to lift now that they're sodden.  The former grain beds have been covered in bits of the old living room carpet, and the same will happen to the currant beds once they've had a horse manure boost.  The old currant plants were well rooted and digging them up reduced the soil bed volume and what's left is likely in need of a nutrient supplement.  

 The place is looking quite a bit tidier, though the task of sorting out all the equipment like bird protection cloth, stakes and old seedling pots chucked in and around the Gin Palace is yet to be done.  It will be a satisfying task when complete, but the enormity of it at this stage is quite overwhelming.  Sorting the beehive hardware is also on the list, and some of the old boxes and frames will be burned.  I've had some of this equipment since I started beekeeping, which according to my blog was November 2011 (nearly a decade of beekeeping!).  Some of the boxes are rotting, not good for bee protection.  Let's hope there's a long enough gap between the rains to get a decent fire going.

The beehives have been wintered down and sadly one of the colonies is dead.  It was originally from a swarm and totally thrived last season.  There was no queen or brood when I checked, so the bee activity around the hive must have been robbing bees.  The hive was great when I inserted the varroa strips a few weeks earlier, so I don't really know what happened to it.  That leaves me with one colony (the split and re-queen from Derryn), and the top bar hive.  These are both full of healthy bees that are very busy when it's warmer.  

 

My friend Shona has been getting on with beeswax candle-making, producing absolutely gorgeous items like the sheep candle.  She's keen to get hers to market.  I've been ordering beeswax from local honey company Putake for her and also to boost my own supplies.  Putake are moving location soon, and guttingly, the wax-making arm of the business won't stay in Blenheim.  We've ordered heaps of wax in case we can't sort out a future supply. Peter's holding a 5kg block of their beautiful gold.

 The Christmas tree had a serious prune, and actually looks OK.  It was a Karyn-style prune that looked like more had come off than remained.  Its lifespan will be extended if it can accommodate this kind of severe pruning on a regular basis.  It's quite a relief to postpone making a decision about its future, as we're all rather fond of it.

 The livestock are coping with the rain, but none too impressed with it.  The cows are now separated into two groups.  Nike and Pandora have their own paddock, and the others are elsewhere.  Athena was supposed to be with the girls, but couldn't be persuaded in the moment and we figured it wouldn't matter anyhow.  They all bellow loudly for their morning and evening hay, and any time in between that they spot the presence of someone who could feed them.  In the mornings they're alert to the twitching of curtains or the switching on of a distant light - they can't be fooled.  Attis is definitely the naughty one, managing to find a way into other paddocks whenever he wants.  He has yet to truly learn that this might mean he is denied his hay. Apollo is the same as ever - endearing, but several sandwiches short of a picnic.  Noddy the bull is a bit of a bully but only noticeably so at mealtimes.  He's old enough now to snort aggressively and be intimidating.  I won't go into the same paddock, and even Peter is cautious when he's around.

The gourds have been placed on a pallet on the sheltered outside table.  None of them are touching, and it's been fascinating to observe the process of curing, which looks very much like rotting.  Some of them are growing their characteristic mould patterns (like the one in the photo) and others are just beginning to change colour in places.  It might look like rotting, but the browner ones are lighter, sound more hollow and have a solid woody feel.  What an amazing phenomenon.  The succulents I planted in the terracotta pots are happy and reproducing, and they'll eventually look great planted into those curvy, organic, voluptuous gourds.

 The peapod wine stopped bubbling so has now been bottled.  The wine itself looks quite pleasant - clear and a warm colour, but with a distinctly pea-ish aftertaste.  My belief is that this wine has the potential to improve dramatically with age.  Peter isn't quite so sure, though he does concede that the wine is vaguely drinkable (which is quite positive praise for my wines).  The ginger and turmeric combos have heaps of lees, but are still bubbling so have been left for a couple more weeks.

Peter has built an impressive extension to the woodshed.  Now we have fast-burning wood (pine) in the shed and slow-burning wood (gum) in the extension.  The combination makes for a roaring fire in these cold, damp evenings.  It looks very much like it was always part of the shed, and its roof will keep out the rain.  He may add a back wall to account for the driving westerly rain in the fullness of time if that looks like it'll help.  

We spent an awesome weekend in Christchurch with Sam, Molly and Billy.  Billy had his first Covid jab and was celebrating his 21st (gulp!) birthday.  Peter trawled through numerous fish, whisky and record shops, and I joined my former Ara workmates to celebrate Lorna's retirement.  We traveled by Lime scooters and spent time doing city stuff and going to markets.  Billy came back home with us and will return to Christchurch for his second jab.

Unable to decide what he wanted for his birthday (no fixed abode and with travel plans), Billy was happy to celebrate with a slap up meal out.  We went to 'Arbour', the poshest restaurant in Blenheim, and had 'The Many', consisting of 8 small and delectable courses.  Pus an extra chocolate brownie cake with candle for the birthday boy.  It was a lovely gastronomic experience and the service was top-notch.  Happy Birthday Billy!  Does this mean we can stop being parents now??  

The shortest day has been and gone and still the garlic is waiting to be planted.  Oops.  Surely a few days won't make much difference?  Anyway, having tasted the black garlic butter at 'Arbour' last night, I'm going to have to find some to plant.  Daffodils are flowering like it's spring but almost everything else is bracing itself for the colder weather.  A little sunshine would be uplifting please...