Chooks & books

Ross at Tawharanui

My birthday was almost two weeks ago now and I still haven't shared the lovely time we had in Tawharanui -  a peninsula not far from Ross' parents.  Actually it wasn't lovely.  My birthday is preceded by two of Ross' brothers' birthdays, and I'm the kind of girl who doesn't like to share the limelight on her birthday.  Bad planning on somebody's part...  Apart from that it was rather nice.  Tawharanui (ta-fa-ra-nooey) is a native bush and marine regional park (you can see it at the top right of the map to the left).  It has big spiral fences keeping mammals out, and posters explaining why even cunning cats can't get past 'em.  It has electric gates that make you feel like you're entering Jurassic Park.  It has lovely beaches where the most cunning mammal of all goes surfing.

But the best part of my weekend was getting back to the veggie garden, which is starting to sprout.  I had some beetroot seedlings to "companion plant" beside my onions - which are showing a few green spikes above the clay-ey soil.  I planted out some strawberry plants (10 for $10 - bargain!) and am waiting to see which tastes better out of "Elsanta" and "Camarosa".  Camarosa is what I've put in the hanging baskets in Auckland, so here's hoping they're good.  I put them in my raised bed, which despite the name has sunk considerably, so I topped up part of it with bought compost.  None of the compost bins Hugh put in at the start of winter are finished yet.  I'm going to get him some compost activator to speed things up.  When buying the strawberries and compost, I also spotted some raspberry plants in the clearance area, which pleased me no end.  I have planted them against the fence in Auckland, and I'm hoping they hold their own against the palms and kiwi vine on the other side.

Enterprising chook

Also delightful are the chickens ("chooks"!? as they call them here) now installed at Ross' parents.  Very tame and friendly, and I can't wait to try the eggs.  The two ewes and two lambs are slightly less exciting, but do keep the grass under control in the olive grove.  Only one of them - a little black-faced lamb - has a bit of personality about him and has won the hearts of the carnivores around me.  I hear he'll probably live to a ripe old age...
But the moment of my birthday which will be hardest to forget, mainly because I haven't recovered yet, was a quintessentially kiwi experience.  I'd heard quite a lot about the annoyance of sandflies.  Foolishly, I assumed (a) that they couldn't be as bad as the evil mosquitoes who'd already sucked me dry, and (b) that I could avoid them by avoiding sand.  Of course, Ross had already set my boundaries for complaining by opining, once again, that people who suffer only have themselves to blame because they don't itch unless you scratch them.  Why anyone would scratch something that didn't itch I'm not sure.  Anyways, I didn't.  Yet I got the full-on rash and swelling experience.  In no time at all, they'd got me five times on the arms and three on one leg (which might seem slack on their parts, but give them credit, I was wearing trousers).  I now own repellent, anti-histamines, hydrocortisone cream...
In the absence of nephews, cats or other achievements, I share with you my pride and joy - my seedlings:

I'm off to Oz twice this month.  To Brisneyland (where I plan to visit cousin Owen) and then back to Melbourne at the end of the month.  I'll see the place in a whole new light now that I've read "The True History of the Kelly Gang" (a much-vaunted biography of Ned Kelly).  To be honest, I didn't get as much out of this book immediately as an Australian probably does.  I think it'll stick with me though, and bits will take on meaning as I learn more about the place.  Gradually I'll instill in myself an interest in this antipodean culture.  But just now I miss Italy.

Tawharanui estuary

First impressions

 

One of my first walks in NZ - near Warkworth

After two days of fairly civilised travel and only a few hours of motion sickness, I touched down in Auckland airport on the sunny afternoon of Thursday 4th February.
I had tried to freshen up on our fuel stop in Melbourne, but it was no good.  I was terrified that the strict environmental control at the airport would either (a) be furious with me, or (b) make me throw out my rucksack and all my clothes.  This was because I - in my rush to pack - had grabbed my rucksack without realising it had been used for carting firewood up the stairs and still had quite a lot of woodchips in the bottom.  In fact, I had only evicted a stray log when I got to Dubai...
Luckily environmental control didn't care, except for taking a very long slow look at my tent.  Between flight delays, massive passport control queues and the tent thing, Ross had to wait three hours at the airport for me.  It was good to see him, looking leaner, happier and more tanned than when he'd left.

 

A kingfisher - one of many birds that I've seen close-up since arriving

My first impressions were positive.  New Zealand looked well-organised and well-tended.  Bright sunlight shone down on green hills and blue water.  We headed north to Ross' parents' house on the coast near Warkworth.  Their lovely house is nestled in a steep valley of native bush (i.e. NZ-origin trees) close to a small yachting harbour.  Occasional villas could be spied peeking out of the forest.  I later understood that these are "lifestyle plots" - where people retire or buy holiday homes with lots of space for making their own olive oil or whatever.  And very lovely it is too.

  One of the good things about being jetlagged (possibly the only good thing) is that you get to see the sunrise

After a welcoming glass of champagne and an early dinner at a nice Thai restaurant, I got to bed at 9ish.  Not bad for 12 hours of time difference.