Categories: From the Farm This Week
      Date: Nov  7, 2012
     Title: 7 November 2012
I just can’t believe how busy we get with the upkeep and maintenance on an organic farm let alone grow it and keep the bank happy. And then I get the mail - Inland Revenue late payment fine $500 and that just coz I just don’t have time to open silly mail, hell I don’t even watch TV or read the paper, I’m bogged down with blooming paper work as it is and Revenue hell I would like some HA so I can pay someone else to do it. But William at the Tax dept. just did not understand and no sense of humour either. Maybe it was a computer I was talking to HA. So after two days I got up to speed and yes they owe me so I don’t need to pay a fine at all Ha but they did manage to control me a bit to get it done. I must study that for when I buy an island yer right HA.

So I had an appointment with the dentist at  8 o'clock and you all know how I love to visit the dentist. Hopped in the Ute with Beate and got away with a bit of spare time drove past the 3 jack donkeys in the paddock HANG ON there are meant to be 4. Back up where is he and there in the deep drain under the blackberries were two big grey ears sticking up, looked as if he had been in there all night. What are we going to do poor donkey said Beate. A no worries I will go and get a rope and Ruth and we will drag him out. So after getting the rope on him we all pulled. You know they don’t make women like they used to NOTHING HAPPENED and I was really pulling. Now I am very good at maths let’s see the donkey is down a 5 foot bank in the water under the blackberry......... Im about 75 KG on a good day, Ruth is a lot smaller than me and Beate well she aint big. SO we had to dig a track down so he could walk out under his own steam all good. Good mourning me Earney yes sorry I’m late had to dig a donkey out. Yes right well at least you have the right day not like last time. O well sit and wait, O well one more Visit and that’s it I hope.

Anyway while in Hawera, after we shopped for second hand stuff for the house truck, we came across a really good art shop Quirky Fox on High Street. For Beate the Gelato shop was the highlight but for me this shop was. It is filled with NZ local art so I got talking to the owner. I could tell she has a good eye for art and is fussy what she will want but she is looking for good stuff may be worth a call. As I talked we got onto donkeys and she has two and to top it off I broke one of them in for the last owner Eve and on its first show day in Fielding she won champion driven donkey. I must find time to see her as I drove her here every day for weeks.

Have had two Donkey foals this week not sure of sex yet, a spotted English one and a Ponui Island one and one more to follow. Wow a bit of a donkey week.

So I have got the toilet installed up at the house truck just in time for German wwoofers who have come to work on the farm for two weeks. It is extra good as they have their campervans so only need the food to cook and the shower. Unfortunately we only have a solar shower as the truck shower is cold as the Califont water heater is at the plumbers. They seem a good bunch of wwoofers (willing workers on organic farms). Next week we have a HelpX volunteer staying in the Shepard waggon for a week. So I have to get that toilet finished and the waggon set up.

Took a load of chooks to the chook abattoir so will have a few at the market.

Getting sorted for Fielding market this week and the Taranaki Farmers market.