The Paddock

Techno magic

2012-02-12T19:06:00.004+13:00

It's not often I give thanks for someone else's misfortune although I have to confess this is the second time in less than a week. But thanks to GB proving he is a real mortal after all when it comes to tecno things, and his connections to even smarter techno people, I now know about and have Postvorta installed here.

It's over there on the left below Followers.

Everything that happens in computer land is magic to me and this is pure magic. It indexes everything on the blog and then helps you find them. I don't know if anyone else would ever want to use it except to check that I'm not using bad language, but it will be a great aid to my memory when I need to go back to find something, or to see if that something is even there.

Thanks, Mark. You're a legend.

And the other instance I rejoiced at someone else's misfortune? Can't say a lot but I see it more as justice and it involves a neighbour, the police and a crop.

Oh, yes, it's raining! Rural people are so boring about the weather, aren't they?

Morning delights

2012-02-12T11:37:00.000+13:00

I gave myself yet another surprise when I was putting together today's post. It's not like me to work on a post beforehand, except for the Friday Shoot Outs when I occasionally get my act together if I'm not going to be around to post it on Friday. I hit Publish by mistake, then immediately deleted the post. Too late, it seems, it has been visible but not accessible. Sorry if that puzzled anyone.

Morning seemed like a better time for a walk yesterday. I didn't go far, just up the track a bit to see the cows enjoying their morning feast. They looked like they were playing Bingo - "heads down and looking". They probably don't say that any more. Hell, for all I know people may not even play Bingo any more.

Good old Google knows! This is my day for surprises - you can play it on line! And I found three Kiwi Bingo supply shops with websites, so there is obviously a demand. I wonder if it's still an event in retirement villages?

I'm in danger of going off on a tangent and telling stories from the Bingo fundraising nights I used to help run for my ex's football club about 40 years ago.

OK, back to my other morning delights. I discovered carrot weed, which is such a jolly pest, looks quite beautiful before it flowers if you catch it at the right time of day covered in morning dew.

Around 9 am I checked the grass at the back of the house, where it is thickest, to see if it was dry enough to do the mowing . At the time the sky was nothing but blue with pure white fluffy clouds on the horizon. But rain was predicted and I wanted to get the lawn done, so I could enjoy it when it arrived - we need it! I did eventually mow it and still we've had nothing but a light drizzle this morning.

Back to yesterday morning ...I noticed a delicate web forming a tiny tent in the grass at my feet.

Once down there I spotted many of them. A gathering of gossamer tents.

I'll be off on another tangent. Can't even think the word gossamer without being back as a child, sitting on my grandmother's verandah (in those days a deck was on a boat) looking through her photo albums and newspaper clipping descriptions of wedddings. Always seemed to me then that the best brides got a "gossamer" somewhere in the description of their gown.

Bathroom scales and a bath in the creek

2012-02-11T09:14:00.000+13:00

A cooling breeze can be so deceptive. Because the breeze was blowing things around inside the house, I thought it wouldn't be too hot to go for a walk just after lunch time. From the top of the hell it looked nice and cool on the other side.

But when I got down there, there was no breeze on this side of the hill and along the creek banks. By then I was half way round the farm loop, so had to plough ahead.

But there was a distraction...something in the creek caught my eye. Looked like a bathtub. Really? A bathtub. I could only see it from one spot, and that was some distance away.

I walked past, trying to get another sighting of it, then decided I would just have to get down to the creek somehow. I came to a spot where I thought I could scramble under the electric fence and slide down a fair way on my bottom. Once I would have just dived in and done it but I'm a little more cautious these days, more aware of my lack of agility.

Cell phone in pocket? Check. Coverage? Check. Description of where I am ready in case I have to be bailed out? OK. Good to go.

It took a while. The sliding on bum in the loose dirt part went well. But it did take a while plodding over very uneven ground through alligator weed that came up to my waist in places, testing each step with my walking pole. I had to sit down and laugh when I finally saw what my bathtub was.

It's an old woolpak that must have been washed downstream during a flood and became lodged on an old tree stump. I'm awfully glad there was a nice reflection or I might have become annoyed with all that effort for nothing.

Getting back up to the track wasn't as easy as going down. Where I had simply slid down, it was hands and knees on the way back up the bank and pretty hard on them it was too.

I had to rest a few times before I got home. Gosh, it was hot.

I noticed how much the maize crop has grown. When I downloaded my photos I realized I'd taken a photo of the maize a month ago today. That's it in the first shot. The colour of the leaves has really deepened and now the husks on the cobs are starting to darken. Soon it will be ready.

Which reminds me, the cows are now grazing the turnip crop. One day during the week when I got home I found my bathroom scales sitting out on the deck. I idly wondered how they had got there but thought all will be revealed in due course, picked them up and put them away. Not 5 minutes later my son came into the yard with two sacks on the back of the quad and said, "You've put them away already?" I knew he meant the scales and when I put them back where he'd left them, I discovered he was using them to weight the turnips he had in each sack to calculate the crop return per hectare. He seemed happy with the result and the cows obviously love their turnips.

In this paddock you can see how they have chomped through them. The white tape keeping them from gobbling up the lot in one sitting is the electric fence.

My little house on the right in the background seems a long way to walk to get home.

Even when I'm closer, it still seems a long way!

It will be a while before I'm tempted to go for a walk in the mid-day sun again!

FSO - Scavenger Hunt

2012-02-10T10:17:00.000+13:00

I haven't read anywhere that the original rules apply, but will stick to one of each - wood, metal, stone - straight off the camera.

Well, not quite, because the first has both wood and metal that my two creative friends used to create outdoor art.

I was annoyed with myself and my faulty memory yesterday when I got home from work, and remembered I'd forgotten to go to the place I knew there would be some impressive stone. Remembered I'd forgotten - that must be the Irish in me! Not to worry, I told myself, I got a rock shot last weekend. And then I remembered it was stone, not rock I was supposed to be looking for. I think it's forgivable to get my stones and rocks mixed up. So my stone is more like a rock in need of a haircut.

The rest of the Friday Shoot Outers will be posting their home town takes on this topic here. I see the link is up already - well done to our hosting team. I have a metal flower from a piece Twink gave me, so this is for you guys.

Aiden's 1st

2012-02-06T17:24:00.001+13:00

The birthday boy gets to have all the fun. The little girls get to do all the pushing...

And shoving...

and falling over...

Bailey didn't seem to mind that Georgia's gift to Aiden didn't move, the steering wheel did!

Thanks, Justine and Bill, it was a lovely party.

And the cake? That was a masterpiece! How did I ever get to have such a talented daughter?

FSO - Macro

2012-02-03T16:49:00.002+13:00

This will be short and sweet. Well, short anyway. Sore back, can't sit for long. Couldn't bend much through the week either so limited in what shots I could get. But I do like this dahlia bud.

To see some great macro shots, just visit the rest of the team here.

Grew like Topsy

2012-01-28T16:25:00.000+13:00

It's not Uncle Tom's Cabin but with Georgia in charge of ideas for a birthday present for her little cousin who will be a whole year old in a couple of days, the phrase "grew like Topsy" comes to mind.

The original plan was to make a little car out of an ice cream stick I'd saved and thrown into the box of "stuff" she uses when she is being creative.

She gets an idea and expands on it. Half a day later we end up with this:

Her ideas are gettting harder and harder for me to help her implement. We had to call upon her father for assistance with the steering wheel rod.

I've tried and tried to convince her that if we cut the bottom out of the box so Aiden can walk around in it (when he starts to walk which he is close to doing) that it won't hold it's shape. I say she can stick them on to the side, she says they must go round and round. During the standoff she got busy and made the wheels and now they sit beside the car while she waits for me to "think harder" and come up with a solution. It wasn't until she was nearly finished that I noticed she had raided by sewing box!

That was yesterday, and somehow somewhere along the line I hurt my back. So she's going easy on me today. We've made cookies because I feel more at ease standing and walking, we've been for a walk and when we got home she announced she was a bit tired. But does she lay down and have a nap? No! She sits and picks up her ideas book - and I have a sneaking suspicion something is brewing in that little blonde head of hers.

FSO - Delicate

2012-01-27T11:17:00.001+13:00

Delicate and I are not usually mentioned in the same sentence. Doesn't mean I don't appreciate delicate things.

I delight in the delicate everyday sights around me - water flowing gently over rocks.

and other natural things:

Delicate bubbles in a glass of milk fresh from the cows:

The same cows delicately eating their meal:

But I also like man made delicate things:

I really enjoyed this topic. And I know the rest of the team will have come up with some great shots. Just go here to check them out.

Letter to the girls

2012-01-23T19:28:00.000+13:00

I've been looking after your animals. But I haven't seen Fiji since you left! Maybe it was her who is responsible for this I found on the deck this afternoon.

Or maybe it was young Mother Cat teaching her babies how to hunt. The way they gobble their food, you'd think they haven't been fed for weeks! They get their food everywhere but always clean up their mess.

I went up to the house early today because I could hear Mini crying out. She didn't sound happy. And no wonder! She'd jumped on and off the trampoline so much, she'd shortened her chain to the point she could hardly move. But she perked up as soon as I moved her to fresh grass and the shade of a tree. Hope that tree isn't important to your mum. She might be cross with me!

Georgia, Franklin is happy. Well, I think he is. It's a bit hard to tell with a turtle!

Jack and Roxy? They're OK. Jack only cares about his food, and I suppose he's enjoying his holiday from farm work.

I think Roxy is OK, too. What do you think?

Have I forgotten anyone? Ah yes, the lamb. I know it looks after itself but its there and looking fine. And, really, we are going to have to start calling it a sheep!

See you all soon. Can't wait!

Sad Sammy

2012-01-23T13:59:00.000+13:00

The family are at the beach. The are missed by Sammy, their lovely little dog. He spends his time either on my deck or sprawled on the lawn. Over the weekend he trotted back to the family home on the hill, only to return about 10 minutes later. I guess he thought they might have returned while he was sleeping. He's accompanied me on walks around the farm but has just trotted along at my heels, none of his usual adventuring and exploring, as if it's no fun with just me.

Poor, sad Sammy! I miss them, too.

Attitude

2012-01-22T13:12:00.000+13:00

Some sayings live on and on. Someone in my childhood, it may have been my grandmother, said to me, "The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude." It didn't change my attitude towards picking potatoes but I remembered it. And I heard it again yesterday. In my head, that is. All a bit silly really as cows don't understand my mind talk.

It wasn't a bad attitude day, I was full of the joys of summer as I took my walk. And I had no intention of upsetting anyone or anything. The other cows I disturbed while they were scoffing their feed either ignored me or shifted their position so I wouldn't get too close. This beauty usually stands out in the crowd because of her colouring but yesterday she also took a different attitude. While her mates ignored me, she flicked her ears, stood her ground and definitely gave me some attitude.

Today didn't start out too well weather wise, overcast and gentle rain. Should I have been able to predict that from the sunset last night? A light wind has blown the dark clouds away, replacing them with the white fluffies, the sun is shining again.

Every evening for nearly a week I've been drawn outside by the sunsets. They aren't dramatic; to me they seem mellow and placid, Mother Nature smiling softly.

All these are taken just outside my house or a little along the track. I must walk further, to get past that scraggy tree in future.

FSO - Glass

2012-01-20T18:06:00.000+13:00

Glass - a bit tricky for me. Haven't got much.

A messed up glasses behind glass:

Glass marbles in a glass bowl:

Glass windows in my work office and my (almost) reflection:

If it's glass and holds water I'm likely to call it a vase and plonk some flowers in it. Especially at this time of year when everything seems to be in bloom. These are picked from the roadside and my garden. And there are a couple of other glass things I find useful in the shot. The blue bottle at the back on the right was picked up from a drain and given to me by my grandson when he was four (he's 18 now) with the declaration that it was a "treasure" - and so it is!

6 pm and conditions look good according to the weather glass:

Did I say 6 pm? It's been a lovely warm day and I've done enough work, so it's time for this glass:

I wonder what the rest of the team has come up with? Just pop over here to have a look.

Blogger is being a pain in the butt at the moment. I received an email saying, "I'd love to know why I can't see your Glass posting. Can You?" No, I cannot but there seems a logical explanation for that, I haven't posted it yet. But then I looked for it and sure enough it says I posted it 21 hours ago. That would have been last night when I uploaded the first three shots you see here. But I didn't publish it. Ah well, I will have forgotten all about it by the time I finish that glass.

A winner at last

2012-01-19T17:32:00.000+13:00

You know how some people just seem to be lucky? I'm not one of them. Oh, I am in lots and lots of ways, very lucky indeed, but not when it comes to winning prizes. I don't win raffles or prizes in Lotto. I'm still encouraged to buy Lotto tickets because I won $30 in 1993 - and I had to split that with my daughter and her friend.

And now I am further encouraged because I won Dawn Treader's, 3rd Blogoversary giveaway. I heard the news of the win on 13th and today it arrived. Pretty darn fast considering it came all the way from Sweden. And it's fabulous. I'm lucky!!

I'm not sure about the connection with being lucky and this next bit. But somehow I saw it.

Today at work I was interrupted mid-sentance by a man I have never met before asking, "What part of Australia do you come from?"

Ah yes, that is connection, I'm lucky that after over 35 years living with the Kiwi accent I retain enough of my Aussie roots for keen ears to detect my Aussie accent. My Aussie family will laugh because they think I sound like a Kiwi these days....but not totally..... obviously.

Escapee

2012-01-16T17:29:00.003+13:00

In an effort to improve my photography, I try to take a photo each day. Some days it is easy, others I struggle to find something different to aim at.

Today was one of those difficult days and I was thinking I'd have to resort to another flower shot in the garden. I never seem to get any better at those so was a bit gloomy. I was nearly home before I spotted a dark shape and turned up the side road to see what it was. And there he was, a nice young bull, looking not one bit concerned about being separated from his mates, just mildly curious about what I was doing pointing that thing at him. I almost like this shot but there is something wrong with it and I can't figure out what it is. Should there be a bit more sky above his head? Adrian? GB? Anyone?

Don't worry, he has now been been put safely off the road side.

I really am a simple soul. This little encounter cheered me up so much I came home and tried another flower shot with fresh confidence. And like it.

Logic saves the day

2012-01-15T17:54:00.000+13:00

"Pride cometh before the fall" I muttered to myself as my big, clumsy fingers struggled to fashion doll clothes.

Why did I agree before I knew the size of the doll? Because Georgia appealed to my pride. "Niamh has a doll but doesn't have any other clothes for it. They know we make things, so can we make the doll some clothes?" And what does muggins say but yeah, sure, but we'll have to have the doll to get the size right.

It never entered my mind that the doll might be a skinny little Frankenstein's sister.

And where is the other half of the royal "we" I wonder?

It was a struggle to get the tights off her; who makes these clothes? They are quite well made and finished, would put the tights I made to shame. I can picture little fairies with tiny fingers and tiny sewing machines doing it, but not your average adult.

I got the vest off but darned if I know how the dress is meant to come off. Guess that will be a job for one of the children. Actually, I hope they don't succeed because I really don't think I could make another anything like it.

I took the easy way out and made her a cape.

For some light relief, and to keep myself up there with the clever people in Georgia's estimation, I mended her much loved cuddly puppy. He's a bit like me, has had the stuffing knocked out of him.

Half an hour later and I'm feeling better about being guilty of one of the Seven Deadly Sins - and on a Sunday, too!

I found this explanation of "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" as in the King James version of the Holy Bible.

It is interesting that a proverbs quotation has turned into what it has, and it has because of popular interpretations of what is meant by "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." When read as it is written, this is hardly saying "Pride comes before the fall." When anyone of us are facing certain destruction, the first thing to go is pride. This is as it should be since there is nothing to be proud of when facing destruction. That a "haughty spirit" comes before a fall is also self evident. Weaker spirits rarely rise high enough to risk falling. Pride has been unfairly attacked as an unseemly character trait. People suggest that we should forget pride and seek out humility. If you are living life, I assure you, humility will seek you out and there need be no rush to meet it. Humility will find you with or without your guidance. Pride, on the other hand is not so easily found. Pride is recognition of accomplishment.

Love that logic.

What rain?

2012-01-14T17:47:00.000+13:00

Three days ago I said the weather forecast was for showers every day until Sunday. Later that same evening I looked out at this sunset. That didn't look like a no rain tomorrow sunset to me!

The colours were even more intense in the direction that I don't have a good view of the sky.

Sure enough, we haven't had any rain since. Today has been lovely, a little windy but warm, just lovely. Actually, by the time I'd been walking about 20 minutes it felt quite hot.

One of the many good things about living on a farm is I can see and appreciate the benefits of lots of rain. I posted this photo of the maize crop on 18 November just as it was coming up.

Today, it is above my head. This shot is taken at eye level; love the greens.

Further around the track the turnip crop is also thriving. You can see the maize on the hill in the background. They are on a bit on a lean, I didn't notice that the fence post I was using to rest the camera on wasn't even.

And look at the size of this turnip. Might be past it's best for (human) eating, I think.

Everywhere I looked today everything seemed perfect. The land, the sky, the cows, even the wildflowers and weeds.

For those who thought it took some nerve to ask the policeman for my Long Arm of the Law photo - I very nearly didn't!

The police station was quite busy, a few people waiting to see each of the two civilians manning the desk. I caught a glimpse beyond them into the offices behind but couldn't see any police officers in uniform. Assumed they would all be upstairs in the offices and I figured by the time I asked for a uniformed policeman/woman to take a photo, there would be other people lined up behind me and I would feel like I was wasting everyones time. So I chickened out.

But, as I walked out the door I saw just what I wanted on the other side of the road waiting for the lights to change to come towards the station. And I know a nice face when I see one! So I waited for him to cross and asked him. He thought I was trying to pluck up the courage to go in and ask but I told him I'd already been in and come out again. I think I amused him.

I've only been turned down once when asking people if I can take their photo. And have no conscience about firing off shots without permission if I don't think they will notice. And, for some reason, people very rarely notice.

But the one time I was refused stands out as one of the funniest experiences I've had in years. It was the winter before last. Can't remember why but I wanted photos of elderly people. I'd gone to see a play where there was a dinner beforehand served by theatre volunteers. An extremely handsome white haired gentleman was serving the wine at our table. He had a very aristocratic demeanour, was as deaf as a post and was amusing those at my table by serving anything except what was requested.

When he left the room I followed him and asked could I please have his photo. He straightened his back, and looked very regal as he suggested the blood red wall in the hall would be a good backdrop. Perfect, I thought. That wonderful full head of snowy white hair would look fantastic against the deep red.

BUT, just as I was about to take my shot, he asked what I was going to do with the photo. I explained about the Friday Shoot Outs but he only heard "internet" and went off on a bit of a rant. No, no way, he wasn't going to be on the internet, he knew all about the internet, he had grandchildren (couldn't quite see the connection there), no way was he having any part of the internet. And every time he said "internet" it was with more venom.

I thanked him politely and telling myself I never thought I'd see the day that a man that age didn't appreciate my attentions, returned to my friends.

For the rest of the evening, every time I looked around that man would be somewhere glaring at me. I felt like he was keeping a very sharp eye on this loose woman who went on the internet and making sure I didn't influence any of the decent people around me.

I really enjoyed my night of being seen as a wicked woman!

FSO - Arms and legs

2012-01-13T09:42:00.000+13:00

Loving arms:

Father's waiting legs

Mother and son's waiting legs:

Friends in arms

The long arm of the law:

(The lovely policeman said he didn’t mind if his face was showing but in the shot where it is, he is sticking his tongue out – cheeky beggar! I notice the truck driver in the background is having a good look to see what is going on.)

I’m sure there will be some very interesting takes on this topic. Hop over here to have a look.

Mini flood

2012-01-10T19:34:00.000+13:00

We've just had a fine, rain free day! The way the weather has been lately, that is nearly reason for celebration.

Yesterday afternoon it absolutely bucketed down. A lot of rain in a very short time.

But I was still surprised when I drove to work this morning just how much water there was in the creek that meanders beside the road nearly all the way to the corner (12 kms).

In some places the creek was full but still within its banks. In other places it was well and truly overflowing.

But there was a hint of blue in the sky and it turned into a lovely day.

The water runs away quickly and coming home the creek was almost back to its easy going old self.

As you can see from the sky in the second shots, the sky is not exactly clear blue but it was warm and clear.

The weather forecasters tell us it will be Sunday before we have another rainless day!

Ah well, looks like another wet summer to keep the farmers happy. Can't complain about that. Or I won't, many others will!

Howard

2012-01-09T17:53:00.000+13:00

Earlier this afternoon I was reading the latest post from A Little Bit of Me in which she tells of having lunch in Howard, Queensland. If you'd asked me what was that little town just inland from Maryborough where I visited my Uncle John while on my honeymoon in the mid 60s, I wouldn't have been able to name it.

But as soon as I saw "Howard", I was there. My uncle and aunt had not been able to attend our wedding so I'd convinced my groom that we must call in to see him. I was always very fond of this uncle.

These days Howard has a population somewhere around 1,000, I think it was smaller than that in 1966. I know we had no problem finding the Police Station. I remember our visit so clearly and the fun I had at the expense of the young constable who greeted me when I entered the station.

I doubt he was much younger than I was at the time but I sensed his lack of confidence and could see my uncle at the back of the room. When he asked could he be of assistance I said no, I really wanted to talk to an older, more handsome man. He did his best to convince me that he could handle whatever it was that I wanted but I kept insisting on an older, better looking man and finally said what about that dark haired one back there, he looks nice. The poor guy blushed and blurted, "But that's the senior sergent!" as if he were more than a mere mortal.

I had started to suspect that my uncle had seen and heard me and had a hard time keeping a straight face as he approached and in quite a loud, stern voice told me it was obvious I hadn't changed my ways, that he would deal with me outside. Once out the door he indicated we should go around the corner where we hugged and laughed and laughed. My groom who was being a bit ignored in my delight at seeing my uncle again, was finally introduced and my uncle took us home for lunch.

After a while I felt a bit bad about having fun at that poor young man's expense but my uncle declared he was a bit "wet behind the ears" and it wouldn't have done him any harm.

Oh, how times have changed!

FSO - Music

2012-01-06T08:17:00.000+13:00

Let's start the music...

and dance....

To see what musical images the rest of the FSO guys have, just take a look here.

Bovine scratcher

2012-01-05T17:02:00.000+13:00

Start in the middle...

Around a bit....

Ahh, that's it.

I swear she's smiling!

FSO - the end

2011-12-30T12:54:00.000+13:00

The end of another year. What is your best memory from this year? Or how you celebrate the end of a year.

I know, I know, the approach of another year is the perfect time to reflect back on what took place during the past year, and to do a bit of a stock-take. Trouble is my memory isn’t as keen as it should be and tends to latch on to something and refuse to move on to other things.

Luckily for me there has been a major event that no grandparent could forget.

It would be better for me if New Year didn’t so closely follow Christmas because I get stuck in the glow of Christmas. And this year was one of those special ones when there is a new family member to add to the joy.

Celebrations? I guess I will celebrate the end of the year as I have lived it – quietly. Which is exactly how I like it. I find that living a quiet, simple life means I enjoy the occasional special events more than I would if it were just another outing.

The Rugby World Cup was a highlight, not just because it was enjoyable following the tournament from the comfort of my lounge chair (and attending one game) but because my younger son (and an English niece) was in the country to celebrate his 40th birthday. Nothing lifts my spirits like my family having fun together.

I’ve never truly understood the point of New Year's resolutions. So this year, I'm throwing out the whole idea of resolutions. I'm not saying there aren't plenty of things I need to change. I'm just not going to waste a lot of energy thinking about them and trying to make a plan on how to change things. While I'm still enjoying all the beautiful memories made at Christmas, I'm going to choose instead to enter the new year being thankful for what I have.

I have just one resolution, to return again to the west coast of the Far North where this year, during the mid winter break my friend Chris and I enjoyed, I felt a real sense of euphoria.

So that's it for another year. It's had it's highs for some of my family and it's lows for others but it's over, there are new beginnings ahead.

The rest of the Friday Shoot Out Team will be posting their "The End" shots here.

I wish everyone a great new beginning for 2012.

2011-12-27T18:47:00.000+13:00

It's all over all too quickly. Our first Christmas in a long, long time with a little baby boy in the family.

And a tinge of sadness that the big boy will soon be off to a far away land. When will he be here for Christmas again? I have to keep shaking myself and telling myself to stop it, he will always be in our hearts. One things for sure wherever he goes he will have memories of how adored he is by his sister and neices.

Thank you, my beautiful grandchildren, for making this Christmas so special for us all. You are all so lovely and unspoilt. A special big thank you to Shayde who, despite hating wearing a dress, did so to keep others happy. And you looked stunning!

Thank you, Heather for the fab Christmas Eve feast you prepared for us. I am so lucky to have you as my daughter-in-law.

Thank you, Justine for what I hope becomes a family Christmas tradition - the girls decorating the cup cakes.

And for organising the traditional family games. I wonder how old the grands (and others) will be before they stop enjoying the Scavenger Hunt?

And a big thank you to little Georgia for reminding me what Christmas is all about, for the fun we had leading up to Christmas, it was my privelege to help you create gifts for your loved ones.

Because isn't that what it's all about? Not about the shopping, the Christmas lights, the food - it's about how much we love.

FSO - Lights

2011-12-23T09:58:00.000+13:00

Lights - night lights, daylight, sunlight, accent lights, light fixtures.

Now could someone please turn out that light, I need my sleep ... it's nearly Christmas.

No Christmas lights, I find them a little too artificial for my simple tastes. I'm happy just to admire everyone elses.

I'll try to get here to catch up on the team's light shots when I've finished the housework and The Big Day preparations.

I wish my family and friends a wonderful and happy Christmas.

Artistic license

2011-12-22T18:50:00.000+13:00

After spending hours hard at work creating another Christmas gift for her loved ones, the family's youngest artist is entitled to her own choice of footwear when walking along the farm track up to the cowshed.

And what do you paint for a city dwelling family member? Why, a city scene, of course.

To be honest, I prefer her view of Auckland's iconic Sky Tower.

We're ready

2011-12-20T20:32:00.000+13:00

One of my favourite bloggers, Dawn Treader, yesterday remarked that "Nature is not quite in balance this December" in Sweden where she lives.

Strange, I was thinking exactly the opposite yesterday as I drove home from work. I couldn't help but think, "We are ready." By we I meant, the countryside and I. Yesterday as I headed into town I thought the weather was clearing after all the recent rain. Wrong! 10 minutes later I was driving through drizzling rain and coming home it was the same. The rained cleared momentarily at the corner but started up again before I had travelled 20 metres.

A few metres into our road I noticed the young pohutakawas (the New Zealand Christmas trees) at the school were in bloom. It was too wet to get out of the car and take photos so I chopped off it's tip through the car window.

It took me ages to travel the 12 kms from the corner to home. Even in the drizzle, the countryside looked so lush and green, so in balance, so ready for Christmas.

The cattle look contented, and in the spirit of Christmas were ignoring the sheep in their midst.

In the sheep paddocks the woolies look happy with the world. Rain never worries them much anyway.

A bit further along the road the ducks were gathered. Yep, it was lovely weather for them.

Beside the road all sorts of weeds and flowers are in bloom.

Even the thistles look happy. OK, I may be a bit over imaginative, getting carried away with Christmas cheer, but they definitely do look healthy.

When I reached home the dairy herd were grazing in the drizzle.

The agapanthas were blooming up my son's driveway.

And on the deck my daugher-in-law has a lovely Christmassy bloom - hope it is still flowering in five days!

All photos, except for the last, were taken out the car window. You can see how the rain is light and off and on. The sort of rain farmers love.

Love it or not, I hope it clears for Christmas day. My family are an energetic lot, and need to burn off excess energy with outdoor activities.

Jami is a rock star

2011-12-18T14:02:00.000+13:00

I think of Jami as our pocket rocket. But after I googled that expression I learnt it has a different meaning in other countries according to the Urban dictionary. Here in the colonies it means a small person who has boundless energy.

And that is Jami. Jami has so many talents and she gives everything she tries everything she's got. She's what I call a 100% kid.

It's just as well she has lots of energy, she's just had a big week performing with the school band at the end of year prizegiving, dance group rehearsals and four dance concerts.

At her school prizegiving she received the school's award for overall excellence in the Arts. Well done, Jami - and well deserved! I think this link should work:
http://youtu.be/QbJqvA2gJGs

Last night she was awarded the Auckland Academy of Dance Hip Hop Incentive Award for the dancer with the best attitude and work ethic, providing other dancers with the incentive to try harder and achieve.

Three weeks ago she was in Sydney with her dance group competing in the World Supremacy Battlegrounds, which is the biggest international hip hop dance competition and most prestigious urban dance event in the Southern Hemisphere. Before that it was the National Champs. Before that..... well, you get the picture!

I lose track of her many accomplishments. I remember she won her speech competition at school and did well in the cross country race despite not being a natural runner. But, as I said, she's a 100% kid.

And in a week she will be here for Christmas! Love you, Jam jar!

FSO - Layers

2011-12-16T11:38:00.000+13:00

A thickness of some homogeneous substance such as a stratum or a coating on a surface. Uh huh!

And now I'm sharing with you one of my all time favourite photos of myself - what I call my Bag Lady look - freezing in a Canadian fall. Yes, it wasn't even winter and it was difficult to find enough layers to keep me warm! Hardly My Town, but me all the same.

I better get this posted before I chicken out and remove that one! I look forward to seeing what layers the rest of the team has found here.

2011-12-11T12:42:00.000+13:00

I must apologise to Suzy at Photos are Fun. She gave me an award a week ago and I haven't even thanked her for it. My thanks, Suzy. I think my mind was elsewhere at the time and I forgot about it until today. No, no, I've got that all wrong. I discovered Suzy at Photos are Fun but the award came from her other blog Someday Somewhere. So there are two of the things I must share about myself. I'm absent minded and I get things muddled sometimes. I tell myself it's not my advancing years, I've always been like that but, to be honest, I think it's getting worse.

For the other things just repeat five time I love Christmas. I suspect that's where my mind was at the time I should have been saying thanks to Suzy. Every year is the best ever and this is another Best Ever Year. I've had such fun making gifts for my wonderful grandchildren and making decorations and gifts with my youngest grand-daughter, Georgia.

And I must pass on the award to 15 other blogs. 15?! It's nearly Christmas, I don't have time. Oh, that could be another thing, I can be very ungracious. But I have a better idea. Rather than do that I'll just invite you all to go here, where you will find more than 15 fab photography blogs from all over the show. I hope each and every contributor to Friday My Town Shoot Out considers themselves the recipient of the award and feels free to accept it.

I could add I've just revealed something else about myself, if there is a short cut I will take it. Unless, of course, I'm out adventuring and then I'll always take the long way round. But how many I love Christmas repeats would that take me down to? I think that would only be three and that's not enough!

Now I must go and mow the lawn - and that's another thing - a job I don't particularly enjoy. I swear every time I do it that this might be the last time I can manage it. But each time I manage it one more time so I'm not dead yet.

Seven things isn't really all that hard but I might reveal more than I feel comfortable with everyone knowing!

FSO - Wheels

2011-12-09T19:25:00.000+13:00

Yay! I get this one. Wheels I know. We see them everywhere, don't we?

Old wheels:

New wheels:

Red, white and blue wheels:

I even have one in my garden:

This was a fun topic, trying to find wheels that were "different". I imagine there will be lots and lots of interesting wheels here where the rest of the team post their shots.

FSO - Imbalance

2011-12-02T16:47:00.004+13:00

Imbalance - lack of proportion or relation between corresponding things. Shots with strong points of interest on one side of an image and ‘emptiness’ in another area. Misproportioned.

I don't think I get this. But I'm giving it a go.

This is my second attempt. I posted my first earlier today and thanks to a helpful comment from Adrian, I've cropped the second shot and deleted the others. I know I'll be having a good look here to learn more about imbalance.

What's the best age for Christmas?

2011-11-30T15:22:00.000+13:00

To me any age is a good age for Christmas. I loved it as a child, one of a large family with little money for gifts. I loved it when my children were young and it was a bit of struggle (and often not possible) to give them what they dreamed of for Christmas.

And I love it still.

This year all my grand-daughters will receive hand made gifts. If I were more imaginative, I'm sure I could come with things to make for my two grandsons, too, but I come up blank. Every year I do the made by me theme I worry that the grand-children, who receive so many wonderful gifts, will think their old grandmother is a bit of a let down. But, so far, they have been appreciative, so I am trying not to worry about how this year's gifts will be received. I worry that the three 13 year olds will have outgrown what I make for them.

But I know the eight year old will appreciate her gift. She has made decorations for my Christmas tree and while doing so tells me it is more important to make something yourself than just "go into a shop and spend money".

Some might think my Christmas tree is a bit of a disgrace. It's small and artificial. But to me it is perfect, decorated with love.

It has a few little silver balls that I've had for years and a few decorations my youngest daughter made a few years ago but the rest of the decorations have been made by Georgia.

And we had to add the moose for the "Canadian connection".

We will be working on an angel this afternoon. And goodness knows what other ideas she won't come up with. Doesn't matter, really, because they will be made with love.

Election Day

2011-11-26T13:26:00.000+13:00

Here in New Zealand, it is Election Day. In a few minutes I will go up and over the hill to the polling booth and have my say.

I keep my political views to myself but it is obvious that little Georgia is a fan of John Key, our current Prime Minister. For the past week she's been talking about the election and explaining how it all works.

Thursday afternoon the phone rang as we were playing. It was a recorded message from John Key and I quickly saw the opportunity to impress her. I took the phone to her, put my hand over the mouthpiece and whispered, "Georgia, it's John Key! Listen!" She put the phone to her ear with a grin as if to say "What's she playing at now?"

Oh, the expressions that played across her little face. Idle interest, intense interest, deep concentration, wonder and delight. Then she whispered to me, "It's him, Granny. It's really him!"

I took the phone back, thanked John for calling and said goodbye.

You should have seen the look on her face! "Oh Granny, you must be so important! John Key rang you!" And who am I to disillusion an enchanted child?

Ten minutes later we were watching the News and there was Mr Key. "He hardly had time to get dressed after talking to you to go on the News!" Obviously we don't dress to talk on the phone around here.

What would I do without this child for entertainment?

Today, out my kitchen window, I spotted the first opened passionfruit flower of the season.

And out the window at the side of the house, free range cows. There is long grass beside the track the cows were taking to their paddock, so my son left the gate to the paddock open so they could wander there at their own pace. It's only a couple of hours till the next milking time and some of them haven't bothered walking the extra distance to the paddock, are happy to be free range today.

FSO - Lawn Tools

2011-11-25T12:20:00.000+13:00

You can think again if you're thinking I'd post photos of my lawn tools. If anything goes anywhere near the lawn, I'm bound to run it over with the lawnmower. But if I had one like this I'd be moving a bit slower. On second thoughts, no, I'll leave that in the shop. Looks a bit like hard work to me.

Shame I don't have any use for a blower. I think that's what this is. It's not very heavy and I have visions of the fun I could have weilding this and chasing the grandkids.

A new rake? Nah, I don't have much use for one of those either. Shame, I really like that shade of green.

I do have one of these. 10 litre capacity and not a knapsack model. I am seriously tempted by this.

I really do need a new pair of gardening gloves. But, honestly, don't you think these are a bit too pretty? It would be a shame to get them into the state of my gloves.

I'm sure the rest of the FSO team will have been a lot more imaginative than I was with this topic. Just pop over here to check them out.

Burlesque

2011-11-24T17:37:00.000+13:00

Strange how once you’ve done something you never expected to do, you realize how much fun it is. You get to my age and you think you know what you enjoy and stick to doing things like that. Then an overheard conversation here, a Facebook comment there and the idea starts to form to go to a burlesque show.

So last night that’s what my friend, Chris and I did. And were very glad that we did. We might have been the oldest ladies in the pub but I managed to make myself heard by one of the performers. I believe the MC had been told to announce no photography but if he did I didn’t hear him and couldn’t understand half of what he said anyway. And I was there to see my friend perform, not listen to him.

No would guess from the audience reaction to her act that there were only three of us in their midst who know her. We were joking with her before the show that she didn’t have many friends – she had a whole lot more by the time she finished. The young men at our table were quite besotted with her. Said hers had been a classy act. I work with her and can assure you she’s a class act alright!

She can now cross that off the list of things she wants to do before she turns 40. Good on her, I say. Haven’t had so much fun in ages!

FSO - Symmetry

2011-11-18T11:16:00.000+13:00

Symmetry. An exact matching of form and arrangement of parts on opposite sides of a boundary.
I needed a bit more help than that. The dictionary said: "similarity, correspondence, or balance among systems or parts of a system. Maths, an exact correspondence in position or form about a given point, line or plane."

I knew I was on childminding duty this week and wouldn't have much time for photography, so started looking last weekend. Tried to find symmetry at home on the farm.

Umm. I think the maize crop is stretching it a bit, but maybe.....

I had this vision of a long, straight road and there aren't too many of them around here. So I decided to drive the nearly 20 kms to the nearest stretch of straight road.

Then coming home I crossed the railway lines - why didn't I think of that rather than driving all that way?

I know there are going to be some wonderful examples of symmetry by the rest of the FSO team. Go here to check them out. Wish I'd had more time to spend on this topic - it was fun!

On duty

2011-11-16T15:00:00.000+13:00

I have big responsibilities this week. But if all goes as smoothly as it did the first two mornings, I will have no complaints.

The dawn chorus is louder at my son's house than it is at mine. Two huge old trees stand guard and yesterday morning a tui joyously greeting the day, woke me half an hour before the alarm clock was due to rouse me. I must be mellowing, I didn't mind one bit.

When I stepped outside with the camera to see if I could spot the tui, I was distracted by the early morning sun hitting the tree the tui was in.

There were a few disruptions at bed time last night - darn near an eruption as well. The girls' cat decided to give birth in the room next to theirs but then bring each of her babies in to their room to meet the family. Girls and kittens! Somehow I missed that Awwww gene and have never been able to see the attraction. Finally I said "Turn that light out" in a convincing enough tone and they got to sleep.

But they were awake and out of bed before me this morning. Thankfully not tired and grumpy. Still on a high choosing names for their babies.

The next two shots were taken yesterday morning as I sat on the deck with a coffee as the girls walked down to the school bus stop. (Thank heavens I've arranged to start work later this week when I have extra duties looking after the girls!) Breathing that in would sooth anyones frayed nerves!

Just another walk

2011-11-13T19:03:00.000+13:00

She has grown in stature but is still the same little girl she was when we first starting visiting the creek regularly about five years ago.

Her legs are longer now. She no longer gets as wet as she used to. She no longer strips off her clothes and walks home nearly naked.

But she still spends a lot of time picking up and peering under rocks:

hauling 'interesting' ones to me for closer examination.

She still asks me questions I can't answer. Anyone know what sort of larvae this is? Found under a rock, under water? She said there were 34 of them altogether. And didn't buy my "rock grubs?".

She still looks in the mud for footprints:

And points out weeds and grasses for me to photograph:

I know that soon her interests will change and she will want to be jumping into waterholes with her friends rather than puttering around in the shallows with her grandmother. Krystal and her friend were oblivious to us as they played further down the creek.

Krystal assured me the water was deep between her friend and the bank. She leapt into it over and over again, enjoying the sensation of flying. How long before Georgia wants to fly too?

Liebster Award

2011-11-12T20:21:00.000+13:00

Sarah at The Secret Life of an Unknown Housewife has very kindly bestowed upon me the Liebster Blog Award. Liebster? I thought it meant lover but looked it up - sweetheart? It's been a long time since I was anyone's sweetheart and that is not usually a term that is applied to me. I know people to whom I would apply that tag but think it would really stretch the imagination of everyone I know to have it applied to me. But I must not be ungracious and so, Sarah, I graciously accept. Those who know me well will have difficulty accepting that, too. But I do thank you, Sarah.

This award is given to blogs with fewer than 200 followers, with "good content" that warrant more support. Sarah is one who really does deserve more followers. She's articulate, funny, hardworking, sensible and practical and a loving mum to a young family.

Liebster Award Rules

1. Show your thanks to those who gave you the award by linking back to them. Thank you, Sarah.

2. Reveal five of your top picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

3. Post the award on your blog. This solicited a groan from me. I did it a while ago - how do I do it again? I hate it when I forget how I did something not so long ago.

4. Enjoy the love and support of some wonderful people on the www! Keep posting, keep commenting and keep being positive.

In no particular order, here are my nominations for the Liebster Award.

1. I wouldn't be blogging were it not for Bev at Kainga Happenings. I am blessed to have a friend like Chris with a sister like Bev who inspired me and helped me so much when I was getting started in the blog world. I call Bev the evangelist quilter. She has tried hard to convert Chris and me to quilting. She didn't succeed, but she did re-ignite my love affair with my sewing machine. Bev posts about her sewing, quilting and her garden. If you love crafty things and gardens (her roses are beautiful) you must visit her. Bev lives in Western Australia.

2. My daughter, Justine, when she was 15 ventured out into the world as a Rotary exchange student. Jessie at The Farmer has a Wife is one of the many friends she made in Murwillumbah on the north coast of New South Wales, Australia. These days Jessie is married to a farmer and loves on a property miles from anywhere but closer to Dirranbandi, South West Queensland than anywhere else. She is an English teacher and knows her craft. I love reading about her life with her young family on an isolated property. She's a city girl who has made the admustment to country life and her sense of humour is second to none.

3. Here's another blog from Queensland - Cattle, Kids and Chaos. Fiona describes herself as "working hard on a rough little block, trying to breed some good cattle and raise some happy kids." Her story telling and photography of the cattle and her children has me in total awe. I have yet to see any signs of chaos but it must be there with a family of six.

4. As anyone who follows me knows, I love photography. I'm not very good at it but what's that got to do with the price of fish? A recently discovered blog is Suzy at Photos are Fun. Suzy is from Wellington and showcases New Zealand from a different perspective. When you visit her you will see a vibrant New Zealand city, a stark contrst to the rural life I try to portray.

5. For photographic excellence and because I simply cannot believe she does not have more followers, I'm going to the Northern Hemisphere and Dawn Treader's Beyond the Lone Islands. She hails from Vastergotland, Sweden, a truly beautiful city which she captures skillfully. Believe me, she makes her new camera sing!

I have other favourites, of course, with few than 200 followers but I know some of them to be "Award Free". I might have to go that way myself because it did take me an age to remember how to add the award.

FSO - The letter A

2011-11-11T11:01:00.000+13:00

Never has a shoot out gone so smoothly for me. I've never been able to get all my shots from the same spot before. Mind you, I had to go to the Big Smoke (Auckland) to do it. I'd rather wander around the car park at shops with a camera than go inside and get frustrated. So Georgia and I elected to wait outside while my daughter-in-law and the nearly 13 year old twins went clothes shopping.

New Zealand is still basking in the after glow of the Rugby World Cup and their world champion national team, the All Blacks:

Hold on a minute while I climb behind this fence and get my air con units in a row:

The Atomic Car was there - who would have thought?

And Amy was inside shopping too:

No, no, that's the way out, we might get lost. We don't know our way around the city.

By then Georgia was getting into the spirit of things and dived into the truck to show me something else beginning with the Letter A. Branding is everything, even to an eight year old!

Eventually we got tired of waiting and joined the girls inside the shop. I still had time to try on and buy a couple of items before they were finished their shop-a-thon. And Georgia had time to find something for her baby cousin, Aiden.

Aiden! Why didn't I think of him?! Here he is asleep on an aeroplane, on his way to meet his other family in Canada.

Just pop over here to see what A things the rest of the Friday Shoot-out team have found.

Love thy Neighbour

2011-11-08T20:33:00.000+13:00

I was clanging away at the kitchen sink, making a lot of noise and singing "I'm a Rock Star" above the clatter. No, don't try to imagine it, not if you want to sleep well tonight! I looked up at my pretend audience and my neighbour was standing stock still staring at me. I grabbed the camera and fired off a shot through the window. You have to admit, that window is pretty clean!

She just stared and stared and I thought she might stand still if I went out the back door for a closer shot. But she moved off still looking back at me.

I'm not too sure she returns my feelings of neighbourly love.

Calf Club

2011-11-05T10:35:00.000+13:00

Calf Club began in the early 1900's, when nearly every rural school and community in New Zealand drew together, once a year, to celebrate the special bond which develops between children and young animals.

Today, with fewer children having access to 'farm animals' and the space to raise a larger animal, the day has become known by other names - Country, Pet, Livestock or Agriculture Day, with events for all classes of animals, pets and handcrafts.

One of the many joys of living in a rural community is giving our children the opportunity to learn to love and care for animals. Aside from owning and caring for an animal, Calf Club is about fostering human values like motivation, commitment, responsibility and compassion, which will stand our children in good stead for the rest of their lives.

Calf Club is a very special day on the local school calendar. Not only is it counted as a school day, it is also a chance for all of the community, pupils, family and friends to celebrate the efforts of our local children. Indoor exhibits are displayed in the classrooms.

Raising an animal can be great fun and very rewarding but is a lot of hard work and a large commitment for the child to develop a partnership with their animal.

When my children went to school it was all about calves and lambs and I remember very clearly the pride a child feels when their animal wins. Prizes aren’t won just by selecting animals that are well bred. They are also judged on the grooming of their pet and how it leads. Winning a prize is invariably about the hours the child has put in feeding, caring for and training their animal.

Shayde didn't win any prizes with her calf but then the judges weren't around when she was just hanging out with her calf.

Krystal wears her lamb like an accessory:

Georgia's lamb came to an unfortunate end a couple of weeks ago. Her father backed the car over it as it slept, not knowing it was in harms way. She took it well, accepting it was an accident. And became an enthusiastic entrant in the indoor competitions. I loved her muddy pigs in her Edible Scene.

And today I saw the end result of a drawing of a dolphin she was working on at my place yesterday:

I'm so proud of Shayde. Others may have put in more time training their calf but I didn't see any who loved their pet more.

FSO - Signs

2011-11-04T14:39:00.000+13:00

I'm linking to FSO under false pretences this week - I have nothing. Nothing. Nothing funny, unusual, strange or spooky.

But I know where you will be able to find plenty - just pop over here.

Walking out the crinks

2011-10-30T19:45:00.000+13:00

Once around the farm loop is all it takes to ease my back when it is aching from hunching over the sewing machine. My favourite time to do this is later in the day when evening shadows soften the landscape but today the crinks wouldn’t wait.

I was trying out a little Canon PowerShot A480. Discovered after 6 shots that it has a tiny memory card. Ah well, that’s easily fixed. I can swap with my old camera.

Look at the blue sky in this shot. Who would guess that a few hours later there would be a spring shower. Of course, it only lasted a few minutes but I still wouldn’t want to be caught out in one. Lucky I went when I did.

I came upon my grand-daughters playing down by the creek and Georgia elected to come home with me – once she had extracted a promise that we could play shops. I have a feeling that child knows she has me wrapped around her little finger. But playing shops is such fun! Even when she rips me off and charges me $29.90 for a few old books.

I’m wondering when I bought that Slow Cookers Soup. If I have all day to make soup, why buy a packet mix that takes all day? Must have been on special.

FSO - Creepy crawlies

2011-10-28T10:43:00.000+13:00

One of the good things about the advance of years and failing eyesight is I don't see as many creepy crawlies as I used to. Daddy long legs find safe haven in my home until I put on my glasses and stand on a chair - and going around the house like that is very tiresome so I don't bother them much.

So when I said to Georgia earlier in the week, "Find me some creepy crawlies." it didn't take her long to spot a beauty!

Eight year olds and their grandmothers are easily distracted. Russian Fudge sounded like more fun so the hunt was abondoned. But as she sat on the kitchen sink and stirred the fudge she leant out the kitchen window to look into the passionfruit vine which grows up the kitchen wall and announced there was a flower on the vine, the first this spring. I had to climb up on a chair (I seem to do a lot of that) to see for myself, then get back down to get the camera because that flower didn't look right to me. I reached out the window as far as I safely could and took a few shots. Georgia declared she could see an ant but I was more eager to see that flower up close on the computer screen.

Look, something has eaten a huge chunk of that leaf! What is that circular thing in the bottom left of the shot? And what are those black bits on the flower?:

There's another one on the flower! Oh yes, and there's that ant she saw.

And that flower is not as it should be.

Thank heavens for FSO. I might not be able to see them but there is proof of creepy crawlies in my garden.

I took just one more photo before my camera went toes up, like the subject. This is how I like to see cockroaches - they look a lot more interesting upside down (and quite dead).

The passionfruit vine has been treated, what to do about my dead camera is a greater problem.

I will distract myself from thinking about it by checking out the creepy crawlies from the rest of the team here.

2011-10-27T16:21:00.000+13:00

Today my oldest grandson turns 18. The age of legal majority, able to vote, purchase alcohol (I don’t think that has changed in NZ…has it?), get married without parental consent, sign contracts. And I’m thankful that my daughter has raised a young man who I know can be trusted with those responsibilities. Not so sure about the getting married bit, I think the age of consent for that should be a lot older. But I will keep my cynicism under control on that score.

I’m the typical doting grandmother. I’ve adored this boy since the moment he was born. He’s brought everyone in the family constant joy with his loving, good natured ways. I sorta miss being able to hug him to my breast but, to make up for it, he hugs me to his chest.

Congratulations to my beautiful boy.

Spilt milk

2011-10-26T20:36:00.000+13:00

Fonterra is a co-operative owned by 11,000 New Zealand dairy farmers.  It is the world's leading exporter of dairy products and responsible for more than a third of international dairy trade.

Last Monday (a public holiday) Fonterra celebrated its 10th birthday by hosting free family days out throughout the country.          

My friend Chris and I (both former employees of a dairy company that is now part of the giant co-operative) went along to join in the local celebrations.  A lovely day, at a lovely venue.  Not much for a couple of oldies like us, but we wandered around and watched the youngsters having lots of fun.

I read there were 10,000 sausages ordered but the cooks were hard pressed to keep up with the crowds:

Loved the No Shooting sign in the midst of all the activity:

A short distance away was a quiet spot to sit with a cup of coffee:

Lots of games for kids. This one involved teams of five racing to fill up the freezer at the far end of the course with all those milk bottles:

Today we need that many empty bottles to collect as much milk as we can from the farm milk vat before it is spilled down the drain. How's that for a sad sight?

Far from the celebratory mood on Monday, today Fonterra is expecting to waste about $20 million of milk a day until a break in the gas pipeline, that services nearly all the top half of the North Island, is repaired.

Fonterra has been collecting about 35 million litres of milk daily in the affected areas, and now only has capacity to process around five million litres.

This breakdown couldn’t have come at a worse time for dairy farmers, who are at the height of a record “spring flush”, as the new milking season is known in the industry.

As I understand it, the cost of the loss of production is spread across all Fonterra shareholders, so farmers get paid for the lost milk but the overall loss is factored into the payout at the end of the season.

Unlikely heroes

2011-10-24T17:49:00.000+13:00

12 venues, 20 teams, 45 days, 600 players, 1,388 match balls, 2,500 media, 5,500 volunteers, 100,000 international visitors, 1.4 million crowd, 4 million hosts, 6 years in the making, 48 matches. (Thanks, Justine, for those details. I pinched them off your Facebook page.)

That sums up the Rugby World Cup, the final of which was played last night. When New Zealand’s All Blacks became the 2011 RWC champions, after they ground out an 8-7 victory over France.

Photo courtesy of NZ Herald

(crap photo, obviously not meant for reproduction)

Profound relief, it was a tight game. I don’t think anyone would have predicted such a close match and, believe me, everyone had a prediction. The most popular being that the ABs would win by 20 points. The All Blacks were odds on favourites, the only team unbeaten throughout the tournament, but everyone knows the only predictable thing about the French team is their unpredictability.

All Kiwis will have their own heroes today. Mine will be Tony Woodcock, who shares my surname and is a kinda sorta distant relative to my children. He became the first All Black loosehead prop to score a try in a Rugby World Cup final, when he thundered through a gap to score the teams only try of the match. I leapt out of my chair when that happened. He’s a big man and he shot through that gap and dived over the line like the best of the backs.

And Stephen Donald, who came on as a replacement. He was the teams fourth (some say the fifth) choice flyhalf, a position that has been dogged with injuries, and wasn’t even in the team until he was called up to the squad while he was out whitebaiting. I must admit to a whispered “Oh no!” when he ran on to the field. But he put his critics to rest when he kicked the winning penalty. Poor bugger didn’t even have a jersey that fitted him properly as if his taking the field was the last thing anyone expected.

My son and daughter-in-law were at the game. Here are a few of their photos from along the Fan Trail, from the city centre to the venue, a distance of about 4.5 kms.

"The Fan Trail offers something for all ages, including large static installations, roving performers, refreshment stops and spot prizes. The entertainment promises surprises for fans, with some performances never before seen in New Zealand.

Existing cafes along the route also provide plenty of opportunities to stop and enjoy food and drinks."

And I have a photo of my own taken today in an electrical goods store in town. Captain Ritchie forever!

Me and my Elna

2011-10-22T17:48:00.000+13:00

"When you're in your 20s, you begin to lose brain cells a few at a time. Your body also starts to make less of the chemicals your brain cells need to work. The older you are, the more these changes can affect your memory." So say the good people at FamilyDoctor.Org

That gave me brief consolation. Until I realized just how many years that has been happening.

I was in my mid 20s when I bought my sewing machine. It's body shows the sign of a long life, it's getting a bit frayed around the edges like I am. And, like me, it has days when it just doesn't want to work. Unfortunately yesterday we weren't synchronised. I wanted to work, it didn't.

Last weekend when we worked together my attention was drawn to the sad state of its innards. A case of rubbish in, rubbish out? Hmm. I suspected that sewing machine oil I've been using wasn't up to the usual standard. And I oil it before and after every use. Religiously. Never miss.

So yesterday, when it just didn't want to do anything, I decided to give it my version of a service. I've done this about twice a year for the 40 plus years we have been together and the initial stages went well. Take it apart, soak all it's bits in methylated spirits, poke around inside with cotton buds soaked in the same stuff, remove all the gunk, then put it all back together again and give it a good oiling with quality sewing machine oil.

Except.... when it came to the putting back together again part, I couldn't remember how to do it! I just couldn't get that bobbin case (I think that is what it's called) back into place. I know there is a knack to it but my fingers seemed clumsy, and the more I tried, the more frustrated I became. I stubbornly spent hours hunched over it's innards, refused to give up until darkness and my hunger got the better of me and I packed it in for the day.

I don't want to be over dramatic but I was seriously shaken about all this. This morning I procrastinated about what to do today and avoided the room housing that dratted machine.

Then a bit of Pauline logic and decision making saved me. Go mow the lawn, the exercise will do me good, and then have one more go at the machine. I would have done something constructive with my day and if I couldn't fix my machine, I'd take it to a service man. After all it has only had one expert service in all its years and surely deserves another.

I honestly don't know if I was more amused or more annoyed when, tired from mowing the grass, semi-refresed from a shower, I sat at the machine and flipped that casing into place, first time.

Guess that just proves the argument that exercise is good for the brain cells. All is not yet lost!

FSO - Scavenger Hunt

2011-10-21T12:30:00.000+13:00

Mark, who suggested this theme, doesn't have befuddlement all to himself. A word that good has to be shared. Too bad it's not just the word that he's sharing!

I thought I was going to have to skip this week's shoot-out as I wasn't tempted to take my sore foot anywhere to see if I could find "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue."

Something old in my house, the top of an old box made from some sort of burnished metal, complete with rust mark.

Yesterday the road to town was getting some new seal. Good, didn't have to hop out of the car for that one.

Something borrowed? Hmmm. Ah, yes, I still haven't returned that borrowed walking stick, have I? I'll leave it right there beside my couch, then hope I notice it on Monday when I will be seeing it's owner.

Blue. Oh darn, I'm tired of getting up and down, it will have to be the closest blue thing to me, that blue glow that tells me you are all out there somewhere. Poor camera is befuddled, too, doesn't know what to focus on!

The rest of the Friday Shoot Out team will be posting their images here.

Good Samaritan and Logic

2011-10-20T16:50:00.000+13:00

On Tuesday my left foot suffered an injury and I suffered a bit of indignation that a Good Samaritan deed should have been thus rewarded.

Firstly the parable of the Good Samaritan and the sore foot.

The Lady Good Samaritan performed a dangerous manoeuvre to avoid a trailer tail gate laying across the road. Narrow road, blind corner…very bad. Guilty conscience. So the good lady stops at the nearest place where there is room to get off the road. Gets out of car and walks back to the offending tail gate, picks it up and hauls it off the road. No, not good enough, says the conscience. Someone will be looking for it. So hauls it a bit further to where it can to propped up against a bank and more easily spotted. Still not good enough. It’s too low to be easily seen, needs to be pushed a bit higher up the bank. From whence it slips down the bank and lands on her foot!

There’s a lesson in there somewhere!!

Having a sore foot brings its own rewards. Yesterday, while I was sitting on the couch with my foot raised and eight year old Georgia cuddled up beside me being suitably sympathetic, she gave a start and looked out the window behind me. I turned to see what she had seen, saw nothing and asked, “What?”

She replied she thought it had been Lewey. When I reminded her that Lewey, my dear old dog, has been dead since last March, she explained, “You know how Lewey didn’t bark much? Well, there is no dog barking, so I thought it might be Lewey.” I just love that logic!

When Lewey died I buried him in my back lawn and planted a Loropetulum Firedance above him to mark the spot. I chose that plant very carefully. It has dark pinky/reddish leaves and pretty pink flowers. Lewey had been a reddish coloured dog and in old age with more grey than red in his coat, he often looked quite pink. The lady at the garden centre told me it would be flowering in April, on the anniversary of his death. I always refer to it as my Lewey Bush. About a month ago Georgia was running around in the back yard and exclaimed, “Oops, I nearly tripped on Lewey. Granny, come quick, Lewey is flowering!” Sure enough, he is. He must flower all summer.

Bravery

2011-10-16T19:27:00.000+13:00

I’ve been sewing Christmas presents over the weekend and having to whisk the object and bits of material out of sight every time one of the grandchildren has wandered in. Luckily they have been arriving on a quad, so I’ve have been able to hear them approaching and had enough time to do the whisking.

At one stage my city dwelling granddaughter, Jami was having a ride on the quietest of the horses on the farm. Can’t say she looked relaxed but she had her brave smile in place.

And brave she is.

Shortly after this photo was taken, my daughter-in-law, Heather had gone for a ride on her horse which was being a bit frisky and needed a work out. A while later Jami was leading the horse she had been riding back home and was standing on the track outside my house holding its reins. I heard her calling, “Granny, come help me!” and although she wasn’t shouting I thought I heard fear in her voice and raced, as fast as I can race these days, out to see what was going on. Arrived at the door in time to see Heather’s horse, minus it’s rider, galloping full tilt towards her. And the courageous girl put out her arms and stepped into its path to stop it. She wasn’t to know it would stop when it came up to its mate. She must have been terrified but there were so screams or shrieks, just courage.

Shayde, who had been with her, was on the quad and off in search of her mother before the galloping horse reached us. I took the reins of the loose horse and, after dithering for a minute, and hearing that Shayde was still moving around on the quad, thinking she couldn’t find her mother and imagining Heather laying in a drain somewhere, led it into the paddock beside the house, took off the bridle and let it go, jumped in the car and went in search of Heather.

I tell you, my heart was in my throat. The thought of something bad happening to one of my family makes my blood run cold. I found Shayde and Heather quickly enough, they weren’t too far away and I was so happy to see an angry Heather. That’s a sight you don’t see very often and she was furious. She’d stopped and dismounted to open a gate and the horse had jerked free and taken off. Oh, you should have heard the things she said to that horse when she got back to her. I’d behave myself for a long time if I were her.

It was only after she’d finished her tirade and was about to remount the horse that she stopped to tip the water out of her boots and shake out her drenched socks. She’d had to wade through the creek to get back.

I went back to my sewing feeling very proud of my grand-daughters. Jami and Shayde, I hope you are around if ever I need help!

Sat eve

2011-10-15T20:30:00.000+13:00

This was my view from my kitchen as I prepared dinner yesterday evening.

I love the sight of contended cows happily munching. I thought it couldn't get much better than that - until this evening. The herd was in the paddock around the house and as the view from the back looked much the same as yesterday, I wandered out the front. And noticed it was raining again up in the mountains. The tower was still just visible, so just a passing shower. Maybe my lawn will be dry enough to mow tomorrow, after all.

But when I went to the kitchen, there was a pretty rainbow. That tops yesterday's view.

Wales plays France in the Rugby World Cup semi-final tonight, but not till 9 pm, so I wasn't in any great hurry to get my dinner under way - plenty of time for that.

I often don't take much notice of motor bikes moving around the farm. But I thought it a bit odd that I could hear a bike stopping and starting, stopping and starting, after 7 pm. Then noticed it was my son moving around a sprayed out paddock on a quad bike, stopping, getting off, picking something up, getting back on and moving off again. Strange! I couldn't see very clearly what he was doing but when I figured it out I just had to take this shot, knowing it would be blurry because of the distance. Can you figure out what the farmer is doing?

He must need practise getting out of the rough!

FSO - Sweet

2011-10-14T12:40:00.000+13:00

A definition listed to help us with this week's topic is "An intensive used to express satisfaction, acceptance, pleasure, excellence, exaltation, approval, awe, or reverence." Similar, but not quite the same as a definition I found at Kiwi Web (which is a dictionary of words and expressions commonly used in New Zealand with their equivalent definition):

sweet-as: a term people say instead of "cool" or "awesome". (That car is sweet-as!)

I've had some sweet-as moments lately - watching family bonds tighten:

Watching my son entertain the nephew he has just met for the first time.

Watching my grandson tell my English niece, who he has just met for the first time, that he likes her.

(The face touch is the signal.)

Watching my grandchildren having gentle time together.

I tell you it's been sweet-as.

Yes, seeing you again was sweet-as, Bernie. Having you visit was sweet-as, Charlotte. And my baby grandson is always sweet, sweet as.

To see how others interpreted this topic, just pop over here.

A dreary Wednesday

2011-10-12T15:56:00.000+13:00

We had a heavy dumping of rain this morning, more than I thought. I think there was more rain here than there was in town. Or maybe I just had my head down and was too busy to notice. That’s a maybe!

I first noticed a Road Closed notice by the road at the corner on Sunday. Today I thought I’d better stop and read it. It really isn’t very big, how a driver is meant to read it while negotiating the corner or whizzing past is beyond me. I couldn’t find a pen and I’d have forgotten those details before I’d driven the 12 odd minutes to home, so out came the camera. I usually have the essentials handy.

Darn, I’m driving home between those hours! Will I leave early or work late?

So, the camera was out of the bag and it took a lot longer than the usual 12 minutes to find my way home. It won’t take much more rain to bring the creek over it’s banks but the cows don’t look worried.

I've taken dozens of photos of this old shed over the past few years and always it's been just a bit too far away for my camera. Today I must have stopped at the right spot!

While my luck was in I decided to try once again for a decent shot of our neighbours little old shed that sits right beside the road. I think it is more photogenic now than it was a couple of years old. Just needs a few more years of weathering, I think.

My other stop along the road wasn't really to take a photo. This adventuruous pair were outside the fence and I nearly went past thinking they would find their way back in to their mother when they were hungry. But I thought I saw a collar around a neck, so stopped and reversed. Sure enough. They are bound to be pet lambs so I chased them back up the road and up the drive to Niamh and Archer's home. Could have a champion lamb there, kids.

Refinery

2011-10-10T19:55:00.000+13:00

Yesterday I re-affirmed to myself how easily I am pleased. Thanks, Chris, for letting me know that the Refinery at Ruakaka was having an Open Day and for inviting me along. And thank you, New Zealand Refining Co., for sharing your 50th anniversary celebrations with the community. Over the years, every time I take a visitor to the Refinery Visitors Centre (which I love to do) I've wished I could see around the site, to see up close the stacks, the hydro-crackers, cooling towers, crude distillers, desulphurisation units and especially the hydro-crackers. I've become accustomed to seeing the refinery from this angle.

For me, it was like a dream come true to see it close up. To be there, looking up at the hydro-crackers. Admittedly, in one of many buses touring the site - but I was there!

I just wanted to be constantly looking up:

and up:

I was enthralled with all those shapes, ladders and stairs! And all against a clear, blue sky! Couldn't have been better.

Our tour guide explained everything in simple, understandable terms but muggins me was too busy just soaking it all in to listen.

The tour was the highlight of the day for me but there was fun for everyone. A terrific day out for families. There was all the fun of a fair.

I wonder how long it will be before this little boy forgets about Doug the Digger? He was a picture of concentration!

Chris' niece, Lucy, was working in the cafe. Imagine looking out and seeing this queue in front of you! But she and the others who were giving up their Sunday to feed the thousands of visitors, kept the smiles coming.

(Bet you slept well last night, Lucy!)

Oh, and here's another queue beside where we lined up for the bus tour. This one gave me a real smile:

FSO - what I'm thankful for in my town

2011-10-07T12:12:00.000+13:00

This week the FSO subject is "Columbus Day in the United States and Thanksgiving Day in Canada. Show us something you have discovered in your town or something you are thankful for in your town!"

Hmmm. Difficult. There are so many things I am thankful for where I live. I tried to narrow it down to something I am daily thankful for and there are too many of those, too.

Then, driving home from work yesterday, after a rather hectic schedule at work, I felt myself unwinding and relaxing when I caught sight of the Uppity Downities (my name for the mountains) and gently undulating farmland.

And I was thankful that I daily drive a road that meanders through lovely countryside.

I had to look up this quote to make sure I got it right because I sometimes play with it to suit the circumstances but always end up being thankful I am alive:

"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful."

(Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.)

To see what the rest of the FMTSO team are thankful for, visit here.

Seems like ages ago

2011-10-05T19:25:00.000+13:00

Already last weekend seems like ages ago. I had a wonderful 5 day weekend. And another few days thinking about it all. And finally I think perhaps I can post about it. Well, bits of it anyway.

I've come to the conclusion that my younger son's 40th birthday was a bit like the bride who loses control over what her wedding will be like. You know, she has a vision of how it will be. But before she knows it the parents, the in-laws, the wedding planner and various others who should not have a say, have their say and the whole thing is beyond her control. I think it was a bit like that. Whatever Bernie had in mind for his party was not communicated clearly and his peripheral people got the bit between their teeth, so to speak.

And what they came up with was terrific! I mean, if anyone had said "Birthday cake" he would have looked at them blankly, so they had no choice but to be creative.

Perhaps he imagined standing around with a few old mates chewing the fat. What he got was said old mates and lots of family love. He did choose the theme for the night - in these days of Rugby World Cup fever, he decided on "United Nations".

And united we were - on the dance floor.

I wish I could claim the dancing gene but, no, that didn't come from me. I do love seeing it at work though. I loved seeing Bernie, who lives so far away in Brazil, enjoying himself with his nieces and nephew. Oh, and there is a cousin in there, too. It was lovely having my niece Charlotte, who had flown in from England two days before, partying with my children and grandchildren...

Seeing sons happy together..

sons and daughters...

cousins-in-law....

even mothers and sons-in-law

I have been strangely listless since I got home. No, not tired. I'm not yet at an age where a good party does me in! Maybe there is a touch of nostalgia at work. My older daughter has hosted so many good parties at her home but it has now been sold. And I feel a touch of concern for her future. Maybe these things add up to listlessness. Who knows! It was pass.

Queen of the Calfeteria

2011-09-26T18:36:00.000+13:00

A perfect audience

2011-09-25T14:46:00.000+13:00

On Thursday night I went with a small group of friends to see The Mouse Trap. And I didn't even have to shell out the airfare to London to see it.

Two of my talented work colleagues were performing in the first ever New Zealand production of this play that has been playing continuously (or continuously playing?) to audiences in the West End of London since 1952.

One of these actresses made a point of telling me that when I attended I must clap when the lights go out. Having been reminded that this is important to the cast, I passed the message on to Chris and Lucy who were part of our party and we resolved to be a good audience.

What that actress failed to add was that towards the end of the second act the lights would go out briefly, someone would scream and the lights would come on again briefly to reveal a murdered person and a screaming actress (yes, the one who had reminded me to clap when the lights go out).

What resulted was two of the audience members starting to clap as the lights came back on to reveal the murder scene! When I realized the lights had come back on, I had such difficulty concealing my laughter that I failed to notice who had been murdered.

No, I am not your perfect audience!

And a few more

2011-09-24T18:24:00.000+12:00

The more photos I take in black and white, the more I am convinced that it is the best way to capture images around the cow shed at milking time. As I set out to walk to the shed with my younger son I realized the battery light on the camera was flashing so wasn't hopeful of getting any shots at all, but they held out long enough for three clicks.

I can see the same two cows in the shot above, still keeping an eye in me.

Inside the shed, my older son had the milking underway.

My younger son is home from Brasil to celebrate his 40th birthday and to take part in the Rugby World Cup festivities. I was so content just being in his company when he was here that it didn't dawn on me to take any photos of him. I must do better at his party next Saturday night.

FSO - Sepia or Black and White

2011-09-23T12:46:00.000+12:00

"Show us your town or your part of the world in Sepia Tone or Black and White."

This was part of my world as a child, before the days of colour photography even - threshing corn on my grandparents farm.

Black and white creatures in black and white. This is Sammy, my grand-daughers' dog having a rest on my front deck while he waits for the school bus to come.

The next few I posted a couple of weeks ago - black and white cows feasting at the feed bins:

and where they go to be milked:

Finally, more pampas grass in sepia tone:

Pop over here to see black and white and sepia toned photography from the rest of the team.

Hail storm

2011-09-19T19:10:00.000+12:00

I'm so grateful my grandmother taught me how to appreciate a good storm. One of my favourite childhood memories is enjoying storms in the company of my grandparents.

But I don't like being caught out in them. To me they are best appreciated at home.

This afternoon we didn't need the weather forecasters to warn us there were lightning strikes on the way, the darkness of the early afternoon, the threatening skies was a good enough warning. The sky was truly impressive but I had no time to stop and take a photo, the first strikes came when I was still about 10 minutes away from home and I was intent on getting home so I could enjoy them in comfort. Well, that was the plan. The onslaught of hail put a stop to that. It came on so quickly and so heavily that I had to stop quite suddenly or risk running off the road (I was on a bend).

The heavy rain that followed had melted most of the hail on my front deck by the time I arrived home and managed to dash inside, grab my camera and reach out the door to take the photo.

But there was enough of the storm left to keep me happy now that I was safely home. What a great way to destress after heated words at work. My patience, which is never one of my virtues, had been stretched too far after a fourth days of feeling off colour. I really needed a good storm!

FSO - the Letter T

2011-09-16T17:18:00.000+12:00

A human T?

Water tanks:

Two tractors on a truck:

And a few towers- small, medium and large. I cheated on my favourite one, it's from the archives.

Pop over here to see the Ts from the rest of the FSO team.

Family footy reunion

2011-09-15T18:07:00.000+12:00

It's been over two years since I've had my four children together in the one place at the same time. A football match may seem a strange place for that to happen. But this was no ordinary footy game, this was a Rugby World Cup fixture. And despite the fact that my children said I looked like a Canadian logger's mother all rugged up against the wind, no logger's mother could have been happier.

That's my little grandson enjoying his first ever rugby game in the middle front.

The new stadium at Northland Event Centre was a sea of festive red. Not just festive in colour with the red and white flags of Canada and Tonga flying but festive in spirit. The official attendance was just over 17,000 which is a huge crowd in this part of the world and it seemed every single one of them was there to enjoy the game regardless of the outcome. The Tongans far outnumbered the Canadians in terms of flags and fans but the Canadians seemed to have the craziest costumes. As we walked in to the grounds with our Canadian flags and face paint we passed a mass of Tongans supporters who gave us a loud cheer. And the atmosphere was like that all around the grounds.

My four grand-daughters decked out to support their Canadian uncle.

The weather during the morning and early afternoon had been pretty lousy. Strong wind and nasty showers. Many, like me, had their red regalia hidden under warmer coats. The coats were needed as the wind didn't go away but just one very light shower passed over one end of the ground quickly. It was strange to see the rain go across the other end of the field and everyone around us was donning their raincoats in preparedness but the rain blew away. Too much hot air up our end perhaps?

A Tongan brass band entertain the crowd as the players from both sides warm up

(Tongans in the foreground)

And the outcome? In an entertaining game Canada got the first points, fell behind and came back to win. It seemed the majority of spectators were encouraging whoever was behind at the time. We shared the tarpaulin we had laid on the ground to keep our bums dry (and pull up over us if it rained, you have to plan ahead when you are in the cheap seats) with a group of girls who switched sides so many times, they didn't know who they were barracking for in the end. The Canadians were very happy with the result as in the last RWC (in 2007) their best result was a draw.

I enjoyed it all so much. It couldn't have been a better family outing. We had fun walking with the crowds to and from the games, the good natured banter. I was even impressed with the sight of red tail lights as far as the eye could see ahead of us on the way home, something I can't recall seeing before. (And I normally hate heavy traffic.)

A big thumbs up to the organisers. You did Northland proud.

Go the Wallabies.

RWC Fever

2011-09-12T17:24:00.000+12:00

The Rugby World Cup is the premier international rugby union competition. The tournament is one of the largest international sporting competitions in the world, surpassed in scale only by the FIFA World Cup, the summer Olympics and the Four de France.

And right now New Zealand is gripped in its fever like never before. And, believe me, in a rugby mad country, that is saying something. New Zealand is hosting the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

The inaugural tournament was held in 1987, when the All Blacks, the New Zealand national team, became the first ever champions and the country has plunged into despondancy every subsequent four years when they failed to win it again. Some even see the outcome as a prediction for the government at the following elections. The governament in power at the time of each loss is judged harshly.

This year the expectation on the All Blacks is huge. Home game advantage and all that.

Here in the north we will have two games, featuring three teams, Canada, Tonga and Japan, all teams that wear red. So Paint it Red is the theme. Whangarei has been spruced up ready to welcome our international visitors. I am doing my best to get into the spirit of things, have flags flying from the front of my deck, giving equal prominence to Australia and New Zealand. There's a strong wind today and Ireland blew away!

I can't compete with this place, though.

And in another corner of the same premises they have painted it red:

I'm looking forward to Wednesday and the game I will be attending, Canada Vs Tonga. I tip Tonga to win but will be supporting my Canadian son-in-law and half Canadian grandson. I'm so glad Tonga will be playing, the Tongan community in Auckland have been fabulous in their enthusiasm and support of their team and the event. The scene from the wonderful opening night that clings to my mind is that of a big, burly Tongan player with tears of emotion streaming down his face as he sang his National Anthem before the start of the first game. I'm glad I have a Tongan flag flying.

But do you want to know what the best, the very best, thing about it all is? My younger son is returning from Brazil to enjoy it all. OK, he might have come home for his 40th birthday anyway but the RWC sealed the deal!

Go the Wallabies!

Lost chicks

2011-09-11T13:12:00.000+12:00

When I stopped at the lookout/picnic area just south of town on Tuesday afternoon to my delight, six chickens boosted the number of wild fowl that live there. Mother hen was doing a good job of keeping them close and away from the road. Helped by earlier visitors who had scattered the last of their chips on the grass. A few times in the past I've seen the man who stops to feed them proper chook food a couple of times a week. The little flock knows the sound of his car and come running out of the bushes before he turns off the highway.

I was standing there again on Thursday, looking in vain for the rest of the chicks - but there were only two left. Another car pulled in and the young man who joined me, had a little bag of bread crusts for the birds and said there had been eight chickens on Monday. He collects food scraps from his mates in the lunchroom at work and stops to feed them a couple of times a week. "She's not a very good mother, this one. None of her chickens survived last year." Then, with a cheeky grin added, "That's what you get when you live on the wildside!"

All around the country little flocks of chickens live on the wildside, have taken up residence and thrived at roadside stops - picnic areas, scenic looksouts and the like. Sometimes these places are in the "middle of nowhere" miles from people or towns. At some stops they are a tourist attraction. I often wonder how they got there.

Some believe they are refugees from battery farms but I've seen them in isolated places where it is impossible to imagine this probability. Some flocks consist mostly of roosters and it is surmised that early morning and loud cock-a-doodle-doo-ing has led to them being thrown upon the roadside rather than killing them. But how do the hens find them? Because invariably there are a few hens in the mix.

However they get there, they are real survivors. They have to contend with rats, cats and roadside traffic. Mature birds learn to stay away from traffic but little chicks?

Invariably they look very healthy. They survive on what they can scratch around and find - insects, bugs, berries, with a bit of luck a nice far worm, and food thrown to them by passersby. No doubt there are other regular Good Samaritans in addition to the two I have met, who find pleasure in stopping to interact with the little flock I visit. Seems they eat just about anything. There are never food scraps laying around.

I've heard these little flocks described as Road Island Reds and Layby Leghorns. Would love to be able to think of something clever to call "my" birds.

And they are free. If I were a chook, this would be the life I'd choose.

FSO - Grandparents Day and Patriot Day.

2011-09-09T13:59:00.000+12:00

We don't celebrate either of these days in New Zealand but I would have no objections to a Grandparents Day.

My mother is the senior grandparent in my family. She raised 12 children and has 28 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. I hope I got that count right! Needless to say she has never learned to be idle. To this day her fingers are always busy.

To all the grandparents who are feeling a bit old and past their best, may your grandchildren be your pot of gold.

HappyGrandparents Day and Patriot Day to those who celebrate these occasions.

The shoot outs of the rest of the team can be found here.

Courtesy

2011-09-05T17:53:00.000+12:00

An incident on my way to work on Thursday has set me off on a number of rants about courtesy. I know. It's an old fashioned word and I fear it's becoming an old fashioned trait.

A noise I had never heard before coming from the rear of my car, brought me to a halt on the side of the road. No, the noise caused me to bring the car to a halt. Halt, is that another old fashioned word? I'm full of them today.

Anyway, there I was on the side of a country road, wondering what the hell the noise had been. I tentatively drove forward a bit and yes, there it was; backed up off to the side again and still it was there. Hmmm.

My first thoughts were a bit panicked. Not another car expense so soon after losing my rear bumper on the road last week! That won't be repaired till next week and already something else has gone wrong. Last week I had barely stopped before a neighbour came along and rescued me. But there were no knights in shining (or otherwise) armour on Thursday morning. The road was traffic-less for quite a while. 8 am. A bit early for the farmers to be heading to town, especially at this, their busy time of year.

The first vehicle to come along, the work vehicle of a roofing company with two men on board, didn't even lose speed as it whizzed past. Late getting to a job I guess. But, hey, I had the bonnet up and was obviously a woman alone. (I know the noise came from the back and I don't know what I expected to find but thought I might as well check the oil and water while I was there.)

Neither of the two drivers who did stop was remotely interested in my predicament, neither asked if I was OK, they both wanted to know how far to the Lodge or had they gone past it. They both probably thought how lucky they were to find someone to ask for directions. Didn't even bother to say thanks as they went on their way.

I should say here that I didn't need their help at that stage, I had already rung my son and knew he was on his way and I'd told him not to hurry as I knew he was busy, but they could have asked. I'd go so far as to say, should have asked. To my way of thinking, they should have asked, even if they didn't want to lend assistance, they should have at least asked. To both these young men I would appear elderly. I stress I don't think I am but the media would tag me as such.

But the one that had me steaming a bit was the van full of teenage students from an out of the district High School (they, too would have been heading for the Lodge) that slowed slightly, then carried on. The driver would have been pulling in to the Lodge entrance by the time I finished thanking him for his courtesy, for the great lesson he had just given those young people on a caring community.

Four vehicles in the hour I sat there and not one driver showed any concern for me. I must add, none of them were local people, no neighbours.

There were another two incidents that day that really had me wondering if courtesy is a thing of the past. They were just little things and they couldn't be described as rudeness more a lack of good manners, a lack of courtesy, of caring for others. It saddens me.

The good news is my son took about 4 seconds to announce I had a small stone lodged in my brake pad, it was nothing to worry about. He was right, by the time I had driven about 100 metres, it was gone. I felt a right idiot!

Coming home later in the day I saw an Enviroschools flag flying at the Lodge entrance and looked it up. Yes, that's where the high school students would have been heading. It was the first day of a series of workshops for students on possum control. Hopefully, in the long run we will benefit from this practical programme. (But I still think practical lessons in courtesy are just as important.)

FSO - Human Labour

2011-09-02T09:48:00.000+12:00

Always two there are, a master and an apprentice.

Frank Oz

Here on the farm the apprentices starts their learning young. As anyone who has trained an apprentice knows, it is not easy the first time the apprentice tries a new task.

The easy relaxation before the task is undertaken:

Can turn to apprehension as the learner undertakes the new task:

Sometimes the master just has to look away and hope for the apprentice has listened carefully to the instructions.

When the task of the day has been mastered its time to build relationships with the other farm apprentice:

Meanwhile, the other senior farm worker is hard at work. Don't know how I achieved the weird effect in this shot, I think I moved rather quickly when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tail lift. But I like it. I think it adds a soft and almost romantic touch to a job that is certainly far from either.

The FSO topic today is Human Labour. Pop over here to see the interpretations of the rest of the team on this topic; they are bound to be many and varied.

The taxpayer

2011-08-31T19:00:00.000+12:00

Last night I watched the evening News as eight year old Georgia played quietly on the floor in front of the TV. The news item was about the cost to each Kiwi taxpayer of the Christchurch earthquake.

"What's a taxpayer?" she asked. I tried to explain in terms she would understand and many questions later she seemed to have grasped the concept.

She finally glanced at the TV new presenters and said, "I hope they are going to pay something, too."

I told her, "Yes, they will have to pay, too. They are taxpayers."

"But they just sit there and read the news. That's not a job."

She was genuinely surprised when I replied that it is a job and a job that pays good money, too.

"Really? Hmmm, I'll have to think about that."

I wonder how long it will be before she tires of playing Master Chef and moves on to playing Newsreaders?

Progress

2011-08-29T18:07:00.000+12:00

I made a bit more progress on my walk yesterday afternoon. Got distracted a couple of times but that's to be expected, after all I haven't taken many photos in the past month or so., I have a bit of catching up to do. I think all people who have photography as a hobby must have a love affair with their camera. My affair had gone off the boil for a bit but is happily bubbling away again now.

First distraction was the older calves enjoying the afternoon sunshine.

I thought they were going to stay there and let me get close but true to form they were having none of that. They raced to the other side of the paddock and pretended they didn't know I was there.

I seem to have a bit of a thing about the straggly old trees around the farm right now, the ones I've always tried to keep out of my photos because they are so ugly.

This afternoon I had Georgia for company and just had to stop to take a photo of a friendly cow, that walked up to the fence to look at us. Honestly, that is one ugly cow. When I said that to Georgia she gave a little giggle and said she looks like a wild pig. (Think that's a bit of an insult to the pig actually.) She added she is calf number 17's mothers. How does an eight year old remember these things?

Then I remembered I'd taken a photo of calf no 17 over the weekend. Whereas I thought it looked startled, it's in fact just bug eyed like it's mother. They always look cuter when they're babies, don't they?

Black and white walk

2011-08-28T15:14:00.000+12:00

Yesterday afternoon when I headed out for a walk my son drew my attention to the cows bums facing us along the feed bins. I am so easily distracted from serious exercise. In the time it would have taken me to walk at a half decent pace around the farm loop, I took photos. I will try to do better this afternoon but no promises.

Busy cows, heads down:

bums up:

Then I got too close and had to beat a hasty retreat before I disturbed them.

Walk totally forgotten, I went to have a look at the calves. My daughter-in-law does a fantastic job of rearing the calves each year. They looked at me with interest but not a lot of enthusiasm - they know I'm not the one who feeds them.

Except this one who seems startled by the sight of me.

While I was in the area - and there were no cows being milked - I decided to go for a couple of shots of inside the milking shed.

And now I'm off for that walk. No, seriously, I am.

Semi sorted

2011-08-27T14:52:00.000+12:00

For one reason or another I haven't been posting much lately. I'm one of those people who goes quiet while I'm processing things and I've had a couple of things on my mind lately, hence the silence.

I've overcome the first so now I can talk about it. For quite a while I've had a sort of fuzziness of the mind. I was struggling to cope at work and had almost reached the conclusion that I was past my use-by date in the working world, it was time to pack it in. I've had a few stressful jobs in my working life and my current job wouldn't really rate but I was feeling stressed to the max, constantly worried that I wouldn't get things done on time when most of the time the only person to worry about that would be me.

Then I hurt my back and my regular massage lady, Lisa, was out of the country. I went to a doctor, my back got better, no problem. But I made an appointment with Lisa for a massage when she returned from her holiday. In the meantime, I started thinking that Lisa, also does Body Talk. When I first asked her about it, she invited me to a seminar to learn more and I thought it was interesting but wasn't about to trust some alternative, way out treatment to fix my back when I'm in pain. But I always thought I'd try it one day. So, instead of having a massage when I went for my appointment, I asked for a Body Talk treatment.

Don't ask me to explain how it works, check out the link if you are interested, but I can verify it does work. I can't say how long it took, it just dawned on me a week or so later that I was feeling less stressed and on top of things. And within a few weeks the stress had disappeared and I felt on top of the world again. Rather than feeling like I was sinking in a puddle of mud at work, feeling panicky that I'd forgotten something, by the time my next appointment came (last week) I actually felt that my workload had lessened (it hasn't).

And that horrible fuzziness is gone. I don't know how else to describe it, or if other people ever get it. My thoughts were constantly muddled, jumping from one thing to another in a mild panic, with a total lack of concentration. All gone! I still have something on my mind (a family matter) but am coping and have re-discovered the joy of life. I'm so thankful to Lisa and Body Talk for sorting me out.

Yesterday evening when I went to the kitchen to prepare my dinner, my attention was caught by the strange light outside. A scraggly old pine tree in the paddock at the back of the house was bathed in soft, beautiful light. I see this tree countless times a day; I love trees but this is not a fine specimen and I have never once had a kind thought towards it. Yesterday it had its moment of beauty.

Now is what farmers call spring. Not according to the calendar but it's calving time, the time of birth. When the real spring arrives the weather will be terrible but for now it's perfect. Well, this week has been perfect. A couple of weeks ago we had five frosts in a row (a rarity) and twice there has been snow up in the mountain - an event so rare, it made the papers. There will probably be another cold snap but who cares, I'll happily take what we are being given right now.

My son's cows that are due to calve are in a paddock near the house. Yesterday I was amused as I watched a young cow as she was in labour. Cows often keep looking at their rear end leading up to birth, as if trying to see what is causing the pain. This one didn't just look, she kept chasing it, round and round in circles. And when she wasn't doing that she was backing herself up, as if trying to back over it. I was worried she would never actually give birth if she kept getting up to chase her tail. But in the end instinct took over and all was well.

This morning's birthing did not go so well. The birth was taking too long and the cow was "down", unable to get back up again with just the calf's legs in this world. Farmer Dan and the girls to the rescue. I won't go into detail because I realize not everyone is familiar with some of the less sensitive methods used on a farm. Let's just say with the help of ropes and a quad bike, the calf was delivered, thankfully still alive. The calf was dragged and placed beside the cow's head and she rallied enough to do what cow mothers do to their newborn. That was less than an hour ago and now both cow and calf are on their feet and the calf has found the end that gives it milk.

The girls were helping, then keeping an eye on progress. The little blob in front of the cow's face is the calf. Notice Georgia is staying out of harms way, she's not as confident around calving cows as the older girls.

And when she does venture closer she makes sure she is armed. I love the older girls' arms akimbo in true farmer fashion:

The rest of the herd had been slightly unsettled by the activity in their paddock and had a bit of sorting out to do when they left. Now, which calf is mine? Is it this one?

Or maybe this one?

No, I think it was the other one back there.

They sorted themselves out in the end. All sorted on both sides of the fence.

FSO - High 'n' Low

2011-08-26T10:12:00.000+12:00

High 'n' Low - that's the topic for this week's FSO.

For some unknown reason, my internet connection is precarious today so I'm choosing just two shots on the theme of decay High and Low, and hoping the post will publish before it times out.

To see what the rest of the Friday Shoot Out team has come up with this week, just pop over here.

FSO - Match it.

2011-08-19T12:19:00.000+12:00

I didn't read this week's challenge properly, so have deleted my original post. The subject was Match it!! Match a photo from your town with one of your favorite quotes. A photo....not several.

So I've chosen my favourite Maori proverb....

Turn your face to the sun and your shadow will fall behind you.

As I head away for the weekend I am taking that message with me....look to the future, leave the past behind you.

I imagine this week there will be some wonderful photos and quotes here.

FSO - Rust, rusty, rustic, Take 2

2011-08-12T09:29:00.000+12:00

If I were really annoyed with myself for posting this week's FSO on Monday, I wouldn't have another go at it. But I've got used to being annoyed with myself for stuffing things up and don't let it bother me too much these days. However, I did have to dig into my archives on my old computer to find a few more shots, and none of them are taken around here. They are all in the north and not that far away though.

This one amused me because the For Hire sign looks to be in much better condition than the machine. Maybe it's only rusty on the outside but it doesn't exactly inspire confidence, does it?

Take your pick of go-carts:

Add a few rusty old things to achieve a really rustic look:

Finally, because I love looking at rusty old sheds, I just had to add one.

Want to have a look at some great photos of rust, rusty and rustic? Just pop over here.

How did that happen?

2011-08-09T15:34:00.000+12:00

I had no idea I had published next Friday's post until comments landed in my email. I've been priding myself on being quite clear headed lately, out of the fuzzy fog that had been starting to worry me. Hah! Pride cometh and all that!

I was actually quite pleased with myself for making a start on that post. Had chosen a few photos, put in a few words and thought I'd finish it later in the week when, hopefully, I will have my computer home from hospital.

It was still all over the place like a dog's dinner. What a silly expression. Just looked it up and it seems the expression is 'done up like a dog's dinner'. Well, no, it's certainly not that. It's more all over the place....like a baby's dinner.

Ah well, what's done is done.

Rust, rusty, rustic

2011-08-08T15:51:00.001+12:00

For this week’s topic of rust, rusty, rustic we have been encouraged to think out of the box. Well, to me, rust is rust.

Those who think out of the box find creative use for rusty old things:

I pick up old bits and pieces I find around the farm and just throw them in the garden:

I’d love to cart this home but it is too big for my garden, so it sits in a paddock:

Others release their sense of humour to create something rustic:

I’m spoilt with the number of rustic old sheds I see around the countryside. The first one is here on the farm.

This one I pass daily. I think the trees have enveloped more of it since I last posted it.

This one I pass every time I go to see my daughters:

And this one sits on prime land at Mangawhai. I wonder how long it will be before progress overtakes it:

of, relating to, or suitable for the country : rural <rustic rolling farmland>

a : made of the rough limbs of trees <rustic furniture> b : finished by rusticating <a rustic joint in masonry>

: appropriate to the country (as in plainness or sturdiness) <heavy rustic boots>

—Middle English rustik, from Latin rusticus, from rus open land

First Known Use: 15th century

rough-hewn,

of, relating to, associated with, or typical of open areas with few buildings or people <a rustic area that has a refreshing lack of billboards and shopping malls>

Synonyms bucolic, country, pastoral, rustic (also rustical)

Related Words backwoods, backwoodsy, countrified (also countryfied), provincial; agrarian, agricultural; nonurban, semirural

FSO – Shooters Choice

2011-08-05T12:46:00.002+12:00

This Friday, our challenge is Shooters Choice!! Anything goes as long as it showcases your town. I’m interpreting that as showing you where I live. I’m not a town person and anyway, town is quite some distance from where I live. As this is a farming community, constant topics of conversation are the weather and our road. As the weather impacts on the state of the road, I’ve chosen to concentrate on the road home.
Sometimes it’s wet and slushy:
Sometimes the potholes are a challenge. To avoid them you have to hug the railings of the bridge.    Not a place for nervous drivers.
Sometimes the road is flooded but I don’t have any photos of floodwater over the road. I have other things on my mind when faced with that.   The next shot is taken from the road but the water has not yet covered it.
At this spot, further up the road past my house, water is often trickling over the road:

and makes a pretty little waterfall as it tumbles off down to the creek.

When the road is dry, vehicles kick up a cloud of dust making it easier to see if there is vehicle up ahead. When you come up behind a truck like this it’s a matter of letting the driver see you are behind them. Most of them are very considerate and will wave you on when they can see far enough ahead to know it is safe for you to get past.

There are a few one lane bridges – this is the big one. Yeah, go on, have a laugh! It’s a big one for around here!

And this is the little one, closest to home.
At this time of year there is often fog. Here is the same little bridge, from the other direction. Can’t see it?    It’s there, the sign says so.

In summer, one neighbour grows a vegetable garden at the bottom of the bank to the right of the bridge.
Another often grazes the Long Acre.

I’m looking forward to seeing what the other FSO folk show us this week. They will all be here.

FSO - Pink

2011-07-29T16:41:00.000+12:00

Pink, but no flowers, is the topic for this week's shoot-out. I was pretty sure I wouldn't find many pink things in my immediate surroundings, it's not a colour often associated with murky farming activities. I was right, couldn't find a thing. So I took a drive around town and still didn't see much. Until, in desperation, I took a drive into an industrial area (where I would have least expected to find success).

I didn't expect to see a pink rubbish skip and an even pinker container:

The colour of the roof of the Re:Sort (the recycle station) isn't visible as you pass it by so I was surprised when I spotted it from a distance:

Pale pink bones of a house:

Candy pink of a play house:

That's all there is. My computer is in hospital and working on this ancient beast requires more patience than I possess.

To check out what the rest of the team found Pink in their towns, just pop over here.

Karikari Peninsula

2011-07-26T14:42:00.000+12:00

I have never ventured up the Karikari Peninsula but Chris once lived in Mangonui and knows the area well. When she lived in the area she used to tell people she’d like to live at Rangiputa and everyone thought she was crazy. In those days it was a not well maintained dirt road all the way, with about half a dozen little bachs at the beach. It’s a different story these days, the road is well sealed and an easy (if not fast) drive. There are still some humble little bachs but they are outnumbered by the more modern steel and glass structures of the well to do, especially on the hill overlooking the beach. But it’s the original little houses that have most of the best spots along the foreshore.

(Bach, pronounced Batch, is the name given in the North Island to small, often very modest beach houses. They are slowly but surely being replaced but much grander houses. One theory is the word was originally short for bachelor pad, I guess from their small size. An alternative theory for the origination of the word is that "bach" in Welsh means small, although the pronunciation is different. One humorous definition of the original bach is "something you built yourself, on land you don't own, out of materials you borrowed or stole”.)

We decided to book in for the night at the only motel. It's the building with the long red roof above. Owned by a lovely English couple who made us very welcome.

Matai Bay, on the Peninsula, seems untouched by the steel and glass brigade.

I know the next beach was in a reserve and I think it was Pukete, but can’t really see the tiny print on the map.

A lady in Awanui had told us we must visit Karikari Vineyard (for the best muffins ever) so as it was time for a cuppa we took her advise. I think we should have tried the wine as neither my muffin nor coffee was worth the drive up the hill. Although the view was: