Tuesday, August 19, 2003
Monday, August 18, 2003
Fostering techniques in sheep
Confinement in animals is one of the most common issues raised by animal welfare groups and consumers. Modern breeds of sheep commonly have more lambs than they can sensibly rear and it is common to foster lambs between ewes. Some techniques used involve severe restriction of ewes and these can be replaced by more effective and non-invasive methods.
‘…..the facts’
The bond between a ewe and her lambs is very strong and once this bond is established ewes do not accept other lambs easily.
One of the most commonly employed techniques used to foster lambs is the fostering crate where the head of the ewe is placed in a yolk in order to
allow the lambs to suck without being butted off by the ewe
Fostering crates can cause problems for the ewe such as:
inability to lie down comfortably
restriction of access to feed and water
inability to turn round
Experience shows that the fostering crate does not allow for a good bond to be made between lamb and ewe and when the ewe is turned out she will often not actively care for her lamb(s) and lamb losses/poor doers can be high.
Even simple, effective fostering is time consuming.
Fostering crates are not allowed but there are three techniques which DEFRA consider to be humane:
Wet fostering is a simple technique whereby lambs are moved between ewes at the point of birth.
When lambs are newly born and wet, a ewe does not differentiate between her own and other lambs.
Wet fostering can also be used on very young lambs which have been licked dry but the lamb must then be re-wetted either by copious amounts of foetal
fluid or warm water mixed with foetal fluid.
Skinning of dead lambs is a technique which is virtually foolproof as long as the skin is well fitting, the tail is left on and the skin covers the anus of the foster lamb.
As a last resort ewes are long haltered for a limited period if they are butting their lambs.
Confinement in animals is one of the most common issues raised by animal welfare groups and consumers. Modern breeds of sheep commonly have more lambs than they can sensibly rear and it is common to foster lambs between ewes. Some techniques used involve severe restriction of ewes and these can be replaced by more effective and non-invasive methods.
‘…..the facts’
The bond between a ewe and her lambs is very strong and once this bond is established ewes do not accept other lambs easily.
One of the most commonly employed techniques used to foster lambs is the fostering crate where the head of the ewe is placed in a yolk in order to
allow the lambs to suck without being butted off by the ewe
Fostering crates can cause problems for the ewe such as:
inability to lie down comfortably
restriction of access to feed and water
inability to turn round
Experience shows that the fostering crate does not allow for a good bond to be made between lamb and ewe and when the ewe is turned out she will often not actively care for her lamb(s) and lamb losses/poor doers can be high.
Even simple, effective fostering is time consuming.
Fostering crates are not allowed but there are three techniques which DEFRA consider to be humane:
Wet fostering is a simple technique whereby lambs are moved between ewes at the point of birth.
When lambs are newly born and wet, a ewe does not differentiate between her own and other lambs.
Wet fostering can also be used on very young lambs which have been licked dry but the lamb must then be re-wetted either by copious amounts of foetal
fluid or warm water mixed with foetal fluid.
Skinning of dead lambs is a technique which is virtually foolproof as long as the skin is well fitting, the tail is left on and the skin covers the anus of the foster lamb.
As a last resort ewes are long haltered for a limited period if they are butting their lambs.
Good Evening Folks,
I am bushed so this may be a short one.
Spent the day looking around Auckland Zoo with Linda, Matthew & William whilst Bill did l/t.
We saw lions, tigers, notters (hurrah) giraffe, hippo, rhino & loads more.
Kiwi sparrow
Nuff said
It is a lovely zoo & the enclosures are at least attempting to replicate the conditions the animals would live in their natural habitat.
Then back here for dinner, kids bath-time & bed.
Bath-time was very funny. Bill's youngest William is a 'mini-me' of Bill.
Identical, right down to the facial expressions. I remarked to Linda that I felt a bit odd watching a mini-Bill in the bath.
I desperately wanted a lie-in this morning but the 1st text awoke me at 0519 (no names, no pack drill) after that I dozed until 0730 when the traffic noise commenced.
It's a noise I haven't heard in 3 months & I would be happy never to hear it again.
I wanted to tell you about my last day at Marfell Downs whilst it's fresh in my memory as it was a corker.
After saying goodbye to everyone I carried on with my packing.
I wanted to try & be clean & tidy for getting on the ferry so had decided that I would leave the lambing run to Mike & just have a farewell bike ride with Don & Chum before leaving.
Mike had other ideas.
At 0930 he came & found me & said 'This is it ... an up to the elbows job ... if you want it?'
He had promised me before I left that he would find me a tricky lambing. One where I would have to go 'up to the elbows'
The lamb was presented feet-first & the ewe had no chance of lambing alone.
She was in the windiest, coldest paddock on the farm.
Before we left the kitchen, Mike told me to find vegetable oil as a lubricant.
All I could find was extra-virgin, 1st pressed olive oil, nothing but the best for Mike's lambs.
As I was lubing my arm I said it was the 1st lamb to be marinaded whilst still in the womb.
The 1st part of the lamb trying to make an entrance was it's hocks.
It was such a big lamb that there was no way the ewe could pass it.
Mike told me to put my hand inside, push the lamb back through the cervix & then, grasping hold of one back foot at a time, pull the feet around so that the feet were exiting 1st. On top of the physical strength needed to do this in such a tight space he said 'Don't forget to try & cover the feet with the palm of your hand, otherwise the feet can tear the uterus' Mmm, not much to ask then.
He also stressed the need to work quickly as the insides of the ewe can be so tight that they cut off the blood circulation to the arm meaning you lose feeling in your fingers.
I have to say I was quite nervous about this lambing as I didn't want to tear the ewe's uterus. Apart from the fact that it's a live animal, each ewe is part of Mike's livelihood & too valuable to damage.
After a couple of minutes I managed to push the lamb back in but couldn't get sufficient leverage on the lamb to turn it's legs the right way around.
At this point he took over & only when the legs were pointing the right way did I resume trying to pull the lamb out.
It was a huuuge lamb as you will see by the photo, at least half the length of the ewe & I had to actually step on the ewe to get sufficient leverage to pull him out.
Unfortunately, he was stillborn.
Mike said what had probably happened was that the ewe had been incorrectly scanned as a twin when in fact she was expecting a single. She had been fed enough for 2 lambs which had made the one she did have too large to come out easily.
It was disappointing that the lamb was dead but worse still that the smell did not leave my hands for at least 48 hours, despite numerous hand-washings & I knew I was headed for the North & civilisation.
My other first last week was skinning a lamb on Friday.
When a ewe loses a lamb, if there is another lamb available, you skin the dead one & drape it's skin over the live one so as not to waste the ewe's milk.
I had told Mike that I would skin the next dead lamb.
I don't think he really believed me, but I had watched him do a couple & thought I could make a decent job of it.
I know it sounds distasteful & I apologise if any of you are eating but my rationale for doing it was that farming is made up of good bits & bad bits. If I am to seriously think I can make it as a farmer then I need to know as much as possible.
On Friday my opportunity came when a ewe had a still-born lamb & I was looking after 3 orphans. We took one of the orphans & I placed the skin I had taken & put it over the orphan. I will spare you the details of how exactly I did it as I know some of you are soft townies. Suffice to say I was given a 9 out of 10 for style & a 2 out of 10 for the time it took.
The fleece was intact & I was impressed with myself anyway.
The good news was that the ewe which had the still-born lamb accepted the impostor, so the skinning was worthwhile.
I had a phone-call from Mike yesterday whilst driving to Auckland. I had asked him, upon leaving, to look after Don for me. I felt guilty because, having established a routine for Don where he was off his chain every afternoon for a couple of hours & accompanying me, he was going to be chained again all day. The sad thing is, Chris said he was useless & I thought that if I were on a chain for 23 hours & 30 mins of each day then I would do my own thing when I was finally let off too.
Anyway, I'm ranting.
The point being that I had asked Mike to let him off for me.
The highlight of my day was that he told me, not only had he taken him out & worked him but he was contemplating buying him from Chris as he needs a nice quiet eye dog.
Anyway, I have spent the last 30 mins chatting with Q & am bushed so will call it a night.
Take care you lot,
Nite-nite,
Cx
I am bushed so this may be a short one.
Spent the day looking around Auckland Zoo with Linda, Matthew & William whilst Bill did l/t.
We saw lions, tigers, notters (hurrah) giraffe, hippo, rhino & loads more.
It is a lovely zoo & the enclosures are at least attempting to replicate the conditions the animals would live in their natural habitat.
Then back here for dinner, kids bath-time & bed.
Bath-time was very funny. Bill's youngest William is a 'mini-me' of Bill.
Identical, right down to the facial expressions. I remarked to Linda that I felt a bit odd watching a mini-Bill in the bath.
I desperately wanted a lie-in this morning but the 1st text awoke me at 0519 (no names, no pack drill) after that I dozed until 0730 when the traffic noise commenced.
It's a noise I haven't heard in 3 months & I would be happy never to hear it again.
I wanted to tell you about my last day at Marfell Downs whilst it's fresh in my memory as it was a corker.
After saying goodbye to everyone I carried on with my packing.
I wanted to try & be clean & tidy for getting on the ferry so had decided that I would leave the lambing run to Mike & just have a farewell bike ride with Don & Chum before leaving.
Mike had other ideas.
At 0930 he came & found me & said 'This is it ... an up to the elbows job ... if you want it?'
He had promised me before I left that he would find me a tricky lambing. One where I would have to go 'up to the elbows'
The lamb was presented feet-first & the ewe had no chance of lambing alone.
She was in the windiest, coldest paddock on the farm.
Before we left the kitchen, Mike told me to find vegetable oil as a lubricant.
All I could find was extra-virgin, 1st pressed olive oil, nothing but the best for Mike's lambs.
As I was lubing my arm I said it was the 1st lamb to be marinaded whilst still in the womb.
The 1st part of the lamb trying to make an entrance was it's hocks.
It was such a big lamb that there was no way the ewe could pass it.
Mike told me to put my hand inside, push the lamb back through the cervix & then, grasping hold of one back foot at a time, pull the feet around so that the feet were exiting 1st. On top of the physical strength needed to do this in such a tight space he said 'Don't forget to try & cover the feet with the palm of your hand, otherwise the feet can tear the uterus' Mmm, not much to ask then.
He also stressed the need to work quickly as the insides of the ewe can be so tight that they cut off the blood circulation to the arm meaning you lose feeling in your fingers.
I have to say I was quite nervous about this lambing as I didn't want to tear the ewe's uterus. Apart from the fact that it's a live animal, each ewe is part of Mike's livelihood & too valuable to damage.
After a couple of minutes I managed to push the lamb back in but couldn't get sufficient leverage on the lamb to turn it's legs the right way around.
At this point he took over & only when the legs were pointing the right way did I resume trying to pull the lamb out.
It was a huuuge lamb as you will see by the photo, at least half the length of the ewe & I had to actually step on the ewe to get sufficient leverage to pull him out.
Unfortunately, he was stillborn.
Mike said what had probably happened was that the ewe had been incorrectly scanned as a twin when in fact she was expecting a single. She had been fed enough for 2 lambs which had made the one she did have too large to come out easily.
It was disappointing that the lamb was dead but worse still that the smell did not leave my hands for at least 48 hours, despite numerous hand-washings & I knew I was headed for the North & civilisation.
My other first last week was skinning a lamb on Friday.
When a ewe loses a lamb, if there is another lamb available, you skin the dead one & drape it's skin over the live one so as not to waste the ewe's milk.
I had told Mike that I would skin the next dead lamb.
I don't think he really believed me, but I had watched him do a couple & thought I could make a decent job of it.
I know it sounds distasteful & I apologise if any of you are eating but my rationale for doing it was that farming is made up of good bits & bad bits. If I am to seriously think I can make it as a farmer then I need to know as much as possible.
On Friday my opportunity came when a ewe had a still-born lamb & I was looking after 3 orphans. We took one of the orphans & I placed the skin I had taken & put it over the orphan. I will spare you the details of how exactly I did it as I know some of you are soft townies. Suffice to say I was given a 9 out of 10 for style & a 2 out of 10 for the time it took.
The fleece was intact & I was impressed with myself anyway.
The good news was that the ewe which had the still-born lamb accepted the impostor, so the skinning was worthwhile.
I had a phone-call from Mike yesterday whilst driving to Auckland. I had asked him, upon leaving, to look after Don for me. I felt guilty because, having established a routine for Don where he was off his chain every afternoon for a couple of hours & accompanying me, he was going to be chained again all day. The sad thing is, Chris said he was useless & I thought that if I were on a chain for 23 hours & 30 mins of each day then I would do my own thing when I was finally let off too.
Anyway, I'm ranting.
The point being that I had asked Mike to let him off for me.
The highlight of my day was that he told me, not only had he taken him out & worked him but he was contemplating buying him from Chris as he needs a nice quiet eye dog.
Anyway, I have spent the last 30 mins chatting with Q & am bushed so will call it a night.
Take care you lot,
Nite-nite,
Cx
Sunday, August 17, 2003
Arrival on the North Island
Te Ika A Maui (The Fish of Maui) = The North Island
First things first.
Happy Anniversary Malc & Justine & may you have many more.
I am sitting in Bill & Linda's place in Auckland ( Tâmaki-makau-rau ) having travelled from Marlborough yesterday. I feel just as jet-lagged as I did when I flew all the way here & I have only driven 650kms.
I caught the ferry yesterday,
Ferry Ride
2 hour crossing to Wellington( Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara ) , picked up my rental car from a man with a very small penis (just guessing by the way he drove) & headed up to Palmerston North ( Te Papa-i-oea ) where I was booked into a motel for the night.
The journey was stress-free & I arrived in time for the haka at the beginning of the crunch match of the Bledisloe Cup. Result. NZ won after a nail-biting last few minutes.
Wellington is the capital of New Zealand I apologise in advance to any Wellingtonians when I say the best thing about it was that I was driving through it.
I don't know if it's particularly ugly or it's just that I have become city-phobic so I'll let you judge from a couple of snaps I took. I was very happy to see the back of it.
Hole? Not hole ? You decide.
Some 20 minutes out it improved dramatically & I was driving along State Highway 1 with huge breakers crashing onto rocks on my left.
My rental car is a surprisingly nifty Mazda Familia, I was expecting a poky, ickle Daihatsu Charade type thing so was pleasantly surprised to pick this up
Hire car
I was even spared the moron-speech of 'Here's the accelerator' type stuff from Mr. Small-Willy.
After a very enjoyable breakfast in the motel
Motel
Humpy on the road
I was on the road again for 9am headed for Matamata or whassamatter ? as Bill calls it.
Just North of Palmerston North is some of the most dull & uninspiring countryside I have seen since arriving.
Flat flat flat.
Now, don't get me wrong, it's pleasant & green & perfectly acceptable if you haven't seen the rest of NZ. It's pleasant in the same way that Lincolnshire is. The problem is that NZ has scenery which knocks most of the UK into a cocked hat so with your expectations raised way above what they would normally be, disappointment is inevitable.
On the road again
Luckily, the boredom was relieved soon by gentle rolling hills.
Then the drive through Desert Rd. I had been warned by Mal & Mike to expect harsh driving conditions here & the road is quite often closed off in Winter so I knew what to expect. Most of the land either side of the road is closed off to the Army to practice shooting each other & dropping bombs. Quite frankly, I can't think of a safer place as no-one in their right mind would want to get out of their car.
Mile upon mile of parched, dry, brown tussocks, horizontal hailstones & wind strong enough to permanently re-arrange your facial features. Nice.
If you have ever driven alongside Saddleworth Moor on the Pennines & experienced that very uncomfortable feeling of wondering what you would do if you broke down alone then this place has a similar air about it.
I approached Matamata at about 1.30 thanks to some very excellent directions from Michelle (we'll discuss Bill's later) & met the lovely Tanners. They were exactly as Queenie had said they would be. Great welcome & a beautiful place to park my bones for a couple of weeks while job-hunting.
Imagine if a kid drew the perfect farm with cows, sheep, rolling hills, a lovely house & even a pool & you have imagined Cedar Lodge. It is an idyllic place & they have got it looking lovely.
I have my own little flat to live in with a lovely sunny yellow bedroom & they expect me to leave again when I have a job.
My bedroom in my own flat
Hello ?
They also have 2 of the biggest, friendliest black labradors I have ever seen, Ben & Inca.
They wrestled me on the floor just to make me welcome (the dogs not the Tanners)
Within minutes of arriving one of the cows, Twink, had calved & as the girls, Alice & Harriett went to look I remarked to Eric that I couldn't imagine a better place to raise kids.
I am going to like staying there :)
After a very quick hello & goodbye & dropping all the bulky bits of luggage there I headed off to Auckland & Bill & Linda's which is where I have to drop the rental car.
Bill had warned me that Auckland was a s***-hole as have most other Kiwis. He also told me that they were looking to move from here to a quieter place & a bigger house. To say I was unprepared for where they live is an understatment. It is palatial. As we drove in to the (electric) gateway I saw what I assumed was the block of flats where they lived.
Wrong. It's all theirs.
Enough cars to open a garage.
Huge, huge house with wooden floors, lots & lots of rooms & floors & very tastefully decorated (obviously Linda then), beautiful gardens & lovely balconies. Bill has the added advantage of being able to look straight into his neighbours teenage daughter's bedroom which would explain the binoculars !
Right - enough for now, I have monopolised the computer for long enough.
I hope everyone is well, I know I have neglected Blog just lately & I feel a bit isolated because of it. Trouble is that as much as Q tells me to 'tell dem how you feeel' whenever I am blue I find it easier to retreat.
The last couple of weeks have been the weirdest in my working life.
The best ever cos of everything I got to do & the worst ever cos I have never felt so unwelcome before.
I wish I had Blogged every night because I am sure I will forget loads but I just felt too fed up to concentrate & get it all down.
Right, time for dinner,
Later you lot,
Cx
Te Ika A Maui (The Fish of Maui) = The North Island
First things first.
Happy Anniversary Malc & Justine & may you have many more.
I am sitting in Bill & Linda's place in Auckland ( Tâmaki-makau-rau ) having travelled from Marlborough yesterday. I feel just as jet-lagged as I did when I flew all the way here & I have only driven 650kms.
I caught the ferry yesterday,
2 hour crossing to Wellington( Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara ) , picked up my rental car from a man with a very small penis (just guessing by the way he drove) & headed up to Palmerston North ( Te Papa-i-oea ) where I was booked into a motel for the night.
The journey was stress-free & I arrived in time for the haka at the beginning of the crunch match of the Bledisloe Cup. Result. NZ won after a nail-biting last few minutes.
Wellington is the capital of New Zealand I apologise in advance to any Wellingtonians when I say the best thing about it was that I was driving through it.
I don't know if it's particularly ugly or it's just that I have become city-phobic so I'll let you judge from a couple of snaps I took. I was very happy to see the back of it.
Some 20 minutes out it improved dramatically & I was driving along State Highway 1 with huge breakers crashing onto rocks on my left.
My rental car is a surprisingly nifty Mazda Familia, I was expecting a poky, ickle Daihatsu Charade type thing so was pleasantly surprised to pick this up
I was even spared the moron-speech of 'Here's the accelerator' type stuff from Mr. Small-Willy.
After a very enjoyable breakfast in the motel
I was on the road again for 9am headed for Matamata or whassamatter ? as Bill calls it.
Just North of Palmerston North is some of the most dull & uninspiring countryside I have seen since arriving.
Flat flat flat.
Now, don't get me wrong, it's pleasant & green & perfectly acceptable if you haven't seen the rest of NZ. It's pleasant in the same way that Lincolnshire is. The problem is that NZ has scenery which knocks most of the UK into a cocked hat so with your expectations raised way above what they would normally be, disappointment is inevitable.
Luckily, the boredom was relieved soon by gentle rolling hills.
Then the drive through Desert Rd. I had been warned by Mal & Mike to expect harsh driving conditions here & the road is quite often closed off in Winter so I knew what to expect. Most of the land either side of the road is closed off to the Army to practice shooting each other & dropping bombs. Quite frankly, I can't think of a safer place as no-one in their right mind would want to get out of their car.
Mile upon mile of parched, dry, brown tussocks, horizontal hailstones & wind strong enough to permanently re-arrange your facial features. Nice.
If you have ever driven alongside Saddleworth Moor on the Pennines & experienced that very uncomfortable feeling of wondering what you would do if you broke down alone then this place has a similar air about it.
I approached Matamata at about 1.30 thanks to some very excellent directions from Michelle (we'll discuss Bill's later) & met the lovely Tanners. They were exactly as Queenie had said they would be. Great welcome & a beautiful place to park my bones for a couple of weeks while job-hunting.
Imagine if a kid drew the perfect farm with cows, sheep, rolling hills, a lovely house & even a pool & you have imagined Cedar Lodge. It is an idyllic place & they have got it looking lovely.
I have my own little flat to live in with a lovely sunny yellow bedroom & they expect me to leave again when I have a job.
Hello ?
They also have 2 of the biggest, friendliest black labradors I have ever seen, Ben & Inca.
They wrestled me on the floor just to make me welcome (the dogs not the Tanners)
Within minutes of arriving one of the cows, Twink, had calved & as the girls, Alice & Harriett went to look I remarked to Eric that I couldn't imagine a better place to raise kids.
I am going to like staying there :)
After a very quick hello & goodbye & dropping all the bulky bits of luggage there I headed off to Auckland & Bill & Linda's which is where I have to drop the rental car.
Bill had warned me that Auckland was a s***-hole as have most other Kiwis. He also told me that they were looking to move from here to a quieter place & a bigger house. To say I was unprepared for where they live is an understatment. It is palatial. As we drove in to the (electric) gateway I saw what I assumed was the block of flats where they lived.
Wrong. It's all theirs.
Enough cars to open a garage.
Huge, huge house with wooden floors, lots & lots of rooms & floors & very tastefully decorated (obviously Linda then), beautiful gardens & lovely balconies. Bill has the added advantage of being able to look straight into his neighbours teenage daughter's bedroom which would explain the binoculars !
Right - enough for now, I have monopolised the computer for long enough.
I hope everyone is well, I know I have neglected Blog just lately & I feel a bit isolated because of it. Trouble is that as much as Q tells me to 'tell dem how you feeel' whenever I am blue I find it easier to retreat.
The last couple of weeks have been the weirdest in my working life.
The best ever cos of everything I got to do & the worst ever cos I have never felt so unwelcome before.
I wish I had Blogged every night because I am sure I will forget loads but I just felt too fed up to concentrate & get it all down.
Right, time for dinner,
Later you lot,
Cx
Saturday, August 16, 2003
You would think with all this practice I would be getting good at goodbyes.
Not so.
Today, said goodbye to kids, Mal, Mike, Don & GT.
Us humans were all choked, animals just bemused.
Then goodbye to Marfell Downs, as I drove away Don chased the car.
V.hard.
Now in an internet cafe in Picton with 30 mins before my sailing.
Ahead of me a 1,000 kms drive to Auckland in a rental car.
Lots of time to think.
Have to go, bye for now, catch you on the other side.
:( Cx
Friday, August 15, 2003
Thursday, August 14, 2003
Visit Matamata
Matamata is a rural town near Hamilton in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. The total population is about 12,000, of whom about 6000 live in the township. Matamata is an easy two hours' drive south of Auckland on State Highway 27.
The filming of The Lord of the Rings movies in the area has created a lot of excitement and pride in the town. The Alexander farm near Matamata was used as the Hobbiton movie set in the big budget film version of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
To celebrate the launch of the first The Lord of the Rings film, the town changed its name to Hobbiton for a short time and Hobbiton burgers were on sale.
Matamata has much to offer visitors. The Matamata Information Centre, under the trees on 45 Broadway, can help you plan your stay in the region. You'll be able to obtain expert and impartial advice on activities and attractions in the area and get help in finding accommodation to suit any budget. The centre is just over the railway line at the junction of State Highway 27 and State Highway 24.
Directions to Matamata
Matamata's central location makes it an ideal place to base yourself.
From Auckland: About two hours' drive south; take State Highway 27 to Matamata. The turnoff is just south of the Bombay Hills.
From Rotorua: One-hour drive.
From Taupo: One-and-a-half-hour drive.
From Tauranga: 45-minute drive.
Matamata offers a range of accommodation options and restaurants to suit any budget.
Matamata is a rural town near Hamilton in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. The total population is about 12,000, of whom about 6000 live in the township. Matamata is an easy two hours' drive south of Auckland on State Highway 27.
The filming of The Lord of the Rings movies in the area has created a lot of excitement and pride in the town. The Alexander farm near Matamata was used as the Hobbiton movie set in the big budget film version of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
To celebrate the launch of the first The Lord of the Rings film, the town changed its name to Hobbiton for a short time and Hobbiton burgers were on sale.
Matamata has much to offer visitors. The Matamata Information Centre, under the trees on 45 Broadway, can help you plan your stay in the region. You'll be able to obtain expert and impartial advice on activities and attractions in the area and get help in finding accommodation to suit any budget. The centre is just over the railway line at the junction of State Highway 27 and State Highway 24.
Directions to Matamata
Matamata's central location makes it an ideal place to base yourself.
From Auckland: About two hours' drive south; take State Highway 27 to Matamata. The turnoff is just south of the Bombay Hills.
From Rotorua: One-hour drive.
From Taupo: One-and-a-half-hour drive.
From Tauranga: 45-minute drive.
Matamata offers a range of accommodation options and restaurants to suit any budget.
Hi Guys,
Just a quickie to let you know my travel arrangements.
I am sorry if I have overlooked any tx msgs from you but I have been busy booking
ferries/hire cars/motels/blagging lifts/updating hosts etc.
I travel on the 2.15pm Interisland Lynx ferry from Picton on Saturday.
Mal is giving me a lift to Picton.
No doubt Trish will arrange a ticker-tape parade for my farewell.
Upon arrival in Wellington I pick up my hire car & travel North.
I have to drop off the rental in Auckland so thought it would be a good time to
hook up with Bill & hold him to one of those 'If there's anything I can do for you while you are over here favours"
I am hoping Bill will be able to give me a lift from Auckland to Matamata (some 2 hours
I understand) I say hoping because he doesn't actually know yet. We were speaking on the phone a few minutes ago & he had to go 'lock someone up' Kiwi-job-speak for 'arrest'
The last couple of days have been, as you can imagine, very odd.
I can't begin to tell you how much has happened so I hope that, if Eric & Michelle don't mind me hi-jacking their pooter for a whole day, I will update you with all the goings-on when I arrive in Matamata.
I am tremendously sad to leave Marfell Downs & my good friends here but at the same time if I never saw certain people again, it would be too soon.
Looking forward to not having to walk on eggshells in my daily life.
If I don't get chance to update Blog before leaving Saturday, farewell South Island until I come back to explore properly.
Wonder if Trish will put me up ?
Cx
ps. Made my 2nd lamb today.
Just a quickie to let you know my travel arrangements.
I am sorry if I have overlooked any tx msgs from you but I have been busy booking
ferries/hire cars/motels/blagging lifts/updating hosts etc.
I travel on the 2.15pm Interisland Lynx ferry from Picton on Saturday.
Mal is giving me a lift to Picton.
No doubt Trish will arrange a ticker-tape parade for my farewell.
Upon arrival in Wellington I pick up my hire car & travel North.
I have to drop off the rental in Auckland so thought it would be a good time to
hook up with Bill & hold him to one of those 'If there's anything I can do for you while you are over here favours"
I am hoping Bill will be able to give me a lift from Auckland to Matamata (some 2 hours
I understand) I say hoping because he doesn't actually know yet. We were speaking on the phone a few minutes ago & he had to go 'lock someone up' Kiwi-job-speak for 'arrest'
The last couple of days have been, as you can imagine, very odd.
I can't begin to tell you how much has happened so I hope that, if Eric & Michelle don't mind me hi-jacking their pooter for a whole day, I will update you with all the goings-on when I arrive in Matamata.
I am tremendously sad to leave Marfell Downs & my good friends here but at the same time if I never saw certain people again, it would be too soon.
Looking forward to not having to walk on eggshells in my daily life.
If I don't get chance to update Blog before leaving Saturday, farewell South Island until I come back to explore properly.
Wonder if Trish will put me up ?
Cx
ps. Made my 2nd lamb today.
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
Tuesday, August 12, 2003
Monday, August 11, 2003
The Very Secret Diary of Aragorn, Son of Arathorn
Day 1
Ringwraiths killed: 4. V. good.
Met up with Hobbits. Walked forty miles. Skinned a squirrel and ate it.
Still not King.
Day 4
Stuck on mountain with Hobbits. Boromir really annoying.
Not King yet.
Day 6
Orcs killed: none. Disappointing. Stubble update: I look rugged and manly. Yes!
Keep wanting to drop-kick Gimli. Holding myself back.
Still not King.
Day 10
Sorry no entries lately. V. dark in Mines of Moria. Big Baelrog.
Not King today either.
Day 11
Orcs killed: 7. V. good. Stubble update: Looking mangy.
Legolas may be hotter than me.
I wonder if he would like me if I was King?
Day 28:
Beginning to find Frodo disturbingly attractive. Have a feeling if I make a move, Sam would kill me. Also, hairy feet kind of a turn-off.
Still not King.
Day 30:
In Lothlorien. Think Galadriel was hitting on me. Saucy wench.
Nice chat with Boromir. He’s not so bad.
Took a shower. Yay!
But still not King.
Day 32:
Orcs killed: none. Stubble update: subtly hairy.
Legolas told me that a shadow and a threat had been growing in his mind.
I think Legolas might be kinda gay.
Nope, not King.
Day 33:
Orcs killed: Countless thousands. V. good.
Boromir killed by Orcs. Bummer. Though he died bravely in my arms, am now quite sure that he was very definitely gay.
Not so sure about Gimli either.
RIP Boromir.
Still not King, but at least Boromir seemed to think I was. Might however have been blood loss.
Day 34:
Frodo went to Mordor. Said he was going alone, but took Sam with him. Why?
My God, is everyone in this movie gay but me?
Not so sure about me either.
Still not King, goddammit.
Day 1
Ringwraiths killed: 4. V. good.
Met up with Hobbits. Walked forty miles. Skinned a squirrel and ate it.
Still not King.
Day 4
Stuck on mountain with Hobbits. Boromir really annoying.
Not King yet.
Day 6
Orcs killed: none. Disappointing. Stubble update: I look rugged and manly. Yes!
Keep wanting to drop-kick Gimli. Holding myself back.
Still not King.
Day 10
Sorry no entries lately. V. dark in Mines of Moria. Big Baelrog.
Not King today either.
Day 11
Orcs killed: 7. V. good. Stubble update: Looking mangy.
Legolas may be hotter than me.
I wonder if he would like me if I was King?
Day 28:
Beginning to find Frodo disturbingly attractive. Have a feeling if I make a move, Sam would kill me. Also, hairy feet kind of a turn-off.
Still not King.
Day 30:
In Lothlorien. Think Galadriel was hitting on me. Saucy wench.
Nice chat with Boromir. He’s not so bad.
Took a shower. Yay!
But still not King.
Day 32:
Orcs killed: none. Stubble update: subtly hairy.
Legolas told me that a shadow and a threat had been growing in his mind.
I think Legolas might be kinda gay.
Nope, not King.
Day 33:
Orcs killed: Countless thousands. V. good.
Boromir killed by Orcs. Bummer. Though he died bravely in my arms, am now quite sure that he was very definitely gay.
Not so sure about Gimli either.
RIP Boromir.
Still not King, but at least Boromir seemed to think I was. Might however have been blood loss.
Day 34:
Frodo went to Mordor. Said he was going alone, but took Sam with him. Why?
My God, is everyone in this movie gay but me?
Not so sure about me either.
Still not King, goddammit.
Sunday, August 10, 2003
What an incredible couple of days. They are going to make leaving so dificult.
I have loads to tell so will start with today & work backwards if I am not too tired to complete this later.
I have been riding the farm bike off-road for the last couple of days, it's a ratty-looking Yamaha 175cc
pic 455
but it goes ok as Mike used to be a motor mechanic so it's mechanically sound.
Mike offerd me a go on the bike at the beginning of the week. I rode it across the paddocks in a big circle & returned to him.
'Aren't you going to have a longer go ?' he asked.
'Yes - hop on' I replied.
The look on his face was priceless. Think gurls are supposed to ride pillion in NZ. To be fair, he made a very calm passenger. Not a squeak of fear, even up & down the one in threes.
I have progressed from being a bit wobbly to now riding 3 up, me on the front, Mike on the back & yesterday, a very excited Don in the middle. He thought it was great & kept trying to rest his front paws on my shoulders for a better view.
Must have looked a scream, what I wouldnt give for a camcorder.
This afternoon Mike had to leave early so left me 'in charge' of the lambing ewes. I decided to take the bike all around the farm & check all the paddocks for any mis-mothered lambs. There are some 20 odd paddocks covering the 440 acres so it takes a while.
As I arrived next to one of the x-country jumps I noticed a lamb, tucked up quietly at the foot of one of the jumps. His mother hadn't waited for him when they were shifted this morning & he had done what new-borns do & sat quietly so as not to be noticed by birds of prey.
I told Don to guard him, Don thinks I am God now I ride the motorbike :-) whilst I got a sack off the bike. I then put the lamb in the sack, tied it to the handlebars & took it back to the farm. Ideally, I wanted to put it back with Mum but I had to ring Mike to ask which group of ewes his Mum was in as there are about 7 or 8 separate lots.
He told me on the phone where the ewes were, so after marking the lamb's head with blue raddle (dye) so that I could pick him out later if Mum didn't claim him - it was in the sack & another bike ride back to the mob of ewes.
Mike had told me you have to dump the lamb pretty quickly & roughly by dropping them from the moving bike & then speed away. This is so that they don't just tag onto the 1st moving, noisy thing they see ie.the bike.
I am already feeding 2 orphans so I was keen to re-unite this one with Mum so purposely haven't christened him.
I dumped him, as instructed & shot off to view from a safe distance to see if a ewe would claim him. He still managed to get up & run after me & I felt a heel accelerating away from him.
For the next 5 minutes, Don & I watched to see if he was claimed. It was pitiful, he stood bleating, alone, in the middle of the paddock whilst all the ewes just stared stupidly at him.
After what seemed an eternity a ewe started calling & returning his cries. They got together & she sniffed him but didn't seem entirely convinced he was hers. I had handled him minimally, even managing not to cuddle him when I found him but some ewes can be very picky.
When Mike gets here to do the dusk-run we will check then to see if she has accepted him.
I have to say, I was ridiculously proud of myself for finding him & taking him back to the mob. Mike was very chuffed & says I can call myself a proper shepherd now ! No matter how little one lamb costs in the grand scheme of things I know that I found a lamb which would have been dead tomorrow morning if I hadn't. That's job satisfaction.
On which note - yesterday I made a lamb !
Mike has been looking out for a ewe having difficulty so that I could have the experience of helping out. Yesterday he came to tell me thee was a ewe who had produced a head but hadn't the strength to do the rest.
We took off to find her.
Once he had caught her he told me to put my hand inside (quite pleasant if you're wondering) to see if I could feel any feet. Ideally, both feet need to be alongside the head for the easiest delivery.
I told him I could feel one little foot but not the other. He instructed me to pull the foot gently until the lamb was showing it's shoulder. At this point I had to push the other leg back alongside the lamb's body as the lamb was too big to come out with the other leg as well.
After a prolonged, gentle, downwards pull my 1st lamb plopped onto the grass.
Welcome Stan !
We tied Mum's front legs together so that she wouldn't walk away from him, cleaned the mucus from his nose & mouth, tore the umbilical cord & rubbed his face all over hers so that she could recognise his scent.
We then drove off & left them to it. The idea is that you return after 20 mins or so, untie Mum & by this time she has grown used to the idea of the lamb.
This being Stan, was it going to be that easy ?
No.
We untied Mum, she took one look at the yellow, slimy creature gazing expectantly at her & walked off.
Nature can be very harsh.
This meant catching the pair of them & penning them together overnight in the sheep yards for her to get accustomed to him.
This morning, we liberated the pair of them after checking she had fed him overnight.
It was a very touching moment (photo please Q)
Well, must dash now, still loads to tell but have to do another run now & see if my re-uniting earlier was succesful.
Bye for now,
Evel Knievel x
I have loads to tell so will start with today & work backwards if I am not too tired to complete this later.
I have been riding the farm bike off-road for the last couple of days, it's a ratty-looking Yamaha 175cc
pic 455
but it goes ok as Mike used to be a motor mechanic so it's mechanically sound.
Mike offerd me a go on the bike at the beginning of the week. I rode it across the paddocks in a big circle & returned to him.
'Aren't you going to have a longer go ?' he asked.
'Yes - hop on' I replied.
The look on his face was priceless. Think gurls are supposed to ride pillion in NZ. To be fair, he made a very calm passenger. Not a squeak of fear, even up & down the one in threes.
I have progressed from being a bit wobbly to now riding 3 up, me on the front, Mike on the back & yesterday, a very excited Don in the middle. He thought it was great & kept trying to rest his front paws on my shoulders for a better view.
Must have looked a scream, what I wouldnt give for a camcorder.
This afternoon Mike had to leave early so left me 'in charge' of the lambing ewes. I decided to take the bike all around the farm & check all the paddocks for any mis-mothered lambs. There are some 20 odd paddocks covering the 440 acres so it takes a while.
As I arrived next to one of the x-country jumps I noticed a lamb, tucked up quietly at the foot of one of the jumps. His mother hadn't waited for him when they were shifted this morning & he had done what new-borns do & sat quietly so as not to be noticed by birds of prey.
I told Don to guard him, Don thinks I am God now I ride the motorbike :-) whilst I got a sack off the bike. I then put the lamb in the sack, tied it to the handlebars & took it back to the farm. Ideally, I wanted to put it back with Mum but I had to ring Mike to ask which group of ewes his Mum was in as there are about 7 or 8 separate lots.
He told me on the phone where the ewes were, so after marking the lamb's head with blue raddle (dye) so that I could pick him out later if Mum didn't claim him - it was in the sack & another bike ride back to the mob of ewes.
Mike had told me you have to dump the lamb pretty quickly & roughly by dropping them from the moving bike & then speed away. This is so that they don't just tag onto the 1st moving, noisy thing they see ie.the bike.
I am already feeding 2 orphans so I was keen to re-unite this one with Mum so purposely haven't christened him.
I dumped him, as instructed & shot off to view from a safe distance to see if a ewe would claim him. He still managed to get up & run after me & I felt a heel accelerating away from him.
For the next 5 minutes, Don & I watched to see if he was claimed. It was pitiful, he stood bleating, alone, in the middle of the paddock whilst all the ewes just stared stupidly at him.
After what seemed an eternity a ewe started calling & returning his cries. They got together & she sniffed him but didn't seem entirely convinced he was hers. I had handled him minimally, even managing not to cuddle him when I found him but some ewes can be very picky.
When Mike gets here to do the dusk-run we will check then to see if she has accepted him.
I have to say, I was ridiculously proud of myself for finding him & taking him back to the mob. Mike was very chuffed & says I can call myself a proper shepherd now ! No matter how little one lamb costs in the grand scheme of things I know that I found a lamb which would have been dead tomorrow morning if I hadn't. That's job satisfaction.
On which note - yesterday I made a lamb !
Mike has been looking out for a ewe having difficulty so that I could have the experience of helping out. Yesterday he came to tell me thee was a ewe who had produced a head but hadn't the strength to do the rest.
We took off to find her.
Once he had caught her he told me to put my hand inside (quite pleasant if you're wondering) to see if I could feel any feet. Ideally, both feet need to be alongside the head for the easiest delivery.
I told him I could feel one little foot but not the other. He instructed me to pull the foot gently until the lamb was showing it's shoulder. At this point I had to push the other leg back alongside the lamb's body as the lamb was too big to come out with the other leg as well.
After a prolonged, gentle, downwards pull my 1st lamb plopped onto the grass.
Welcome Stan !
We tied Mum's front legs together so that she wouldn't walk away from him, cleaned the mucus from his nose & mouth, tore the umbilical cord & rubbed his face all over hers so that she could recognise his scent.
We then drove off & left them to it. The idea is that you return after 20 mins or so, untie Mum & by this time she has grown used to the idea of the lamb.
This being Stan, was it going to be that easy ?
No.
We untied Mum, she took one look at the yellow, slimy creature gazing expectantly at her & walked off.
Nature can be very harsh.
This meant catching the pair of them & penning them together overnight in the sheep yards for her to get accustomed to him.
This morning, we liberated the pair of them after checking she had fed him overnight.
It was a very touching moment (photo please Q)
Well, must dash now, still loads to tell but have to do another run now & see if my re-uniting earlier was succesful.
Bye for now,
Evel Knievel x
Saturday, August 09, 2003
Friday, August 08, 2003
Sorry for the absence.
It's been a cba week.
Told them Tuesday I was leaving.
Things have moved quickly & it looks like I will be leaving this Tuesday
if Trish is happy with my replacement.
Will tell you more about my week tonight but for now, the sun is shining
& I want to make the most of my last few days here.
Taking Don & Chum off to explore & look for any mis-mothered new-born lambs.
Cx
It's been a cba week.
Told them Tuesday I was leaving.
Things have moved quickly & it looks like I will be leaving this Tuesday
if Trish is happy with my replacement.
Will tell you more about my week tonight but for now, the sun is shining
& I want to make the most of my last few days here.
Taking Don & Chum off to explore & look for any mis-mothered new-born lambs.
Cx
Thursday, August 07, 2003
Whilst Cx is absent let's reflect
Visions in Blue
Face in the window in the night
Caught for a second by the light
Ashes of memories still aglow
Only for you
Portraits and pictures you once saw
Visions in blue
Read while the letters still remain
Sip from the wine of youth again
Oaths made in silence still return
Only for you
Cast like a shroud you're clutching on
Visions in blue
Catch aimless smiles from passers by
Blistered and broken in reply
Breath seems to mist the hazy view
Only for you
Tears coat your lifeless eyes with dew
Visions in blue
Visions in blue
Ashes of memories still aglow
Portraits and pictures you once saw
Ashes of memories still aglow
Portraits and pictures you once saw
Ashes of memories still aglow
Portraits and pictures you once saw
Face in the window in the night
Caught for a second by the light
Ashes of memories still aglow
Only for you
Portraits and pictures you once saw
Visions in blue
Normal service will be resumed asap
Caught for a second by the light
Ashes of memories still aglow
Only for you
Portraits and pictures you once saw
Visions in blue
Read while the letters still remain
Sip from the wine of youth again
Oaths made in silence still return
Only for you
Cast like a shroud you're clutching on
Visions in blue
Catch aimless smiles from passers by
Blistered and broken in reply
Breath seems to mist the hazy view
Only for you
Tears coat your lifeless eyes with dew
Visions in blue
Visions in blue
Ashes of memories still aglow
Portraits and pictures you once saw
Ashes of memories still aglow
Portraits and pictures you once saw
Ashes of memories still aglow
Portraits and pictures you once saw
Face in the window in the night
Caught for a second by the light
Ashes of memories still aglow
Only for you
Portraits and pictures you once saw
Visions in blue
Normal service will be resumed asap
Friday, August 01, 2003
Today I welded.
And why not ?
If nothing else comes of the NZ trip I'll make someone a cracking husband.
I even had to wear the obligatory Ned Kelly type visor.
Sadly, no foties though.
Mike said to me 'Have you seen the film Flashdance ?'
'She can't weld at all that woman'
Kiwi blokes - dontchalovem ?
No more for tonight as I have spent the last hour tippy-tapping
as your in-boxes will testify.
My shoulders are sore from sheep-wrestling too.
Who's going to see T3 tomorrow then ?
Night-night Britain.
Cx
And why not ?
If nothing else comes of the NZ trip I'll make someone a cracking husband.
I even had to wear the obligatory Ned Kelly type visor.
Sadly, no foties though.
Mike said to me 'Have you seen the film Flashdance ?'
'She can't weld at all that woman'
Kiwi blokes - dontchalovem ?
No more for tonight as I have spent the last hour tippy-tapping
as your in-boxes will testify.
My shoulders are sore from sheep-wrestling too.
Who's going to see T3 tomorrow then ?
Night-night Britain.
Cx
Thursday, July 31, 2003
Today I 'ave been mostly burning things.
The paddocks which lucerne was grown in last season had to have
the tops burned off. Mal knows by now not to ask if I want to help if
it involves burning.
It was very gusty and our matches kept blowing out before we could get the flame
to touch the dead, highly flammable grass.
'We would make lousy arsonists' he said laughing 'the fire brigade would be here
before we could get a decent blaze going'
I met an old friend today.
The ewes with lambs were being treated for parasites & I looked at one lamb in particular
& noticed he only had half a tail.
Eric.
He is thriving & Mum is very protective now which is as it should be so I was only
allowed a quick cuddle before she got too anxious.
He showed no signs of recognising me, ungrateful little bleeder :)
On Tuesday I crutched my 1st sheep.
Don't worry - it's legal.
'Crutching' is the term for removing certain bits of a ewe's fleece usually prior to lambing.
It is done to assist the lamb finding the udder & also to try & keep the ewe's rear end
slightly cleaner so the afterbirth drops away properly.
At the other end, the hair is removed from around the sheep's eyes to prevent
'wool-blindness' This is when the animals vision is badly impaired by too much wool. They can lose condition quickly by not being able to see the grass.
This is what I am doing in this pic, although it looks like I am threatening to remove the ewe's eye if she does not co-operate. Look - no fingernails.
Here is my mentor Mike, I didn't realise until I enlarged this that it looks as though the sun really does shine out of his a***
I have to say, using the handpiece (clippers to us) on a live animal is one of the most nerve-wracking things I have ever done. The blades are attached to an 8bhp motor & they make an amazing racket as well as leaping around if you try to hold them too tightly. The teeth would not look out of place in a dungeon.
It didn't help that Mike said, 'Keep them horizontal to the sheep or you can open it's guts up' either.
Watching him skim quicky round the sheep made it look so easy, in reality my sheep seemed to consist entirely of loose, pink, flappy, easily cut-offable bits. He said that it's a fact that women shearers are much more comfortable shearing rams than ewes.
Hmmm.
My worst fear came true when I tackled my 2nd ewe & was shearing it's head.
'Be firm with the clippers, you can't cut it's eye'
'Honestly, from this angle, you won't cut it's eye'
'Yes - I am definitely sure'
'Oh ... don't worry it's just a nick'
Needless to say the 'nick' gushed blood & I kept apologising.
'Please don't worry' said Mike.
'I'm apologising to the sheep, not you' I replied.
Oops. I felt terrible despite Mike's assurances that it was nothing major.
As we carried on with the others I kept looking outside at my sheep who looked like
she had been in a pub-fight.
Mike asked what I was looking for & I told him I was waiting to see if she filled in the visitors book.
"Warm welcome, friendly staff, tasty food, eye gouged out"
I thought I had got the hang of how Mike caught the sheep & laid them out prior to shearing so, wanting to show willing I asked him if I could 'nail' the next one.
He came in to help me & I shooed him away telling him I wanted to do it alone.
I picked the biggest ewe I could see (I'm from Yorkshire, it's genetic, I can't help it) & went to tackle her. Watching Mike I noted that he had grabbed the nose in his left hand, grabbed a handful of rump-wool in his right & stuck his knee in the sheep's ribs. He then twisted the sheep's head around to it's right, walked it backwards, pressed on it's bottom, over-balanced it & dragged it on it's back by it's forelegs to the shearing area.
Easy.
Wrong.
My sheep called my bluff. As I grabbed it's nose it exhaled snot all over my hand. Not to be deterred by such a trifling matter I grabbed it's back-end & stuck my knee in it's ribs. It promptly showered me with urine & defecated violently. Still keen, I tried to bend it's head backwards to unbalance it. The sheep charged around the pen twice,legs flailing, coating me in it's bodily contents much to Mike's amusement.
'Any chance of a hand ?'
He stopped sniggering for long enough to say
'No, no, you wanted to do this all on your own'
I eventually let go & decided to pick a smaller ewe.
'You shouldn't have done that' came the comment
'The other one will be twice as bad when you go back to her'
On Tuesday I normally take Genevieve to visit her Gran's while the older ones go to a tutors, yes, the dreaded Kip McGrath run. This week I asked Genevieve what she would like to do instead & told her she could choose to do absolutely anything & we would go & do it.
'Really ?' she asked, 'absolutely anything ?'
'Can we pleeeease go to the library ?'
So, off we went.
I had a lovely time. We sat in the kids section & I read all the Mick Inkpen books I could lay my hands on. Check them out if you are ever in a book-shop, he does the most beautiful water-colour illustrations. 'Wibbly Pig can draw' is my own personal favourite.
After that we looked at the grown-up books & I bored Gen rigid with books on Yorkshire. It is the 1st time I have been truly home-sick. I poured over the books looking for familiar places, Kilnsey Crag, Gordale Scar, Malham Cove, Ribblehead Viaduct, & my favourite Linton Falls.
It's like having a painfully wobbly tooth isn't it ?
You know it's going to hurt when you nudge it with your tongue but you just have to do it anyway.
Out of character moment warning approaching.
On the way back to the van Gen took my hand & said, out of nowhere
'You're the best nanny I've had'
I'm not daft, I know she has probably said that, in the way that kids do to every nanny, but it didn't stop me feeling a heel. Soft-focus moment was soon over though in the shop we went in. At the counter was a 'Free soft toy' wth every jar of multi-vitamins purchased.
Gen couldn't read the bit about the vitamins & probably didn't care but she did what every self-respecting kid would when faced with a sign saying 'Free toy' & helped herself.
I had to distract her by saying 'Last one to the van walks home'
The other warm, fuzzy, lump in throat moment was yesterday.
Every farmer has a pocket knife.
It's uses are numerous, from cutting baling twine to cleaning finger-nails to dislodging blind people from tractor tyres. I don't have a knife & always look with longing at Mal's & Mike's while I bend another kitchen knife.
Yesterday, Mal casually gave me his saying he '.... had another somewhere'
'Mal with his dog - Jude & Chum' Sepia - impressed ?
It even has a ickle button you have to depress before the blade retracts. Wow.
And just for good measure a moody black & white shot too.
On Sunday I drove up the Wairau valley as far as Nelson Lake.
I took this, not for the scenery, which is special enough, but because I hope you can see the clarity of the water. It was a metre deep but so clear it was as if it was invisible. I hope it is reproduced clearly enough on the pooter for you to see ?
And lastly (yes Mum I know the rule about and but I am tired & getting lazy)
An aah moment to say goodnight.
Titled "Mum ?"
Some thank-you's & hello's.
Di - Roses story. Predictable - yes. Made me cry - yes. Thank you.
Please could I have some pics of garden & window boxes ?
42 weeks.
Ang - Cats in hats. Fantastic, love the way they look so hacked off, especially lamb-cat.
Hope your week has improved ? E-mail all as soon as you have a mo.
Chef - Penguin. Took ages to down-load, worth the wait.
Re; daughter's boyfriend, just remember, approve of him heartily & she'll
go off him. Anyway, it's not grey, it's silver & it's distinguished.
Trudes - Card arrived, suitable replacement for Eric & needs less maintenance. Thank you.
Won any more shooting trophies this week ? Assume it was your lot in the 21
dawn raids for Adam so you must have been VERY busy. Hope you got the sexist
pigs to do the exhibits for once ?
Turbo - Letter & clippings arrived. It's not true, didn't you notice the author was male ?
If it was me being asked (& it isn't) I would have thought he was still too young.
(For the kids & that job)
Weeny - I had heard murmurings b4 leaving but it hadn't been confirmed. If you can contact
LX & VK to instigate the paperwork I will buy you a drink from the proceeds.
I owe you one of those vile, greeny/brown minty things.
What's black & brown & looks good on a solicitor ? - a dobermann.
Stu - 88 ? I hope your Dad demanded a urine test ?
Any more from Bodgit & Scarper aka Shoosmiths.
Looking forward to seeing the shed, bet LH garden looks beautiful ?
Cocky - Lovely to chat even if I hogged the conversation & you couldn't get a word in
edgeways for once.
Bill - The mountain looks less steep today.
Any more 'When dumb cops go bad scariest chases' moments ?
Lovely Col - E-mail arrived thanks. Ken choosing to go to Lambeth ? Are you sure ?
Will reply soonest.
Creaky - Thank you poppet. You are right, Bismarck is worse.
Martin - 18 of you ? I cannot even begin to imagine how outrageous you will be.
Can I reserve a Samoyed puppy ? Will reply soon.
Q - Will mail you tomorrow, need my bed now. Fine though.
Goodnight UK, great news about Tony Martin - bout bleedin' time.
Cx
The paddocks which lucerne was grown in last season had to have
the tops burned off. Mal knows by now not to ask if I want to help if
it involves burning.
It was very gusty and our matches kept blowing out before we could get the flame
to touch the dead, highly flammable grass.
'We would make lousy arsonists' he said laughing 'the fire brigade would be here
before we could get a decent blaze going'
I met an old friend today.
The ewes with lambs were being treated for parasites & I looked at one lamb in particular
& noticed he only had half a tail.
Eric.
He is thriving & Mum is very protective now which is as it should be so I was only
allowed a quick cuddle before she got too anxious.
He showed no signs of recognising me, ungrateful little bleeder :)
On Tuesday I crutched my 1st sheep.
Don't worry - it's legal.
'Crutching' is the term for removing certain bits of a ewe's fleece usually prior to lambing.
It is done to assist the lamb finding the udder & also to try & keep the ewe's rear end
slightly cleaner so the afterbirth drops away properly.
At the other end, the hair is removed from around the sheep's eyes to prevent
'wool-blindness' This is when the animals vision is badly impaired by too much wool. They can lose condition quickly by not being able to see the grass.
This is what I am doing in this pic, although it looks like I am threatening to remove the ewe's eye if she does not co-operate. Look - no fingernails.
Here is my mentor Mike, I didn't realise until I enlarged this that it looks as though the sun really does shine out of his a***
I have to say, using the handpiece (clippers to us) on a live animal is one of the most nerve-wracking things I have ever done. The blades are attached to an 8bhp motor & they make an amazing racket as well as leaping around if you try to hold them too tightly. The teeth would not look out of place in a dungeon.
It didn't help that Mike said, 'Keep them horizontal to the sheep or you can open it's guts up' either.
Watching him skim quicky round the sheep made it look so easy, in reality my sheep seemed to consist entirely of loose, pink, flappy, easily cut-offable bits. He said that it's a fact that women shearers are much more comfortable shearing rams than ewes.
Hmmm.
My worst fear came true when I tackled my 2nd ewe & was shearing it's head.
'Be firm with the clippers, you can't cut it's eye'
'Honestly, from this angle, you won't cut it's eye'
'Yes - I am definitely sure'
'Oh ... don't worry it's just a nick'
Needless to say the 'nick' gushed blood & I kept apologising.
'Please don't worry' said Mike.
'I'm apologising to the sheep, not you' I replied.
Oops. I felt terrible despite Mike's assurances that it was nothing major.
As we carried on with the others I kept looking outside at my sheep who looked like
she had been in a pub-fight.
Mike asked what I was looking for & I told him I was waiting to see if she filled in the visitors book.
"Warm welcome, friendly staff, tasty food, eye gouged out"
I thought I had got the hang of how Mike caught the sheep & laid them out prior to shearing so, wanting to show willing I asked him if I could 'nail' the next one.
He came in to help me & I shooed him away telling him I wanted to do it alone.
I picked the biggest ewe I could see (I'm from Yorkshire, it's genetic, I can't help it) & went to tackle her. Watching Mike I noted that he had grabbed the nose in his left hand, grabbed a handful of rump-wool in his right & stuck his knee in the sheep's ribs. He then twisted the sheep's head around to it's right, walked it backwards, pressed on it's bottom, over-balanced it & dragged it on it's back by it's forelegs to the shearing area.
Easy.
Wrong.
My sheep called my bluff. As I grabbed it's nose it exhaled snot all over my hand. Not to be deterred by such a trifling matter I grabbed it's back-end & stuck my knee in it's ribs. It promptly showered me with urine & defecated violently. Still keen, I tried to bend it's head backwards to unbalance it. The sheep charged around the pen twice,legs flailing, coating me in it's bodily contents much to Mike's amusement.
'Any chance of a hand ?'
He stopped sniggering for long enough to say
'No, no, you wanted to do this all on your own'
I eventually let go & decided to pick a smaller ewe.
'You shouldn't have done that' came the comment
'The other one will be twice as bad when you go back to her'
On Tuesday I normally take Genevieve to visit her Gran's while the older ones go to a tutors, yes, the dreaded Kip McGrath run. This week I asked Genevieve what she would like to do instead & told her she could choose to do absolutely anything & we would go & do it.
'Really ?' she asked, 'absolutely anything ?'
'Can we pleeeease go to the library ?'
So, off we went.
I had a lovely time. We sat in the kids section & I read all the Mick Inkpen books I could lay my hands on. Check them out if you are ever in a book-shop, he does the most beautiful water-colour illustrations. 'Wibbly Pig can draw' is my own personal favourite.
After that we looked at the grown-up books & I bored Gen rigid with books on Yorkshire. It is the 1st time I have been truly home-sick. I poured over the books looking for familiar places, Kilnsey Crag, Gordale Scar, Malham Cove, Ribblehead Viaduct, & my favourite Linton Falls.
It's like having a painfully wobbly tooth isn't it ?
You know it's going to hurt when you nudge it with your tongue but you just have to do it anyway.
Out of character moment warning approaching.
On the way back to the van Gen took my hand & said, out of nowhere
'You're the best nanny I've had'
I'm not daft, I know she has probably said that, in the way that kids do to every nanny, but it didn't stop me feeling a heel. Soft-focus moment was soon over though in the shop we went in. At the counter was a 'Free soft toy' wth every jar of multi-vitamins purchased.
Gen couldn't read the bit about the vitamins & probably didn't care but she did what every self-respecting kid would when faced with a sign saying 'Free toy' & helped herself.
I had to distract her by saying 'Last one to the van walks home'
The other warm, fuzzy, lump in throat moment was yesterday.
Every farmer has a pocket knife.
It's uses are numerous, from cutting baling twine to cleaning finger-nails to dislodging blind people from tractor tyres. I don't have a knife & always look with longing at Mal's & Mike's while I bend another kitchen knife.
Yesterday, Mal casually gave me his saying he '.... had another somewhere'
'Mal with his dog - Jude & Chum' Sepia - impressed ?
It even has a ickle button you have to depress before the blade retracts. Wow.
And just for good measure a moody black & white shot too.
On Sunday I drove up the Wairau valley as far as Nelson Lake.
I took this, not for the scenery, which is special enough, but because I hope you can see the clarity of the water. It was a metre deep but so clear it was as if it was invisible. I hope it is reproduced clearly enough on the pooter for you to see ?
And lastly (yes Mum I know the rule about and but I am tired & getting lazy)
An aah moment to say goodnight.
Titled "Mum ?"
Some thank-you's & hello's.
Di - Roses story. Predictable - yes. Made me cry - yes. Thank you.
Please could I have some pics of garden & window boxes ?
42 weeks.
Ang - Cats in hats. Fantastic, love the way they look so hacked off, especially lamb-cat.
Hope your week has improved ? E-mail all as soon as you have a mo.
Chef - Penguin. Took ages to down-load, worth the wait.
Re; daughter's boyfriend, just remember, approve of him heartily & she'll
go off him. Anyway, it's not grey, it's silver & it's distinguished.
Trudes - Card arrived, suitable replacement for Eric & needs less maintenance. Thank you.
Won any more shooting trophies this week ? Assume it was your lot in the 21
dawn raids for Adam so you must have been VERY busy. Hope you got the sexist
pigs to do the exhibits for once ?
Turbo - Letter & clippings arrived. It's not true, didn't you notice the author was male ?
If it was me being asked (& it isn't) I would have thought he was still too young.
(For the kids & that job)
Weeny - I had heard murmurings b4 leaving but it hadn't been confirmed. If you can contact
LX & VK to instigate the paperwork I will buy you a drink from the proceeds.
I owe you one of those vile, greeny/brown minty things.
What's black & brown & looks good on a solicitor ? - a dobermann.
Stu - 88 ? I hope your Dad demanded a urine test ?
Any more from Bodgit & Scarper aka Shoosmiths.
Looking forward to seeing the shed, bet LH garden looks beautiful ?
Cocky - Lovely to chat even if I hogged the conversation & you couldn't get a word in
edgeways for once.
Bill - The mountain looks less steep today.
Any more 'When dumb cops go bad scariest chases' moments ?
Lovely Col - E-mail arrived thanks. Ken choosing to go to Lambeth ? Are you sure ?
Will reply soonest.
Creaky - Thank you poppet. You are right, Bismarck is worse.
Martin - 18 of you ? I cannot even begin to imagine how outrageous you will be.
Can I reserve a Samoyed puppy ? Will reply soon.
Q - Will mail you tomorrow, need my bed now. Fine though.
Goodnight UK, great news about Tony Martin - bout bleedin' time.
Cx
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
Monday, July 28, 2003
"Self-opinionated old hag"
"Tell her to clean the f****** floor herself the lazy bint"
"Us HUMANS like you"
"Devils minions"
"Outraged"
"Psychic ? Psycho-reading more like"
The above comments are some of my favourites from the last couple of days e-mail.
The advice has ranged from the mature & sensible ...
"Keep your head high & don't lower yourself"
to the entertaining ...
"Roll up the job description & stick it ..." well, I'll let you work out the rest.
to the downright violent ...
"Let me at her"
It's why you lot are such a great bunch of mates & why I haven't felt
isolated during this week.
Best of all comes an offer of salvation from The Shire.
I may well be visiting depending how long Geoff takes in getting back to me.
Must dash
have some very interesting numbers of trains to write in my notebook
;-)
Cx
"Tell her to clean the f****** floor herself the lazy bint"
"Us HUMANS like you"
"Devils minions"
"Outraged"
"Psychic ? Psycho-reading more like"
The above comments are some of my favourites from the last couple of days e-mail.
The advice has ranged from the mature & sensible ...
"Keep your head high & don't lower yourself"
to the entertaining ...
"Roll up the job description & stick it ..." well, I'll let you work out the rest.
to the downright violent ...
"Let me at her"
It's why you lot are such a great bunch of mates & why I haven't felt
isolated during this week.
Best of all comes an offer of salvation from The Shire.
I may well be visiting depending how long Geoff takes in getting back to me.
Must dash
have some very interesting numbers of trains to write in my notebook
;-)
Cx
Sunday, July 27, 2003
Saturday, July 26, 2003
Afternoon,
If only every day were like Saturday.
Peace & quiet until 14.30
Got up at 0800, leisurely breakfast, took dogs out.
Waited for call from Cocky, gave up, went out, got a message to
say she rang straight after I went out.
Helped Mike feeding cattle, most of them went away to the works
on Thursday so it's the most stripped I have seen the farm since I got here.
Oddly enough, haven't fancied playing 'Happy Families' so have spent the
afternoon ensconced on the pooter as you will all find out when you
see your in-boxes.
In an hour I leave for Mal's & some pleasant company.
Tonight is a big-deal to the rugby-loving Kiwis.
The Bledisloe Cup is a game between NZ & Aus.
It has a history of fierce rivalry & bad blood.
Bit like the Calcutta Cup.
NZ were expecting to win it as they have just handsomely stuffed
the Springboks which felt good to them after being drubbed at the
hands of the Old Country.
The Kiwis netball team has also just had a surprise win against
Australia in the World Cup. Trish took great pleasure in telling me the
Kiwis had thrashed England on the way to the final.
I resisted the urge to tell her that about 2.3% of the world's population
gives a toss about netball.
Then the Ozzies beat NZ emphatically in league last night.
Different code I know but it sets up tonight as a nail-biter.
Speaking of which, I have bitten all mine.
I last bit them when I was 21.
That's easily 5 years ago :-)
Cx
If only every day were like Saturday.
Peace & quiet until 14.30
Got up at 0800, leisurely breakfast, took dogs out.
Waited for call from Cocky, gave up, went out, got a message to
say she rang straight after I went out.
Helped Mike feeding cattle, most of them went away to the works
on Thursday so it's the most stripped I have seen the farm since I got here.
Oddly enough, haven't fancied playing 'Happy Families' so have spent the
afternoon ensconced on the pooter as you will all find out when you
see your in-boxes.
In an hour I leave for Mal's & some pleasant company.
Tonight is a big-deal to the rugby-loving Kiwis.
The Bledisloe Cup is a game between NZ & Aus.
It has a history of fierce rivalry & bad blood.
Bit like the Calcutta Cup.
NZ were expecting to win it as they have just handsomely stuffed
the Springboks which felt good to them after being drubbed at the
hands of the Old Country.
The Kiwis netball team has also just had a surprise win against
Australia in the World Cup. Trish took great pleasure in telling me the
Kiwis had thrashed England on the way to the final.
I resisted the urge to tell her that about 2.3% of the world's population
gives a toss about netball.
Then the Ozzies beat NZ emphatically in league last night.
Different code I know but it sets up tonight as a nail-biter.
Speaking of which, I have bitten all mine.
I last bit them when I was 21.
That's easily 5 years ago :-)
Cx
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