Well, this is certainly some spring. A few weeks ago we thought that it was going to be a really warm month with temperatures up in the high teens. How wrong were we? I have never seen hail as thick as it was the other weekend and, really, that horrible wind and heavy rain has been all too much.
At our new property I’ve been keen to plant early so we can make the most of the growing time but getting two fine days in a row has seemed impossible. Nevertheless, I have been down to Farrells [garden centre] and bought loads of trees and, yes, they are planted.
And, I loved it when my gardening lady, Chris sent a text to say, “I will pop by and pick up the 26 trees needed for down by the pool.” “Excellent,” said I. It turned out that the 26 was short; we needed another two.
Planting the trees was one thing but we have had to cover the ground with stones so that our brainless chooks can’t get into the soft soil and dig up the roots. We have also planted a hedge of feijoas to screen the chook run and I hope to live long enough to see that goal achieved!
With the weather and planting issues, it’s been a real month…but there’s more. Brian has only this week started to get over his debilitating flu (that’s been a barrel of laughs) so, it’s been slowly, slowly.
On the up side, we had a surprise visit from our grandson, who is a chef on a super yacht. What an incredible 18 months he has had. He spent nearly a year cruising the Mediterranean then the crew sailed to Florida for some maintenance before heading for Hawaii, followed by Tahiti and now, Fiji.
Experiences such as sailing through the Panama Canal and seeing so many amazing places are truly amazing for a young man but, of course, there is always a down side such as the loneliness and the lack of freedom to plan where or when he can be anywhere. I asked him how often the Russian woman who owns the ship had been on board during the past year.
Just 20 days!
Because of grandson’s visit we weren’t able to attend the NZ Standard Breeders’ Association awards dinner which was a real pity as we couldn’t celebrate with our Waiau Pa friend, Tony Dickinson who was recognised for his contribution to the industry. It was a well deserved award for Tony who I have known for more than 45 years and who, throughout all that time has dreamed and constantly talked about breeding horses.
Over the last few weeks I have also been having a massage at Thai Massage in Hall Street. Lifting heavy rocks and digging have brought on stiffness accompanied by the usual aches and pains and although my Pilates class helps keep me fit, a massage works wonders.
But I had to smile when I went for a recent appointment. The young Thai woman who took me through for my massage quietly asked, “You the lady in book?” I was not quite sure what she meant but then it hit me – Rural Living! It really is the magazine for everyone.
Cheers and see you next month,
Reay
