Monday 26th September

After the Pajero blowing the headgaskets, getting my hand damaged, I was hoping the run of bad luck was over, but it seems to continue on. I caught a kick to the chest last week, resulting in 2 fractured ribs, which makes life bloody painful at the moment, but ok, I’ve had fractured/broken ribs before and they do heal. Finding painkillers that work for the few weeks it takes is harder, and I can’t be bothered going to the doctors about it, so I’m taking large amounts of ibuprofen at the moment.

We’ve got most of the recalcitrant cows drafted out of the herd now, and sent to Hickmott Road farm. I doubt they’ll settle down there either, but at least we don’t have to deal with them.

I started mowing my lawns today, after getting David and Judys done last week. About halfway through and I hit a boulder that has started to pop up and promptly snapped the driveshaft off the mower. Bad news is that it isn’t covered under warranty, as it is fairly obvious I’ve hit something a lot harder than grass, sheared the keyway, and made a large ding in the cutter bar. It is either replace the motor, or get a demo model that they special off. Kevin at Hammer Hardware reckons he should be able to get me a good deal on a larger mower, for about 50% marked price from the demo models. I’ll find out later this week. Just what I needed, and I didn’t win Lotto either.

Took Tuffy for a walk down to the Aorere last week, well, we’ve been going there for a few days now, initially I went down to see how the James Road bridge replacement is going, photos in here, and then we went down the track to the river.

The swimming hole is a lot bigger now, the few high water flows have shifted a lot of rocks around, and there is now a really good sized pool out of the main river to swim in. It is still snow melt water, and it is cold!

I’m thinking I should have bought a house bus instead of trying to settle down in one place. The expenses keep coming, last Friday I wondered why I had no hot water at 3am, when I tried to have a shower to wake up, so had that in the back of my mind all morning milking. Got home, took the panels off the hot water cylinder, luckily it is outside and easy to access, and found that the worst case and a blown cylinder or thermostat wasn’t the problem. The outlet pipe, copper 20mm, had 2 pinholes that were spraying water like miniature firehoses. Turned the water off, took the pipe off, found Peter the Plumber home at Rockville, he did the original installation a few years back apparently, and made another length up to fit, back home, installed and back to hot water again. My next power bill is going to be horrendous I know, the heating element would have been on continuosly while it was leaking.

We’re feeding out hay to the cows as well now. The fresh spring growth from the grass is great for milk production, but it plays havoc with the cows digestive system, at the other end. We don’t get cowpats anymore, rather a very liquid high pressure jet of liquid fertiliser spray back about 2 metres from the rotary rails. You have to be alert if you don’t want to be covered in a long jet of hot smelly shit.

The native pigeons are all back in the neighbourhood after the spring blossoms on the trees, as well as the Tuis and Rifleman. I’ve got 2 pairs of Tuis nesting in the camellias, and some very fat looking pigeons feeding off the trees the last week or so.

There is still some snow scattered on the tops, but it is fading quickly, but we can still expect some more before the end of October although the Aorere Valley seems to miss on a lot of the really cold weather. We do get rain though, I think it is the highest average in the area when it arrives. But even that is temperamental on where it falls. I’m in the middle of the valley floor and the rain often tracks along the hills to either side, two or three hundred metres away from the house. I can be in brilliant sunshine and watch the rain band hitting the hills at the end of the road.

Tuesday 13th September

I’ve been living on ibuprofen the last few weeks, my hand hasn’t really healed up, still sore to touch the knuckle, added to which another kick from a sweet looking Jersey heifer last week on the side of my wrist, and I’m not a happy camper at all.

We’re starting earlier and earlier lately, to get ready for Daylight Saving, so it is a 3am wake up and starting milking at 4am now. There are still 400 cows in calf, about 900 in the 2 milking herds, and 30 in the colostrum herd, which varies depending on how many cows calve each day.

I had my first day off on Sunday, after 4 weeks of milking, plus managing to get some of the gardens done in between morning and afternoon milking. I’m only doing Mornings now, apart from weekends, but the weather hasn’t been all that co-operative lately.

Tuffy the Destructo Dog is still growing, his feet are starting to look almost in proportion to his size, but still bloody large. He is getting better, but still races around the house like a mad thing every night before he goes to sleep. I always know when he’s done something he shouldn’t when I get back from milking, and he doesn’t come to the door to greet me. Usually it is one of my work boots or the toilet brush that he has taken to chew or play with, and I find him sitting on his bed with a poor sad dog look on his face.

Tuffy meets a hedgehog.

I found a NASA photo of the snowstorm that hit New Zealand a couple of weeks back, the little patch of green in the centre left is Golden Bay, well, more the Aorere Valley than all of Golden bay. We were the only place with sunshine and clear skies the whole time.

We’ve got snow up on the tops again this week, and a cold wind coming up the valley, with sunshine, drizzle and rain in between the sunshine. Crazy place for weather.

I’ve lost out on the Naked Possum venture, Jocelyn had to sell out in the end, so I’m back to trying to get my own nursery going with native plants and ornamentals. If only it was as easy as it sounds on paper. There’s never enough money when I have the time available to get things done, other than the spade work, and I’m working too sporadically to get ahead at the moment. Still, there’s no great rush as the usual comment is here, if not this year, then next. I’d like to get it going yesterday, but I’ll have to settle for doing it in bits and pieces when I can.

Managed to get some of my pictures from Virginia posted on another website www.joepastry.com, of the Aldi water mill in Virginia. Joe had a few posts about stone ground corn, so I sent the pics along to him, and he posted them up. It’s the best website I’ve found for good bread and baking related recipes and hints.

Being out in the Valley where I am, you realise how much you depend on neighbours, well, ok, some of the people that live out here are almost hermits, but the majority of us like the isolation, with some people contact. David and Judy just down the road from me, retired couple, have been really sick the last month with a flu like virus that has knocked both of them over, so I’ve been calling around every other night when I walk Tuffy past their place to make sure they are ok. They’ve missed the Book Club Meetings for a while, so I’ve been letting everyone know how they are till they get back on their feet and can come along. Judy plays piano/piano accordian, David is learning piano accordian, so we are organising a get together at my place soon to drag my accordian out, plus Davids, and start playing again. Which means my hand had better heal up soon.

The café and the General store at Collingwood are both up for sale, the café needs a revamp, I doubt it has been upgraded for 40 years, it still looks the same inside as it did when I first came down here in 1967. I think it is only the leasehold for sale, while the General store is for freehold sale. The Store has its own bake house attached as well, and what used to be a café/snack area as well. The price keeps dropping, anyone with the money and a desire to live in one of the nicest places in NZ is welcome. Ok, over winter there isn’t a lot of traffic, but October to May is busy.

Tuffy at the beach last Friday

Thursday 25th August

It’s been a hectic couple of weeks again. Calves dropping all over the paddocks and in the milking shed and yard as well. I had one nearly land on me in the milking shed, just managed to get the rotary around to the exit opening in time to pull the calf out, otherwise it could have been difficult. By the time Sean got the ropes and back up with me, I had most of the head out with the forelegs, after that it was easy. Another bull calf, bugger, it’s heifers we want not more bloody bulls.

I’ve finally got what I wanted with hours, I’m only doing mornings now, which leaves the rest of the day free for gardening jobs, and now I have 4 permanent gardens to do, plus get stuff ready for the Naked Possum, I’m happy. 3 – 4 hours in the mornings milking, usually finished by 8.30, home for breakfast, then 6 – 7 hours gardening.

We missed all the snow and bad weather here in the Valley, while the rest of New Zealand was getting snow and rain, hail, sleet, we had clear blue skies, some frosts in the mornings but nothing to get overly excited about. You didn’t notice the cold so much, although the 20 litre buckets of hot water by everyone in the shed helped. I was putting my hands into the water every few minutes to keep them warm.

I’ve mentioned previously about the new cows coming through the herd that have a habit of kicking when you’re trying to put the cups on or take them off. One finally got me really well on Tuesday. Her hoof caught my hand between the backing rail and her hoof. Only my middle finger took most of the force, it was enough to make me faint though, which according to Vanessa the next day was very impressive. She was talking to me one minute, the next I was flat on my back on the steps. Ended up going into Takaka Helath Clinic and getting it lanced to let the blood out, and to have my knuckle checked, it felt not quite right. It wasn’t broken though, just a bit bruised and swollen, so I picked up a packet of ibuprofen from the supermarket and I’ve been in a happy daze since.

Tuffy is growing taller, he’s now 18” high at the shoulder, still trying to fit into his feet though, they are bloody huge.

Pictures from Collingwood Beach again, I take Tuffy there most evenings for a run along the beach and I get to walk at my own pace.

Friday 12th August

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks, I haven’t had time to spare, the gardening jobs I have been doing have fallen to one side, I have had phone calls asking me to look at others, but I’ve had to turn them down for the present.

We have 400 calves born so far, with another 1,000 due over the next couple of weeks, we’re milking 400 cows, sorting out the new mums every morning from the expectant herds, drafting the cows with problems, like mastitis/swollen udders, blood in their milk etc, which makes for long days. I’m starting at 5.30 every morning lately, till 10.30, then back again at 2pm for another few hours.

So far, I’ve helped pull 3 calves out, and one on my own. Take my word for it, it isn’t as easy as it looks on a video. Tie loops of rope around the hooves, if you can reach them, without your arm being squeezed to breaking point by the cow, then get the calfs head started out, then pull as hard as you can, and hope the cow is going to help by contracting. Score so far is 1 dead, 4 alive, the dead one was breech, and had died inside the cow, which didn’t help in getting it out.

Tuffy is growing fast, he’s nearly knee height now, and we have had several “discussions” about what he is allowed to do, and what he is not allowed to do. Unfortunately, he seems to think that if I’m not here, he can do anything, then look all sorry and woebegone when I get home and find the house strewn with chewed cardboard, my sneakers, the cane side on the lounge 3 seater chewed, and in general, mayhem evident all over.

With the hours and long days everyone is working there are the usual grumpy tempers and short fuses happening. Our Shed and calf manager had an altercation yesterday, and she told Mike to stick his job up his arse, and left, our Herd manager is on extended leave, for the time being, after 3 weeks, he isn’t proving to be a worthwhile investment, so it is back to the usual crew on the far, although we now have 2 Uruguayan workers, and Thomas the Argentinian back with us for a while.

It’s winter, so the weather is continuing to be warm, sunny, cold freezing, snow, rain and bloody miserable at times. I’ve been taking Tuffy to Collingwood beach most afternoons to wear him out. He’s getting better at not chasing everything, and is starting to come when called, and sitting instead of jumping up on everyone, although that is going to take a while longer to get sorted I think.

I got involved with the local book club here as well. It's not all that fussy about who joins obviously, we meet every fortnight at a different house, discuss what books we have read lately, pass books around for others to read, borrow from everyone etc. As well as have a small supper during the talking. It was at my place this week, I made a 3 layer chocolate torte with Chantilly cream, coffee cream and pecan nut cream with a pure chocolate topping. There wasn't much left. I also have a decided respect in future for Davids home made Plum wine. I'd had a couple of glasses of Merlot, then thought, hmmm, plum wine, ok, I'll have a glass of that. At 10 pm everything sounds like a good idea at the time. At 4am when you're trying to wake up to go to work in the milking shed, it seems like a bloody stupid thing to have done. I asked him Wednesday night what proof he thought it was, and it is close to 20%, and here I was having not one, but 2 glasses because the first one seemed so good. On top of the Merlot, it made watching the rotary go around with the cows on decidedly eye watering. Not to mention that sea sick feeling when you know that telling yourself it isn't a good idea at the time would have helped.

Saturday 30th July

Well, the week started off with good intentions, and most of them got done. Finally got all the rose gardens at Pah Road dug over, took 10 bags of horse manure so far, they need another 5 at least though. Started at Rockville, new garden to do, well, I mean, it’s an established garden, but new for me to start on. A lot of older rubbish trees and shrubs that were planted as a shelter for the camellias and azaleas to be cut out, and some Pieris japonica to be cut back as well. The Pieris had been pruned, but cut too high, so instead of a nicely shaped bush, they were tall lanky trees. Not any more, hopefully they will sprout again.

Tuffy had his first ride on a quad bike, around the farm to the rubbish pit. He took to it like it was normal, sat on the back tray for a bit, then discovered that if he sat on my lap, with his front paws on the petrol tank, he had a better view and didn’t get wobbled around as much.

He’s good to take on the jobs, I put my Swandri down, and he doesn’t go far away from it, even if I’m away out of sight for a while.

Had a good day at Kaituna, Paul from Takaka turned up with his wood chipper, so we got stuck into pruning the overgrown trees back, and chipping the branches as they were cut out. He is going to pass on the pruning jobs and general garden stuff now, that he gets out this way, rather than him driving out to the valley from the other side of Takaka.

The cows are dropping calves in the paddocks, found one that I was hoping would resuscitate yesterday, the caul was still over its nose and mouth when I got home, it looked fresh, and felt warm, but after I cleared the caul off, and tried getting it to breathe I had to give up. I think it had been a bit too long before I found it.

Back to milking tomorrow morning, 5.30am start, only 200 cows at the moment, but taking about 3 hours to go through with the amount of milk they are producing. Which comes in handy and helps pay for the Pajero.

Took Tuffy back to Collingwood beach this morning, in an effort to wear him out for a while. He found a grey cormorant, and thought he’d do the big brave dog and chase it away. The Cormorant just sat there then pecked him when he got close enough. So he’s a bit wary of them now.

The local kids build beach huts along the beach, with all the logs and stuff washed down in the January flood, some are quite substantial, and they seem to have a lot of fun building them

We’ve had a beautiful day here today, I’ve got a lot of seedling trees from Rockville to use for the hedge, mostly Pittosporum crassifolia and Matai, all good hedge trees, provided I get them to survive. I’ve still got about 300 Nikau to get from Pah Road, once I get some planter bags and mix for them.

Sunday 24th July

The Pajero is back, reconditioned motor, and something extra as well. The mechanic was taking to for a test drive on Wednesday, got about a mile up the road outside Takaka and the right side back brake pads fell out. So much for Pit Stop in Auckland saying they were ok. The left side were fine, the right hand side were just flat plates of metal, and had chewed into the disc as well, really deeply.

So, I now have new brakes all the way round, a reconditioned engine, and finally enough gardening work locally to survive on. All I have to do is last long enough to get the first few payments from the work now.

I spent the morning splitting firewood, and water blasting a verandah in Collingwood, I’d promised Jenny I’d be there last week, but without the Pajero it got to a lot of promises and me not turning up, so it became today.

I had Tuffy with me, he wandered around a bit at Jennys, but never that far he was out of sight, and I had my Swandri on the ground, for him to find if I went elsewhere. He’d come back, sit or lie on the Swandri for a bit, then go exploring again. Once I started water blasting, he was more than happy to play in the mist from the blaster, so I had a wet dog for a while.

Took him to Collingwood beach before coming home, so we spent an hour or so walking along the beach, with him chasing seagulls and oystercatchers, without going into the water.

We got home about 4pm, it is now 7.30, and he hasn’t woken up yet. Considering he is only 8 weeks old, it’s been a fairly long active day for him.

I’m working at Pah Road tomorrow, digging over the rose gardens and pruning back the overgrown shrubs and climbers, then Tuesday/Wednesday at Rockville, Thursday/Friday at Kaituna, Saturday I’ll go up to the Naked Possum and start clearing up around there.

The weather has got a decided cold feel to it this week, all southerlies coming up from Antarctica, bringing snow again. There is some discussion of it reaching as far north as Auckland, which hasn’t happened since I was growing up in Otahuhu, a long time ago. Then it was snow on the Bombay Hills at Pukekohe, now they are saying the Hunua Ranges.

Thursday 21st July

At times I really feel like it isn’t worth it. Still haven’t got the Pajero back. The heads came back from Motueka on Tuesday, they had it all assembled and running yesterday morning, until the mechanic took it for a run. And the back brake calliper broke.

So it is still sitting in Takaka waiting for more parts. They are hoping to have it fixed by tomorrow now. In the meantime, I haven’t been able to get into work at Long Plain Road, I’ve had 3 more people ring and ask me to do their gardens and lawns, I’m 2 weeks behind with the ones I’m meant to be doing as well.

I looked at hiring a ute or similar, but the cost worked out to be more than I earn at the kiwifruit, not so much on the daily charge, although that was $68 a day, add in the insurance, and my insurance cover only covers rentals hired through their affiliates, not the cheapest ones, and it all got to the stage where I’d be owing money despite going to work.

Still a couple of good things for the week.

If you go back to December, I was trying to get into the Naked Possum and work on their native plant Nursery, but Grant ended up being diagnosed with terminal cancer, on top of the stroke he had a year ago, so that was all up in the air.
Grant died a month back, and Jocelyn wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, but after some time settling back down, she’s going to carry on with the Naked Possum, and lease out the various parts of it, while she retains the managing role.

http://www.nakedpossum.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Naked-Possum/124965522507?ref=nf

I’m leasing the nursery side, it is going to be more producing the plants here at home, and taking them up there, and selling through the retail outlet. Although there is a fair bit of work to be done there as well, the gardens have got a bit overgrown, and the capillary beds are in a sorry state at the moment.

Still, a bit of gardening, some clean up and a few more plantings, it will come back.

They sell mostly Rata, Meterosiderous umbellata, as part of Project Crimsom, to replace the trees that have been killed by possums in the National Park at Kahurangi, and for people to plant on farms and around houses.

That all starts from October, when Jocelyn is having a Spring Opening, I have to have stuff ready to go there by then. I’ll be buying in growing on tubes, and a lot of 1 – 2 yr old potted trees for a while, Jocelyn said they were buying the trees in at 18” high, for $7.50, and retailing at $18, I’ll be having discussions with the nursery about how many for how much as soon as it is all signed up.

The other bit of good news, or maybe not, I don’t know how I’m going to feed him, but anyway, this is Tuffy, he’s 8 weeks old at the moment, Sheepdog/Labrador cross,

I pick him up as soon as the Pajero is back on the road, hopefully this weekend. He was on trademe, free to a good home, and the people who have him live at Collingwood. Sue actually had her Uncle and Aunt live in my house, they had it built and she used to stay here. So it was a bit of local knowledge and from what she said, I got good references from the people she asked around here. Lord knows how big he’s going to get, but if the last Lab cross I had, Samoyed/Lab, was anything to go by,
he’ll be getting a lot of walking to stop him getting too fat.