New lawn mowers

We got rid of the sheep a few years back, partly because they were very time consuming, but mainly because they kept on beating the fences and ate the fruit trees I was trying to establish. With no mouths to eat the grass it just kept on growing and growing. Scything keeps it down, but I do not have the physique, time or inclination to keep 3 acres under control. The trees wille ventually grow tall and dense enough to shade out some grass, but there will always be some areas of more open orchard.

Hence the geese. Research told me that they are good at converting grass into meat. They are good guard birds and produce goslings that can be eaten and manure the ground. So I sourced a trio of birds living on a farm in the South Hokianga and Eric and I spent most of last Saturday preparing a vehicle, a pen and then picking them up. That was an adventure in itself as the goose pen was down a very steep loosely metalled farm track on a north facing slope with great views over the harbour. Very nice on the way down. Geese were loaded into the back of the Capella and then we said our good byes to the owners. First problem was the stench of goose s@#t emanating from the boot. Quite distinctive and penetrating. Eric claimed to have a cold and he could not smell it. Solution: drive with windows open and be thankful that I had had the foresight to lay a tarp over the back. Second problem: the car would not go up the hill. Not in low gear. Not when going slowly. Not when taking a run up and flooring it. And not when Eric got out and observed from the roadside. NZ/ life continues to throw up these little challenges. The solution we adopted was to get towed up by the farmers in their 4WD van. Talking to people later on I discovered that my car is a front wheel drive. As it was trying to go up a steep hill, most of the weight was resting on the rear wheels and the front wheels were just spinning. If you ever find yourself facing the same problem, try one of these solutions: 1. Reverse up hill or 2. Put a couple of heavy (and risk loving) people on the bonnet while you drive forward.

So, once we got going we headed for home. Past the car that had crashed into a ditch in the morning and was having some crude bodywork repairs done by a bloke with a lump hammer so that he could drive it home. Past the family of semi-domesticated pigs that were running all over the road. Through Kaikohe and home over the Mangamukas to the accompaniment of the geese chattering away in the back and with the windows wound down.

Nearly a week later and they are finding their way around the property. They did not think much of their original enclosure and soon hopped over the sheep fence into the veggy garden. They took up residence on my newly planted broccoli bed and proceeded to liberally fertilise all the plants, trample over them and then have little exploratory nibbles. They say that what doesnt kill you makes you stronger, so if the broccoli survive they will be great eating.

My next plan was to lure them out of the veggy garden into the middle field which has a large pond (called a dam over here). So at chicken feeding time I would stand by the pond and call them over. They would start making aracket and slowly waddle up the path from the veggy garden. They would take about 5 minutes to make this journey. I threw corn in the grass right next to the pond for them to eat. They ate it and then turned round and walked all the way back to the veggy garden. This little pantomine played out for a few days but they seem to have decided to stay on the dam now. It is great to see them preening themselves and squawking away. The 2 white ones are males. The one with the fluffy feathers is a Sebastopol (who shall obviously be called Sebastian). The other male is a Pilgrim - any ideas for names? I like "Father". The grey one always walks behind the males and she is a female Pilgrim. What should we call her?

Other news: Walter has landed in Auckland and is finding his feet in the city there. He thought it was going to be cold and wintry and was surprised to get sunburnt on a day trip to Waiheke Island. He will be travelling north for Easter.

The pictures from last week show Paddy spending his Saturday exploring some caves near Whangarei. This was his second trip out with the school caving club.

Stuart continues to build and launch rockets. We watched the DVD of October Sky last week. This was his original inspiration.

Eric continues to rid our local bit of bush of its invasive possums.

Chantelle is knitting. Pictures to come.