As readers will be aware I normally make mention of the weather at the beginning of my article. Well what can I say? It’s been really awful for most of our readers and a disaster for many others.
We battened down for what was supposed to be one of the worst storms ever but thankfully it missed us and apart from heavy rainfall we were not affected by the hurricane force winds.
One of my highlights for the month was spending some time manning the Rural Living stand at the Franklin Home and Lifestyle expo.
It was great having so many readers stopping for a chat and discussing various topics that I and other members of our team had written about.
I had at least 20 people comment on last month’s story on my call to preserve the highly productive Pukekohe land. Several people said that they would like this publication to continue to pursue this important issue.
I also had many enquiries regarding my hens – were they enjoying their new environment and had they begun laying – only just!
My horses were also of interest and many show-goers asked how we were enjoying our new property. One visitor to our stand came and shook my hand and said he was pleased to meet me in person not just look at my ugly mug in the magazine. At least he had good humour and it was great to receive compliments.
One thing we sadly missed on our new property was having a barn. We overcame this by converting an old aviary into a great storage area. The aviary had been well built with a solid, no leak roof and a concrete floor.
By removing the wire netting and replacing that with good quality ply, we have solved our storage problems and now have a most suitable shed.
The Masters Games are now underway and we wish all competitors, especially our locals, all the very best; they’ve worked hard work to get there so here’s hoping for great outcomes. Now, it’s roll on winter and, hopefully, not too much rain.
Go the Chiefs.
Brian Neben publishes Rural Living and is also an avid lifestyle farmer
