Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Hey, Hey Hey... its Hay Time,!

Living with animals in Canterbury during winter you need an additional feed source, as the grass just doesn't grow.

Last year was the first time I had ever feed my Arapawa sheep hay, and this year is the first time we have made our own hay.

Kinda exciting, and kinda itchy at the same time.

I calculated that we need around 70 bales to get through winter, but we ended up with over 200! Our barn is choka! Anyone want some hay?

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Always Something To Do

Life on a lifestyle block is never dull. In between building gates, packaging Unicorn Fibre Cleaners orders, and the daily house hold chores there is still work to be done on the block.

We lack any significant trees, so there is little shelter from the elements, and I do worry about the sheep.

I've just finished the 3rd sheep shelter.  I still want to put on guttering to fill a water trough.

Hopefully it withstands the Canterbury winds. I've created a dirt mound on the inside so hopefully there is a dry surface in the winter. 

The dirt is from a drain that  needed digging out, so I have can now tick 2 jobs off the never ending list.

For now back to building gates, a customer has just ordered 2 additional gates... repeat custom is what we dream for! 

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Mr Whiskers vs Gate #2

Well my big boy has been at it again, he has destroyed another gate, I must admit it wasn't much of a gate to start with but I think I now have got him sorted this time.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - DWL Farm Gates

One of my struggles since my Parkinson's diagnosis was finding work for a little income to fund my little lifestyle block and keeping myself and my brain occupied. Early retirement sure has had it's challenges.

It was Gary with a random suggestion one day why don't you make farm gates to sell.  

So I did....

Big ones, little ones, I've been busy making them all.

I'm slowly ironing out a good routine now, and for a small gate, I  can get that finished in 3 hours. A big gate is 4 hours. A bad Parkinson's day it is 5 plus hours... sometimes I operate at a sloths pace.

My preference is to make 2 or 3 gates a week, as that is what I find manageable with my energy levels, but last week I built 9 gates. An oversight on my part as I had quoted a few enquiries and they all turned into sales. 

1 of those gates was made as an extra gate by mistake. I wasn't focusing on what I was doing and I was just about finished when I realized I had made the wrong size... I had a measurement on my brain but it wasn't the right one. 

Up until now I have been fielding enquiries from trademe and Facebook. Facebook has been fantastic actually, but we have now updated our website with DWL Farm Gates.

www.downwattlelane.co.nz/farm-gates

So I think it's official now... I  coming out of early retirement with self employment.

Now I must schedule a meeting with the boss about employment conditions.... the amount of splinters I have pulled out 🤣

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - A Day Out... Mount Hutt

Well... what can I say? That was a first, and that was also the last time I will be visiting, well driving myself up to Mount Hutt Ski field.

Today as it turns out was the last day of the ski season and we needed to get out and go for a drive, so Mount Hutt was the choice of destination.

Only 1.5 hours from home taking the back roads it was a very pleasant and scenic drive to the base. Standing some 2000m above sea level, snow capped Mt Hutt is a truly majestic sight to be hold on such a beautiful spring day.

Now... that is where the pleasantries end.

What a crazy  mother fucker of a drive up the mountain that was! I'm still traumatized from the experience and I won't be doing that again.

Picture this, a drive straight up essentially, 14km winding up the gravel road, with little barriers or rails protecting you from the shear drops essentially back down to the base of the mountain.

The speed limit was 40km/hr but I don't think I krept over 30km/hr and I let anyone pass who wanted to.

Now I am not normally afraid of heights, I don't like heights, but can handle them. So what has happened to me? Is this an age thing or is it a Parkinson's thing?

I kept saying to Gary as we climbed higher, "I don't like this, I don't like this". 

I was experiencing a constant repetitive feeling of slipping over the edge. You know the feeling when you are standing on the edge of a balcony or deck or walking up steps, and you momentarily lose your balance and a rush of adrenaline from the fear of falling hits you... it was that feeling all the way up, and all the way back down. Very overwhelming and a few times I didn't want to go any further, but I had to push through and go on. I stopped looking beyond the roads edge, and focused purely on the few metres of road ahead of me.

Now I must confess, the road was actually in very good condition, dry, wide, hardly any corrugation, but my brain was not registering any of that. Instead I was driving 

Gary's little front wheel drive Suzuki with minimal tread on the city tyres and we were just going to slip right over the edge to our deaths!

My body and or brain was acting very dramatically for me today, and I'm exhausted from it.

We did manage to take some spectacular pictures.

I might consider visiting again as long as long as I take their Mountain Bus, with a more experienced driver at the wheel. Obviously my eyes will be closed for the entire journey next time 🤣

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Thou Shalt Remain Nameless

I need to start with the back story... so you too can feel what I felt at the time.

With age, Max has become more of an indoor cat, so he doesn't get outside much to wear down his claws by scratching on a tree or the like. So his claws get caught easily in the duvets or blankets etc. I have trimmed them but neither Max or myself enjoy the experience.

So I had been on the lookout for an indoor scratcher for him.

I found good online reviews for a scratcher from Kmart, and it was low for our old boy, so I was eager to buy, and it was about 2 or 3 weeks before I finally made it to Kmart.

So today I purchased this long awaited cat scratcher and put it in place, ready for Max to use.

Now the 1st "person" who took an interest in the cat scratcher shall remain nameless. 

Now it wasn't a case of it being in the way, so it could be tripped over on.

I also clearly said several times over... "Don't Stand On It!".

I wasn't yelling, but on the cusp of it.

Next minute... I hear a loud "CRACK"! 

"I bloody told you not to stand on it!" "You never listen to me" and I went on with my tirade... it was such an effort to get it in the first place, and Max hadn't even played with it and it is now broken! I was pissed off!!!!

Max can still use the scratcher,  but it is not often Max gets new a toy. Perhaps an over reaction on my part for a $5 toy for Max, however... 

GARY owes Max a new cat scratcher.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Whiskers Needs A Hair Cut

Whiskers would be my most favourite Arapawa Ram that I have ever had the pleasure to farm. 

He is a fantastic looking boy, crowned with a great set of horns.

He has a calm demeanor and when the other boys play up, he will rush in to stop the drama. All the other Arapawa's look up to him. 

He will always come to say hello, loves a rub, and gets very excited if you have a treat for him. 

Some rams you need to be wary of, but Whiskers has always been respectful of our relationship... I feel we "get" each other.

As the weather warms up, that big wooly coat he has on, we know shearing time is near... so it's time to start thinking about a little grooming before he is reunited with the ladies :)

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - DIY Wool To Yarn

Visit our website for a beginners guide on how to go about turning your own wool into yarn. This is a brief and simplified guide with links to various video tutorials.

Visit www.downwattlelane.co.nz/diy

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Cross Country Practice

As the sunsets, Arapawa Lambs awaken...

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Wooly Ideas

I've been a bit slack this year when it comes to getting creative with my Arapawa fleeces. I sell some, but I've been so busy working on the house and getting the farm part established, I've been neglecting my creative side. However 

as these projects are slowly being completed and another shearing season approaches, I am starting to wonder, what else can I do with my wool?

I've been spinning a much finer yarn as my technique improves, but I wonder... what do I do next?

I've made a little blanket and teddy bear's.

My new project needs to be simple and small mainly due to my parky challenges.

Any idea's?