Watch a video

We have been enjoying the website www.youtube.com where you can watch all manner of videos that people have made. There are lots of music videos of bands ranging from the Beatles to the latest hits. We have even made our own for your "enjoyment". Thursday is TV free day in our house so today we made our own tv.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7dyfILwn2c

Sponge-bob Patrick and muddy fields

Well it was a close run contest but after 24 hours the votes have been counted, the pictures taken and here are the results. With one vote each, we have spong-bob Patrick surrounded by Lego and "pregnant" sheep surrounded by muddy fields.

In the bleak mid-winter

The shortest day has passed in a howling gale of cold southerlies, with chilly showers. The ground is sodden after weeks of regular heavy showers. BRRRR!! it's cold.
We are all in various stages of illness. The bug going round makes you shiver and ache and gives you a nasty head and ear-ache.
To lift the spirits, 3 of us went to a Christmas Party at the College last night, complete with tree. decorations and Santa.
Paddy was seven on Tuesday and had a small party last Saturday. He asked for a Subway for his birthday tea, and was very happy with Sponge-bob and Pirate lego presents.
Still no lambs! Are these ewes actually pregnant? Having said all that, the lambs are probably better off inside their mums than out in the wet and cold.
My head is banging every time the boys talk at the moment, so I am going to tactically retreat from the computer to my sanctuary, with a hot Lemsip. Pictures may follow, put in your votes now:
Do you want pictures of:
a) Patrick in his Sponge-bob cape
b) a muddy field
c) dying duckling sat in box by fire with suspected cancer, stroke etc.
d) other - specify
Vote now and the winning option will be posted.
(Competition outcome subject to suitability of picture requested!)

Three Lions

Thanks to Grandma and Granddad Cambridge for the parcel of patriotic goodies.

Weekend before Winter Solstice

Howsit Folks!
Another Friday and in another week we will be heading back towards Spring and warmth and light. It has been wet again with a hailstorm and thunder and lightning here tonight. At the same time the top temp in the country was 18C here in Kaitaia. There seems to be a greater extreme of temperature here.

It has been a quiet week, it feels like time to hibernate until the days get longer. We are all finding it a bit tricky to get out of bed in the mornings, even Eric who sets his alarm at 5.30 am!

Farm news: one of the hens has started laying again down the bottom. That is welcome news as even Mrs Chicken has gone off lay. We are hatching plans to confine the chucks into a number of pens as they are all congregating in the garden, roosting in the wood shed and crapping all over the wood. I am getting a bucket of chicken sh*t every week to put on the veggie garden, so I shouldn't complain. We managed to vaccinate all the ewes with 5 in 1 vaccine last Saturday. This should protect them and all their lambs (if they ever pop!) against a whole host of nasty diseases. Apparently without this vaccination, one can lose an entire crop of lambs to diseases with strange names like "pulpy kidney".

England have got through to the second round of the World Cup! An audience watched the first game here last Sunday morning at 1am. Eric watched it all along with mum. Stuart and Patrick were woken up but were snoring after 10 minutes. Dad could not be roused! Chantelle got up this morning at 4am to watch us beat T&T by 2 goals to nil. It is a bit weird to be supporting from so far away.

Pictures will follow tomorrow hopefully. That is when I have taken some suitable ones.

England v Paraguay

Been a funny w/e so far.
Watched Germany v Costa Rica at 4 am this morning, then went to look for Matariki (Pleidaes) in the pre-dawn sky.
The kids are all asleep now at 9pm (or are supposed to be) and will be awoken at 1am to watch England play Paraguay.
More later ...
I wrote a huge post a few hours ago and the computer froze so I lost it all.
It was better than this post ... honestly it was.

Fishing Story

We have good weather this week, despite the forecast telling us we would have showers, I don't think we have had any at all. Lots of clear crisp days with good views of the distant hills to taunt me as I go to work each day.
Last Saturday was shaping up to be a fine day after a lot of rain in the week. I did not go to town as I normally do but opted to stay at home and do the cleaning. I received an invitation to go fishing with Pat at Scot's Point that was too good to refuse. He has told me about this mythical place where you climb down a cliff and catch huge fish.

It is at the top end of 90 mile beach and was reached by driving down Te Paki stream onto the beach. We walked round the sand and cliffs most of the way because the tide was out when we arrived. It was still a tricky walk, carrying all the gear, including a big sack of ice. My legs were wobbly by the time we arrived. It was encouraging to see another group on the way who had caught a 4 foot kingfish.

Our spot was on a narrow shelf at the mouth of a smallish bay. Big waves going past as the tide came in. A steep cliff behind. We got the burley bomb out ( groundbait of minced up fish) and I was instructed to chuck in pichard heads. Soon we could see large fish swirling through the water to snatch the offerings. What a sense of anticipation! Pat has the best tackle and I picked up some good hints on how to thread a pichard on to maximum effect. Pat had caught a trevally before I had even cast in. As is the custom in these parts the first fish went back in to Tangaroa (the god of the sea). It was not difficult to get bites, the trick was getting the fish in. trevally are reckoned to be the best fighting fish pound for pound. They don't want to be caught and will head off into the weeds, or round the corner to try and throw out the hook. It was an effort to bring in each one. I caught 3 ood sized ones and Pat got 4. The odd kahawai that we got seemed like tiddlers in comparison and they were not that small.

We called it a day when we reckoned we could carry out no more and started the walk back going straight up the cliff this time. It was a feww 100m vertical climb carrying all the gear plus all the fish. Lots of stops for breathers. It was a relief to get onto the main path at the top of the cliffs and to get back to the car.

My eggs ached hard the next day, but it was a good ache. The sort of ache that reminds you of a good experience. We distributed our catch amongst friends and had a lovely fish soup for Sunday tea.