Long time no see!

It's been a while since I've posted, things have been very busy. I also wasn't adding to the Blog because I wasn't sure if anyone was reading it!! We were getting very few comments left so I just thought of no-ones reading it then why bother! But I know now that some still are and to those people we thank you. It's very easy to leave a comment and some feedback would be good occasionally.

Anyway I don't want to sound like a 'whinging POM!' so I'll carry on... ;-)

Things continue to go well here, it's certainly full on. Since the last entry, Michael has started Hamilton Boys High School and seems to be doing well. Of course kids never 'like' school do they? If only they knew, hindsight is a wonderful thing and youth is definately wasted on the young.
He's been playing rugby for his school and they've certainly picked up as a team and have been winning some fo their games. Michael has been playing half back & second 5. Joe decided to coach again this year, obviously still giddy from his success last year as co-coach of Hamilton Old Boys! He is in the 3rd term now, they have 4 and apart from the core subjects he's been doing some varied work, with his choice of options, graphics, elite sports, woodwork etc, so all good stuff.
He's certainly growing up, becoming quite the young man, his voice is beginning to break and causes much hilarity when he 'cracks a high!'. I noticed he has hairy legs too, 'When did that happen?' I asked, 'Been like that for ages mum...sheesh!' was the reply.

Joes work is going well, occasionally travelling away on some jobs, sad to say that he doesn't get to see too much of where he is as he's working! Shame!!! Just recently he's been given a works yute, it's a Holden Rodeo....and very nice it is too. He's been busy with jobs outside and has recently built me some bays in the barn in which the goats and babies are tucked up in at night.
He wants to start his new veggie garden soon, last year was a disaster really he gave up the battle with the weeds and vowed to start again next year. That time of year is rapidly approaching and work will begin soon on his raised flower beds. It will be nice to have some home gown veg with our home grown meat! The fruit trees we planted last year have taken well and we may get some fruit off them this year, the aim is to preserve as much as we can, the quest for being fairly self sufficient continues. If only we could afford to use solar power for heating etc then we would'nt have any bills at all!

Now prepare yourselves for a shock!! I've got a job....a real one!! Yeah I know I said I'd retired, but hey......they needed me! LOL....as if.........
Just up the road are some huge glasshouses that grow orchids, not dainty little things but some very huge monstrous things. The are mainly grown for the export market going to Japan, Hong Kong and the USA. There are staff who work out in the main glasshouses tying up the flowers so they grow strong and straight, and generally manage the upkeep of the plants, some 46,000 pots of them, all producing spike after spike of beautiful flowers. they range in colours but they are mainly pink, white, yellow and green. There are variations of these colours too ranging from pale to dark shades.
Once the flowers are at a certain stage they are picked and are brought into the 'shed' on big trolleys that hold up to 80 spikes. This is where my job begins, alongside other workers, mainly women, we have to grade the plant. This involves, checking for disease, damage, pests and quality, the stems are pushed into a tube containing water and then they have to be sleeved to offer some protection to the flowers when they are packed. Once sleeved they need to be sorted into size, they vary greatly the same variety of flower could have just 4 or 5 blooms, where as another could have 20+. So once sorted into their size they are then selected for the orders, this is my new job, I have to work from an order sheet and go from there. Once I've done this they need to be packed, which is a challenge in itself, some being so huge. It can be hard sometimes not to damage them! Once packed a lid is placed on the box and then couriered to the airport or where-ever, some do go to local markets. So now you can probably appreciate why they can cost so much, very labour intensive. It's seasonal work and it's almost at the peak, I originally started on 3 days but now I'm doing a full week with overtime. Ah well at least I get the whole summer off.

Joes mum Mary came for a holiday for 51/2 weeks up to and including Easter. She was very busy visiting the family here, hopefully we didn't wear her out too much. I will post a link to the photos once I have uploaded them to Webshots.

It's been a cold and wet winter this year and we certainly missed the central heating and double glazing, mind you we never get it as bad as some parts of NZ. We have quite a few animals and I was beginning to get concerned about our grass situation, thinking we wouldn't have enough to go round. So I made sure the animals ate every last bit before I gave them some more, they had hay too of course which we had cut back in January, so they haven't starved by any means and look good. Winter isnt over quite yet technically another month to go, but I think we are ok and there are signs of spring, the daffodils are starting to poke their heads up and the grass is beginning to grow again.

With signs of Spring brings new life and this week had been eventful with my Boer goat girls having their first babies (photos yet to be posted). On Monday 17th Sapphire had a doe kid and she is huge a good 8lb'er and beautiful, I'm fairly convinced she's my next show goat. On Wednesday 19th, Pearl had twin does again both lovely but still to weigh them. Ruby didn't do so well having twins on Thursday 20th, one buck & one doe. They were both small and the doe was having trouble feeding as she was having toruble standing. Ruby didn't reject her as such but she showed no interest, nature has a way of knowing things are wrong as I believe Ruby did and she made no attempt to nudge the doe to get up and feed. So now as I type one little doe kid called Baba (African for born on a Thursday) is asleep in a basket next to me.
She is so tiny and still isn't out of the woods yet, she's not got any worse but she doesn't seem to be getting any better either. She did appear to have a good day yesterday and made very good attempts at standing, perhaps she'll do better today, hopefully she'll pull through, she must be able to stand up or she won't survive. So I'll keep you updated on her progress.
Lastly, yesterday (Saturday 22nd) Emerald had her baby, another huge one, another buck and he's gorgeous, another showgoat we think. All mums and babies doing fine and were enjoying the sunny weather yesterday. It'll be time for lambing next! Sigh!!!! :-0

The other goats are doing well, Amber had grown and certainly looks huge now compared to the new babies. Pikelet is still here with her triplets from last year and all have grwon really well. I may have to sell them on this year which is sad, but I really want to concentrate on the boers, and unless we suddenly move to some where with more land, (highly unlikely) I need to make more room here. When I do sell them they will have to be sold as a family group as they are all so close and at this stage I would hate for them to be separated. So any future owner would have to take them all together. But we'll cross that bridge when we need to.

All the others animals are doing well also, the cows are growing and Isobel the Dexter calf is nearly a year old and later in the year it will be time to put her to the bull and next year we'll be worrying about her giving birth, the same goes for Agate too, the Angus cross. The 2 beefy boys, Dumb & Dumber are looking delicious...oops sorry!! ;)

We have rather a lot of sheep at the moment too. 5 older ewes that we had last year, 3 of their lambs, Jo-jo (who doesnt know she's a sheep) and Ram lamb. we are pretty sure the older girls are in lamb, over the next couple of weeks we'll know for sure! We'll need to reduce them down too later in the year, we'll see how many lambs we get.

I've lost count of my 'chooks' but there are lots, with 2 roosters to keep them in order and 7 guines fowl which Joe hates but I love, he was licking his lips at them yesterday!
The chooks are laying loads of eggs and I sell enough to buy feed for them with, so they are paying their way. We still have some ducks somewhere, they drop in occsionally to eat the chook food then bugger off again! They have been spotted swimming around in the neighbours flooded paddocks, they also did very well surviving the 2 month duck shooting season!! But they are flightless so they shouldn't have been shot anyway. Joes been licking his lips at those too!

Bonnie and Clyde, the dogs are lovely and such good dogs. Throw a ball or stick for Clyde and you'll be a friend for life!

Luey our 16 year old cat is still going strong and is the boss of everyone, Tiger and Squidge have the occasional fight, but tend to avoid each other if they can!

New additions to our place are Bert & Beryl, both pedigree kune kune pigs, another little breeding venture I wish to embark upon...more worry!

Anyway, that's it for now, I'll work at adding some photos later, so keep watching, and please leave a comment, you can leave one as a guest.