Work and Play.

Yesterday I took a long walk around every part of our property. It took an hour and 10 minutes. Signs of Autumn on the path leading into the bush. ( The Flevo poplars are always the first to loose their leaves.)

 I found the first feijoas for the year had dropped.( Aren't you glad to be back in NZ Pam? )   Not marvellous examples of them but edible all the same. Yum I am really ready for them. I also spied where a possum had chewed an unripe persimmon so got R to set the trap nearby. 

This is the colour of the sky we have been seeing.....

 And very calm.

 There is not too much more fruit thinning needed in the kiwifruit blocks. I took this photo on Friday where I was working in block 1.

Over the weekend, R has mowed up all the rejected fruit on the ground under the vines so it looks much better, smells less  and we are in less danger of turning an ankle.

 On Thursday evening we went to the 5th birthday party of the pack house we send our kiwifruit to, to get packed and cool stored.

 The dinner was held in Classic Flyers' building. See the interesting surroundings for the event.

 We were sat next to a couple from Auckland who have recently bought an orchard near here and they were amazed to think we had owned our orchard for so long . We are currently grooming our 32nd crop.

Now That's a Sweet Gift.

 Yesterday our guest arrived with a 2 kg jar of his very own honey. He is learning bee keeping and has just 2 hives in Taranaki where he lives.The bees had been foraging on NZ native plants particularly Flax and Pohutukawa flowers. Honey is very appropriate gift for us if you consider our Surname. Thanks M we should be sweet for some time to come - that's a big jar.

Large.

Yesterday, while R was having his head read I walked to this very tall landmark tree and back. ( he was having an MRI scan ) Having you head read is not a term much used now but my parents used to use it when someone had done something not sensible -( they need their heads read.)

 Also large - the first watermelon cut. Half has travelled back to Auckland with the young ones, so we should be able to manage our half.

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This week I have no car as it is back at the garage . Hopefully this time they manage to diagnose it's problem. The mechanics are going to use it all week in the hope it misbehaves while they are driving.

Autumn is in the air - last night was very cool but it is only a cold front passing over the country and warm days will return for a while yet. The many red nerines are looking bright and the viburnum outside our bedroom window  has totally turned red.

 This week is also the week of visitors. One unexpectedly yesterday and 2 today for lunch. (One is on a no  gluten diet, so care is needed . The other lives in France so that could be interesting. )

 So right now I should be in the kitchen.

 Note* a little sewing on Flower # 6 has taken place. - every little counts.

Looking Peachy.

 Not the prettiest fruit I've seen but very tasty all the same. Every year about this time a few flatto peaches make their way into our shops. They are the nicest peaches I know of and are grown at the bottom of the South Island ( of NZ ) and in other parts of the world.

 Packaged carefully 5 in a row in a little cardboard tray they cost NZ$3.99 for 5. Unfortunately 2 in one pack were bad so that was disappointing.( I have never found that other years - they came from the same growers - but I will be inspecting any future purchases of them very very carefully ) The others are being rapidly consumed as a real treat - something we don't grow ourselves. If you get the chance to try one - do.

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Something for nothing.   

Recently I repotted these wee plants into a large terracotta pot. Look what came up from the potting mix I used as a top up. Bright yellow fungi.

 First there was one followed by clusters more. I had to hand pull them out which wasn't very pleasant. I googled them and apparently they aren't harmful to humans or the plants but they were making a take over  bid. ( I guess this time of year is mushroom time .)

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 I have just finished reading, "The Tilted World," by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly. A light quick read . A novel about  an imaginary place called Hobnob situated beside the Mississippi River, which flooded in 1927.  I didn't know of this flood but did know that it flooded again with equally devastating results in 1993.

I have checked the facts and looked at google images and think it is pretty close to what must really have happened. I scored it 3.5 out of 5 and have to say I enjoyed it. I found out lots about levees and bootlegging and country life in 1927 America.

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 A Moral Dilemma.

I mentioned in a previous post what was going on with supermarkets in Australia. (Some Australian supermarkets - Coles and Woolworths, were taking NZ products off their range, thereby taking away choice  ) I have been researching and reading. All the Country newspapers have had articles about it. It has had TV coverage. 

   Then a second incident came to light when Shane Jones, a NZ politician, raised the question in Parliament ( under privilege ) - was the same supermarket chain holding NZ producers to ransom and asking for back payments for lost sales? ( it is now going to be investigated officially but results may take till the end of the year )  With only 2 supermarket chains in our country between the 2 of them suppliers get a very poor deal often making no profit at all on fresh produce - fruit and veges.

What is the best course of action as a shopper?

1. Grow as much as you can yourself. 

2.Trade or swap with friends and neighbours.

 3. Buy from the local butcher.

4.  Buy from independent fruit and vege shops.

5. Buy from road side stalls and farmers markets.

6. Buy from independent shops.

7. Buy on line??????

 I am still working my way through all that. Reading labels on everything to see where it comes from or is packed.

 I really have to prove I am serious now as yesterday in the mail I received a $15 voucher from Countdown supermarket. I will have to bin it or give it away.  

An Eye Catching New Face.

This Dahlia called Leonardo

 caught my eye ( and jumped into my trolley ) at the garden Centre, along with a collarette type in pale lemon.

 It's flower looks more like a daisy.

 This is the area where we pulled out a huge old flax plant late last year. It is filling in nicely and is quite bright. 

 The little patch of new grass eventually grew and is very bright green.

 Inside the house I have been making attempts to use some surplus tomatoes.

 Roasting them first till they look like this,

 Then pulling the skins off and making soup.

Appliqué Preparation.

We needed some rain so I wasn't too upset when I got rained off after just one hour kiwifruit thinning. I allowed myself time to do some preparation for my next appliqué flower block. Firstly I cut the remaining flowers out that I have yet to make and ironed them flat.

 So they keep reasonably flat I hang them on skirt/ trouser hangers. Inside my sewing cupboard I have some hooks which are useful for this as it hides them away, keeps them clean and unfaded.

 The flower parts are traced onto freezer paperand then cut out and ironed onto fabrics that I decide to use.

 Placing them on top of the pattern where they are going to be sewn helps me to see if the fabrics work well together and have enough contrast.

 The completed blocks are also hung on another hanger in the cupboard.

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New Zealand readers.....Is it time to start boycotting Countdown supermarkets? As an exporter I find it very worrying that some Australian supermarkets are taking our products off their shelves and not renewing agreements/ contracts  to stock NZ made or grown. So what does this mean for us? Our kiwifruit and avocados are exported to Australia. ( Are they now going to go just to Asia? )

 I did notice the last time I was in Countdown the amount of shelf space they had given to oils from Australia. Countdown  also stock far more fruit and veges imported from USA. I will do more research, but am prepared to take my custom 5 kms further down the road to New World that does have nicer meat and loads of NZ fruit and vegetables and some other products I buy that the opposition does not stock. ( if enough of us took this action it might make a small difference.)

Produce.

Every 2 or 3 days R is picking this many yummy tomatoes.They then have to be either frozen whole ; skinned  and frozen ; cooked as pulp; made into pasta sauce ; tomato paste or sauce. Some are eaten raw of course. We are not sure why the crop is SO amazing this year? Is it the enclosed white shade cloth fence around the new vege patch creating more light as well as protection ? Or the bumble bees? Or  better care? ( what ever the answer this has to be the best crop we have ever had.)

 This morning these were also picked from the same area.

 Aubergine ( egg plant ) is a favourite with R, for me an acquired taste. Somehow they always look better than they taste. For me best cut  into  thin slices and fried both sides. Good also for vegetarian lasagna.

This  photo taken through the mesh fence of the tomatoes.( that's what the white spots are )

 Does anyone have any really tasty tomato recipes?

Visitors .

My sister R and her partner came up to stay with R's 2 lovely Grand daughters aged 9 and 11.5. The BOP weather really turned it on, so walking around the Mt., searching in rock pools and playing Kubb on the lawn all proved suitable activities.

We found exciting creatures in the rock pools at the end of the beach.

 Star fish and bigger star fish.

 Oyster catchers ( Torea ) on the rocks. 

 There were lots of mussels for them to eat.

D said he would take us all for a meal. Where to go? ( the 9 year old offered that she liked Butter chicken when we suggested an Indian Restaurant. ) D had never been to one - but the girls had and we had several times. ( D reckoned  it upset his stomach the next day !  He is a very traditional eater. ) Here is the starter platter some shared.

 I knew from experience not to have a starter but instead had this platter for my main.

 It was very tasty and I almost ate it all, not quite.

 All the photos of playing Kubb have family in them so perhaps I will write a seperate post about playing Kubb as I have mentioned it here before.( R made all the pieces )  For young and old it is proving to be fun, gentle exercise and great leveller.

 Today is catch up day - I am glad of my washing machine and another brilliant fine day.

Normal Routine.

It's a beautiful day in BOP today. Sunny bright and still. After a long  holiday  weekend and a full house today I am back to my normal routine. The morning spent doing housework, office work, garden tasks - picking veges etc.  shopping, meal preparation etc. I always try and have a long coffee break when I come to the computer to catch up on email and blogs. After lunch  I will spend 4+ hours in the kiwifruit ( thinning fruit at the moment ). That is my normal week day routine.
 Late yesterday afternoon when the house was once again quiet with just the 2 of us I finished reading The Luminaries and did a little hand sewing.

 This is how I carry my hand appliqué around. This is all I require. 

I find working on a raised up cushion suits me if I am sitting on the couch with my feet up and the cushion on my lap. My see through zipped container is the best most convenient carry all I have tried so far.( better than anything I have made myself!

 I said I would report back when I finished reading Eleanor Catton's Booker prize winning book - The Luminaries. Well I have completed it and was very disappointed with the ending. ( talking with my sister on the phone yesterday she said exactly the same - don't expect a big reveal at the end.) Yes, it was well crafted. Yes, it had perfect English and great vocab. No I did not find it exciting. No I did not understand the significance of the astrological diagrams at chapter beginnings. It would have benefited from a map of Hokatika as it was in 1866. I will recommend that R reads it to see what he thinks. I will then lend it to other friends. It is not going on my Top 10 list! ( sorry Eleanor )

...

 This morning I was really annoyed to see a rabbit had been back chewing my carrots.
( for a second time ) They are now without tops.

 I pulled 2 and they are only this big and unlikely to grow more without tops.

 Some other crops are doing very well. The sweetcorn - yum! The tomatoes ( over abundance .) My 1st black capsicum is nearly ready

The grapes ( which won't be ready for another month are looking so good.

Some really large bunches.

On a Dull Damp Day.

Two dull damp days have meant I have had a little time to myself. We both worked like idiots over the weekend of lovely weather knowing some rain was on it's way. Only 30 mls as it turned out but we are grateful for it all the same. Yesterday I went into the city to the movies. I parked on the very top of the parking building and this is the view across the roof tops and part of Tauranga harbour. Not the usual bright blue sky I usually have in my photos. 

  I was there early so had time to wander. Very few people about. Even less in the shops. Is Tauranga CBD dying? The same thought occurred to me the last time I was there. The movie theatre was busy. The cafés were busy. It is only my opinion but I think there are better shops at Bethlehem Town Centre and Gate Pa shopping centre and probably Bayfair though I don't go there often. Maybe I am too old now to be an enthusiastic shopper? Maybe there are too many empty shops? 

   I went to see the movie The Book Thief.The theatre was packed( wet day ). I thought the movie made a fair job of portraying a book I totally rated as a good read. The reviews I have read of the movie were much harsher.Two and a half or three out of five. I will give it four out of five. I think the characters  were well played especially Liesel . I could overlook that the reality and brutality  of life then in Germany were not harsh enough. Yes being in river water in the middle of a German Winter should have caused hypothermia; the bodies after the bomb blast should have been more mangled and Liesel should have aged more.  There was a deathly hush over the audience as the movie ended so that told me it had an impact.

 I would recommend going to see it. Also if you haven't seen Judy Dench in Philomena that is worth seeing too. There again I think she was portrayed as too old for the part she was playing. She was only mid sixties.

 Has anyone else got any movie or book recommendations?

Squirrel Nutkin.

I've been picking up macadamia nuts, and as I have had little time to dehusk them I wheeled the trolley with them drying on, into the lounge last evening and did it as I watched TV. It makes my thumbs very sore after a while, but I got more than half done. These still have to spend days in the sun drying out before shelling. ( it's the green outer casing I am taking off )( no part of getting macs to the eating stage is easy! )

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 This is how the kiwifruit crop is looking for 2014. This is the overhead canopy.

 This is how the ground underneath is looking where I drop the rejects I am thinning each afternoon. I try to spend at least 4 hours doing this job each afternoon.( there is a lot to get through. )

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 The garden was looking a little faded in parts( to my eye anyway ) and there were a few bare spaces as plants flowered and died off.  Yesterday I went to the garden centre for some new spots of colour and some more vege punnets.

 I found this little plant that I was didn't recognise -Angelonia . It came home with me as well as some aster plants and 2 new gerbras. This morning I began planting before breakfast and have much of it in the ground. I was horrified to see how dry some areas had become so the hose is rectifying that.

 Last post I showed photos of a new lily. Here is another flowering for the first time. An oriental called Pico.( perfumed! )

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 Of course I have been cooking too. We all have to eat. One of my favourite things is fritta. R's tomato crop is abundant so tomatoes on everything. Aren't the colours yummy together.

 With the eggs and some grated cheese added. now under the grill.

 *****

 No sewing this week, but I have read the first 300 ( of over 800 )  pages of" The Luminaries."

 I said I would let you know how I found it. So far I like her use of words and her descriptions. The story line is not as exciting as I had hoped for - maybe I know too much NZ history, so the gold fields are not new material for me. I will continue but at this stage it is not in my top 10 best books ever read. I will reassess this when I have finished the whole book.

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 At the weekend we went to another Birthday party. A 70th this time. Had a lovely time talking to many old friends, eating yummy food and generally relaxing.

A Little Incubator Quilt.

At the weekend I took the time to sandwich this wee quilt I am making. My 2nd incubator quilt ( quite small )that will get donated to the maternity annex. It was an experiment to see how the wobbly stacks pattern might work. To me it looks like 2 stacks of books. I still have a label to make and 2 sides of the binding to finish hand sewing down, but I guess it is the first finish for this year ( although started last year. )

 The backing has cat fabric.

 The future owner may well prefer that side.

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Take a look at this new lily that is flowering for the first time. It is so tall. An oriental called Gluhwein.( has a mild pleasant perfume ) ( J & V you gave it to me )

 This is the first of 2 heads of flower . It is not staked so if a wind gets up I may need to pick it, as it is now top heavy.

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 I am back spending afternoons (  4 +  hours ) thinning reject kiwifruit off. There is a lot to do.

 At the moment  Iam waiting for an auditor to turn up. Our annual audit before we may pick our small ( this season ) crop of avocados. That wasted all morning yesterday for both of us getting all the relevant documents ready.