Gotta Love The Long Weekends...

Three day long weekends are a blessing when living on a lifestyle block. There is always so much to do, and when a 3 day weekend does come around, such as the recent Auckland Anniversary, it gives you another day to tinker about the place, or as we choose this recent long weekend, 2 days working around the block, and then the final day was allocated for rest and relaxation with a beach walk & picnic.

Saturday was allocated to clearing out the garden shed. I could barely get in there anymore, tripping over things as I tried to get the chicken feed out every day. However my hoarding gene kicked in, and very little was thrown away in the end. But after a couple hours I could see some of the floor after a bit of reorganisation. 

While clearing out the shed, I did find a new overhead type kitchen cabinet that we didn't use on one of our previous renovations. A perfect find, as that is now firmly attached to the wall above the laundry tub to store the detergents and cleaners. I still have quiet a few boxes to go through and to sort out... but you can't rush these things.

Sunday was dedicated to pruning some of the pine tree's, cutting off dead branches... well those branches that I could safely reach from top of the ladder, which was about up to 4 metres up. There were also a lot of trees that have had their tops snapped off during past storms, and as a result the trees had died. So I've been cutting down some of those trees with my little chainsaw.  Not to boast, but I'm getting rather good at... in most case the trees are falling in the right direction! We are getting rid of the dead trees first, and using them for firewood. So like last year, we created some new stacks of 1-2 metre lengths of firewood, waiting to be carried up the hill. Volunteers are most welcome to apply! 

Ultimately, we want to thin out the pine forest, and then plant some native trees in and amongst the pines, but this will take time, there are a lot of pines to thin out. But in the middle of the pine forest over the creek there is a clearing... would be nice place to have a picnic area or something along those lines.  Oh... and there are little fish in the creek too! I'm not sure what they are, but good to see.

Monday... was our day of rest! We planned a trip to Mangawhai Heads, we had heard about the Clifftop Walkway and thought it would be a nice day trip out at the beach. The night before we had prepared the bread maker so we would have some fresh bread in the morning to make some sandwiches to take for a picnic lunch. I absolutely love our Panasonic Bread Maker! Thank you Gary! The best present ever, it is a fantastic little machine! With our fresh bread we made bacon & egg sandwiches with eggs from our chickens. I also added a little pickle and cucumber from the garden. Very Yummy! 

What a fantastic day for a walk along the beach! The sun was shinning,clear blue sky with white puffy clouds, it was a beautifully warm day, even ocean was warm, just a stunning day, you couldn't have asked for a better day. 

The Mangawhai Clifftop Walk starts from the Mangawhai Heads carpark and you walk north along the beach.  To do the complete walk, you do need to go when the tide is low. I didn't realise this so and the tide was high when we went, so we did half of the walk, the cliff top half, which was amazing, the views are amazing. The return trip will be about 3 hours.

TIP: While walking along the beach, take your shoes off and get your feet a little wet as the waves come rushing up the beach! Just Magic! I'm sure my toes were squealing in delight with each wave!

This walkway has to be one of the best walks we've done to date and we will be going back when the tide is low so we can do the complete walk.

Thank goodness, another 3 day long weekend is just around the corner, Waitangi Day falls on a Friday this year, so come early February we have another 3 day weekend, we might just find ourselves back there if the weather and tides are right.

"Summer Loving..."

"... Had Me A Blast... Summer Loving Happened So Fast"

Mangawhai on a beautiful summers day!

I can't believe how quickly summer is passing me by. Christmas is over, New Year is past...but I guess as they say... time flies when you are having fun.

I've had to work at the office over the summer holidays, but on the days off,  I've spent most of my time outside in the garden, enjoying the exercise and the sun.

A lot of my time has been weeding and cutting the grass, as it has been growing so quickly and smothering the natives I had planted. I've also been spending some time, trying to make the pond look better with new plantings... mulching... etc. 

The vegetable garden has had mixed success... I was too late in planting due to moving house and starting the new job... and then the rabbits had a good munch of everything when I did get the plants in, and now the birds are eating my tomatoes before I even get to them.

However... I've had some good success in potatoes and the spring onions are growing really well. Which.. make an excellent baked potato with a little cheese.

     

from the garden to the table...

  

OK perhaps a little undersized... but still very yummy!

Bake your largest potatoes (prick with fork) for about 1 hour in the oven at 180degrees, until inside is soft but outside is crispy... open the top and scoop out the potato, mash that with a little butter, thinly sliced spring onion, add a little cheese, salt & pepper, scoop it back into the potato, adding a little cheese on the top and bake for another 15 or so minutes until golden... then enjoy!  I'm told you can add bacon... but well I was doing the vegetarian thing as I didn't have any bacon.

It's also that time of year when the neighbour organises a contractor to come in to make hay while the sun shines, it's actually exciting to watch, as the process takes about a week. Day 1, tractor comes in to cut the grass, day 3 another tractor comes in to "fluff" up the grass to help it dry out. day 5 another tractor comes to "fluff" the grass into tidy lines so the tractor with the bailing machine makes the hay bales.

So the paddock is now nicely cut, and I'm hoping that will be the end the hay fever season for me. I'm discovering grass is a a bit of an enemy... even just when walking though the long grass in shorts and jandals, my legs will come out in a small red rash.

That aside... I'm just absolutely loving Summer! 2014/2015 has been superb!

2015 is the year we really need to seriously decide what we want to do with the land, something to make some dollars for the block to pay it's way. 10 acres of grass... any ideas?

Big Momma's First Egg!

I'm very pleased to announce Big Momma has laid her very first egg this morning! 

It's So Exciting... Pop Open The Bubbly I Reckon! You Go Girl! HAHA.

Every morning I have the same routine, bright and early I head out to feed the chickens, top up their water and move their cage so they have some fresh grass to scratch through, throughout the day. I do the same routine in the evening too.

Today I was out to greet the chickens just before 7am, the girls are always waiting for me in the morning, they must get up at the crack of dawn. 

As it was such a beautiful sunny summers morning I was up early today.  So I had some time to have a little chat to the girls while I prepared their breakfast.  Today however I noticed Big Momma was up in the house and not outside to greet me. 

Big Momma is the oldest of the 3 chickens, bigger than the other two, and a little bossy towards them, but she has the best feather colours, and I think she knows it... so I have given her the title of Big Momma, as she's bit of a Diva.

Big Momma did come down to say hello, but went back up shortly after I had finished preparing breakfast for them.

I had a quick peek in the house and Big Momma was sitting on her perch, so I thought perhaps, today is they day that she might lay her first egg.  

For the last two months the chickens have just been eating.. pooping... eating...pooping... and pulling the straw out of the house, which I think is a little game they like to play.

However today things felt a little different from the standard morning routine, so I put some new fresh straw in the nesting box and let her be.

Fortunately Thursdays I have the day off work... so I popped back down to the chickens several times, eagerly awaiting our first egg. I was like a kid. Big Momma had been busy making her nest in the straw, and by 10 am... we had our first egg! So Awesome!! I'm so proud of her.

Now... I just need to work out what I am going to cook with one... rather small egg?