Pictures

Friday Night Update

We went back to school Monday and so tonight are all collapsing in a heap.
The holiday was just too much fun and just too relaxing, so it will take a few weeks to get back up to speed.
Margaret and Ian went back to the UK 2 weeks ago now and it seems like ages. We spent the last week pottering about, doing farm jobs such as making a new chicken coop in the veggie garden. We also culled 5 of the older hens to keep the numbers down over winter so that we are not feeding old hens that will not lay in the Spring. We also culled out 3 shavers so that our flock becomes a mix of bantam and barred rock. We like the characteristics of these breeds the best out of all the breeds that we have experience of so far.
We also did the Kaitaia Walkway as far as the lookout post! Those of you who pay attention to this blog will know that this is our third attempt at this bush walk. The first two times, we gave up before reaching the post because the track became too overgrown. Last week, we found a team of workers from DOC who were repairing a bridge over a washed out section of path. They had also cut down the regrowth and we were able to reach the look-out in less than an hour. It was nice for Chantelle and I to be behind the boys as they charged on ahead. Back in the old days we would be coaxing them along on walks and waiting for them to catch up. Now the boys are waiting for us. It was even better that Eric expressed an interest in coming back to do the full walk over to Digger's Valley. I think I would want to go prepared for that though as looking at the route on Google Earth, we would be going through a huge section of forest miles from any roads. I still haven't got used to the remoteness and wildness of this country.
We had a day trip up north on the last friday. It was a good combination of fishing and fun. Chantelle caught 2 good sized kahawai at Paua wharf and the boys watched 3 other fellas trying to hook one of the kingfish that was cruising underneath it. Then we went for a sand dune surf at Te Paki. A great place to build up strong calve muscles. We carried on to the wharf at Te Hapua to look at wader food in the sand and then finished with a mammoth ice-cream at Te Kao store.

This week was punctuated by Anzac day on Wednesday. It is a public holiday over here, taken to honour the war dead from the Gallipoli campaign in the first world war. Last year I went to the late morning service with my folks. This year I went to the dawn parade. Eric and Stuart both asked to go and got themselves out of bed at 5.30am. I was impressed by their enthusiasm and also by the number of other children there. It is a recent phenomenon in New Zealand that more and more young people are going to Anzac day parades. Captain Doug from the Salvation Army puts it down to young people's quest for justice in the world.

That will do for an update now. I might try and post some pictures as evidence of some of the activities described above.

Arrival of Ian and Margaret

Grandma and Granddad Cambridge have now been her for nearly 2 weeks. The boys are enjoying being spoilt. Eric is now so comfortable that he thinks he can get away with doing rabbit fingers behind Grandma's head! Foolish boy.

We have been doing all the usual Easter things. Went to the Saturday market today - very busy. Eating lots, drinking moderate amounts and generally kicking back and enjoying the start of the Easter holidays.

We went down to Ahipara with Don and Ivy to get Tuatuas last night. So we had a good feed of fritters tonight. The weather has been very kind since school finished, but there was very heavy rain last week. Indeed our visitors had to abandon planned trips to Whangarei and Kerikeri because of flooding.

Farm news: the fields are growing well after their cut and the later rain. There is plenty of grass for the stock to eat. We have been all on "Shag alert" watching to see if Skippy will do his manly business with the 4 girls who are in his presence. We have seen a fair amount of bottom sniffing and even a bit of kissing, but not the actual event. We are fairly hopeful that this year we will get some lambs. Our neighbours Don and Ivy have had their ewe, Ginny, over with Skippy in the hope that he will give her lambs. She went back to their today. Handling her and No14 who is another large white sheep, reminds me how awkward sheep can be. I am determined to go down the Pitt Island route as they are smaller easier to handle and are better looking. The disadvantage is that they don't have as much meat on them, but in the round I am pro this breed. I had better dig out some pics so you can see how cute they are.

I have also included a picture of the veggie garden, showing the application of beautiful rich chicken manure straw to a bed that will be used to grow potatoes next year. I might be odd, but I get a massive kick out of applying such gorgeous stuff to the ground and then seeing the sickly thick clay break down into a beatiful humus rich tilth.