WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS....

I know, I know - I'm super slack for going so long without an update on our wonderful(?) way of life.

Re-reading my last post has prompted a headcount update before I go any further;

Chook count - heart-wrenchingly reduced by nine by a bloody evasive stoat.
Golden pheasant count - also decimated by the stoat - now only three left. We lost our wonderful hand-reared boy Beep. The Boss and I found this really hard to cope with.
Cattle population - now Dino, Bam-Bam and our other calf Freddy.  We bought a big boy named Barney off Trade Me, and there's a little bit of him left in the freezer.  The beefy boy and nameless mother cow were whisked away by the landlord some time ago.
Sheep - all the landlord's mob has long gone, now we have Lambchop - a triplet I ended up with when she was only three days old. Keeping her company is our other lamb Porkchomp - so named because one of our kunes chewed off her tail shortly after she was born without warning to a supposedly dry ewe.
Pigs - this is where things get embarrassing. Kune kunes down to just Golly & Ginga. Petunia the large white has just had her second lot of piglets - 14 of the little suckers.  Petunia's daughters from her first litter have also been having a crack at motherhood - Sweetpea had 11, Poppy 8 and Pansy 3. Then you add in Bruno the Saddleback boar, Bean the Saddleback girl & her 12, 6 more saddlebacks born to Bruno & his chief squeeze Bella, plus the 6 cross breeds that we bought in to rear as weaners.  Bella is about to explode with her next lot of piglets - I'm guessing that'll add at least another 10 to the total.
No way am I brave enough to add up those numbers!
Pussy Cats - Mouse & Dukkah the Maine Coons continue to do their thing - hanging out and looking cute, with the occassional outing to find a mouse or rabbit to play with.
Dogs - Noodle the Jack Russell has been joined by Spud the poodle/cavalier king charles/low chen cross. Spuddy recently donated his boy bits to the local vet, but despite being only seven months old, he managed to get Noodle up the spud before his wee op.  Noodle is now only a few weeks away from motherhood.

As if our burgeoning animal population doesn't add enough drama to our lives, The Boss has just resigned from The Vineyard and is about to head off into the big wide world of Irrigation and Pumping. I'm working part time for another vineyard across the road from The Vineyard, and finally we're waiting for the outcome of our first ever outing to the Tenancy Tribunal.  The stories I could (and will) tell about our tenancy here at Quaffing House Estate!

Enough for now, but first;

What I've learnt recently:

1. Newborn lambs require six feeds a day for seemingly ages.  Even though Lambchop is now all grown up, she still loves me.

2. Our landlord's definition of a bad tenant - US!! Amongst the reasons given - we failed to get his cow in calf & we failed to give him a piglet from Petunia's first mob (even though Petunia was given to me by the Landlord in payment for looking after his 16 other pigs for a number of months).
Let's hope the Adjudicator was not swayed by our terrible behaviour and simply bases her decisions on the facts.

What happened next

On the way to collect the pig food this morning, I saw a naked man emerging from the lake. He was close enough to the road for me to get the impression that the water must have been rather cold.  On my way home twenty minutes later there was no sign of him, his dozen or so companions (including an older gentleman dressed in a dark suit), nor the small bus they travelled in.

I don't remember anything like that ever happening in Gibbston Valley, but wouldn't it make a great opening scene for a book?!

Life has rolled on since my last post quite some time ago. I need to ease myself into a proper update, so will keep this brief - well at least my version of brief.  Let's just start with a head count.

In the new Bannockburn house are myself & The Boss, Mouse & Dukkah the Maine Coon cats, plus space for our four vineyard workers when they're here from Vanuatu.

Outside the kitchen door lives Noodle the Jack Russell terrier. Her new kennel is positioned to give her a panoramic view of our rabbit populated twenty acre property along with a good vantage point to bark at passing joggers.

The golden pheasant run contains four girls and two boys, including our incubator hatched boy Beep.

Four of the five Gibbston kune kunes share their paddocks with Petunia the large white sow. Petunia's eight weaners are divided into two groups of four. They live next to the cow paddock.  It's home to a growing beefie steer, a nameless mother cow, her month old son Bam Bam and our friesian calf Dino.

On the other side of the pig paddock, our landlord's dozen or so chooks free range around their paddock, while my embarrassingly large chook family lives in a deer fenced enclosure.

The landlord's sheep are currently grazing in a neighbouring vineyard. They're busy lambing, so my livestock duties include daily visits to keep an eye on them.

The Boss has kindly agreed to me dubbing our new home "Quaffing House Estate".

What I've learnt recently:
1.  No matter how much you worry about unwell pregnant ewes, it won't stop them from dying if it's meant to be.
2. Poking in your newly planted garlic bed won't make things grow any faster.

Blowing Away the Cobwebs

It was windy here in the Valley on Monday.  So windy that it tore one of The Boss's sheds to pieces and toppled a second onto its side.  The wind also scattered the contents of his sheds across the ground, mixing up his carefully sorted "this will come in handy some day" collection of man-stuff. 

Talk about a reflection on our life.  The comfy contentment of our living arrangements was blown to shreds recently via a short email, regretfully giving us until March next year to find a new home. 

While Queenstown experienced a series of small twisters on Monday, we'd already been ravaged by the swirling winds of "What If's" and uncertainties for weeks.  March 2011 might seem like a million years away, but when you're faced with having to rehouse your a whole life of possessions, plus poultry and pets - it's an exhausting experience.

The Boss has been spending every weekend working on our wee house down in Invercargill. We've agreed that it's time to sever that tie once and for all and get it sold.  I have been trying to get my head around the concept of getting rid of some of my "Stuff" - you know - my version of The Boss's manstuff. But Stuff is what makes you you. 

Even if we end up living in a converted horse float, and don't worry - we've had that discussion, even then I'm sure the day will come when I need all of my back issues of Cuisine magazine.  And how can I possibly pick which ten or a dozen pieces of depression glassware to put on Trade Me?  Splitting up my embarrassingly large collection is just wrong.

Hey, I know things will work out in the end.  It's just the not knowing that's so difficult to deal with.

What I've learnt today:
1.  A month after finishing pruning in The Vineyard, I can finally clench both hands back into proper fists first thing in the morning. This is a big day for me.

2.  While I consider it perfectly normal to look out the window and see two wild rabbits eating grass alongside my chickens - it's amazing the reaction you get when you share the details over the phone with someone sitting in an Auckland call centre.  I wouldn't want to swap lives for anything!

Food for thought

There's something about cold weather that makes me want to cook.  I've just added a new recipe to my recipes page - Oaty Hotcakes with mock maple syrup.  Wonderful comfort food, and even better when stacked up with crispy bacon and home made corn fritters.  I think I'll keep this one for Sunday brunches when our kids come to visit - subtle hint there lads.  

Of course, I haven't been toiling over a hot stove continuously.  My current mission is pruning the roses - I figure they've been so badly neglected I can't do too much harm.  Last year The Winemaker taught me how to prune grapes - he told me the secret is to "Think like a vine".  Today I've been outside trying to "Think like a rose".

When you're pruning grapes you're pretty much out there on your own, in my case - away in my own wee world. Pruning the roses has been slightly different.  I've had a couple of young roosters for company, giving a running commentary on my progress and pecking enthusiastically at the weeds I've been yanking out along the way.  Dukkah has cruised by a couple of times to see what I was up to, while Noodle has been grumbling away as she's tied up and can't quite see the action.  Not really sure what she has to complain about - this morning I gave her a beef bone with a knuckle on it the size of her head.

Mouse is looking a lot happier today, and I know he's feeling better as we had a bit of a wrestling match on the kitchen floor this morning when I attempted to get his antibiotics into him. Saffron and her chick are doing well, and the nine eggs that Quince is sitting on are due to hatch this time next week.  The Boss tells me the piggles are all looking positively rotund. He also told me that Wilson the ram was trying to make whoopy with the girl pigs - I'm just pleased I wasn't there to see it!

What I've learnt today:
1. We had our hardest frost for the winter last night - minus 5.4 degrees at the house, minus 6.8 degrees at the road.  No wonder I struggled to get out of bed!
2. On the subject of struggling - Prince Charming is simmering away in the oven - can't quite get my head around the idea of eating him for tea tonight.....

Balancing the Books

Ever have one of those weeks when you know good things have happened, but they seem outweighed by the negatives?   Last week was a classic example for me.

Sunday night: Did Trade Me listings for four of my young pullets (including the one above), plus Grape the green egg laying girl and Vin Diesel the hot young roo. I've never had so many hits and questions on any auctions run before.

Monday morning: Had job interview that went really well - they only interviewed four people for the position. Decision by end of week.

Monday afternoon: Sold all five girls to free ranging homes in Wanaka. No bids on Vin Diesel yet. Income $125.

Monday night: The Boss announces a friend of ours has been spotted in Gibbston Valley. First time he's been over from Oz in three years.  We're both keen to catch up with him.

Tuesday: Purchase Maine Coon food. Expenditure $122.

Wednesday: Saffron my wee Silkie hatches a beautiful (and VERY noisy) Barred Rock chick. One chick from five eggs is a bit sad, but better than none I guess.

Thursday: No news on the job front. No sign of our Ozzie mate. Pullets picked up and their new owner wants another hen as well. Future income $25.

Friday afternoon: The Winemaker asks if I want to do some pruning again this year - I said definitely, unless I get the job I interviewed for on Monday.  Check my emails an hour later, and there sits a three line "Thanks but no thanks" job rejection.  Sell eggs - income $7.

Friday night: Sell my snowchains on Trade Me. Nice guy drops off cash. Income $125.

Saturday morning:  Exchange eight eggs and a jar of home made jam in part trade for some wild pork. Good deal! Notice Mouse the Maine Coon is dribbling - a bit out of character.

Saturday afternoon: The Boss and I do a road trip to the big smoke of Alexandra for a change of scenery. Expenditure $28 for chook food, $9 for cat food, $3 for Noodle food, $4 for pheasant food. $4.50 for chocolate coated raisins (people food).

Saturday night: Mouse looking worse. Still no sign of our Ozzie friend.

Sunday morning: Phone the vet. Housecall. Despite vaccination, Mouse has contracted cat flu. Now worried about both him and his sister Dukkah. Vet bill expenditure $181.

Sunday night:  Not long after putting the chooks to bed, I spot Juniper sitting on a nest outside the lounge window.  Attempt to round her up and she is grabbed by Noodle.  Lots of screaming from me and Juniper. Lots of swearing by the Boss. We manage to get her safely back in with the rest of the chooks, she seems okay. Vin Diesel's auction closes. No bids. No income. No Ozzie visitor.

Monday morning:  Juniper is okay. The Barred Rock chick is doing fine.  Noodle is very apologetic. Mouse looks much happier. Let's see how this week balances out.

What I've learnt recently:

1.  Remember to remember the good stuff.

2.  Nic T - if by some slim chance you read this - The Boss is disappointed (and a bit pissed), I am just bewildered.