December 19, 2014 Outdoor table

The old concrete trough at The Cowshed - once a goldfish pond.....

The macrocarpa slab top 

Geoff, Matty and three of the Waihi College first fifteen boys arrive to help put the slab in place...

Will it fit?!!!!!!

Christening the completed outdoor table!!

December 18, 2014 New avocados forming...

Picked another 150 avocados yesterday - ready for Xmas, Xmas presents and engagement party. Small avocados beginning to form on the trees - despite the heavy rain and wind experienced over the last 5 days.

Egg collection

Collected the eggs this evening - didn't realise they came in quarter sizes!!!! Only five hens around again tonight - one has disappeared. Am convinced it's sitting on a big nest of eggs somewhere - but can't find it!!! Have spent hours searching, but to no avail!!! Maybe tomorrow?!!!

Picking avocados

Picked 100 avocados yesterday from three trees, prior to the expected storm. Fruit a good size, however some skins showing sun or wind damage. Will continue picking over the next 5 days, so that fruit is ready for Xmas and the engagement party.

Ali made some great boxes from macrocarpa "leftovers'. Hoping to add a stencilled logo to the ends and utilise them for marketing and selling fruit.

Rhubarb Chutney

Harvested some rhubarb today - stewed some for breakfast and made a delicious chutney from a recipe cook from Rural Women, New Zealand


Rhubarb Chutney

Phyllis Bishop, Lynnfield Branch

This is nice with pork and with slices of cheese for sandwiches.

500g rhubarb, diced
500g onions, diced
2 red peppers, de-seeded
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 cup sultanas
1 1/2  cups red wine vinegar
3 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
 1 tablespoon salt

Put all ingredients in a pot and simmer for 1 hour. Bottle while hot into sterilised jars.

Worm juice

Both worm farms in full production. Bottled 10 litres of worm juice this morning. Adding it to the seaweed fertiliser and spraying the orchards, vegetable garden, roses etc.

Look what arrived !!!

Finally!!!! The building consent has arrived!!!

Progress in the vege garden

Vegetable garden growing well, despite yesterdays bad weather. Gusts of wind knocked over some of the corn and  broke some of the new blackberry canes. Remarkably  the shade house is still standing along with the tomato frames. 

Catching the Lambs!

Yesterday, Glenn, Tracey, Jordan, Cody and Reuben arrived to capture two of the seven lambs. The sheep were herded into the fruit orchard and cornered - whilst the rest of us desparately tried to keep them penned in, Reuben showed great skill and dexterity diving onto the chosen lambs and loading them into the trailer. The fences in the sheep paddock were pretty useless - lambs and sheep jumping over and away.

The two ram lambs spent the night in the pens, and Glenn and Reuben arrived today to take them to the butcher. To ensure they didn't jump out of the trailer en route, Glenn "hamstrung" them with a rope.

One of the lambs is for Ashley's wedding whilst the other is destined for the spit at Jeff and Brenna's engagement party...

Xmas Lights

Added 300 solar powered lights to the totara tree outside the house....

The nearly completed pergola ...... looking out towards the bonfire paddock....

Ali cutting the upright support macrocarpa posts to size....

                                                       A well deserved break!

Outdoor table.....

Sanded! In order to add strength to the table, Ali has routered 3 strips into the table for 3 engineered metal straps.

First coat of oil......

The Good Life....

Getting closer to the goal of eating a meal completely from the farm produce!

Avocados

The avocado trees are looking great - despite the continual wind. Full of new growth and flowers.  Some fruit still on the tree - developing slowly in size, however not of the same quality as picked earlier last month. Hopefully, will have enough left for Xmas!

Creating the outdoor area at The Cowshed

View of The Cowshed from the paddock - the outdoor entertaining area

There is a small concrete pad off the main concrete area, which we are planning to put a pergola around - an area with seating and a fire pit.

An old water run-off area is in the process of being redeveloped into a garden. Old rocks which use to surround the tanker loop driveway have been utilised. Kauri trees and other native trees were planted in September to provide privacy, shade and encourage birds back into the area.

Lots of rubbish uncovered - everything from plastic to an old pitchfork.... and of course the inevitable wire!

Mulching this weekend will help!

December 4, 2014 - Hay baled!

Cut grass getting the "fluff up" treatment

Baling in progress in and around the avocado orchard

Finished! 15 bales cut from Avocado and
Lower Avocado paddocks. 

Macrocarpa Outdoor table and Pergola

Ali picked up the  macrocarpa beams for the pergola from MacDirect in Pukekohe. It was a long, slow trip home!

The macrocarpa timber has been drying in The Cowshed for a few weeks. Ali glued it together and is trimming it into shape. 

Lighting up The Cowshed

Had fun tonight - bought a couple of portable floodlights to light up  some trees around The Cowshed perimeter!

Kendall came home for the weekend and helped us to transform The Cowshed for Jeff and Brenna's engagement party. Lined walls with black shade cloth and will use white builders wrap to line the ceiling!









                                                                                                                                                             

Half way!

Broody Hen

Meet the broody hen!!!

Kept itself shut in the hen house sitting on any eggs it could find! Consulted my hen manual and have now got her locked up in the chicken tractor for 4 days.........plenty of food, drink etc, but no friends!!!!

Logo designs

Jeff has started work on our first logo - looking for  something to put on wooden crates, jam labels etc. Our first attempt - what do you think?

Picking avocados

Have been picking avocados since the beginning of October.

Picked up a wonderful telescopic picker from the Fieldays - why are the best ones always at the top?

Selling them at Waihi Beach Hotel, Waihi Beach Bakery and Falls Retreat. Lots of giveaways to friends and family....

Removing excess avocados

View of the Lower avocado paddock
 looking up toward the beehives.

View of the Lower Avocado slope
looking towards the Mangakara Stream.

During the Term 3 holidays, we made the decision to remove 12 of the avocado trees in our Lower Avocado trees. These trees were not growing well due to colder temperatures and the steep hillside slopes made it awkward to access the avocados - not to mention the number of times the cows managed to get into the area!




 A further 2 avocados were removed from the Avocado paddock to make a more effective paddock size. Ali cut them out storing the avocado wood for firewood and the cows proved an effective eater of remaining branches and leaves. John arrived with his digger on November 1st and removed the stumps - today in the drizzling rain, I planted grass....

 41 avocados trees remain - all of which are covered in flower and the bees are working hard to pollinate.




With the digger in residence for the weekend, also took advantage of removing two stumps from The Cowshed loop.

Potting around>>>>>

Spent two morning in The Potting Shed at Waihi College last week, potting up 190 manuka and 110 cabbage tree seedlings. The aim is to pot up 1000 seedlings per year, for use on the property over the next five years.  As a member of HELP, I have access to the potting shed and facilities, which I am very grateful for. Earlier in the year ( May / June) , I planted native seeds for the first time - Cordyline, Puriri, Tree Lucerne, Totara and Wineberry. Also went kahikatea seed hunting in the covenant area. Despite my best efforts and using the fridge to achieve cold stratification (!!!!), nothing looks like germinating. Have kindly been given cabbage tree and manuka seedlings from HELP....

The potting table in The Potting Shed

Cabbage tree seedlings

Manuka seedlings

In the shade house.....

Potted up and loaded ...