From the Farm
May 31, 2012
31 May 2012
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STOP PRESS - Ila has just come home with Ruth she got her licence
so she can now drive herself - big thing for us out here as we can be on the road heaps.
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The frosts have been devastating this week all the tomatoes are gone, the kiwi fruit has had it, the lemon trees are droopy.
Our main crop of yams are all dead i hope there is something under them.
The grass has stopped dead so we are watching the feed. Its very early this year for hard frosts.
But i would rather that than the 5.2 earthquake in Christchurch this week.
Ila has been practicing with Ruth for her driving license, it seems it takes more and more of Ruth's time. Even with homework and driving Ila has found time to catch a few eels.
I have shot a few nice young goats so today the smoke house is going with goat hams, goat bacon and eels. Goats are great for this. The other bits like shoulders and necks feed the dogs.
Bella the x bred Tamworth sow has had a litter of 10 to the European wild boar. We generally don't breed xbreds but we do this cross to produce our Iron age pigs.
Beate is looking after them and they will grow into great pork. Thats if she stops swanning off with her ex-fiancée yes her ex.... Nick. The engagement is off and i was looking forward to a party.
Ain't it great, blooming heck, funny how a visa changes everything. Any way Nick flew in from Australia. Nick and Beate have been good friends for many years so they spent two days in Pompeii..... sorry no New Plymouth and two days on the farm. Nick reckons we have the best water in the world and, being who he is, he is well qualified to know. Anyway i will add a piece of his thank you e mail here for you and then I can hear about Beate's weird antics. Good luck.
Quote Nick: "with Beate - none of your animals are or will ever be anywhere near as challenging as she is. All the best, Beate's sane friend, Nick"
Ain't he great.
I have been looking at houses with Samuel, I could write a whole newsletter on this (may save it for a book).
Just before i was to leave a Gypsy truck came up the track with their yog smoking from the little cracker inside. A couple of circus gypsies with their chavies.
It was good to see them out here as they always buy and talk at the market. Shame i was in a real rush to get to town for Samuel.
To be a rom upon the Drom.
We have had a huge flush of lambs, Dorset horns, and only lost two good mums - those Dorset horns.
..
Went to the Hui meeting about sustainable Taranaki - stocktaking on Thursday. Great to be in a room with like-minded people. We have the Strategy meeting this week.
Keep ya posted on that.
I have been putting Hero the pony in the cart and taking him for a drive now and again to give me a break and him the exercise. Anyway Beate wanted to come and drive so down the road we went.
"So Beate for left just pull this rein and say get in for right pull this rein and say come out, to stop pull both". Right o, trotting well stop at the section and i will open the gate. So i hopped off opened the gate ...........Arrrrr help ........how do i stop help he won't stop going backwards .....Help help.
With this Frank the next door neighbor who was cutting fire wood leaned over the fence and said "just put him in Neutral " made sense to me but not Beate HA.
i forgot to say pull both to stop and keep pulling to back. But as Beate is a car driver made sense to hold the brake on.
O well i needed the run .
STOP PRESS - Ila has just come home with Ruth she got her licence
so she can now drive herself - big thing for us out here as we can be on the road heaps.
**************************************************************************************************
The frosts have been devastating this week all the tomatoes are gone, the kiwi fruit has had it, the lemon trees are droopy.
Our main crop of yams are all dead i hope there is something under them.
The grass has stopped dead so we are watching the feed. Its very early this year for hard frosts.
But i would rather that than the 5.2 earthquake in Christchurch this week.
Ila has been practicing with Ruth for her driving license, it seems it takes more and more of Ruth's time. Even with homework and driving Ila has found time to catch a few eels.
I have shot a few nice young goats so today the smoke house is going with goat hams, goat bacon and eels. Goats are great for this. The other bits like shoulders and necks feed the dogs.
Bella the x bred Tamworth sow has had a litter of 10 to the European wild boar. We generally don't breed xbreds but we do this cross to produce our Iron age pigs.
Beate is looking after them and they will grow into great pork. Thats if she stops swanning off with her ex-fiancée yes her ex.... Nick. The engagement is off and i was looking forward to a party.
Ain't it great, blooming heck, funny how a visa changes everything. Any way Nick flew in from Australia. Nick and Beate have been good friends for many years so they spent two days in Pompeii..... sorry no New Plymouth and two days on the farm. Nick reckons we have the best water in the world and, being who he is, he is well qualified to know. Anyway i will add a piece of his thank you e mail here for you and then I can hear about Beate's weird antics. Good luck.
Quote Nick: "with Beate - none of your animals are or will ever be anywhere near as challenging as she is. All the best, Beate's sane friend, Nick"
Ain't he great.
I have been looking at houses with Samuel, I could write a whole newsletter on this (may save it for a book).
Just before i was to leave a Gypsy truck came up the track with their yog smoking from the little cracker inside. A couple of circus gypsies with their chavies.
It was good to see them out here as they always buy and talk at the market. Shame i was in a real rush to get to town for Samuel.
To be a rom upon the Drom.
We have had a huge flush of lambs, Dorset horns, and only lost two good mums - those Dorset horns.
..
Went to the Hui meeting about sustainable Taranaki - stocktaking on Thursday. Great to be in a room with like-minded people. We have the Strategy meeting this week.
Keep ya posted on that.
I have been putting Hero the pony in the cart and taking him for a drive now and again to give me a break and him the exercise. Anyway Beate wanted to come and drive so down the road we went.
"So Beate for left just pull this rein and say get in for right pull this rein and say come out, to stop pull both". Right o, trotting well stop at the section and i will open the gate. So i hopped off opened the gate ...........Arrrrr help ........how do i stop help he won't stop going backwards .....Help help.
With this Frank the next door neighbor who was cutting fire wood leaned over the fence and said "just put him in Neutral " made sense to me but not Beate HA.
i forgot to say pull both to stop and keep pulling to back. But as Beate is a car driver made sense to hold the brake on.
O well i needed the run .