Here we are on the eve of our departure, and I'm hammering out the last blog. Not last minute or anything. We're pretty much packed and that huge list of pre-departure tasks has been ticked off, along with several other jobs that we didn't know needed to be done. Farewells have been sobbed and lots of alcohol drunk in the name of celebration. Life continues in its myriad of forms of course, and we're starting to see the first glimpses of spring. Lots of fattening buds and weeds, and the bleating of newborn lambs in the valley. Not ours luckily - we must have got those rams away in good enough time.
The cattle are all enjoying their winter hay. Apollo was dispatched and yielded 476kg of meat. Not quite our record, but definitely up there in terms of size. Pandora has been re-introduced to the herd and is still not beyond a bit of bullying. Kratos seems to be mostly holding his ground, and though he's still a bit uncoordinated when he runs, he's gradually improving and definitely keeping up growth-wise with Triton. 
There are more flowers to be found on the monthly hunt. Sunny daffodils are popping up, and the pinky-purple hellebore is looking healthy though it's hidden behind the front-of-house Hebe hedge. Pretty little red succulent flowers are livening up the half barrel on the deck. The winner of the most ambitious flower has to go to the pansy that's brightening up Karyn's vege garden hedge. Amazing that it's managed to push itself up through the dense holly hedge to reach the light. It's technically a weed but has definitely earned the right to live on. I believe that even Karyn agrees...!
On the morning of August 10th, we woke to snow. It was really actually snowing, and not just in the mountains. Unfortunately, the snow didn't settle but it certainly left behind a beautiful landscape. We've only once seen snow down to ground level when we lived in Renwick, and this is a first for our Onamalutu stint - very exciting. Those Kaikoura ranges were simply gob-smacking. The wintry scene didn't last for long and didn't cause any problems.
The new bed along the garage is complete with a couple of ute loads of gravel, and I'm very glad I went to the effort of sorting it out. It'll be much easier to manage going forward and has opened up a sunny spot that may eventually end up with some seating to catch the morning and evening sun. In the meantime, it's way tidier.
My final bee colony decided to drag out its inevitable demise (no queen and no young brood) and several worker bees held out despite the hive being dismantled. They managed to get their own back and stung me twice, both times distracting me by buzzing around my face and then flying up my sleeve. Can't say I blame them really. I'd left them plenty of honey when I thought they were going to make it, so had the problem of how to deal with that. I didn't want to set up the extractor (far too much work) so went back to my original method of fish slice and lasagne dish and lots of sieves. The resulting honey was put into small jars and gifted to my workmates at my leaving do.
I've had some lovely times catching up with friends and colleagues. Jo and doggy friend Nelson took me for a walk in Havelock and we ended up at the opposite side of the marina from the launching ramp. It was cool to see something so familiar from an entirely different angle. My work leaving do was a gin-tasting followed by a meal at the Vines Village. It was a fab event (from what I can remember) and I was totally spoilt with food, booze, and gifts. Tarn's husband Tony transported me there and back, so no need for any kind of good behaviour. I was also taken out to lunch by Nelson colleagues Ash, Debbie, Erin, and Jodie. We went to Raupo for a good reminisce and a fine meal.
Peter's special birthday gift was a flight on an Avro Anson plane. There's only one that's fully restored and flight-worthy in the world, and it happens to be in Omaka. We had several aborted attempts that were thwarted by the weather, but eventually, the stars collided, and off he flew. Sam and Molly came down for the weekend, and we all had a tour of the hangars courtesy of Deane before the flight. Peter's dad did his flight training in Avro Ansons, so it was a perfect gift. Molly brought her 12 litre still with her, some ethanol, and an assortment of botanicals. My birthday present was making my own gin using chosen ingredients. Such a cool birthday idea! As it was also Sam's birthday, we cooked a special 'turd' dinner from mince. We used to make Sam a turd 'Lolly Cake' for his birthday when he was younger, so this seemed very apt, despite the look on his face.
Lucas and Laura, and Woody and Charlie, are settling into Christchurch. Laura's sister and boyfriend will be joining them in September. Billy returned home from Australia, fed up with running down his funds whilst waiting for work. He signed a contract with a vineyard contractor the day after he got home, and started work 2 days later. He's been putting in the hours since, and though he's physically tired, he seems to be enjoying himself.
Peter retired on Friday 18th August and was taken out by his workmates for a meal. Suffice to say, he's not fed up with retired life yet. My last working day here was my birthday, and I'll start work in Port Hedland in early October.
I have no idea if I'm ready to leave this slice of paradise and see what else the world has to offer, but I'm gonna give it a crack. I don't know if I'll continue the blog as a kind of diary - guess it depends on how interesting (or not) my life becomes. Living on the land, planting, gardening, farming, beekeeping, processing, self-sustainability, and everything else has been an incredible privilege and joy that has enhanced our lives and sense of well-being in so many ways. If our life path changes, then wherever we end up and whatever we do hereafter will be following a very hard act.
Au revoir Ōhinemahuta /Onamalutu. We're looking forward to seeing your beauty again.
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