Christmas Past, Chicken Future

It's always a relief to get Christmas over and done with. I have no idea why we all get so het up about the whole day but it seems most of us do. My Christmases have been extremely low key for the past few years with me usually spending the day alone apart from a visit from my brother and his wife. However this year I had been invited to spend the evening with Gaye and family down the road. Preparing for this meant that I had two sleeps in the morning complete with wheat pack on my back and Demelza on curled up along my front. After 11am Di and Rich called in on their way to her sister's place in Tikokino before they went to lunch with her mother in Waipukurau. They brought with them all my left over work from Creative Hastings Christmas Sale. My worst year EVER! I only sold one pendant, five brooches, one stone and some cards. Hopefully I've done better at the galleries but won't know until later this week.

Christmas lunch consisted of cheese and crackers and chocolate (I have my priorities right!)with another rest in the afternoon before I fed all the animals and had a soak in a hot bath. My friend Pete from down south gave me a call late and I was busy chatting away to him when Gine arrived. I had decided to give her one of my hand painted pendants but didn't know which one she'd like so I let her choose. In the end she chose one with a lop bunny on it.

Alhtough it's meant to be summer here it was chilly and grey outside but it was much warmer down the road at Gaye's so we ended up sitting outside until 9pm when it began to get dark. There were 12 of us there including Gaye, Gine and Gareth, Rachel, her husband Korbus and two sons, Gaye's sister in law, Gaye's other son and his caregiver and a man caleld Cedric from the village. First a pile of presents appeared on the lawn and we watched while the boys opened their gifts from Father Christmas. I also received gifts including a lovely home made tea light holder and candles from Gine, chocolates from Rachel and chocolates and a stuffed tiger from Gaye. Although there was a barbeque for all the carnivores Gaye and I had a selection of vegetables followed by icecream and watermelon. During the evening Cedric pulled out his piano accordian and accompanied Gine on her violin playing old folk tunes. When we later went inside they continued playing with Gine playing the piano and Cedric the violin. After a cup of tea and homemade Christmas cake Rachel and I hopped into the car and she dropped me off home at 10.30pm after we successfully missed hitting various bunnies, hedgehogs and a frog who was making his way home across the tarseal. It was the loveliest Christmas night I have ever had.

However next morning Gine rang me to say that one of our friends from art group had died of cancer on Christmas Eve. This so saddened me as I had only met Kate a few times but always looked at her farm when we passed it down the road and wondered how she was faring. Her funeral was held on the Thursday afternoon and most of Tikokino and many out of towners turned up for the lovely service.

Friday was a drizzly day which of course is very welcome at this time of year. My little chicks are growing fast and look as if they're all going to be speckled like their Dad "Noodle" aka Chicken Noodle also known as THE BIG NOODLE. Another hen is hiding at the moment- have no idea where or when she'll appear or what with. I have decided to put a sign out on the mail box advertising free range eggs for sale. Hopefully that will help pay the feed bill for the increasingly geriatric flock.

The Big Shake and Feathery Bumblebees

I think everyone is still pretty shaken from the large earthquake we had here Thursday night. Although it was downsized to 6.6 on the Richter scale it still packed a punch and created so much devastation in Gisborne. Mishka ran around barking while it shook while I watched in horror as the television shook and wobbled and looked like it was going to fall off the bookshelf it sits on. However nothing fell or broke although it took me a while to settle down for the night.

My main concern though were for the newest arrivals here. A bantam hen had gone broody a month ago. She had become prone to lurking around the front lawn on occasion yelling abuse at me. Thursday 13th December I went outside at 6.30am and heard her clucking and then some answering cheeps. In a panic I grabbed Kit and yelled at the dog, bundling them inside before I went to find a wire cage to put the new family in. Of course the grass had grown throught the one I wanted to use and it took another 15 minutes to pull all this out. I threw in some old hay for bedding and took it round to the lavender bush the hen had laid her eggs under. I counted five small bumblebees sheltering under her wings. Knowing I could tempt her out with mash I mixed some with warm water and put it in the cage. She was starving so rushed in while I collected the chicks and put them in with her. They weren't hungry so I assume they'd only hatched a couple of hours before.

I put the cage under the carport at the front of the house as i figured this was sheltered from the elements. They did well there until it began to rain this past week and began to flood in there so I placed the cage onto the front step where they were out of danger. A week later they've thrived and are beginning to get their wing feathers. At this stage I've sexed four pullets and one rooster.


Also happened to spy the first monarch butterfly I've seen up here. It was trying to find the swan plant I'd planted beside the garage so I assume that's now covered with eggs. Not great news as it's only about two feet high!

Frazzled Visitors and Chaotic Trips To Town

I've been under the weather quite alot lately and for the past few weeks just sitting at the computer in the morning has proved a huge effort. Finally made an appointment to see my doctor last Tuesday which meant a 45 minute trip into Napier. I had made my appointment for 11.15am so left here an hour before. Although when I arrived I was the next patient due to go in I could see Bernadette rushing to and fro from the nurses' station down the back of the building. Turned out three of her patients had suffered fractures and these needed to be attended to which meant I didn't get in to see her until 11.50am. Bernadette decided to do a few tests and sent me down to the nurses so they could take bloods. However they were busy making sure people were being plastered in not such an enjoyable way and couldn't do my test for 40 minutes! In the end they did it in the waiting room which wasn't too great for the other patient waiting for his test since they took seven phials of blood. I joked to the nurse that she'd left me with an empty arm.


After this I had a trip into town for an x-ray. Arrived at nearly 1pm to be told the radiographer was having her lunch. However only waited five minutes before she took me which was very lucky as apparently they were holding a clinic that afternoon and were not taking any more casual arrivals. She took five x-rays of my spine so that evening I had no need of a night light as I was practically glowing!

Then decided to go to Office Products to buy some cellulose packets which I use for my brooches and cards. Mentioned to my brother that I hoped I didn't get the really stupid woman who had served me last time- well the law of attraction did its thing and she was the one who served me. First she told me they didn't have the packets I wanted any more, then she went into the back for ten minutes before returning with a catalogue of packets they could order. I tried to show her what size I wanted which she couldn't understand whatsoever so I grabbed an envelope and showed how it needed to be that wide by that long. She still couldn't make head nor tail of what I was saying so in the end she had to draw the smallest size they could get which turned out to be the one I wanted. But then she said I would have to order a box of 1000 at $80! Well that wasn't going to happen and I was about to leave when she went back to the office again for fifteen minutes before returning with the news that they could break a box for me.

Well I was beginning to feel a bit stressed at this point, especially when she went into my account on the computer trying to find when I had last bought packets. This took another ten minutes when suddenly she discovered that yes they actually had them in stock. So off she wandered for another 15 minutes and just as I was about to leave she arrived clutching 200 cellulose packets to her chest. It then took her another ten minutes to make up a docket for me. All in all my inquiry took ONE HOUR! How's that for service? That is the last time I go back there.

I had more essential shopping to do (each job taking longer than the last) and by the time we returned to Hastings to collect my sister in law from work and drove all the way home it was 5pm. Didn't make me any more fond of going to town.

Thursday friends said they would drive out to visit at 1pm. Mary had worked with my Dad years ago and had stayed a friend of our family ever since. This was her first visit here so I carefully explained how to get here. By 2.30pm Mary, her husband Bob and their neighbour Bev (my Aunt Kathleen's sister-in-law) who had come along for the ride still hadn't turned up so I tried ringing their number but no answer. In the meantime Ian had arrived for a fourth attempt at finishing the hedge.

At 2.45pm I saw Mary and Bob drive past so rushed out to the gate. Did a bit of weeding while I waited for them to return but when they did they drove right past and never saw me waving like crazy. Did a bit more weeding and heard them drive out of the neighbour's place. I went right out into the middle of the road and did some semiphore and this time they did see me. Apparently they had spent two hours trying to find me and had ended up at the main part of Smedley Station down Smedley Road. From there they rang a lady from my art group who is married to Mary's cousin and she gave them exact directions to my place which didn't help them find me either. By the time they got here they were hot and frazzled and ready to call it a day and drive all the way home to Napier.

I made a cup of tea for everyone and then Bob went round with his digital camera and took some snaps which he is going to print out and send to me. They had also brought along everything that belonged to their dear Siamese cat Sasha who died last week- all her food, bowls, electric blanket, two beds and three sheepskins. They had also brought home baking and lots of vegetables including new potatoes and asparagus. By the time we caught up with everything and they had a quick look round it was 5pm and beginning to get quite cold so they hopped in the car and left. I don't know if they'll ever risk trying to find me ever again!

Stones and Old Bones

It was my birthday last Saturday. I usually spend an enjoyable misery fest but for the past two years have decided not to sweat it and just go with the flow. This year I was busy painting for a Christmas sale so didn't really have time to think about it all so was particularly surprised when Gine arrived in the morning with a beautiful bunch of burgundy peonies. We had a cup of herbal tea together before she left to visit a sick friend of ours down the road. I also had several phone calls from friends.

On the Sunday my brother and his wife called in and brought with them a chocolate mud cake. We enjoyed this sitting outside with a hot drink in the sun. They had agreed to visit a day late so they could drop my entries for the sale into Hastings on their way home. I also had a belated happy birthday call from a friend plus on Monday two late cards arrived so I was pretty lucky.

Monday morning my friend John arrived early at 9.30am with a load of blue gum firewood for me. He also brought two large buckets full of small stones for jewellery making. I get more excited about this than if I was offered a diamond ring which is pretty sad really when you think about it. He had a look at Tobermory goat and told me to expect him to pass away in his sleep sometime soon as he has the look very old animals get when they're not much longer for this world. However as he's still enjoying his carrots and a scratch on the head I'm not going to worry (Toby, not John that is).

Ian came yesterday to continue cutting back the hedge. This has proved a much bigger job than we first thought as it's obviously not been trimmed for years. At the moment it looks a bit woody but there are new leave sprouting away from the older branches so it should soon fill in.


And Kit's previous owner has sent photos of her so I am finally able to show what she looks like. She certainly loves getting into some strange places.

Red Clover Taking Over

The Otane Arts Open Weekendearlier this month took alot more out of me than I expected. I was so tired and sore last week I barely did a thing beyond the essentials. Demelza thought it was great as she got to lie beside me alot which apparently is her idea of heaven.

Meanwhile the weeds were busy growing. Especially along the gravel driveway where great bushes of red clover were flowering. Remembering the saying "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!" I have been doing 15 minute weeding stints and am finally seeing some results although to an outsider it looks like a neurotic mole has had a nervous breakdown. Anything is better than spraying which keeps the weed and flower fairies happy too!

The broccoli fairy must be happy with me as I was finally able to cut my first broccoli last week and have another ready to go already. Tasted so much nicer than the bought variety and I knew it was healthy as I haven't put any chemicals on my plants. There is also one bush of silver beet ready to cut as well.

Jeff from Smedley came yesterday morning to say my landlady asked him to put some sheep in my field to "knock the grass back". Around fifty black faced suffolks have been in there which isn't that great as I only have a small bowl for water so am constantly refilling it for Briar and Tobermory. Can't say much since Jeff helped tie down the hen house a few weeks ago but will look at finding someone who is willing to pay to graze here so I can bring in some extra cash.

Party Animal and Farewell the Rat Mansion

I was invited to a party on Saturday night. Rachel, Korbus and the kids picked me up on their way past and we first went to Gaye's where she cooked the most beautiful vegetarian meal of potato wedges, carrot and asparagus covered with cheese sauce and cold pasta mixed with mayonnaise, oregano and parsley. There was also much hilarity when Gareth turned up wearing genuine leiderhosen complete with hat! Very brave as it was freezing cold and he had bare legs but he is so excited that his wife Gina is back from Germany that he decided to wear the costume in her honour.

By the time we arrived at Esther's it was too dark to see her alpacas. Gina was already there as she was guest of honour. Gaye and I sat together on a sofa for the evening and enjoyed being waited on hand and foot. Esther gave me a plate of different cakes to sample including a Swiss one that I cannot pronounce but it has hazlenuts in it. She gave me a huge piece to bring home when we left at 11pm.
I thought of Esther again on Tuesday when I finally got the photos I took at her place last month. This shot is of "Winter" who is the shy alpaca and also a bit of a kicker. Lovely long eyelashes though.


This is "Pollonius" who I notice has a bit of a grin on his face. Not sure what for but he looks very happy with his lot. I love the colour of his fleece as I have spun some of this shade before and it's really nice to work with.

This is "Trucie" or Trucie Baby as he is generally known. He is the Suri alpaca who kissed me so of course he's my favourite. Many of the shots I took would make great paintings although in nearly all of them the alpacas have their ears back.

I was so tired Sunday I ended up having three naps during the day. It was freezing so I lit the fire which helped make me dozier. At 10am Richard, his friend Tony and Tony's son arrived with a car trailer to finally remove the old bomb. It was no longer road worthy so they had to winch it onto the trailer which took a long time. Tony's son was only wearing a long sleeved t shirt and was shivering so I brought them inside for a cup of coffee. They left at lunchtime and I spent the rest of the day looking out my bedroom window at the empty space. I can even see the garden from the front gate now. Gaye actually rang to say she'd just seen them towing the car past her place and to congratulate me on my empty drive! That's the sign of a friend if ever there was one.

Spring Tidying

I am fed up with the wind. It seems never to end up here and the damage it is wreaking is pretty depressing. An ambulance near Dannevirke (just south of here) was blown over and written off, trucks were tipping over and roofs were making a break for freedom. Officially the wind was gusting at 122km although in one area in Otago it was 170km! The other night the whole cottage shook with the big gusts yet I still managed to sleep through it.

Not much you can do in weather like this but wait it out. I did tidy round the back door area yesterday morning and in the afternoon Ian unexpectedly turned up to mow the lawns. He also has begun trimming the hedge but he only had the equipment to do the sides and will have to come back to finish the top. He arrived here in shirt sleeves but I noticed within five minutes he was in his sweats. He told me that at Tiko it was hot as anything but that it was very cold up here. Yep that's what it's like near the ranges.

Also great news that Richard is finally coming on Sunday to collect the old Nissan my landlady gave him SEVEN months ago. It has been parked outside the front of the place ever since I moved in, a wonderful home for rats who have collected their stash of half eaten walnut shells in the engine. I think his friend Tony is bringing a big trailer and they're going to get the thing up on that as it's not road worthy. Finally will be able to see the garden at the front plus I won't have people commenting on it sitting there. It still has its Rolls Royce sticker on the front although he wind has begun to lift it. It's a wonder the whole thing wasn't tipped up the other day.

Local Bank Is Robbed

It was so cold yesterday morning that I lit the fire at 5am. Just as well as when I looked out the window later there was a dusting of snow on the hills at the back of here and the ranges were coated in the white stuff. Put on two jerseys to go to portraiture and was glad I did. Glenys and her sister in law Jenny picked me up just before 9am- Jenny had bravely volunteered to be the model. I had made the chocolate crunch slice the evening before so took some of this down there and everyone had a piece and no one died. That counts as a success in my book!

This morning I heard that the bank I used all the time before moving here had been robbed at gun point. A bit of a shock as I recognise the teller who was involved. The stolen getaway car was left at Omaranui Road Waiohiki also near where I used to live. Not surprising but that's another story. I hope they catch the people concerned but it does seem to have been well organised so who knows.

Blowing Down The House

I cleaned the cottage to within an inch of its life on Monday and then late Tuesday the winds came. And it blowed and blowed and REALLY blowed. Gusts of 130kms reported on the Takapau plans and I think it was as just as bad here. At 3am Wednesday I switched on the radio hoping it would drown out some of the worst sounds but of course it couldn't stop the house shaking. At 5am I could hear the tack shed roof banging. Went out and saw that the wooden palette I'd had weighing it down had blown twenty feet away and was lying under the clothes line! Hoisted it back up there bursting my Foo Foo Valve in the process and then had to go back out there ten minutes later as it had moved again. Weighing it down with an additional rock seemed to do the trick.

In the morning there were branches all over the lawn (great kindling) plus one of my pot plants had been moved along the path and a small ornament in it had broken. The big storm was the major topic of conversation at art group with nearly everyone tired after being awake all night. Then the rain came and so straight after lunch there was a mass exodus of people wanting to get home. On our way back Gaye slowed down to show me how a tree had fallen over in her front yard. We arrived here in heavy rain and I came straight inside and lit the fire.

All this has not good news for the organisers of the Hawkes Bay Show which began yesterday. Apparently one Tiko resident who was driving there at 4am to set up his stand had to stop for a tree which had fallen across the road. Not to be deterred he pulled out a chainsaw and cut it up so he could get past! Yep that's a kiwi male for you. Have chainsaw, will travel.

Today is rainy and cold so I will be inside making my first attempt at baking in many years. Been given a great recipe for chocolate crunch and if it works out I'll be taking some of it to portraiture class tomorrow. If it doesn't a veil will be pulled across the whole incident and it will never be mentioned again!

A Wander Around The Garden

The bluebells are in flower here. A tub with a camellia tree by the back gate was the first to come into bloom and now there are plants flowering along the fence on the front lawn which has been a pleasant surprise. The dentata lavenders out the front have been a great display all winter and now the camellias are finishing other plants are coming into their own.

In the little courtyard where the clothes line is situated the blue delphiniums are in bud and there are four feet high blue cornflowers. This is probably the only place where tall plants have a chance here as the wind would normally flatten them. I have plants some Queen Anne's Lace by the Lavandula Stoecha and more round the eastern side of the house by the silver beet and non flowering broccoli (a big disappointment although the leaves look amazing).

By the garage there is more lavender and a grey leaved white daisy. I have a pot of purple primroses amongst these. Dotted around the whole garden are purple and blue pansies and heartsease plus a few darker blue forget me nots. There are also large poppy plants coming up but I have no idea what colour they'll be.

Although not a religious person there is a poem that I really think sums up having a garden for me.
The kiss of the sun for pardon
The songs of the birds for mirth
You are nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.

Bright Ideas That Don't Work

Well that didn't work. Not only did the hen turn up in the garden again yesterday but she brought her daughter along! Nasty thoughts of electrifying the top of the fence spring to mind...


And what a lovely greeting I had from Briar yesterday morning. When I pulled the kitchen blind up there she was looking at me from the field and soon as she saw me she began to bray, and bray, and bray, and bray. She only stopped when she ran out of air.

The Ringleader

It turned really warm up here yesterday. Must have because I'm wearing a summer skirt albeit with thermal vest and jersey on top. I spent an hour and a half outside doing chores and becoming increasingly wound up by the behaviour of one recalcitrant bantam hen. It is the little brown one who becomes madly broody every year, lays a clutch and then abandons them when the first chick hatches. Yeah that one. Since I moved here every day she has determinedly flown over the fence and begun laying eggs under the house where I can't reach them. Usually I can shoo her out the back gate and she won't come back in but yesterday I had to chase her out SIX times! Then she brought two of her little girlfriends in as well to participate in the new game of driving me crazy.

By late afternoon I knew what I was going to do. When I put them in the shed to feed them I grabbed the ringleader and clipped her wing. Now this doesn't hurt any more than cutting our fingernails does as you just cut the tips of the feathers on one wing which effectively makes her lop sided so she can't fly over the fence. Well that's the theory anyway. We shall see! Her little followers also got the same treatment. Hopefully now the garden will be a chicken free zone.

Hen House Makes A Break For Freedom.....Again

I was out at portraiture class all morning and as it was so cold and windy up here I hadn't let the chooks out before I left. Came home and had lunch and decided I'd give them a quick run about before I fed them. Well imagine my surprise when I went outside and heard them by the back gate! When I went out into the paddock the front of the hen shed had lifted one foot up and they were going in and out underneath. As there is a bar running along the bottom in the doorway this meant I couldn't get inside to see what was wrong and although I pulled and shoved nothing would move. I came inside and rang Jeff down the road (he of the wayward cow incident) but his wife said she didn't know where he was but she'd ring the main office at Smedley and ask them to contact him on his walkie talkie. I went back outside again but when I came in there was a message saying there was no answer from Smedley but she'd continue ringing.

Two hours later I had a brainwave (I'd eaten a chocolate biscuit so I think this was what caused it) and went out, propped a concrete block by the door to keep it open and lowered a camping chair inside the shed. I transferred into this and wriggled it along the dirt until I was in the corner and could see a piece of metal had ripped and was holding the shed up on top of the warratah (metal stake) the shed had been wired to. I levered a spade inbetween this and the whole shed fell back to the ground. I wired the warratah back in and was able to come inside and ring Jeff's wife to tell her I'd fixed the problem.

An hour later I heard banging from the back of the hedge. When I went out Jeff was there repairing the shed and knocking more warratahs into the ground at either side and attaching thick wire to these from the roof to hold it down. He said it had been a something or other of a week for wind and it was going to get worse. He went back to the farm for something and when I came out later he'd finished the shed and gone home.

Just as well those chickens have nerves of steel considering how many times that shed has attempted to escape. They even kept their cool while the wind jet propelled them around the paddock and managed to lay a couple of eggs in the process.

And the cow jumped over the...

I almost forgot the big excitement yesterday. During the day I heard lots of swearing outside. Now I've lived in the country long enough to know that's usually emanating from a farmer shifting stock. Looked out to see Jeff from Smedley moving a recalcitrant black cow past this place accompanied by a couple of dogs. Next moment he was opening my front gates and walking towards the cottage. I stuck my head out the window and he looked at me and with a typical Kiwi males brevity said "Wayward cow". Sure enough one big pissed off cow was standing in my backyard and he had to chase her around the cottage, through the garden and down the drive back onto the road. Silly moo had jumped the gates so perhaps that nursery rhyme is not so unlikely after all.

I of course was terribly relieved. There is only room for one wayward cow on this property and that's me!

Dark Nights and Alpaca Days

I haven't blogged in over a week and a half. Not because I haven't had anything to say but because I have been incredibly busy.

The water tank is in and working. Brent did a marvellous job installing it considering it was his first one. It's situated right behind the hedge at the back of the cottage and next to the hen house so hopefully it will shelter that from the worst of the westerlies. He also installed a water filter in the kitchen so a flash new tap arches out of the bench for drinking water. I was away from the property on family business for two whole days last week so missed alot of the installation as well as saying goodbye to Brent on the Thursday. However while I was out he kindly took all my rubbish (including packing boxes I used to move here in late March) to the dump so the back carport looks so much tidier.

Least favourite moment of the week- coming home in the dark on two evenings and having to feed animals in the rain and cold by torch. Especially when the hose was in use filling the tank and I had to take water bottles inside to fill them. On the Thursday night I was outside struggling with a mud covered hose wound tightly onto it's spool and not wanting to move. I think I got inside 10.30 that night and didn't fall into bed till midnight.

Favourite moment was on Wednesday after art group at Otane when Brent's Mum Gaye and I went with her two grandsons to visit three alpacas on a friend's property just outside Waipawa. Stunning older house overlooking a beautiful English style country garden where we sat in a sun porch with a hot drink chatting about ballet with the owner who used to teach it as well as weaving since she makes stunning garments out of her animals' fibre.

I took many photos of Trucie, Winter and Pollonius which I will take into get developed in a week or so. Trucie was a white Suri alpaca so looked as if he had dreadlocks. In fact I had a suspicion that he was such a laid back animal he had a penchant for saying "dude" and "chill out". At one point he came up to me, bent his head down and as I bent mine leaned forward and gave me a gentle kiss on the lips! Have to admit it was one of the better kisses I've ever had albeit a grassy tasting one.

Winter was a white fluffy alpaca and Pollonius a rather noble looking brown animal although not as friendly as their surfer dude brother. Of course I am in love but unless a rich sugar daddy comes my way alpacas are out of my league. However I can enjoy spinning their fibre whenever I can get hold of it and Esther, the lady we visited, as offered to teach me to weave.


Alpacas are the in thing here in NZ at the moment. I pass many lifestyle blocks grazing a few animals on the way into town. I do wonder though if the industry will go the same way as mohair goats, angora rabbits, deer, kiwifruit and avocados which were also the flavour of the year a while back but crashed and burned when the markets weren't as great as they hoped.

Wednesday and Water Issues

Wednesday died yesterday morning. She had been going downhill for a couple of weeks with her heart giving her problems and then her kidneys began to fail. Yesterday morning she appeared to have rallied but when I went out later she had passed away peacefully which was all you could hope for with an elderly rabbit. I have had some great times with her although she was the worst mother I ever knew.

My landlord has been here since Saturday installing a rain water tank. Smedley isn't sure where my water is coming from but part of the agreement for Cathy and Brent buying this place from them last year was that they had to have their own water supply by October 2007. Brent cleared out the tack shed of Cathy's stuff and installed a pump. Yesterday the tank arrived- it is a 15,000 gallon one, only a metre and a half tall but very wide. He and the driver rolled it across the fields to where it was going to reside (the back of the hedge) although it made a break for freedom at one point and crashed into a fence. Everything is a bit chaotic with pipes being dug underground etc. plus it began to rain heavily yesterday afternoon which isn't helping matters. You are so conscious of water when you live in the country and after being without it once for four days at my last rental I am particularly paranoid (well more paranoid than usual let's say!)

Sheepish Shennanigans

When I came home from Portraiture Class at Otane yesterday I was shocked to find at least 50 sheep in my paddock. I rang Jeff down the road and left a message on his answering machine asking why they were there. Two hours later they'd gone but I still have no idea who authorised them to graze here. I do know that if they'd remained overnight I would have been left with no grass for Briar and Toby whatsoever.

The past few mornings I have been woken up by the call of a Morepork in the trees by the drive. They have such a haunting call, especially when answered by another owl from across the field. There is also a pheasant population explosion at the moment and you see plenty of birds along the side of the road.

Crazy cat playtime still takes place at 5.30am every morning. The other day I heard a smash in the kitchen followed by rattling and scraping sounds for a while afterwards. Turned out Peaches and Gypsy had found a small clay sculpture I'd made on the bench top, pushed it off onto the lino where bits flew in all directions resulting in small yet interesting chips which could be gently patted under cat dishes (all the better for staring intensely at) and placed carefully under rugs for pulverization when I unknowingly went over them later. Gypsy also has a tendency for pulling covers off furniture, her favourite being a cream shawl placed on the piano stool. She then lies on her side and kicks the life out of it. No matter how many times I put it back when I return to the sitting room it's back on the floor in a neat little pile. This is fast becoming a battle of wills which I have a sneaking suspicion she will win.

Miffed Pets

Demelza is pretty miffed with me this morning as Peaches has usurped her usual place on my knee. She's prowling around the office making annoyed whinny sounds and doing naughty things to gain my attention. Last night a friend rang so Melz tripped the light fantastic along the mantelpiece and although she did get down when I yelled at her a minute later I turned to find her with hind feet on the arm of the sofa and front feet propped on the mantelpiece, just standing there to see if I would turn round and look. She was so mischievous that in the end I sat on the sofa and she came and cuddled up with me which is apparently what she wanted all along. She is a four year old child in a furry body.

My friend John visited yesterday bringing half a cord of firewood to hopefully get me through the last of the colder weather. He threw it under the front carport to dry out. He and his wife have been so incredibly kind to me in the ten years I've known them that I don't know how I would have got through at times without their support.

The other excitement was that Briar attacked Toby again. I watched in horror as she stood over his inert body but by the time I got out in the paddock he was standing up again although Briar was still huffing and puffing. She never did this before she came to live here and with me she's the gentlest animal you'll ever meet.


Got some photos back last week and found this shot of one end of the kitchen looking towards the "gallery" where I hang paintings for sale. It is a sunny room for much of the day and so much larger than my previous kitchen. The cats surely love it as they spend much of their time in there.

The Big Stink

I'm sitting here with Demelza on my knee, the heater on, wearing two jerseys and still shivering. I wonder if there's snow outside? After a few warmer days a cold southerly has swept up the island and we're bearing the rainy brunt of it.


However this hasn't stopped the spring bulbs from beginning their spectacular show. The farm next door has a "host of golden daffodils" flowering in the field by the road. I have two...The pink camellia bush at the top of the drive has been flowering for weeks now and still looks stunning. I tried to take photos of it last month and Mishka insisted on posing in one of them.

Smedley have been grazing the long acre the road verge)all this week which meant that whenever I open the front gates as I am going out a few minutes later I will have found the cadets have shut them again. As I am venturing out into the big world where the normal people live four times this week making the long trek down the driveway in the bitter wind to open them again is a pain in the behind(I'd say something worse but my swearing has toned down since I've lived here). The cows responsible for all this hoohaa are being held most of the day in the stump paddock next to me. After coming home from grocery shopping the other afternoon I noticed the most terrible smell outside. It was all encompassing making the pungent Peaches' mini tornadoes seem small by comparison! Looked out and saw silage had been fed to the cows. Well at least I now know what that smells like and I'll state here that chicken manure seems like Chanel No 5 in comparison.

A couple of my hens have gone broody already. One is determinedly breaking into my garden where I assume she has a nice little clutch forming. I usually find her loitering with intent near the back gate at various times during the day. Doesn't matter how many times I threaten her with decapitation she still insists on coming back. The call of impending motherhood is strong in this one.

Trough Trouble and Toby's Horn Returns

Yesterday morning I spent in Otane at a portraiture class. It was so warm and sunny but on arriving back here at lunchtime Glenys remarked that it was a "different world" i.e. a cold wind was blasting from the south.

I had just finished lunch when Jeff from Smedley Station came to the back door. They were moving the large round trough from the back paddock to the stump one next door as their cattle will be grazing the long acre (along the road verge) soon and they're using that field as a holding paddock. A large tractor was brought in to move it but they also shifted an old concrete trough to just behind the hedge by the back gate so my animals have somewhere to drink. Unfortunately this means I'll have to refill it with water every day as there is a crack at one end and it leaks slowly. As I will be going off Smedley water in a couple of months and onto rainwater (after my landlord puts in a tank to collect rainwater from the roof) I am worried I may run low. I don't ever want to be in the position of not having water as I was at the last cottage.

Anyway I told Jeff about Tobermory losing his horn but he already knew as he found it way down by the old trough. He said it looked like it had snapped off. When I went out to put the chickens to bed he'd hung it in the wire netting on the gate. Poor Toby- I bet it hurt.

I was collecting my mail when Rachel drove past. She stopped for a chat and said once her nursing course is finished at the end of the year she'll be popping in for coffee. I am amazed at how friendly people are in this area compared to where I lived before.

Demelza and the Unigoat

Since Piper died Demelza has become clingy. For the past few weeks she has been joining me in the office early morning while I do my writing but always sitting by the heater or else up on top of the computer station. Since Piper died a week ago she has been curling up on my knee which is most unlike her. Demelza is an incredibly beautiful cat (I think) with such unusual markings but as she is so reserved I can never properly capture her in a photo as she'll always look away as I snap the shutter. I guess being left at the dump aged six weeks takes its toll somewhere along the line.

Tobermory has become a whole lot less cranky since he lost his horn. The wound looks gory but clean. I was telling my friend Gina about the event and mentioned wanting to turn him into a unicorn. She informed me he is now a "unigoat" so that's what I'll tell people he is from now on. Roll up and see the eighth wonder of the world- the magical unigoat!

Horny Goat

I didn't see Tobermory the goat when I went out to feed the chooks early yesterday morning. I had seen him Thursday evening and he was fine so I wasn't too concerned that he hadn't come to say hello. Later that morning as I went to clean out the hen house I noticed Toby walking towards me. I kept looking at him and thinking something wasn't quite right and as he neared the gate I noticed blood all over the right side of his face. Then I saw a bloody stump where his right horn used to be.

How he lost it is any one's guess as it was very strong. I checked the boundary fences to see if he'd got stuck in the wire and pulled it off in fright but there was no sign of it. He must have one hell of a headache. It's fortunately still cold though so no flies about but I will keep an eye on the wound to check it doesn't develop an infection. Of course being me I was trying to work out a way to pull his remaining horn into the middle of his forehead so I could tell everyone he's actually a unicorn........

Keeping Occupied

I've been trying to stay busy to keep my mind off Piper. When a chronically ill animal dies you suddenly realize how much you did for them and how much your day revolved around their care. No more daily washing of Pipe's bedding or getting heart meds into her twice a day for example. One nice note though is that on Tuesday I received a bereavement card from CHB Vets who'd diagnosed her with renal failure.

The day after Piper died I went to town. My big excitement is usually going to the library and I found myself just getting more and more books until my bag was so heavy I could barely lift it- eleven in all. The Wednesday morning was art group at Otane before a lovely lunch at Abbottslee Tearooms in Waipawa. All this activity took my mind of losing her.

I now have a little man to mow the lawns here. He's profoundly deaf so I have to yell my conversations- it's a wonder my family can't hear us in Napier. He also looks like a hobbit which is mildly disconcerting. However he made an excellent job of mowing the grass although he says the lawnmower is about on its last wheels (literally as one is falling off) plus the blades are bent and not cutting properly. Next time he will bring one of his own. All that for $15!


Early mornings while I'm on the net Demelza sits with me quietly in the warmth of the office while Gypsy and Peaches go crazy running up and down the hallway. When I go out an hour later I usually find the mat halfway across the kitchen and pens and any other small objects on the floor where they've been used for footie practice. Usually Peaches is a quiet cat who poses beautifully for photos and keeps coming to check how I'm doing. She stands up and puts both paws on my knee before reaching one right across, placing it in my lap as if to ask if I'm OK. Well that's what I like to think anyway. She probably is asking when her next meal is.

RIP Piper

Piper died an hour ago. She really fought to stay with us as I had expected her to pass away Friday. I moved her bed along mine and when she called out during the night would pat and talk to her until she settled. Over the weekend she wouldn't eat or get out of her bed but I carried water to her and kept her clean. This morning she couldn't meow or raise her head and by lunchtime she was breathing through her mouth. I decided if she was still with us tomorrow morning I would take her to the vet to have her put to sleep but typically Piper had other ideas and beat me to it.

I have buried her by the front carport overlooking the fields towards where the sun rises in the morning. I laid a pink camellia flower in her grave and one more on top and said a prayer that she's finally in a place with no more illness and where she will have the fine long tail she always wanted. Her sweet soul will be sorely missed around here.

Nearing The End

It was a freezing cold day yesterday- the coldest this winter. I was inside by the fire wearing two jerseys and with a hot water bottle on my knee and I was still chilly. Most depressing though is that Piper has finally gone off her food and I can find nothing to tempt her with any more. This morning she didn't want to get out of bed so I carried her into the sitting room where it was warmer. I feel she won't even survive a car trip to the vet and that she's nearing the end. She has been inside three days now and I know she'll never go outside again.

I realize people would say that at least she lived fourteen months more than the vet originally envisaged but even so I can't help reflecting on how unfair it is that a cat so young should have been born with so many problems. Through it all she has remained remarkably good tempered. Piper has certainly earned her angel wings.

Little White Balls and The Tornado

While sitting watching TV last night the wind came up suddenly and with such force the cottage shook and the windows rattled. Cats scattered in all directions and the dog spent five minutes barking. Strangely it seemed to come in from the front of the cottage before switching to a norwesterly which battered us all night. At 3am I got up and listened to something crashing out the back and had convinced myself that the hen house had taken flight before first light finally came.


Part of the roof on the tack shed had lifted so I've placed a small piece of wooden pallet up there to try and hold it down. Couldn't manage a large piece without bursting my Fufu Valve. The chicken house was battered but still standing. The walls had buckled badly and the catch on the door ripped off which accounted for the crashing sound as the door kept slamming itself. The worst damage was the trellis at the side of the cottage (left) which has been blown in against the lemon tree. I can't move it back so will have to wait for someone strong to visit. Grateful the damage wasn't worse I spent five minutes picking up fallen branches off the drive for kindling and just got inside before heavy rain began pelting.

Yesterday I decided to wash Mishka's denim bean bag he sleeps on at night. Put the machine on gentle cycle and headed off to do some housework. When I returned half an hour later there was water on the laundry floor along with dozens of tiny white balls. The denim had ruptured and spilled its guts. Took the whole thing out half dry and sewed the holes shut and dried the bag on the clothes airer in front of the fire for the day. Now I am living with the aftermath of little white polystyrene balls which I can't flush out of the washing machine. They get everywhere and stick with grim determination as if they have minds of their own. Mish's beds are a constant concern as he now needs something soft as he gets stiffer in the hips with increasing age (don't we all!). If he lies on the floor he seems to have to psych himself up to get back on his feet which can take a while. You need your home comforts when you get older and that's for sure.

Little Moments Mean Alot

Tuesday night it became bitterly cold despite the fire and yesterday morning there was a frost plus snow on the foothills at the back on the cottage (pictured left one day when it was just raining). I rushed out at 7.15am and took photos of the snow on the ranges turning pink in the sunrise plus the dusting on the hills. Just as well I did because two hours later it had melted.

I spent most of the day at Otane at the painting group I attend once a week. I really look forward to these days out as not only do I get alot of painting done but I get to meet really nice people. There is a spinning group as well but I haven't managed to get to that yet. In fact I have done very little spinning at all lately which I feel badly about.

World War III continues with the cats. Kit knows she's doing wrong hurting them and will run out of the room when I tell her off but she seems consumed with jealousy. Piper couldn't give a hoot. She is so improved this week that she is eating all her meals and wanting lots of cuddles while we sit on the sofa.

The other morning I was washing out one of the litter trays as you do (a horrible job) while enjoying looking at the beautiful camellia tree which grows by the backyard. I noticed a bellbird hopping amongst the pink flowers feeding and it actually came within just three feet of me. I watched entranced for ten minutes until it flew away. Those little moments make life worth living.

The Answer To The Killer Donkey Episodes

Briar made another attempt to murder Toby the goat on Friday. This is the scene of the crime- the side paddock seen in grassier times (Autumn) with Mishka the dog and Demelza The Phantom Sprayer checking their Pmail. The good news though is that yelling abuse at the donkey out the sitting room window appeared to do the trick and she pulled on the brakes and pretended she'd never chased him in the first place. I was talking on the phone to John at the time and he asked how long it was since the first attack. Well it's a month. That gave him the answer. Apparently mares become extremely nasty when they're in season so Briar's crankiness is due to the fact that she's "in the mood". Great- so now I have a randy ass to deal with as well as everything else!

Piper Back After Chasing Rainbows

Piper turned up at the back door Sunday evening yowling at the top of her voice. Terribly skinny she wouldn't touch her food went straight to sleep. Monday morning she vomited up a mixture of kitty litter (yes that's her latest habit) with some black muck which a visitor felt was a dead lamb. She fasted all Monday but by Tuesday she still wasn't eating so in desperation I gave her Homeopathic Nux Vomica. Shortly afterwards Piper began meowing to go outside- in fact she whined and yapped for an hour until I gave in. Thinking I wouldn't see her again that day I was surprised to hear her wail at the door a few hours later. In she marched and when I gave her a dish full of her special dry food she began wolfing it down! I think I will give her some more Nux Vomica this morning to see if she continues eating. Not only is it effective in digestive disturbances (constipation and lack of appetite) it's great in cases of poisoning.


We get alot of rainbows up here and this shot is facing south west towards the ranges. I just thought it was a beautiful view worth commemorating. Perhaps that's where Piper was on the weekend- away chasing rainbows.

After The Rain

I think I have about unwound myself from being a question mark shape after all the firewood stacking I did a week ago. The wood has dried out and is burning well although it has been so warm the past few days I've barely needed a fire. After watching two small rivers running down my driveway for seven days a strong northerly wind arrived which dried them up as well as clearing the puddles from the front lawn.

Tuesday morning I went to town and saw the devastation caused by the flooding at Maraekakaho near Hastings city. When you saw how high the school was situated and yet children had to be carried out by the army you realised how massive the rains actually were. Several houses were still being cleaned out and workers were scurrying about the bridge and nearby paddocks which had been turned into huge mud baths. Worst hit was the small fire station. The rain had rampaged underneath the building and ripped holes in the concrete foundations. The shingle driveway had been scoured away and concrete ramp into the shed broken. Dirty brown grass hung on the fence wires giving an idea of how high the water crept. Now we're being told that more heavy rain is on its way this afternoon so goodness knows what tomorrow will bring Hawkes Bay.

In the middle of all this Piper had been going walkabout in the fields at the back of the cottage. She would ask to go outside mid morning then arrive back later in the day happy enough before vomiting up half digested rats. Over the past few days she had gone off her usual food. I have had trouble waking her in the mornings and stranger still she abandoned her post by the fire to take up residence on the sofa with me. Then on Friday she disappeared and has not come home. I am hoping that she's just hunting and that her bad heart and wonky kidneys have not taken her away from me for ever.

Demelza seems to know something is up as she's refusing to go outside except once in the early morning with the dog. She sleeps on the sofa if I am there or else sits on top of the computer unit while I'm working. Last night she came to watch while I had a bath and scared the heck out of me by walking around the edge "kneading" the metal. I had visions of her slipping into the water and clinging onto my vulnerable bits in her frantic efforts to get out.


When I first moved here I would sit on this stump out the back with the sun shining on me looking up to the ranges. Of course when I took this shot it was raining up there so you can only see the foothills. And what is at the bottom of the foothills? Why toes of course!

I Don't Have A Wooden Heart....Maybe A Few Splinters

The rain set in more steadily today without any breaks at all. This was quite depressing as I had an early phone call from the firewood merchant saying he was delivering the macrocarpa at 8.30am. Sure enough right on the dot he arrived in his truck and looked disbelievingly at me when I told him I was going to put the whole cord away by myself. To be honest I didn't think I could do it either. However he turned the truck around on the sodden lawn and dumped the wood near the top of the drive away from the worst of the small creeks that are streaming down the full length of the shingle driveway.


I began to barrow wood to the back carport and stack them next to the ramp as I had with the previous load of pine (pictured to the left on a sunny day in May). Then I began piling wood on the front doorsteps as these were one of the few surfaces that were dry. Seeing that the entire shingle floor of the front carport was wet I had no choice but to start stacking macrocarpa there but after three hours my stacking deteriorated and I was just rushing with barrows stacked with wood and throwing them in one great central pile in order to get them out of the rain. After this I collected as much bark and kindling as I could pile in the wheelbarrow and pushed this through a now very boggy pathway into the carport where it is still sitting.

I have been assured the wood is dry as the trees were cut down over a year ago so I hope the rain will dry off it very quickly as the weather tonight forecast a cold blast (with more rain) arriving on Sunday and I foresee many days spent next to the fire.

Tonight as I write this I am hunched over the keyboard shaped like a pretzel, the tips of my fingers raw as if I have been playing The Devil Went Down To Georgia on rusty banjo strings. However my hands smell delightfully woody and I still cannot believe I shifted all that wood in three hours in the rain. What an idiot!

Third Day of The Big Wet

The rain is beginning to subside this afternoon although a couple of rivulets are still running down my drive from the back paddock. Everything is soaked- even under the house is wet. Yesterday the last of my firewood in the front carport was rained on so I spent a frantic half hour barrowing it round to the back carport where at least it's a bit more sheltered. An unexpected financial bonus has meant I was able to order some more to be delivered by Saturday. One cord of macrocarpa for me to move and stack on my own. I'll be shaped like a pretzel by the time I finish.

7.15 am today found me up to my elbows in mud trying to haul the goat's shelter out of boggy ground onto a piece of concrete path that juts out into the paddock from the back yard. After seeing Toby covered in mud I figured at least on the concrete he'd keep fairly clean and it'll wear down his hooves. He watched with interest as I groaned and swore trying to move the heavy thing and I was half afraid that as I strained to pull it along he would headbutt me in a vulnerable area. However he was more curious and soon as his house was positioned he took up residence.

The chickens are knee deep in water in their house but although I let them out for a run round between showers they only did a desultory circuit picking up a few sad drowned worms before heading back inside. All except one silly hen who decided she was going to sleep out under the stars tonight. She's in for a shock!

I've heard of one poor farmer who has lost 100 lambs. After the drought this rain must seem like the final straw. Everyone has a story to tell of damage to their property. Now they're calling it a 50 year flood as no one can really remember anything as bad.


Finally got my film developed which had photos from my old place interspersed with ones of the new. I took this shot in late afternoon on a cloudy day. This is the front of my cottage. My room is on the left, the office where I'm typing this is in the middle and the sitting room to the right behind the latticed carport. The driveway runs up the left towards the garage. More to follow when I have a bit more time.

Hawkes Bay Floods

The TV news promised heavy rain in the Hawkes Bay Ranges last night and of course that's where I live. When I woke at 5am I heard faint rain on the roof but couldn't see what was going on until 7am. When I went to feed the chooks there were puddles in the paddock and water was beginning to gather at the back of the garage and flow through. No biggie.....till 9am when the rain gathered force and within an hour the drain at the front of the property had turned into a 30 foot wide lake to the right, flowing across the driveway over a bank into the drain in the left paddock where it joined the creek. Water washed across the paddock at the back, cascading under the small wire gate and down the concrete path into the backyard. From there it scoured out the shingle down the drive. Even the back lawn beneath the clothes line was under water.

Maxine rang after lunch to see how I was coping. Apparently the creek near her had risen one and a half metres in a short time and Civil Defence had called in twice. Someone had stacked a few cord of firewood on their property only to watch it swept away. Apparently the army is evacuating people further up State Highway 50 at Maraekakaho, Flaxmere in Hastings is cut off and Puketapu near Napier is in trouble. 150 mms more rain are expected up here within the next few hours.

Killer Donkey

A grey drizzle descended again this morning so I stayed inside to kill the dust elephants. Maxine arrived later and fortunately was present to help prevent a murder.


At lunchtime I heard Briar braying but it was a most unusual sound as if she were very upset. Next we saw her gallop past the sitting room window before turning and running back up the paddock again. Thinking she was just playing we listened as she started braying again and then saw her chasing Tobermory back down the side paddock. But then it turned nasty for as he ran she bent over and bit him in the withers and then pulled him onto his haunches (no mean feat as he is the size of a German Shepherd with the strength of an ox) before biting him again. Toby's mouth was open in distress and he managed to escape again before Briar bit him again and he fell to the ground. Then he lay there and Briar prepared to slam her hooves into his body. By this time Maxine had run outside and was shouting at her to stop and even began firing windfall lemons in her direction.

Briar lost interest in Toby and walked away and by the time I grabbed my swandri and got out to the paddock he was in his house and she had calmed down. With Maxine watching from behind the gate I gave Briar a carrot to occupy her while I checked on the goat. Toby baaed when he saw me and happily accepted his treat. His nose was dirty and his coat wet from donkey bites. Tomorrow it looks as if I'll have to subdivide the paddock and separate them.

I have no idea what inspired Briar's attack but I have a feeling Toby may have charged her. Usually she only plays in fun and never becomes so angry or agitated. Last week when she stole a carrot he was eating he wheeled around and began to sidle towards her chest with his head down. I was wondering if something similar had happened again and caused this usually placid animal to lose her temper.

Hopefully the stress of this attack won't cause Tobermory to go downhill. He's nearly 16 and this sort of thing is too much for an old goat to bear let alone me!

Unexpected Ending

This is my 100th post on Follyfarm but unfortunately it is an unhappy one. This as a result of shock from the accident early last week or else the extreme cold I don't know but it looked like he died in his sleep. I raised him from a baby two and a half years ago and he'd grown into such a character. He was enjoying playing with the new bell and mirror I bought him last Wednesday. This is the best photo I have of him.

Strangely enough it wasn't the bird I thought I'd lose this week. My friend Tanya and her daughter visited on Friday to bring out Aliesha's old mattress to replace my 50 year old one with the dip in the middle (a hollow so deep you'd get trapped and have to mountaineer your way out of it). Anyway it was bitter so we sat in the sitting room talking and saw Briar walk past the window. Aliesha asked if the goat was mine as well and when I looked out I saw Tobermory standing hunched up with his tail between his legs. His eyes were closed and he was swaying and nearly falling over. We rushed out to look and he was shaking. He had been trembling when I fed the hens early in the morning but then so was I as it was so cold. I fed him an apple but when I returned to let the hens out mid morning he hadn't eaten it.

I rang John (my free vet adviser) and he cautioned that as Tobes is nearly 16 it could be his time to go. However when I went out at 5pm to check on his he was eating grass again. Yesterday he was back to normal.

Obviously it wasn't his time to leave us but Tuppence's. It's never easy to say goodbye to a pet and it seems harder when you weren't expecting it. I had two and a half years of great fun with that little sparrow and it was two and a half years he wouldn't have had if the cat hadn't brought him inside so I was able to rescue him. I've kept birds since I was five and each one has been a character that you never forget.

The Rain It Raineth

After so many months of drought we seem to be blessed with too much of a good thing now. The rain began late Monday and here Friday it's still drizzling. A side effect of rainfall is grumpy cats who are stuck inside having to put up with each other. My days consist of cleaning out litter trays and breaking up fights. I worked out yesterday that it takes me half an hour to get organised when I get up as I work to keep everyone happy. First I wake at 3 am as apparently when you turn thirty your bladder turns 103. The Demelza wakes up and knowing how she'll yowl at me for hours I have to shut her out of the bedroom so I can cat nap till 5.30am. That's when Peaches wakes up. Her strategy is to jump off the bed, then on the bed, run across my chest to leap off the other side. She knows she only needs to do this three or four times before I give in and get up. Then the following routine happens.....

Pull back the bed covers. Haul on winter tights and socks so feet don't fall off with cold. Open bedroom door to find Demelza crouched down behind it in order to leap on unsuspecting kittens. Go across the hall and open bathroom where Piper now sleeps in her little sheepskin bed since she began wetting mine. Say hello to Piper. Check to see if she's wet her bed (which she usually has) and/or used the litter tray. Head to dark kitchen. Turn on light and nearly pass out. Unlock back door and allow Mishka dog and Peaches and Demelza go out (Peaches doesn't do anything but sit on the woodpile waiting for the dog to return). Open sitting room door so that Piper can hiss at Kit who sleeps in there. Gasp at how cold it is. Turn on light, radio and heater in that order.

Go down to the bathroom and collect wet Piper bed. Throw in washing machine. Carry litter tray to kitchen, return and wash bathroom floor with disinfectant. THEN I can visit the little room myself. Go into office and turn on computer. Check to see if dog is at the door. When he comes in try to prevent Kit from picking a fight with Demelza who is following him. Peaches makes a run for the kitchen chair.

Get dressed. Turn off heater. Carry nightie and thick jersey I sleep in back to bedroom and pull back curtains. Feed Kit her special dried food. Tip Piper's special food into her red dish and carry this and three other cat dishes with cat food into sitting room. Shut door so I can work in peace. Dish out food and then balancing four dishes and two cans of food on lap return to the kitchen where I feed Demelza high, and Piper, Peaches and Gypsy on the floor. Feed dog last as he's lowest in the cat pecking order. Check Kit has finished her breakfast and let her out. Shut dog in sitting room to stop him clearing up everyone else's food.

Wash hands. Get the computer started on dialing onto the Internet. Make a cup of tea. Check everyone has eaten and then let the dog out. Light the fire and allow this to heat the room for an hour while I go on the net. The evening rigmarole isn't as complicated but it's getting there. No wonder I'm tired!

And news about Angel. She turned up at my old place last week after a seven month abscence. Walked into the cottage where the old man was having his evening meal so he shared his steak with her. He then let her go. She has since been seen in the hay barn but runs away from them. I just wish they would bait the oppossum trap with meat and catch her so I could have her here.

Tuesday night Kit did a silly thing by cramming herself behind the birdcage on top of the fridge for a nap. All I could see were two hairy white feet hanging over the edge. An hour or two later there was an almighty crash. I arrived in the kitchen to find the cage on the lino with the floor lying elsewhere and a worried bird sitting there wondering why he'd woken up out of a pleasant dream about owning a millet factory. His drinker was smashed as was his favourite toy (a bell/mirror). Got him sorted out and vacuumed the seed off the floor at 10pm. Kit then spent the next half hour attached to my jersey desperately apologising. I've docked her pocket money until she pays for the new drinker and toy I had to buy the bird the next day.

Busy week. Thursday I spoke at the Tikokino CWI meeting and Friday morning my landlady's two sisters in law came for morning tea. Rachel has two boys and has moved into Linda's house a km further down the road and Gina is German and lives ten minutes away in the village.

We had a lovely time even though it was pouring with rain and cold. I had the fire going and made a hot drink and Rachel and brought home made banana cake. Gina had been telling her about my painting so she asked to see everything. Rachel left at 12.15 but Gina stayed for another hour so we could chat about art. She is picking me up in a week and a half to take me to the Otane Arts and Crafts painting group. She says there are also portrait classes on a Friday and you pay $5 to help pay for the model. That would be one way to improve my life drawing and I can count the hours towards my course work.

I also sold the two skeins of alpaca yarn on Trademe. Still have 400 grams left to spin. The last couple of days I have been opening wardrobes and looking under the spare bed appalled at my stash. I never realised I had accumulated so many fleeces. It truly is an illness.

It's been very chilly the past two days and Piper and Gypsy have refused to set paw outside so the litter trays are taking a hammering. Where does kitty litter go to when it dies? It's a question which perplexes me every time I have to clean the trays. With the cats being stuck inside tensions have increased. Kit has begun bullying Demelza and Gypsy yet leaves Peaches and Piper alone. It is easy for her to intimidate others as there is always the threat she'll place her huge hairy backside on them and crush them into submission. Obviously in her mind she's a tiny svelte exotic who can trip lightly along mantlepieces and gently alight on laps. I worked this out when I saw her try to cram herself in small places like bookshelves and under the sofa. She reminds me of a larger woman trying to cram herself into too small hipsters.

Winter Hits Hawkes Bay

It's been a week of terribly bitter weather here. Thursday I awoke to a black frost which didn't leave the grass until 11 am. Thank goodness for the fire is all I can say as I am basically living in the sitting room most of the day. It is even worse round the rest of the country- Queenstown basically shut down for a few days as no one could move in or out due to snow. The photo is of the Ruahine Ranges which run west down to Wellington. Not the exact view from here but very similar. The other morning when I went out the back door the snow was right down on the foot hills. Looked like they'd been dusted with icing sugar.


I am still unwell. Doctor says it's not a bad kidney infection but it certainly has made me feel like death warmed up. No spinning at the moment, just some art and reading between checking on everyone outside.

Two Goodbyes

Hallelujah! Changed my email again as well as my password and I'm back in with Explorer. Phew.

Last week was eventful for two goodbyes. Firstly my neighbours Linda and Hans were flying out to a new life in Holland. Sunday 10th June was gloomy and very cold. When I went to feed the chickens I saw why- there was a good coating of snow on the ranges. Linda rang and asked if would I go down to their place to say goodbye as they were expecting visitors and didn't want to leave it till too late to come and see me. She picked me up in her car and I was there by 11.15am. Fortunately they had their fire going and the room was toasty (empty but toasty as they'd sold their furniture). First the other lady bus driver who works locally turned up with her boyfriend and stayed for three hours. Then my landlady's sister in law who will be renting the house came in with her husband and two boys. She had no idea who I was and asked where I lived- when I said "Cathy's place" the light bulb turned on. They left at 3.45pm and I was hoping to get home as it was raining and beginning to get dark but Linda asked me to stay for a late lunch. It was getting colder and colder even with a heater and fire on and Hans told me it was 5oC (41oF) inside. Anyway when I said goodbye to Hans he got all choked up and tearful and held my hands. Linda dropped me off, gave me a quick hug and then ran out the door. When I looked out the window she was crying. It was so so sad. So now they're back living in Holland but say they'll keep in touch via email.

Maxine arrived Monday when it was pouring with rain (the farmers were so grateful as Hawkes Bay is having the worst drought we've had in 100 years) and said I'd been asked to give a talk about my artwork by the Tikokino Country Woman's Institute on 3 April. We thought they got it wrong and meant 3 July but no they do mean 3 April........2008.

Then came Tuesday 12th which I knew was going to be a big day. Meadow's eye had flared up again after I gave her some hay so I took her back to the vets at 10am. Nicki put dye in her eye and found the tear duct had blocked again and would need to be reflushed. Went to get a warrant of fitness for my car- it failed. Needed four new tyres. The only funny bit was the guy looking in my car and asking "Where's the dust?" I told him I'd shifted and didn't have a long shingle road to my place anymore. Anyway we drove to tyre places and none would give finance under $400 and I only needed $260 so Rich lent me the money and we had the new ones fitted. In fact the people "Firestone" (NZ made tyres) gave us both hot chocolate drinks while we waited.

Had a trip to the doctor's myself to get a few things sorted (looks like I have a kidney infection amongst other things) and then collected my sister in law from work before heading out to the vet to collect Meadow. Nicky came out and said she wanted a quiet word with me and then brought Med out in her cage all wrapped in a towel. She'd managed to unblock the tear duct but it ruptured and a whole lot of pus came spilling out and the eye began bulging. She told me that her eye would never be any good and the infection could go into her brain. I would have to inject her with antibiotics but the problem would reoccur. I asked what she would do if it was her pet and the result was that she put Meadow to sleep. I cried and cried with the vet with her arm about me, handing me tissues. She carried the empty cage out to the car only to find Richard on his knees changing the back tyre. Yes the new back one had gone flat. Not a day I want to repeat..................

Absent

I have been having major problems with Blogger which is why I haven't posted this past week. For weeks now I have been able to log in through my Netscape browser but unable to upload photos, however I was able to do this through Explorer. Now when I try to log in through Explorer it tells me that my email doesn't exist. I changed my email and the same thing is happening. As you can't contact a real person directly in Google and their help section doesn't mention this situation I am stuck with no pictures on my blogs. I may have to move the whole lot to another system.

Piper's Trip To The Vet

Had a trip to the vet Wednesday. Firstly Cadbury my chocolate angora buck had a testicular tumour which had to be removed (it apparently was so impressive the vet took a photo) and I also took Piper for a check up. Cadbury was booked in all day for a castration and I left Piper for an hour so she could have blood work done. However before the results came in the vet was able to tell me she suspected renal failure as the kidneys were enlarged and there was some fluid on the lungs. This could be a result of her cardiomyopathy.

Collected Piper at 10am and brought her all the way home, had lunch and returned to Waipukurau for a 2pm appointment before collecting Cadbury. He was extremely perky (and lighter) after his operation as was my wallet. At 5pm the vet phoned with Piper's results which confirmed renal failure. However she said there were a few things they could do to help including an anabolic steroid shot to improve her appetite and help kidney function as well as starting her on a special diet which she would send out with the mailman.

The next morning I was able to get a ride into the vet with Piper and she had her first steroid injection. She wasn't as perky as the day before and hadn't wanted her breakfast but by the afternoon she was ravenous and ate so much so ended up being heartily sick. By the end of the day her new food had arrived and I was able to begin weaning her onto this. It's $29.95 a bag but as you don't feed a lot I am hoping it won't work out to be too expensive. At this stage she is looking much better, not drinking as much and the litter tray isn't getting such a hammering. However the vet has warned me her days are limited and that she now things the kidney disorder may have been there since birth as were her other health problems. Doug my previous vet had also warned that her tail deformity might only be the tip of the iceberg.

One good outcome of the vet visit is that they allowed me to put my business card up on their notice board so hopefully I may get some art commissions. The ironic part is this week I have felt very unwell with what I think may be a kidney problem so haven't felt like doing much artwork at all.