January has been a month of making hay while the sun shines. It didn’t always shine as this area is having its most unsettled weather that anyone can remember. We, on the other hand think we are experiencing the best summer we can remember (weather wise at least). When we look back at our work diary it would say that we have only had one week without rain. Most weeks have had 2 days of rain/showers or sometimes looking like it is going to rain. Either way the weather has not always helped our business. It also means that the grass and weeds are growing faster than they should for this time of the year. The llamas are not eating fast enough, so Lisa has had to weed wack the longer grass in the top paddock. At least she did some of it and then our very kind neighbour, Keith, came to her rescue and brought his tractor and grass cutter over. He cut two paddocks in an hour!
We had been told by local businesses,that come February, when the schools go back, a new set of visitors arrive. Sure enough it was like someone flicked a switch and older couples were strolling around, everywhere you looked. Some hire bikes.
There is one business owner on the wharf, who has annoyed every other business on the wharf. Last week it was our turn. He tried to tell us that we were on his land! We assured him that the council had given us permission to be here and after an exchange of opinions, we sent him on his way. He neither owns nor leases a fraction of the area he is trying to lay claims to. Word got out about his antics and we have an even stronger bond with the other business people than we had before. Part of the problem perhaps stems from the fact as an American, he has an American approach to world domination, or at least wharf domination. On a more positive note quite a few locals come up to us and offer their support and appreciation, they like the idea that we have brought a new business to the area. I think the kiwis are good at expressing their gratitude ;people in the UK would be more inclined to keep their positive opinions to themselves.
We are also coming to terms with the NZ bird life. One species called Fantails are quite inquisitive and get quite close to you. They are also good at teasing the cat. They also will come into your house to get bugs off the ceiling. A while ago one got into our lounge/kitchen area. We have high ceilings and he gave us the run around as we tried to get him out. As he kept sitting on the ceiling fan, I suggested, from the safe distance of the next room, that Lisa should turn the fan on so he couldn’t land on it. I then came in to see the fan on at its fastest speed. It stopped him sitting on it but carnage was too likely, so we put to the slowest speed. He did a fly past a couple of times and then sat on it – as it spun round. He merrily wizzed round on the fan and preened himself at the same time! Fantail by name and nature. We had to go out, so we turned the fan off, as he was having too much fun, and we left a few doors open, so when he got bored he could leave. It worked.
As summer progresses, our (mostly lisa’s) veggie plot is producing vast quantities of, corgettes (zuccinis, as they are known here). They must be the fastest growing plant on earth. We have found receipies for bread, paste, salads etc, but still they grow. We also have had a ‘run’ on runner beans, both green and black ones. The sweetcorn is picked from the plant minutes before they are cooked and they are delicious. Peppers (capiscums as they are known here) are on their way, spinach, bok choi, various types of tomatoes and more. Our fruit trees are producing plums, apricots, apples,fijoas,as well as the ongoing supply of lemons and a fruit that is a mix of orange and lemon. All this food from the land is great for saving us money, except due to logistics, it will take some time to be ‘quids in’ as we had to buy a freezer this week to store all this produce! Our two less successful crops have been lettuce and potatoes. Potatoes! How can we not grow good potatoes here, when we grew them so easily in Portrush.
Today, a couple of guys are building us a woodshed. We will then be able to store our wood for the fire (our main source of heating during the winter).
Schools have gone back, so evening classes etc have started up again. I have signed up for 9 weeks of circuit class with pilates for 30 mins at the end. I turned up at the village hall at the appointed time and watched my class mates stream in. The instructor and just about all of the class were in their 50s and 60s. All the equipment was state of the art stuff which was a bit of a contrast to the hall, which needs a bit of modernisation. We all lined up to do the warm up, the instructor, Lynda, put her mic on and hit the play button on her ipod. It was another fisrt in my life.....warming up to the music of ........Jim Reeves !!!! After the warm up we got into small groups to do the circuit. It was tough enough, as hard as you wanted to make it for yourself. My training partners were Rose, a 60s something, overweight quite a bit, but capable of pacing herself to complete the circuit (avoiding the running station on the circuit). We were joined by Liz (I think) who hadn’t done any exercise for 18 years. I dont know why she was so specific about that. She was in her early 50s I guess. The class had some ex gym bunnies and some that looked like walkers, tennis players and middle aged, tanned, thin people who look fit but aren’t. I observed the attire of my classmates and could not understand why anyone would wear long sleeved tops or long tights when it was a summer evening and we were in a hall with all doors and windows open but only warm air coming in. I pondered their body issues, while warming down to more up to date tunes...from the 70s!
The daylight is now getting less with sunrise about 6.30 am and sunset now 8.30pm. The weather still feels like summer. Yesterday was hot (high 20s), so we went for a swim in the evening. We went to a place in Mapua where locals go for a peaceful dip in the sea. It was a great way to cool off; a calm tranquil bay with barely a ripple on the sea. We chatted to a few people and then a few of us went and got fish and chips. We brought them back to the water’s edge and ate them as the sun went down.
