July 2020

Much of the last four weeks has been spent away from home.  One week course in Wellington, 2 hypnotherapy weekends and a week locuming on the glorious West Coast. Here I was based in Westport but stayed in Granity, and did some work in Karamea and Reefton.  The coast was wild, wet, moody and full of its anticipated charm and character.  Lots of soul-filling dog walking along the Granity beach, and the opportunity to replenish my stock of magic Granity rocks.  And a few $$$ to boot.

Those few $$$ are coming in handy for the studio project that's coming along nicely.  The studio itself arrived and was expertly offloaded by the Hiab operator.  Peter has added some concrete to the existing base, and has built the wooden support.  The doors and windows have received their first coat of wood preserver.  The plan is to actually build it this weekend, assuming that's enough time to find the right places for the 3 million screws and nails.  It's been a wet old winter so far, and the studio wood is untreated, so we're banking on the forecast of a few dry days ahead.

The driveway is done and it's all looking pretty open and tidy.  The old hedge had a severe haircut and the assortment of plants that will extend that hedge are in place.  They are mostly natives, including 2 kowhai to replace the ones we chopped down.  It'll be another zone to weed unless someone gets round to putting weed-mat down.  On the opposite side there are now big gaps between the silver birch trees.  It's looking like the autumn Mock Orange cuttings are going to make it, so will be planted out in spring in those gaps.

There have been many delightful sub-zero mornings, and as always, the interplay of the sun's rays and the frosty landscape is a true joy to behold.  The peacefulness of the moment is usually broken by the mooing of the cows, demanding their breakfast.  The cacophony begins as soon as they spot someone up and about in the house.  If you really want to be at one with nature's peace, you have to duck and dive in the kitchen when making your morning cuppa to avoid being seen.

The citrus are really maturing and showing their potential to plug the winter fruit void.  I have lemons for Africa, and more than enough oranges, clementines and mandarins.  The ruby grapefruit plant leaves have been yellowing for months, despite being fertilised.  It's still maturing quite a number of fruit though, so hopefully it'll sort itself out. 

The vege garden has received almost no attention, just a cursory glance to make a mental note of what's left to-do.  Eeek, quite a lot really (lalalalala).  The green manure plants are finally starting to flower, so will need to be cut down before they set seed.  The mustard plants among them have got quite tall so will provide lots of compost volume.  That'll be a back-breaking job if I don't use the strimmer.  If I do use the strimmer, it'll be a messy job.  Time to procrastinate on that one I reckon.  I could multi-task and simultaneously contemplate my navel AND the perfect beauty of the fattening pear tree buds whilst procrastinating.  Yep, there's a plan. 

The gourds are starting to look like they're rotting, but amazingly, they're not.  They are slowly drying out and the surface mould should create beautiful patterns in the longer run.  Sam and Molly managed to find this gorgeous old double boiler with ceramic top pot at their local market.  It's delightfully old-fashioned and functions perfectly.  It's now filled with some of my bees wax, destined eventually to make candles with wood wicks.

Lucas and Laura are in London, working, and now out of isolation they are also exploring the city.  They have plans to return to Melbourne as their next stop, but Covid is hindering that right now.  They have plans B and C but hoping not to have to resort to them.  

Sam and Molly have been patiently waiting for news of an imminent fur-baby adoption (of the Greyhound variety) and it looks like a soon-happening thing.  They put me up when I did a hypno weekend in Christchurch.  We had a meal in an Irish bar where there was a huge live band and of course, Guinness.  Billy is working with Peter, so is in the luxury position of having cheap board and lodging that includes free transport to work.  Like Sam and Molly, he's been getting into pallet construction.  The gumboot rack is one of his first offerings, and there's at least one more project in the pipeline.   

New Zealand is feeling just like it always did pre-Covid.  Economic recovery will rely on the rest of the planet catching up, and that's a way off right now.  I'm still waiting to officially hear if I can do a course in Australia in October, though I've pretty given up my own hope.  The cabin has been unoccupied by paying guests for months, and I'm not anticipating many Airbnb bookings for the rest of this year.
One more month of winter and then we can indulge the joy of spring, and of course, the vege garden back in action.  Mmmm.  Another log on the fire please. 

June 2020

NZ went down to level 1 Covid-19 lockdown on June 8th, and life has returned to a new normal for many, except for those who've lost businesses or jobs.  Economically, like everywhere else, the country is pretty stuffed, and so the talk is all about work and money.  We're feeling very grateful to be no worse off financially than pre-Covid.  I'm really resonating with the old-fashioned advice that you'll always have job security as a health professional, a concept that was meaningless to me as a young person.  

Winter has really set in with a succession of frosty mornings and chilly days.  It'll be the shortest day on Sunday - that always seems to come around quickly.  We've had plenty of rain in the last few days - a relief for those who are experiencing a significant drought this year.  This rain has slowed up work on the driveway.  The digger also broke down, and this stopped work altogether except for a little titivating around the edges.  The Ti Kouka tree bed at the
driveway entrance has been extended and planted up in colourful natives.  There are a few more trees and shrubs to go in, but only after the remaining pittosporum hedge has been cut back.  It's a big job and shouldn't be made more difficult by having to avoid new plants.  We've (probably) chosen a charming kit set studio so more specific dimension plans can be made.

Work in the vege and horse arena beds has been happening and wasn't as big a task as I'd imagined.  Happily, no more weed spray was needed for the lemon balm raised bed, and like the peppermint and spearmint beds, it's dug over and blanketed with a liberal supply of poo.  Some horse poo, but mostly cow poo from the newly (though temporarily) resurrected Poo-well CEO, Billy.  The plan is for more poo, then to cover with weed mat overwinter before preparing and planting grains.  Some thought will need to go into irrigation too.  No decisions yet about what grains will be grown, but that'll be an enjoyable research process.

The Aztec corn is now fully dry and is nearly all de-kernelled.  The process of removing the dry kernels is hard on the hands.  The remaining few that are still very tightly attached to their cobs can dry a bit longer as I need that skin on my hands for work.  You can buy gadgets to do this, including some fabulous cast iron manual ones, but can't really justify the expense any more than I can a grain mill, so still desperately seeking a local miller.  Maybe one day we can build one with actual stones - that can go on the 2030 to-do list.

The strawberry bed is fertilised, irrigated, weed matted and planted with 52 young runners.  The only task left for later is to add some bird protection.  I intend to share several fewer strawberries with the birds in summer this year.  Black and white currant cuttings have been added to the existing red currant cuttings that seem to be still alive.  When I can get round to it, the blueberries will be moved to a horse arena bed where they can be also be protected from total bird theft in the fullness of time.  The bed they're in now is also infested with couch grass, so care must be taken to avoid transplanting that.  When the blueberries are gone, I can work on getting rid of it altogether.  Eventually, I'll have separate beds for new black, red and white currants from the cuttings.  It'll be a long process but should be worth it.


The other cuttings - hedge hebes, tea (camellia sinensis), daphne and mock orange are being cared for in Madame Cholet and so far, amazingly, no losses.  The daphnes are even completely over-achieving by producing flower buds.  I wasn't sure if there'd be any advantage by using the tunnel house, but maybe there is after all.


There are now 6 raised iron beds that are housing herbal tea plants (peppermint, spearmint, lemon balm, nettle, and camomile in summer) and culinary common mint.  They're all well fertilised and covered with pea straw, and are much more manageable than previously.  A couple of the now-empty half barrels are in reasonable enough condition to be re-used elsewhere, though as yet undecided.

The currants themselves have been pruned (by me but in Karyn-style).  I looked up how to prune them after I'd pruned them and luckily haven't done too much wrong.  Maybe I'll do it the other way round next time.  The woody offcuts are abundant and are being slowly cut into lengths that can be used as fire-starter faggots, probably for next winter.  

The cows are being fed out with hay most days now, and have resumed their usual endless mooing when they spot a human capable of feeding them, even if they've just been fed.  There is talk about a visit from the home kill man, so I'm leaving that to Peter.  There's no real hurry, and we probably need a decent freezer sort out before we go ahead.  I've already organised this years' frozen fruit into smoothie bags for breakfasts, and that was an unpleasant enough diving foray into the extreme cold of the chest freezer.  Brrrrr - maybe our next freezer should be an upright.

The sheep have all received another dose of selenium, their first for a while.  There's a chance that the ewes could already be pregnant, though it's very tricky to predict.  We also checked their feet, and Shaggy got a serious haircut, courtesy of Karyn (cue arse photo) and Emily.  It was a job and a half, and when done, it looked like there was another whole sheep laid on the ground.  Poor Shaggy was very patient as if she knew it had to be done.  She'll no doubt be feeling the cold now though.  The worms, on the other hand, will be feeling pretty cosy under their new fleece blanket.

There are now a number of litres of damson, medlar and feijoa gin/vodka at various stages of production.  The medlar gin is looking like a more long term process than other fruits, but maybe they'd have benefitted from being to pierced before steeping.  The medlar wine looked reassuringly as if someone had vomited into the bucket - in my experience that's usually a good omen for wine quality, but I'm still keeping an open mind.  When it was strained, it was a light straw colour, rather than the yukky brown in the bucket.  The 23 litres of elderberry, 20 of feijoa and 15 of mead have been racked, and some of these will be bottleable within a few weeks.

Last month (3rd May) we managed to trap a feral kitten in our porch.  We'd spotted him before and Karyn decided that her home needed a cat again.  He was pretty easy to catch and calmed down straight away in the basket.  Karyn and Em came to pick him up, and within half an hour of arriving at his new home, he was eating cat biscuits from Em's hand.  Probably a dumped kitten rather a feral one, just skin and bone.  But definitely, a cat who'd well and truly landed on his paws.  Dennis (as he eventually became known) is now master of his kingdom, having taken command of Karyn's dog, husband and everyone else.  He swiftly doubled his pathetic weight and has become a delightful and energetic kitten with a penchant for adorable photography posing.

On the home front, there is plenty of news.  Lucas and Laura got married in Seoul and are heading to England at the end of the month!!  BOOM.  They plan to have a more traditional celebration when the world is more post-Covid, so watch this space...  

Sam and Molly are awaiting the arrival of their first fur-baby - a retired greyhound - and it looks like it won't be far off.  Molly is between jobs and has been being very creative at home.  Her Yorkshire Puddings were so beautiful that we had to get competitive.  The photo is of my best effort so far, and I think they're an award-worthy 10 out of 10.  However, it's fair to say there is no consensus from the rest of the jury about this.  Yet.


Billy turned 20 on 17th June - so we're no longer the parents of teenagers hurray!  He's also got work at Peter's place that will be a perfect gap filler until he's able to travel again.  We took him out for a meal to Dodson Street restaurant (using vouchers gifted by Chelsea in thanks for mentoring her first year of midwifery practice - Go Chels!!!).  


Peter has been successfully selling heaps of White Cloud Mountain Minnows that bred prolifically in one of the outdoor water troughs, and also his baby Discus that took considerably more skill to breed.  They've been snapped up by local fishkeepers who we didn't realise existed in such numbers.  Some of them have bought fish from him before and several are asking what else he's got.  It's been promising enough, financially and satisfyingly, for him to plan to do more fish breeding and sales.
  
I'm continuing with my hypnotherapy studies, but we can't really make too many future plans until the world can move on from Covid restrictions.  Seems like a good time to figuratively smell the roses - light the fire, batten down the hatches and look forward to life on the land after the winter solstice.

May 2020

NZ went down to COVID Alert level 2 on May 14th - a great achievement at a global level. Whereas level 3 was sarcastically referred to as ‘level 4 with KFC’, many things have changed since 3 became 2.  Schools are back, bars are open, all with robust distancing and hygiene practices.  Contact tracing is in big-time too.  The buzz at the Beehive is all about jobs and the economy and the National Party opposition are in-fighting.  It feels a bit like normal.

Work on the driveway is really getting underway.  Our neighbour Craig has dug our most of the old hedge stumps and started shifting the topsoil to bed the gravel extensions.  The whole space at the front of the house is looking very open.  The remains of the pittosporum hedge will be lopped down to about 6ft, and the lengthy gap where the hedge had died will be replaced by an assortment of shrubs and small trees, yet to be decided.  Shopping for plants? Well, someone has to do it.  

The total persimmon crop was 3, and that’s thanks to our furry possum friends.  They’ve feasted in our orchard this year, for the first time.  They are quite evil-looking creatures with a very ugly cry. They occasionally turn up on the balcony and make a heck of noise climbing up and around the roof.  If they continue to be such a pest next year, we’ll have to work on mitigating their damage somehow. As if the rabbits weren’t destructive enough.

All the medlars have been picked and are happily bletting away.  Such a weird fruit that totally suits its French name ‘cul du chien’ (dog’s arse).  Some have been gifted, and the rest will be transformed into Medlar wine, which is a thing apparently. And so is Medlar Vodka. I’m dubious but intrigued.  

Three of the 5 small raised iron beds for herbal teas are in place and planted up.  The remaining ones should go in over the next few days, using the driveway topsoil.  The old beds will need digging over to remove the bulk of the mint roots - it's on the to-do list but it’s a nasty job that I’m guessing will keep being overlooked.  The old lemon balm bed will, unfortunately, need another dose of weed spray, and that needs to happen soon (note to self).    

Peter’s fabulous compost construction is the size of a king bed and the perfect zone to chuck heaps of woody prunings.  They’ll provide an aerating base layer for future weeds and would have been a pain to get rid of elsewhere.  Building the compost structure has also focused some attention on that previously unkempt area of the vege garden.  The little pond has been moved and rocks added so that the bees have places to land when they drink.  More gravel is needed to finish it all off, and that will come from the driveway order (whenever that happens).

The olive trees have had a very decent short back 'n sides, and have been weeded.  Each has the best part of a whole bag of horse manure at its base and will get a layer of pea straw when the manure has broken down a bit.  I’ll eventually get a replacement Frantoio olive tree for the one that died years ago.  Better add that to my plant list wahoo!

The pigs are no more and the process doesn’t get any easier. At least Peter was home on the day of doom, and I was out.  Billy was struggling too and kindly messaged to delay my return home.  3 of the pigs are now in friends' freezers, and one is in ours.  Dwelling on their fate doesn't change anything for them obviously, hopefully, time will lessen the guilt...

The bees have been wintered down and insulated, and all 3 colonies look to be going into winter reasonably strongly.  The miticide strips were removed, but a single mite was visible crawling over the back of a worker bee (spotted by my friend and colleague Jo and her husband Mike, wannabe beekeepers who came along for the ride).  I need to get advice about this, as it may mean that I'll need to re-treat.  It was hard to disease-check the top bar hive because the main brood zone was tightly sealed with propolis.  Too much leverage risks disconnecting the comb, but I managed to prise it apart enough to see.  Yep, definitely need to re-visit some books and get advice from someone in the know.

The green manure remains magnificent and is definitely doing its job of weed-suppressing.  The mustard is a particularly beautiful spring-green that looks stunning in the early morning light.  They have yet to flower, but when that happens they'll be chopped down.  The beds that will lay fallow next season will then be covered in pea straw, and those that are to be planted will eventually be loosely dug into the top layer of soil.  

The hot water tank cupboard in the hall is full of a variety of brews, including 23 litres of elderberry wine, 15 of mead and 20 of feijoa wine.  I hadn't planned to make any of the latter this year, but last year's feijoa wine was bottled and so delish that it would be a crime not to make any more when we're overcome with volumes of fruit.  I've ditched the beetroot wine plan (ate too many beetroots oops) in favour of the medlars.  And 23 litres of beautiful Apple Cider Vinegar have been bottled. 

We're lighting the woodstove most days now, and this brings an abundance of hot water.  Baths and candles are in, and - boy what a bath!  Such a perfect shape and depth in which to relax, a place where hours can be wiled away in blissful navel-contemplation.  Hypnotic even.  Oh yeah, gotta love these chilly seasons.

 

Billy is actively seeking work, and in the meantime doing quite a bit of relaxing himself.  He has been more than helpful with outside jobs, and has got our old Wii working again.  Peter and me seem to have somehow lost our previous high level of competence (whatever), and he's thrashing us at every turn.  Too many 'old people' jokes to count, eh Billy?

Mother's Day was appropriately acknowledged with love and gin.  This time it was Cannabis Gin - no HTCs so totally legal, but actually also pretty lethal.  It's a gorgeous, cheerful and earthily-delicious green spirit that belies its ability to remove legs.  Not that I'm complaining of course.  But as a gift from my offspring, I am wondering about the implications for my parenting. Mother's Ruin and all that.  Let's not go there.  Instead, let's celebrate all that's good about Aotearoa, including its Covid-19 response, and wish upon the rest of the world that one day they may too dispense with egotistical stale, pale males, and replace them with leadership of our current calibre.  Thank you PM Jacinda Ardern and all those who've helped to keep us safe and proud of our collective achievements.