The ground is sprouting again

Yesterday the ground started sprouting pink wooden pegs. Or rather they were being bashed in the ground by our landscape designer Jamie. He came up to set out the spots for the trees to be planted.

At first I thought this was a job that we could do ourselves but when I started to try and work it our for myself I realised that without the requisite starting point and accurate measurements the trees would be planted in an approximation of the design. So what, you might think. True enough on six acres it wouldn't matter that much if they were a few metres out.

The truth of it is that with six acres you can get things more than a few metres out and since we spent so much time and money getting the landscape design done it seemed a small price to pay to put the design on the ground.

It’s amazing how a few pink wooden pegs can give structure to a landscape. Can you imagine what’s going to happen when the actual trees are planted in the ground?

When I taking the photos for the blog this morning – a morning for a smurf hat I might add – I noticed the mist lingering over the trees. It was cold, a bit damp but quite an inspiring start to the day.

Our first snow

As I pottered into town yesterday enjoying the sunshine the weather reports on the radio were warning snow down to 200m in some parts of New Zealand.

Imagine my delight when MT said we've got snow this morning. Yes, we do indeed. Our surrounding hill tops are covered with light covering of snow. With the wind chill temperatures freezing this morning it's not hard to see why.

Our location means we can also just see the Rimutakas too and they've got snow too. This photoblogging doesn't really do it justice, I think it might soon be time to upgrade the camera with our mounting number of "hotpoints" collected on one of the many loyalty cards we have.

View down to Tunnel Gulley

It's not quite a ski field but it's our first snow!

A glimpse of the snow clad Rimutaka peaking over the neighbours paddock

Drought to floods

New Zealand has weather warnings today that we're about to be deluged with rain with a threat of tornadoes. Just as well we managed to get the rain collection from the barn roof connected to the main water tank today. This means we'll now be able to maximise the rain amount of we collect.

We were planning to install another tank to avoid the water shortage possibilities next year but the costs were much higher than we imagined so we'll see how we go with just one tank but more water collection when it does rain.

High excitement too that we've had another tap installed outside by the barn. This will come in handy for watering the trees and save on the feet when refreshing the basset water bowl. It's a great sense of satisfaction when I tick things off my list. After a slow and frustrating few weeks it's good to be making progress at last.

If we do get the projected rainfall this week there's a danger that parts of New Zealand that were suffering the most with droughts will be dealing with floods which I am sure bring their own brand of difficulties for those in weather dependent industries like farming. I'll keep you posted.

Here's a satellite image taken last night shows the thunderstorm in the Tasman Sea heading towards New Zealand. Looks grim.

Turning the clocks back

We've been up real early this morning. The clocks went back so it was an hour earlier than our body clocks were telling us. Mental note for those of you in the northern hemisphere, this means we're now 11 hours ahead of the UK.

Still getting up early means there is more time to look at the view. Well you could if you could see it!

The mists are forming in the valley at this time of year and they create some spectacular sights as they move from thick pea soup, can't see a thing but a blanket of white to some fantastic formations as they rise and clear.

Photoblogging weather is never easy and it doesn't really give you a full sensory feeling of the damp in the air. Still, thought it was worth sharing with dedicated Domestic Executive bloggers.

Cabin fever

In their short lives Fortnum and Mason have only really known hot sunny days. Of course it has rained and it's been often enough to know that they don't like it much.

This week the weather has broken and it's been cold, wet and miserable. The southerly has brought a stiff, cold brrrrreeze to Kaitoke. The temperature has dropped around 10 degrees which is shock to the system I can tell you.

The bassets hate it too. On the occasions that I've put them in their playpen they've retreated to their dog house to play and snooze. As I have a heart I've also had them in the kitchen area to play which is OK until they start fighting over toys and chews when they are then banished to their bedroom (aka laundry) where they have taken to shredding newspaper or in Fortnum's case, destroying the stuffing in his bed. I'm putting this annoying and less than charming behaviour down to cabin fever which they seem to get when it rains and they can't be running around outside.

Whilst we expect rain and we need it for the water tank and garden I really really wish it hadn't come this week. My friend Sarah has arrived from the UK for her visit and it's just not fair that she has to endure the mist, rain and chill. Thank goodness for the central heating so we've been able to keep warm. Fingers crossed that the weather will improve before she heads off on her 5 day tramp of the Milford Track.

Three on the trot

OK readers you've just got to accept that the Brit's and kiwis have an obsession with the weather. This weekend just gone has been the third weekend washout on the trot.


Yesterday was a celebration of rain and wind which bucketted down all day and then combined with some wonderful thunderstorms overnight. Lying in bed in the wee hours I was starting to imagine what it must have been like in Noah's arc.


You'll be pleased to know the drainage system in Kandallah has taken away most of the surface water but I suspect that travel on the trains this morning will be a little more difficult and plenty of slips around to clear up. The good news is though that it fills up the water resevoirs and rural rain collection water systems.


As a future owner of rain collected water for domestic purposes I have to develop a new attitude to rain. But for the moment I'm just fed up for being turned into a drowned rat everytime I open the door.