Monday 25 September 2017

Post election blues

Well, the election is over, but we still don't have a final result. Let's hope we don't do a Belgium or a Northern Ireland.

The cats tried to participate, but it was all a bit much and after a hectic day sofa surfing, two out of three took to their bed.


One was still on Rooster Watch. He is relieved that the rooster has vanished, and it sure is quiet around here since. I miss him, but the Terrified Tabby doesn't.


Our neighbour lost two chickens on the same day that Reginald disappeared, so we think he has eloped. His brown feather dusters really miss him.


I don't think it is a coincidence that the day the noisy boy vanished, our rosellas returned to the garden to destroy our cherry blossoms.

Saturday 23 September 2017

fungi rumba

Our property has quite a few trees. Some have come down in storms, others drop branches when over enthusiastic native birds capture nectar from their blossoms. Others die off and branches slowly rot in the shadow of other trees. That's when the fungi likes to dance and do the rumba!

Here are two examples I found today, cha cha cha-ing in the little glades and hollows.


And in chicken news, our next door neighbours' white fluffy chook confection is currently sitting on blue eggs under their house, so there will be baby pom poms soon.

Here is the father. Doesn't he have lovely chucklewobbles?

Saturday 16 September 2017

Cool running

There is never a dull moment along our road. After the rather bad flooding of a couple of weeks ago, I sent photos to our local council showing them that the "work" they did in 2015 to ease the surface water, cough cough, didn't work.

A week ago, the bulldozers arrived and started digging channels EVERYWHERE, including behind the embankment which had previously had been a Niagara falls type water feature.

Now it looks like the local council want to nominate us for the Horowhenua bobsleigh team. The channel would certainly take a sled and the incline is steep enough...although the finish line looks a bit brutal. The sad fact is, the drainage that will be laid runs down another incline into the same field that was transformed two weeks ago into a duck lake. I have a feeling that in a few more weeks I may be writing to the council again about their rather erratic engineering.


And as if this kind of reshaping wasn't enough, the logging season is upon us. Our outlook will soon be very different when the hill opposite is shorn of the radiata pine. 5 months of logging trucks along the road I believe. Sigh.

Tuesday 5 September 2017

Surprise visitor from California

We continue to be delighted by the antics of our next door neighbours' chickens. They love our garden, and certainly the soil is enjoying their scratching ministrations. Each day they do a particular circuit, which includes the woodpile, the veggie garden and the garage (if the door is open!) In the last few days they have discovered our copse, and are happily hiding in its shade crowing, scratching and very possibly laying eggs. I was amused this morning to see the guilty looks when I started to take their pictures.


But the big event this morning was seeing a plump Californian quail running around our lawn. I can't make out if it is wild or an escaped pet. But that baby sure can run. It is an adorable creature with its bobbing "fascinator" feather on its head. They are somewhat out of focus, again due to the long lens setting required. Also I suspect quail constantly hear the words in their head "run Forrest, run!"

Sunday 3 September 2017

Clafoutis

Well, here it is, the cherry clafoutis.

I hope this makes me an honorary Frenchwoman for the day?

Saturday 2 September 2017

Trying something different

I love French patisserie, I love French food. OK, I admit, I love food, full stop....unless it is spaghetti.

A few years ago, I was loaned a French cookbook by my lovely English friend Elaine. I found a fabulous recipe in it for Breton prune tart, which is now a fixture on our Christmas menu. I was delighted a few months after borrowing the book to find my own copy of it in a book fair, so now and again, when I'm feeling brave, I try a new recipe from it.

Tomorrow we have friends visiting and I'm in the mood to try something new - here it is:


I'll post photos tomorrow if it works! If not, I shall never mention it again!!

The other thing I have been itching to make is a caravan appliqué. I don't use cushions as a rule, so this may end up as part of a quilt, or something else. But I'm going to teach myself some basic embroidery to fill in the details.


This is my fantasy caravan, something 1950s in style, with a place to make coffee and a table to sew or read and a few cushions so the cats can visit and snooze in the sunny windows.

Happy sigh

Friday 1 September 2017

Plum blossom and the Invasion of the Tui

The plum tree by our front gate


Every year our ornamental cherries are attacked by noisy and boisterous Tui. In the town, if you see a pair of Tui, you consider it your lucky day; a few days ago we had 17 here in one tree, making a complete mess on the ground as they knocked off every little carmine coloured blossom. The poor tree is bare in no time as the young thugs get drunk on the nectar. That kind of abuse can only be topped by naughty children with chestnut trees during conker season!


Regrettably I had to take the photos on a 48 x zoom lens, and I don't have the steadiest of hands.

This evening we are going for the first time to a quiz night organised by the local community association and held in the Bowling club in our village. Our team mates are our neighbours - we are all originally from the UK, so expect our team will be the glorious losers if all the questions are NZ based. Fingers and toes crossed!