Wednesday, November 07, 2007

On my Coffee Break.




Ive been neglecting you all my Blog friends. Things have gone from busy to ridiculously busy around here. Whenever I can snatch a few moments I have been reading your posts and even leaving the odd comment but forgive if I have been rather quiet.
Here is a picture of the first strawberries which are continuing to ripen....I have now had 3 picks and the taste and quality is improving each time.
Every day we are working in the Kiwifruit crush tipping and tying in....more hours than my body wants to do but it has to be done. DH is making it the priority; mine is perhaps getting everything inside and out ship shape and extra clean and tidy. We spent all weekend really going for it water blasting, windows, cobwebs, painting ....if you can think of it we were probably doing it. Luckily at about 3 on Sunday afternoon 2 dear friends popped in to return borrowed books and we sat and talked for nearly 2 hours. It was so great to see them and blob for a while. But we are back at trying to clean up the area in this photo which is in the outer regions of the garden. It's a zigzag path down to the dam from the house under huge, messy gum trees. After lunch it will have to be back to the kiwifruit.
I haven't done the For Sale post I was intending to do, but there is still time for that. Would you believe the Real Estate people are still fannying about and want more photos ( I gave them a CD with 75 on it ), they want more...fine take more but get on with it. It is now postponed till tomorrow. 8 of their company all trooped around the property and through the house yesterday. When we came in for lunch there were 8 of their business cards lined up on the bench....I hope they had fun! We have got quite used to the idea of going ......with some regrets of course....but now our big fear is nobody will want to buy! Imagine if it takes ages to sell having to keep up this rate of preparedness ( clean, tidy, neat, mown etc )
Forget any sewing! But no I can't cause before all this happened I had agreed to teach a class of 14 on this Friday. They are all keen and eager. I have all my prep and a 3 page hand out all ready to go....no wonder I am frazzled. Should be a good day and at least it won't be cleaning or house work, or kiwifruit.
( Do you know that we are getting about $1.20 a tray less that last year for our fruit....now that is so bad, cause you the customer are still paying about the same for them....it's all do do with the value of the NZ dollar...we just can't make ends meet like that! We are now running the orchard, on our savings....that was for our retirement ) Sorry I didn't mean to ear bash you about that! It all adds to the stress though.
Well back to work again now! Please keep sending encouraging thoughts I need them.

10 comments:

Suzy said...

Hi Ali, I really feel for you, having to keep everything clean AND do the work with the fruit! I am sure you will sell the property, in all the photos we have seen it looks lovely and I have always been envious. I am glad you were able to take some time out for friends and sewing class.
As for the price of fruit - a current affairs program here howed how much the farmers got in relation to customer price and some mark ups were over 1000%!!!

Unknown said...

I do hope that you can sell your property very soon.

loulee said...

Chin up, it can't go on forever. ((HUGS))

Susan D said...

It is sooh wrong that the producers get so little for all the hard work. I'm sorry that you are having to move but look on it as an adventure, onwards and upwards to new things.

Suzi-k said...

ali, maybe this hard patch, all work and no reward, is a way of helping you to let go, so that when you do leave, it will be with more relief than regret. thinking of you, have a nice hot bath with smellies and candles tonight! HUGS

Shirley Goodwin said...

It's hell keeping the place to "For Sale" standards, and much worse for you as you have a whole block and not just a house. I'll send encouraging thoughts your way.

meggie said...

Ali, I know how hard business can be at times! As for keeping the house immaculate --well, I have been there also!

Your garden is such a beautiful looking haven, I hope you will find a buyer who will love it as much as you obviously have!
Sending good sale vibes your way!!

Andrea said...

Sounds like you're up to your eyes in it. Hope things go well. Enjoy the teaching tomorrow - will probably take your mind off things with a bit of luck. Are we going to see photos ? Please !

molly said...

Luscious looking strawberries! Sounds like mountains of stress down your way. Good to have a sewing day to get away from it all....The American dollar has likewise fallen on hard times!

Ali Honey said...

Thank You, Soozii; Gudrun; Loulee; Susan; Suzi-k; Shirley;
Meggie; Andrea and Molly for you thoughts and good vibes; it really helps to know someone; anyone; is feeling for you and getting alongside and saying you can do it. Compared with some other folks problems it is a mere blip I know, so I'm trying to be resilient and look for the positive!