It's not the seven year itch

Several things have been keeping me from blogging, mainly the inability to sit for long.  Not because I am fidgety.  My back is the problem, it simply hurts if I sit for any length of time.  I gave thought to giving up the blog altogether but realize it has become a diary of the past seven years of my life.  Yep, my first post was 23 January, 2009.  I've re-looked at my early posts and smiled at some of the memories I found there.  Memories of my much younger grandchildren, the pleasure I've had in watching them grow.  Of places I've been and sights I've seen, the people who have added colour to my life in that time.   

In another seven years how will I remember the day to day events of my current life?  Not very well, I imagine, without a blog.   

How will I be able to remember what year the family camped on the farm, at the dam, for Christmas? 

I didn't take all that many photos of our Christmas adventures.  But the other keen photographers in the family did.  Here is a collection.

 
Literally camping with the cows.  If you look carefully you will see there is a wire between the cows and the tent.

The young ones enjoyed the water activities

 
Kids of all ages enjoyed the water slide

 The young and fit set off to climb to the tower on the nearby mountain

Twice we all set off to explore further up the creek.

Wading upstream in the shade of the surrounding forest was the perfect activity during the hottest part of the day.

The aim was to find the waterfall that Heather and I were sure was upstream.  It might not be all that large but we felt quite triumphant when we found it.

Any aches and pains could be washed away in the outside bath.  The water came in alkathene which ran along the top of the grass, heating the water very effectively.

And even as the sun went down there was eel fishing for those with the energy.

Solar powered lights meant we didn't have to spend our nights in the dark.  The moon was full and very bright.

 

So I can manage a post if I do it in 10-15 minute sittings but I really can't manage sitting long enough to visit other blogs.  I will try but I honestly don't think I can any longer belong to the blogging community I've enjoyed so much.

Manuka in bloom

According to Maori folklore a long, hot summer is ahead when the manuka flowers early.  It's in almost full bloom at the moment and that is a bit early.  

That won't be good for the family from a farming point of view but we will have the perfect place for spending those long hot days.

Tomorrow my twin grand-daughters turn 17. Today my son and daughter-in-law are working flat out finishing a wooden deck alongside the dam, where the girls will gather their friends for their party.  The deck will for the base for what we will grandly call the Lake House.   It won't be flash but it will eventually offer shade from that hot, summer sun.  It's a work in progress.  

Danny and Heather have already built a wooden jetty for launching the raft they had a lot of fun building.  It makes the perfect runway for energetic young people to launch themselves. 

A couple of days ago the emphasis was on erecting and tweaking a flying fox.

 

My younger son has arrived home from Brasil, his girlfriend arrives later this week.  So this year all my family will be here for Christmas.  There will be camping beside the dam and lots of water based activities.  I am already happy imagining the fun the little boys will have with nets catching frogs and tadpoles.  

Let's hope the weather is agreeable.  

It's been nearly a month since my last post.  The break wasn't planned, my interest just waned.  I'll just wait till it waxes again.  Which probably makes no sense to anyone except me. 

Is the Big Dry coming?

There have been an increasing amount of talk about a "big dry" summer ahead for us - El Nino at work.  In case the experts are right I thought I better get in a few shots of all the greenery while I can, a farm girl with a camera's equivalent of squirreling away some nuts.

There are two sets of mallard ducklings on the dam.  I've visited there a number of times hoping to get some photos but they are too wary.  I sit and hope they will get used to my presence but there's no chance of that the way their parents carry on.  Then I feel guilty about causing the parents so much anguish and leave them in peace.  

 This is the best I've been able to do so far.

That's the dam in my header.  It's in a sheltered, tranquil spot any day but particularly on a still day.  There are plans afoot to move an old farm shed onto the banks to make a "Lake House" for camping.
 

A few paddocks have been ploughed and sewn with summer crops so a little more rain would be appreciated at this stage.  The ploughed paddocks contrast nicely with the grassy paddocks and darker green of the forest and grey-green of the forest hills beyond.