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jaybee2003
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Posted: 2 May 2007 11:53 pm |
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David Harcourt wrote:
This is what I mean about people who live in towns. This is why we need to hear from people who live in the country.
I had to stop running to grab my camera this morning with that thought above in mind. Georgie, the little fox terrior woke me this morning, barking like crazy, racing up and down, very cross about something.
Intially telling her to "be quiet", as her barking increased in intensity I realised something must be up - so rolling over and looking out the window, I soon spied what she was on about.
No matter how well fenced you think paddocks may be, stock will manage to find a way out occasionally. There were three cattle beasts in the garden. These three are devils.
It's not the first time, and it won't be the last. In fact, I seem to be chasing them out every day at the moment. The family pets. Two are orphaned calves, hand reared by the grandchildren, (and very tame). The third, the blessed jersey bull, is a calf from the East Coast rugby Club fundraising calf scheme.
I wouldn't mind if they ate the weeds. But colourful chrysanthemum, roses, pansies and violas seem to be preferable to green grass and weeds. Seems they like a bit of variety in their diet. Passing here this morning you would have seen me in my robe and gumboots, making my way around the garden, pushing these three out onto the drive.
The gates were all shut, which means there must either be a break in the (homestead) boundary fence somewhere, or these blighters have become fence jumpers - which, knowing pet calves, is most likely. And - there is very little you can do about that, bar house them well away from here. I shall have words - but, I suspect they will make their way back regardless of how far out the back of the farm they are paddocked.
On the positive side, there are only three of them. I will never forget the day arriving back from holiday to find a mob of 100 or so cows happily grazing in the garden. There was very little garden left. It was winter time and the lawns were wet. Heavy stock on wet grass means deep deep hoof imprints. It was a mess. It took months and months to roll the lawns even again.
It happens. I have learned there is no point in hitting the roof. It's one of the joys of rural living.
And, they have left me a gift or four of organic fertiliser. That has to be a plus?
So - how did your morning start?
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jaybee2003
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Posted: 4 May 2007 01:11 pm |
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"Man who waits for roast duck to fly into mouth must wait very very long time" Jules Renard.
Duck shooting season starts today - the Big Opening Weekend.
In the weeks prior to Opening Day, bags and bags of peas have been lugged out the back of many a farm to be fed out daily by the keen hunter. A way of coaxing ducks onto his planned ponds. Secret mai mai's are spruced up or built and readied for the hunkering down of the keen sportmen. Guns are cleaned out, new 'must haves' for the duck hunter have been purchased. A Boy's Weekend. The Duck Hunters Bonding. It's a biggie in the rural calendar.
Saturday will see groups of (mostly) men, heavily garbed in camoflauge gear, waders, balaclava's pulled down low, guns slung, ammo packed, decoys swinging, the required whisky and warming spirit supplies well stocked - and if they would listen to their partners - a change of clothing - and off they set.
Duck hunters partners have had a busy week too. Raiding supermarkets, filling freezers, and making sure the liquid refreshments won't run out. Under cover she will have been planning her duck shooting weekend.
A huge pile of library books, DVD's, white wine, cheese, crackers and chocolate - all hidden away. Entertainment for the kids all organised. With the men out of the house, her duck shooting weekend is one she looks forward to - time alone with her feet up to do just what she pleases!
Very few of these keen hunters realise that while they have worked hard with their stash of feed peas out the back of the farm, their other half has scored her own hidden supply of peas too. Peas also fed daily to coax the ducks onto the house pond - a pond that is Out Of Bounds to hunters.
It's a big mystery how at duck season, the house ponds are full of ducks. There are so many ducks on Henley Lake in Masterton you can hardly see water. It is not only a very unfortunate duck who is found out on the farm but a rather lonely duck too.
The second mystery is why duck shooters say how much they love wild duck and so look forward to their feed of roast duck, yet will turn their nose up at it any other time of the year. I no longer freeze wild ducks. They never get eaten.
Being older and wiser now, I have put my foot down and refuse to have anything to do with a duck that hasn't been plucked. I will cook it (and gag at the smell of cooking wild duck - I loathe wild duck!) but I will not touch it until it has been plucked - and plucked well away from the house!
Tomorrow the madness begins.
I will be very happy if I am not presented with a duck.
But, if I am, I will act suitably impressed.
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David Harcourt
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Posted: 4 May 2007 06:47 pm |
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With regard to the wandering "cattle beasts", my morning has begun much more peacefully than yours did.
I went to bed early (tired out) and have accordingly awoken early. The house is peaceful, but cold.
My question about the "cattle beasts" is a classic townie effort:
Why not put them on a truck and send them off to an abattoir to be converted into something useful?
Dumb question, huh?
But I would like to know the answer.
Meanwhile:
THE TOWNIE'S LAMENT, or DUCK SHOOTING IS STRICTLY FOR PEOPLE WHOSE BRAINS ARE NO BIGGER THAN THOSE OF THE AVERAGE DUCK, WILD OR DOMESTICATED
So far as the duck shooting is concerned, I think this is one thing which really does separate the country dweller from the townie. From this townie's perspective:
* getting up at four or five in the morning on a day when it will probably be raining at least some of the time, and will certainly be very, very cold
* to get dressed in clothes which will become increasingly uncomfortable (and probably very wet) as the morning progresses, to say nothing of the fact that they will look completely ridiculous, even to the ducks
* and go and skulk in a smelly (and progressively smellier, as the day wears on, and as the digestion of breakfasts does its remorseless work: is it not fortunate that ducks don't have a highly sophisticated sense of smell?) hut for hours, drinking revolting milky coffee laced with alcohol, or maybe just the alcohol, in the hope that some ducks will approach and allow themselves to be murdered on the wing, or sometimes [whispers] on the water
* and listening (for what alternative is there?) throughout to the conversation of people for whom talking about anything other than the weather and/or farming is more painful than a root canal without benefit of anasthetic
... sounds like the sort of thing one would do only when there was nothing better to do.
All together now:
God bless the country,
And all who live in it:
A wonderful place, a magical place
A life that's truly free.
God bless the country,
And all who live in it:
A wonderful place, a magical place
But it's a townie's life for me!
Wandering cattle beast, after having been turned into something useful:
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jaybee2003
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Posted: 4 May 2007 10:44 pm |
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"Why not put them on a truck and send them off to an abattoir to be converted into something useful?"
It's all about more buck (more bull) for your bang. Currently on those particular cattle, a years growth means $3.30 per kg to the farmer versus $1.70 per kg for an 18 month old. The way farming goes though, it doesn't mean to say prices will be the same in 12 months time. They might be better, they might be worse.
$3.30 per kg into our pocket at the moment, and by the time all the middle men have taken their cut, the consumer forks out - what? - $21- $23 a kg for prime beef. (I don't buy beef very often and when I do I am horrified at the prices.)
I have just remembered I was given a recipe for wild duck pate. I must hunt it out. It might be worth investigating. I like the sound of duck pate much better than roast duck.
But, first, I need to be a good grandparent and go cheer on a 6 year old soccer team....
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jaybee2003
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Posted: 5 May 2007 11:31 pm |
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I am being teased this morning about "the fastest decision I have ever seen you make...."
This coming Sunday it will be time to pack up the car and take off up to Auckland and have a look around Northland - Northland being an area of NZ I have never been to. One of the 'must do's' on my personal agenda was 90 Mile Beach and up to Cape Reinga. Why it is called 90 Mile Beach I have no idea as reading online, one resource tells me it is only 60 miles long, another states 55 miles. Maybe I will find the answer to that while up there.
It is 4WD accessible only, but recommended you take a guided tour, of which there are many - by coach, 4WD or dune buggy. So I started looking around, comparing tours and prices. Most were $99 an adult (a full day tour). That sounded good.
Then I stumbled on a tour that appealed greatly. This tour didn't take in 90 Mile Beach, but went up the other coast, travelling cross country through private farmland to Great Exhibition Bay, then on to Cape Reinga.
Great Exhibition Bay is a silica sand beach, pure pristine white sand - a one off exclusive opportunity to experience. There are no public roads to Great Exhibition Bay and no other tour operator has access through this land to get there. It sounded awesome. So last night, I was swaying, trying to make up my mind as to how badly did I want to go to 90 Mile Beach versus how badly I wanted to see this white silica beach and farmland experience. I couldn't decide, but knew doing both wasn't an option.
So, I sent an email away to enquire about prices to Exhibition Bay. This morning the reply was waiting in my mailbox - Full day tour - $550. !!
Instant decision. No question about it. 90 Mile Beach - here we come!
A photo of Great Exhibition Bay. Attached Image (viewed 154 times):
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jaybee2003
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| Posts: | 272 |
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Posted: 5 May 2007 11:38 pm |
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At times it is frustrating when a search engine brings up links that seem totally unrelated to what you are searching for, but on days like today when I have time to follow where ever my interest is piqued, it is a pleasure.
My image search for Great Exhibition Bay led me to a site of "great" Ikebana...
What talent and beauty. A photo to share just because I can...
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jaybee2003
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| Posts: | 272 |
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Posted: 8 May 2007 02:19 pm |
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Many years ago, my father used to tell "stories with a moral", stories usually told in an effort to get the message through to his stubborn daughter.
I was reminded of one on Monday. A story about the Little family. Mr and Mrs Little and their 12 children. It was an involved story, the tale of how they managed to get everything done around the house.
The answer? Every Little helped.
Yes, it's so corny I know. It was hilariously funny to a seven year old, but if you read on, you will see why I laughed on Monday, remembering.
Monday we made a start on a major task, cutting down a line of macrocarpa trees, originally planted as a shelter belt, but now causing problems, growing through power lines etc. So they had to come out. Back breaking work. Damn hard work. The hardest part being the removal of the cut trees.
Lunchtime saw 8 trees down and mostly out, as in the photo below.
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jaybee2003
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Posted: 8 May 2007 02:22 pm |
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We were using chain/ute/tractor power or manpower to drag trees/branches/stumps etc away. By mid afternoon I was aching from head to toe, cussing at whoever's idea it was to do this job ourselves.
Until I caught sight of our Korb following along behind as I dragged yet another huge branch onto the bonfire pile....
Every little helps.
:-)
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David Harcourt
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Posted: 8 May 2007 10:19 pm |
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Jo writes:
Monday was one of those roll your eyes, shut up and get on with it days. Richie had organised for us all to be on deck to remove a line of macroparpa trees down the back drive - trees that had grown through the power lines and something that has needed doing for some time, and Monday was the day. There were to be us four, Rich, Kylie, Jamie and myself, and a neighbour, a professional forester Richie had jacked up.
Well, we arrived to discover it would only be Rich, Jamie and myself. And that the neighbour, Marty, rang the night before to say he'd drop by after work and see how we were going. Uhuh. Them the power board guys were late in arriving to disconnect the power and cut the lines down, which got us off to a late start.
Then...we discovered the mega big chainsaw Rich 'inherited' with the farm was blunt, needed servicing and died before the first tree was cut, the second farm chainsaw was "out of action", Richies chainsaw broke on the first pull - so Jamie's chainsaw was it. One medium chainsaw and a line of large trees to attack. Great. There's nothing like being organised in advance and making sure all the equipment needed is serviced and ready to roll is there!. We then knew it was going to be a long and hard day. But Richie was all enthusiastic - so we kept our mouths shut - sort of..;-)
Rich did the cutting and felling, I was left to manhandle, lug, drag and tie trees to the ute, and Jamie drove the ute to drag away. Richie's original plan was to have it all finished by the end of the day. Well, we got through about half the trees. And were buggered!
Fortunately our neighbour, Marty, said he could come after lunch the next day. I was SO relieved! And thank goodness too. The last three trees were quite old and knotty. We would never have got through it with our saw. With Marty's commercial saw though, it took next to no time.
However, now we are left with a mess. An absolute shambles. Can't get down the back drive. Trees lying everywhere. Monday with the two of us, we managed to keep up, clearing, but not a chance today with just one person to do it. But, on the positive side, I took the three chainsaws into town today and they are in the back of the car, repaired, serviced and with freshly sharpened chains. I expect Jamie and I will be on the end of one each for a few days to come, clearing up.
We're off on holiday for a fortnight soon - maybe if we leave it, it will all be cleared up by the time we come back? Thank goodness too we had the foresight to park all our vehicles in the front entrance, so we aren't blocked in. Kids. Always in such a hurry, wanting to do everything all at once, starting jobs, leaving them to finish another day.
But, anyway. It will be great once it is all cleared up. And a thought just now, I hope the power board don't need to drive their vehicle down the drive to re-connect the power lines. All it means is the power is off past the house - the sheds etc etc. Which isn't major. Especially as the walk in freezer died last week, so there is nothing major needing power there. Yet.
Guy Fawkes this year I think we'll need to host a Bonfire night. As you can imagine, we're building a huge bonfire. Sadly much of the wood isn't suitable for firewood, or is so difficult to get to, so we will have to burn it. We will get a bit though. But not as much as I imagined. I suppose because they have been cut back heavily every 5 years or so, creating knotting.
I am getting very excited about our trip up to Auck and Northland. I've been to Paihia, Russell, Waitangi as a child, but haven't explored other parts of Northland, so am looking forward to it indeed. And to getting away  We leave for Wellington, lunch with my Mother, then head off on our way.
Auckland: Fiddler on the Roof - yay :-) I can't believe Topol is still performing! F O the Roof was one of my favourite records as a child - one I played over and over.
Wed, heading to Whangarei, where we spend two nights with a fellow TM foodie and his wife. I have gotten to know him very well via the TM recipe board, then the last couple of years, via email. Looking forward to meeting them both. He's drawn up a two day plan for us, all sounding great, so we'll go with the flow there. Then we are heading Northwards, probably basing ourselves at Paihia. Currently I am waiting for an email reply re a little waterfront apartment there - would be nice if it is vacant for the dates we want. Most of the accommodation up there is very expensive, tourist based I suppose, but this one is reasonably priced - so fingers crossed. Have friends at Kaitaia we hope to visit too. Plan to take a Dune Buggy day trip along the 90 Mile Beach and up to Cape Reinga. Will have six nights around Northland - somewhere - no particular plan there, will just see what each day brings and what we feel like doing.
Plan to be back in Auckland later. Lunch with Tracey and Allison: am really looking forward to that! A nice relaxed break.
Hmmm... I have just scrolled back and - well - you are to be congratulated if you have read this far! I seem to have written an epistle.
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David Harcourt
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Posted: 8 May 2007 11:09 pm |
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Next time you visit us I will show you our own line of "trees" - a row of photinias which had grown over a decade to 3-4 metres high and were providing prenty of shelter from the southerlies but blocking far too much light.
So in spring I took my chain saw and cut them all down to about 1.5m high.
There were two main differences between this exercise and yours:
* the photinias were as garden weeds compared with your macrocarpas (Jamie would have knocked them over in an hour)
* I did it in three leisurely sessions of less than an hour each time, knocking off as soon as I felt the least bit tired
More differences between the town and the country, I suppose, but I never hurry when I use a chain saw. This is because one day, twenty or more years ago, I picked up a chain saw late in the afternoon of a very long day spent clearing my Wairarapa farmlet and found that I'd gotten hold of the wrong end of the saw - the chain, not the handle - and the saw was running. I was wearing thick leather gloves, and the glove on my right hand was instantly reduced to shreds. Mercifully, I reacted before the blades got to my hand, and flung the saw away from me. So I will never use one when I'm in the least degree tired, and always plan my cutting for the morning, straight after breakfast, when I'm as fresh as I ever get to be these days. (I've often wondered whether a graph of chain saw accidents would confirm my suspicion that most occur towards the end of the day.)
When you return from your epic journey I hope you will share lots of photographs with us. I love the one of the dog helping to clear away the macrocarpa branches. Such a useful dog. Almost too good to eat.
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jaybee2003
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Posted: 9 May 2007 05:54 am |
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Hahahaa...Chainsaw Massacre! You are so right!
(Photinia's are damn fast growing! But rather attractive.)
I walked around to the back drive today, (or rather, where the back drive used to be), thinking I should make a start on the clearing up - to be met with this view....trees lying left and right of the fence, all the way down to just past the distant power pole.
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jaybee2003
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Posted: 9 May 2007 05:56 am |
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Then I walked around to where we had been dragging and dumping the trees in a hollow paddock.
I couldn't decide where to start.
So I didn't.
No work done today.
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jaybee2003
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Posted: 28 May 2007 03:26 am |
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| It was most depressing to arrive back from a fortnights holiday to realise no progress had been made on the big clearing up the trees job. We had hoped the problem would have vanished by the time we arrived back. It seemed one of those insurmountable jobs waiting to be completed - one so big it needed placing in the too hard basket. This morning the same ugly mess was there..... Attached Image (viewed 92 times):
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jaybee2003
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Posted: 28 May 2007 03:34 am |
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However, much to our delight, the Big Boys have been called in. While it seems a waste of firewood, the good wood is being saved ready to cut up, but the rest is being pushed over the bank, out of sight.
What a relief! The wee pigs in the piggery will be delighted too as finally they will be able to both see and run around freely in the paddock. Hopefully it wont take too long for the grass to regrow!
The progress so far, with the piggery and the pigs well and truly locked indoors for now....
At last!
We are holding our breath though - the main water lines to the homestead run through and under that paddock. Here's to the task being completed with no water line breakages!
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jaybee2003
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Posted: 14 Jun 2007 11:04 pm |
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I am blown away by the generosity of the people of Wairarapa. Yesterday Maungahina Stud held their annual hereford sale, a special sale seeing the family celebrating 100 years of hereford breeding.
Very generously, in celebrating their 100 years, they had allocated the proceeds from the last heifer (in calf) in the auction catalogue to be donated to us, the Women's Auxiliary of the Cancer Society. A very very generous offer indeed.
The heifer, with a yellow ribbon around her neck, yellow being the colour of the cancer society, sold for $3,500. The auctioneers, PGG Wrightson, waived their commission fee and the entire $3,500 is being given to us to help cancer victims in the Wairarapa. To add to that, another couple, hereford stud breeders from Auckland, also approached me, wishing to make a donation too.
I stood there with a lump in my throat. Our role as an auxiliary of course, is soley to fundraise. To see such support from the community is truly humbling. So so generous.
The Executive's President was telling me the other day, in comparison to all other Relays for Life held for the first time in a particular region, Wairarapa's first Relay For Life last year raised the highest dollar per population throughout all regions in New Zealand. What an amazing community.
Too often we hear of the not so good things in a community. It is good to be reminded there are people out there who do care and act to make a difference.
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David Harcourt
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Posted: 15 Jun 2007 12:49 am |
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Where you are particularly fortunate, of course, is having a "community" in the first place.
Here in the cities we all live so close to one another that we spend our lives making sure that we never get to know our neighbours.
This is presumably so that on the day when we wish to complain about a noisy party (or some other aspect of 21st century living) we will be able to do so without a care for the interests or feelings of the neighbour concerned.
In cities the watchword is not Love thy neighbour but Pretend your neighbour is invisible, and maybe he will go away.
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