Categories: From the Farm This Week
Date: Feb 8, 2013
Title: 8 February 2013
Wow, can you believe its February, the hay was meant to be cut yesterday but the rain came. No worries it was a great rain we needed it but we are not as bad as right in Stratford, they have been dry there. I was talking to Mike the Spud man (now the cow man) and their cows have dropped heaps. While it has been raining we have been sorting the workshop, its a big job but we need to get gates made and other work sorted and put in the right place.
Did a trip to the chicken abattoirs and unfortunately the freezer we had our chooks in had failed so no slow cook ones for a while. They are really good and it will be sorted. On the way back I called into Patea to look at the shops, found a real nice one on the right heading north, a sort of shabby click French antique shop I think its called Bonjour. Well worth a visit.
Ila has been trimming donkey feet with Daisy as its that time again.
But from today we have a new Woofer someone who has done heaps of horses, donkeys and has been a farmer for years. Its Wally!
Yes Wally. He sold up and we all helped clean his place out and up to the far north he went where he half owned a house and land with a lady. Well it did last 3 days and he was back in Taranaki and knocking at our door .. Hi John got any work and a bed I'm back stuff it up there I just could not stand it barking dogs inside skinny horses outside and 4 times as many as I was told. It was a mad house. I'm selling that as well. That's it .......Yep see ya Monday .....Wally has always helped here and knows the place well. I was thinking I would never see him again.
The Taranaki Farmers Market was slower this week, not so many visitors in town I think. But we still had fun NOT. At the start of the market a white car drove through the market like it owned the place and we just discounted it as someone lost or something. But at 10.30 it came back in, parking on the street in the way. So as I am the STMS I went and talked nicely to the driver, a part Maori woman who very aggressively said "Go and talk to your boss she said I could busk". Finding that funny as I don't have a boss and don't want one either I asked who told her she could and she pointed up to Shirley the coordinator so I said fine no problem and went back to my stand happy. About 20 minutes later she was up at my stand trying to sing and a group of market stall holders coming to see me as she had been aggressive name calling and outright trouble making. So I went to talk to her and said politely the stall holders are not happy, may pay for you to leave. With that she swung the guitar hitting me under the jaw on the left with the tuning end and flew at me saying all you white bastards are the same steal our land and think you own it. Now that did not go down too well at all, so after a few choice words from me I picked up the water bucket for the chooks and was going to throw it at her to cool her down. I swang the bucket back and Ned took it off me and talked to her calming her down, she then went up to the top end of the market and within 5 minutes she was close to having a punch up with Patricia yelling you stole our land. It was about 1/4 to 11 and Jamie phoned the police who turned up at 12.40 good job she only had a guitar and not a gun. For what I could see the woman was normal and not on drugs/drunk mad or otherwise unstable. Just a very good trouble maker that could have escalated into something.
As you all know I'm live and let live and have dealt with many people in my time, BUT this one did nothing to help my view on the Maori people at all. So with a bruise and a small lump on my jaw I await to see what happens. Next week may have a whole new problem to deal with.
Ned has been tidying the workshop and a good inroad has been made.
Early in the week we had a small helicopter and a large one fly low over the farm and over to the back forest, the smaller one looking at the hemp crop. We were all sure it was the drug helicopter but no, there was an accident with the logging team in the forest.
The hemp crop is looking good and heading up but it may well be harvested in stages not sure as yet.
We are building up the pigs, the Wessex mob we have kept a few for replacements and lots for meat over the year. The Canterbury blues we are hoping to rear for the rarebreed sale in May.
The sheep work has come to a stop due to the weather but as soon as it comes right we will be into it.
Ruth and Beate are off to the old folk home today with rare breed bantams, Archie the dog and kune pigs for the old people. Keep ya posted on how it pans out.