Karamea

We've had a completely wonderful weekend away. Of course we forgot the camera, but at least we remembered the children, each other, nappies, sandfly repellent and beer, so nothing vital was missed out.

We walked into the Oparara Arches. I think they may be the most marvellous things I have ever seen. We forgot to bring the Ergo (baby carrier) and Brighid was asleep when we got there. But usefully, Favourite Handyman had bought a too big but very good bargain price oilskin vest at the market earlier in the day and he also had long spare straps in his pack. So we strapped Brighid onto my front using the vest worn zipped up over both of us with the strap tied very tightly around my back and underneath her bottom. It worked surprisingly well.

We stayed in cabins at the camping ground and as they are not yet busy, it was perfect for the children. We went with friends so four adults and four children and we all loved it.

We had dinner on the beach (sausages and marshmallows cooked on the spot of course) and checked out various coffee and liquor establishments as well as making our own back at the camping ground.

On the way back today we stopped at Granity where they had a fun day. Fionn got his face painted, we admired many crafts and I bought some gorgeous homespun and home dyed wool (just a small amount, I'm not quite giving up my rule on not buying more wool before the last project is being worn). I thought it was a gorgeous hippy paradise and Favourite Handyman pointed out to me that it is also a coalmining town. No doubt that makes for some tension and in that it is a microcosm of the entire West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

Next stop was Punakaiki where we stopped for an early feed and drink at the tavern there. The life size replica horses (carrying beer to the pub in the 'old days')out the front are always popular for playing on in our family and today was no exception. We took a walk down to the beach and collected some more seaweed. No I can never have too much seaweed!

In several places I got to have a close look at some permaculture-style home gardens. I admired the gorgeous cacti garden at Rongo backpackers, as well as having a closer look at his raised beds with sand paths in between them. He used drift wood and found stones to create a maze of probably a dozen raised beds. Then we called in to see the people at Atawhai Farm. I've met Bill once before when I bought garlic from him but no one was home when we called in today. Nevertheless, I still got to have a good look at the garden bordering the drive up to his house. At both Atawhai Farm and later at Granity, I saw tunnel houses which had wind break cloth for the first half or two thirds of the walls and then after that plastic, which also stretched over the top. So good ventilation and also the warmth of the plastic roof. Given the rainfall in the area, also some control over the flooding aspect. We are now talking about implementing this idea at our place.

We also talked about art a bit in the weekend and watched the five year olds make wonderful pictures. So far at our current home, my energies have almost all gone outside, on the garden. But I'm now thinking of painting the plain chipboard behind the fire deep deep red and putting lots of Fionn's pictures and our photos on the walls. This summer.

The entire trip was wonderful. We're planning to go back in January, with our tents.

I can do it

I can do it and I will do it. It is true that our very high rainfall and short season summer make gardening challenging at times. Sometimes challenging equates to many things dying, or failing to thrive. My plans for eating our own fruit have been thwarted somewhat. The first lemon tree died and the second one has had a hard life but I do see a couple of new leaves, so still alive. The blueberries lost their berries and one of the two bushes looks very unwell. The blackcurrants are alive and have a few currants on them. They are up the best drained end of the section. The feijoas seem fine but no flowers. At least I have two this year.

So all the fruit needs to be moved to the highest end of the section. And nourished a lot. The glasshouse when we build it needs to go where the old chook run garden currently as. It needs to be raised off the ground quite a lot and have well drained (deepish shingle or bark or sawdust) paths all around it.

The garden along the back of the house grew us some lovely tomatoes last year. The part of it where I mixed in some blood and bone, lime and seaweed is growing quite well - I have a broccoli forming a head there. A head! First time in years. But the poor raspberry, even though I encircled it in seaweed, is definitely not happy. The onions are doing okay there but not fabulously. Though of course at least they are alive which is more than I could say for my onion attempts last year.

So last night I weeded and pulled out the flower bulbs which were still in the ground. I now have a blank patch of over a metre long (and perhaps 6ocm deep back to the house) with nothing in it except one tiny maori potato which has just peeked through. That could push it's way up through more soilish items though. It is time for intensive help. I think the biggest probelm over and above the wet is that the very large tree which is not far away from this garden bed has roots extending down into this garden. Deepish roots for the most part and if I raise the bed up with lots of nutrient-intensive material, I should get noticeable improvement. My fingers aren't crossed because then I can't type, but in my mind I have many things crossed.

I've got sheep poo, sheep dags ground into a soil conditioner, seaweed, blood and bone and pea straw all on hand. I'll have to check the state of the last batch of compost because it would be great if that was ready to use as well. I want to raise the soil by 10 cm and then put pea straw on top of that.

My kefir is still alive. I'm hoping that if I leave it in a coolish place (i.e not the hot water cupboard like I have been), then it will be okay to leave unstrained and unrefreshed by more milk for 2-3 days.

Why? Because we are going on holiday this weekend. Holiday. Holiday! To Karamea for two nights. I am so excited. Karamea is still on the West Coast and it still could rain but it is a very beautiful place that I have wanted to go back to (last went as a child) ever since we moved to smallwettown almost three years ago.

mice

There is one, possibly two, mice trapped in the wash-house cupboard. For the millionth time I think that I should buy a really decent torch and hide it from everyone else so I can properly investigate these things and deal to them late at night, without the assistance of my toddling daughter.

It is raining for the eighth time this week. It is only Tuesday. If I were to scientifically test the truth of this apparent hyperbole, it may turn out there have been more than seven periods of rainfall before now and since Sunday morning.

If my brain would function at a higher level than right now, then I would do a post rounding up the many blogs I have discovered in recent months written by New Zealand women that I enjoy. For the moment I'll just say how much I've enjoyed reading of other kiwi women gardening, crafting, thinking. The showcase will have to wait.

Onion weed. It is quite juicy. I think that it might not flourish in drought-prone areas.

Local shopping. I bought a piece of pork roast and a bag of soup bones from Jonesy the butcher. I told him (not for the first time nor for the last) that he is quite precious. We have lost our fish shop here in Smallwettown. I got the impression that many people are telling him this. No pressure Jonesy, only your butchery is on the market and we can't bear for you to go.

Nice piece of pork. Extravagant, even more so when I poured a 500ml bottle of cream into the pasta sacue pan and made silverbeet (home grown of COURSE) and pork pasta sauce. But we do have lots of pork left for dinner tomorrow night and lunches tomorrow.

Colloidal silver. I must read again how this works, or what the claims for it working explain. It does seem to be doing great things for my son's skin.

Holiday. We are going to visit my grandparents (how truly wonderful is that? I am 36 and I still have grandparents. Indeed I have grandparents who are still working and running their own lives.) next week for a few days. I'll be fitting in a visit to one of my aunts who is an ace gardener and poultry enthusiast extraordinaire. Last year when we visited, we drove up the drive to the farm they moved to the year before and saw on one side my uncle's vintage tractor collection and on the other many, probably hundreds, of chooks. Then in the house we watched the newest kittens beginning to explore. Enid Blyton, I've found your muse.

Home again

Two days in Hanmer Springs with Fionn and Brighid and my parents at their home. Otherwise known to me as peak oil fortress capability A+++ rating. Nice time. Came back with pumpkins from Dad's garden, some raspberry canes from Dad's garden so I can grow my own next year and seven jars of home made jam from Mum - some blackberry and some apricot. I also brought back the blackout lining for the lounge curtains which Mum so kindly made. All wonderful gifts which I really appreciate. Bringing home grandchildren certainly has currency.

Then a night in Christchurch, catching up with friends who used to live on the coast. Where I got to be dual personality mum yet again.

Scene one: 11.30am Monday. Sandra in long flowing skirt, baby in ergo on her back, long haired and beautifully behaved son holding her hand. We are in Piko Organic foods cooperative choosing lentils and beans for the winter. Life is beautiful and we are beautifully organic. We cross the road and collect some natural medicine for Fionn's latest skin complaint and don't argue once that I can recall.

Scene two: 12.30pm Monday. Sandra and children in car, hungry. Sandra experiencing strong aversion to getting all children out of the car again in order to buy lunch and some fizzy and wine to take to our friends' house. So we buy KFC at the drive thru and I spend precious fossil fuel driving to a further away mall which has a liquor outlet where I can leave the kids in the car straight outside and dash in.

Today we met up with Favourite Handyman in Christchurch and all drove home again and I stood out the back in the rain as soon as I got home matching the spring planting plans I'd made while driving with the reality in front of me. Oh and also today I found some New Zealand grown, good quality looking shallots and bought some to break up and plant in the garden.