Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Rehoming Last Seasons Lambs

It's that time of year when we need to sell our lambs. 

After trying various ways to sell our lambs, homekill, stock yard auctions, and even becoming licensed to be able to sell fresh meat from the farm... in the end given our small flock, we now just sell via online sales.

Sometimes the lambs are purchased for meat and other times they are sold for breeding or adding to people's flocks.

Whatever their fate... we try to give them the best lives while in our care.

Recently we rehomed a ram lamb to the West Coast, where the lamb will be living a rams dream life... he will have 3 ladies to look after. He was chosen for his colour and is called Charlie Brown.

It's  not often we receive an update from a customer once the lambs have left our care, but below are the photos from the customer, showing Charlie Brown in his new home.

Customer: "Charlie Brown with his ladies. He is such a lovely chap.Thanks for breeding and raising a really nice animal".

Charlie is one of Whiskers off spring. We decided that Whiskers would be our main breeding "Daddy" ram. He has the more traditional Arapawa colouring, a fantastic set of horns, he is a good size/build  and he's great with the ladies. But most importantly he has a great calm character. He is a cruzy kinda dude, very easy going, but he will not tolerate any mischief or fighting in his presence.  When two sheep are fighting/head butting, and Whiskers is present, he rushes in and stops the fighting by head butting one of the offending sheep... then calm is instantly restored. 

I'm hoping Whiskers character is being picked up by his offspring... he is such a great ram.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - A Reminder To Myself...

Down Wattle Lane is our home, and like the beautiful yellow blossoms of a Wattle tree, we have found our little piece of paradise here in the Canterbury sunshine, in New Zealand. For us living on a lifestyle block is a way of life and it’s the pinnacle of our Kiwi dream. Living rurally you soon discover the air is cleaner, the grass is greener, and life operates at a far more relaxed pace. 

Down Wattle Lane is also the home of a rare heritage breed of sheep, the Arapawa Sheep, in which we farm a small flock. We are extremely passionate about this breed of sheep. They are a versatile, hardy breed with plenty of personality & character. Their origins remain a mystery but they have been living in the wild on Arapawa Island long before most early European Pioneers started immigrating to New Zealand. For that one reason, they get my vote in being the most Kiwi of sheep. 

Down Wattle Lane is also the NZ home of Unicorn Fibre Cleaner’s. An earth friendly solution to your fibre cleaning needs. We love everything about wool, it’s such an amazing natural fibre. So whether you are a home based crafter or a carpet manufacturer, Unicorn Fibre Cleaner’s can help you. 

Oh, and not to forget, we also make Farm Style Gates!

Welcome to our home, Down Wattle Lane… pop on in and say hi!"

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - We Miss You Max

It's just been a little over 1 day since we lost Max and the grief we both are experiencing is intense. I feel as if I have a hole in my chest, it's such a empty feeling. 

I find myself repeatedly asking.... 

What now? What the hell am I to do now that Max is gone? Our lives have been so all about Max. So now what do we do? Everything seems pointless. Our leader has gone. 

What if? What if I had challenged the vets diagnosis? What if there was more that we could have done? 

Did we do the right thing for Max? Max was an old boy, he was in distress... but should we have brought him home with us first? It all happened so quick. 

Oh my poor Max... we love you and miss you. 

Max was always a quiet cat, he never had a lot to say, but without him the house is so quiet and empty. When Max is in your presence there was always a conversation to be had, even though it might seem to be a onesided conversation, he would be listenting and looking back with his big eyes, blinking when in agreement. Max would sometimes mouth an answer to a question. When there was the 3 of us together the house just seemed so roudy... but now even the conversations between Gary and I are silent. We have a good strong relationship, but having Max he was the cement to our family stone. 

I MISS MAX... 

I miss coming home and he would be waiting at the door. Whenever I left home I would always be in a rush to get back home to see Max, he would be waiting 100% of the time. 

I miss the sound of his empty cat bowl being lifted and dropped repeatedly when he wants more food. 

I miss him guarding the shower door while I am showering... its as if he is protecting me when I am most vulnerable. 

I miss him climbing ontop of me when Im in bed and sliding off onto his back nice and snug next to me. 

I miss singing to him the Barney song when in bed. 

I miss the sound of him walking on the carpet. When his claws were a little long they would make a flick type sound. 

I miss our moments together with the brush. He really loved his brush. 

I miss sharing my KFC chicken and ham with Max. 

I miss sitting by the fire with Max. 

I miss the many times where I would nearly trip over him as he lay in the middle of the hallway. 

I miss going to the toilet to find it already occupied as Max was using his litterbox, so I had to wait my turn. 

I miss Max's company sitting around my feet when I am working on the desktop. 

I even miss the moments when we would both together hide from the thunderstorms. He hated thunder, the vacuum and the sound of pots & pans rattling. 

I miss turning a corner or walking into a room and finding you there Max... places I would normally expect you to be, you are not there Max.

I really miss you Max.

My mind might do otherwise but I will do my darndest to never forget you Max.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - RIP MAX

This morning we lost our very much beloved boy Max. 

Max was the child we could not have. Our lives were planned around Max's as he always had to come first.

We adopted Max in 2009, after I had finished my chemotherapy. I looked at the situation as a sign of hope and that there is more to this life. Max was my late father's name. Max the cat needed a forever home. I was in desperate need of hope. Having Max join our lives was a meant to be moment.

But after nearly 14 years sharing our lives together, and many adventures... it breaks our hearts that this journey has come to an end. We treated Max as our son.

At about 5am this morning I heard Max struggling, I jumped out of bed and discovered that he had lost the use of his rear legs. Yet the poor fella was still being the amazing cat he was and was trying to use his litter box.  I had never seen him like this before so I phoned the vet and I was barely keeping it together, as I knew he wasn't coming home. 

We rushed him to the after hours emergency vet and he was having heart issues and the vet believed he had formed clots which caused his legs to fail. Something along those lines... all I was hearing was this is the end... I knew this day would come but Max had been doing so well in his old age. We had built him steps to get up and down from the bed, we setup a litter box, he was drinking and eating well.

I was hoping that he would die peacefully at home someday. Sadly that was not the case and the vet said that he would be in pain and putting him to sleep was the kindest thing to do. So we stayed with Max until the very end.

Thankyou Max... Thankyou for being the greatest cat son we could have ever wished for! 

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Celebrating 181 Years

Today, 15th March 1842, the first Andrews arrived in New Zealand arriving aboard the immigrant ship Bolton settling in Nelson.

My Dad's side of the family have been Kiwis for 181 years and I am the 7th generation here. My sister and brother have continued with the 8th generation.

Mr William Andrews age 42

and his wife Mrs Mary Ann Andrews age 33 and 6 children aged from 1 to 19 years  of age, traveled some 5 months departing Gravesend England 29 October 1841 and arriving Nelson the following year on the 15th March 1842.

Sailing aboard the Bolton, a 540 tonne 3 masted ship captained by J.P. Robinson and 285 passengers. 

I was unable to find a picture of the ship but did find a deck plan, see below. Note where the single men and single women are kept.

There is a written account of the voyage by a passenger Sarah Sharp.  "We had a nice time till we got out of the Bay of Biscay, then we had a fearful gale. The sea was mountains high. It commenced on New Year's night, it kept on for three nights; we were all battened down below". ☆

The masts were broken in two, the sails gone, and nearly all the top deck had disappeared. They were adrift with not enough timber to repair the ship.  Miraculously a French ship appeared and stayed by the Bolton for 3 days supplying materials and helping to repair the Bolton.

After arriving in Nelson the first few days were not pleasant, and Sarah continues... "There were a lot of little huts made of rushes and flax... my brothers took it in turns to beat the rats away"☆

Nelson was in it's infancy and the Bolton passengers soon discovered building materials were a problem. 

However, despite the challenges, some of the men from the Bolton became successful farmers as did William Andrews.

"William Andrews exhibits of wheat and barley drew admiration when they were displayed on Nelson's first Anniversary Day. He had a splendid garden in the Wood area, and later established a farm at Wakefield where he ploughed his first acres with a team of goats, as bullocks were beyond his means. When he

built a bakers oven to supply bread to neighbouring farms, he used the goats to pull a bread delivery cart. A man of many parts, Andrews built a windmill to grind wheat, joined the

Massacre Bay Coal Association, and went to Motupipi with six others to dig coal. He also tried his hand at timber-milling and boat building. He was active

in church affairs and in December 1842, conducted one of the first services in the United Christians Chapel. In later years the citizens of Motueka had dif-

ficulty in getting regular preachers from Nelson, and according to C.B. Jordan

in his 'Yesterdays of Motueka Methodism', .... In 1857 Mr Andrews became a recognised missionary, or hired local preacher. He was paid no regular stip-end, but so greatly was he respected by people of all denominations, that he was in semi-jocular strain, known as 'Bishop' Andrews. To the utmost degree of his strength, he sought to discharge all the duties of a regular minister, preaching at Motueka and neighbouring settlements, leading classes, visiting the sick, burying the dead, and attending faithfully to the spiritual needs of the

people during many years.'

A pioneer of the highest calibre, some of his leadership qualities were passed on to a grandson, Sir Ernest Andrews, who became Mayor of Christchurch, while

other descendants still live in the Waimeas".☆

My Direct Heritage Family Line:

William Andrews

b15May1799 d18Aug1873

married Mary Ann Vaisey

              ⬇️

Charles Lewis Andrews

b01Jan1820 d02Sep1888

married Lucy Bedford 

              ⬇️

Edwin Robert Andrews

b03Jun1850 d28may1922

Married Ann Elizabeth Eden

              ⬇️

Edward Robert Andrews 

b8Aug1874 d01Jun1951

Married Cara Stratford 

              ⬇️

Gilbert Lyall Andrews 

b31Aug1911 d23Jul65

Married Elizabeth Norma Wilson

              ⬇️

Max John Andrews

b20Nov1951 d16Jun1995

Married Elaine Atkinson 

             ⬇️

Then Me... Ricky Andrews 

☆ source book Pioneer Passengers written by June E Neale.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Keeping It Simple

With every new order I will ask a few questions and reconfirm the details and quote the order. Reasonably straightforward.

So I recently made this....

But I was meant to make this...

There was a little miscommunication with the order. But all ended well as the customer could still use the smaller gates. So I was back on the tools quick smart to make the bigger gates.

I like to keep it simple.  No deposit is required for small orders, and with all the gate orders, the customer is under no obligation to purchase the gates if they are not happy with the finished product on collection.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Paddock Change With New Lambs

Summer has arrived again, so it's time to change paddocks in search of the trees for shade. Our roadside paddocks have the best tree cover for shade, so when it's hot it's off to the front paddock we go.

Normally paddock change with the sheep is over and done with in a matter of seconds... but with lambs not so.

Mumma ewes rush towards the open gate, then madly stop remembering that they have their lambs... so then panic ensues when mumma ewes can't find their lambs amongst the chaos.

So it's slow going... forward 3 steps back 2 steps. But eventually all make it to the new paddock.

The pond has finally dried up.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Girlie's Generations

In the above photo we have Girlie who is the ewe sitting down with her two lambs from this season.

Standing next to Girlie is her lamb from last season, who at the time of the photo had just gone into labour for the first time.

She was rather vocal about it and she wasn't sure what was happening, and was seeking comfort and support from her mum. She followed her mum about for sometime bleating. 

Kinda cute, and just another example of why Girlie is such a great mum, still there supporting her adult children.

Come this morning she finally had her first lamb, and I hope that this first time mum becomes a fantastic ewe mum just like her own mum, Girlie.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Well That Lasted All Of 2 Seconds

I was just saying yesterday how great lambing was going... well last night while checking the lambs and ewes, I spotted an abandoned lamb. After a short chase through  the paddock, over the fence, down the drive the lamb was caught and reunited with mum.  I think mum just forgot that she has 2 lambs to mother.

Then I noticed that her other lamb was rather wobbly with her rear legs, dragging and bending them unnaturally backwards.

So after penning mum and lambs in the yards, I checked first that mum had milk, and that lambs were feeding. Then  I inspected the lamb. She could walk and keep up with mum, but the legs would bend backwards... very creepy like. She wasn't in any pain from what I could tell. She seemed rather healthy all in all.

So we went to the vet today. The lamb was a model patient. Very patient and much loved by the staff. She was even attended by 2 vets.

It seems while in her mums womb, or during birth, her tendons/ligaments may have been stretched so they are all loosey goosey rather than tight and firm. The vet said something that they see in foals but unusual in lambs.

So both legs are now in splints and bandaged to help correct that. Hopefully things return to normal after a week or two.

Fortunately when reunited with mum all went well. Lamb was straight on mums teat.

I think I will wait a day or two before reuniting them with the flock... just until the little lamb finds her new feet.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Lambing Season Summer 22/23

After such a long wait, we are just over half way through our lambing season. So far we have had 14 healthy lambs from 9 ewes. 5 lambs popped out last night, a busy night. There are 5 more ewes to drop their babies.

We tried things a little different this time. Instead of having lambs in the middle of winter, we are, well we should have had lambs in November, towards the end of spring. But I am guessing that our ram Whiskers took his time to enjoy the ladies, as the lambs only started appearing after Christmas.

So far... touch wood, everything has gone super well and we have 14 healthy lambs.  I haven't had to worry about frosts or the lack of feed or exposing myself to the elements.

For the first week of the lambs birth the mumma ewe will keep her newborns well away from people and anything potentially dangerous. The lambs will obediently follow mum wherever she goes. At this point I am just worried about whether the lambs are up an feeding. So I am keeping a close watch to see if the lambs are finding the udder and then if they are drinking. Generally if they are getting milk their little tails will be wiggling at a million miles.

After about the first week mum starts to relax and I can get close enough to see what sex the lambs are. By about this time the lambs have found their feet and are running circles around mum. Jumping on and over mum while she is resting. The lambs have started to interact with the other lambs and now its mum running after her lambs.

Come the second week of age the lambs have formed a gang, and new entrants are enlisted as they become of age. You are able to get close enough to pat the lambs if they allow and mum isn't bothered by your presence. 

It's by this time I can start to relax, the lambs are big and healthy. 

I am still keeping a close eye out for hawks and wandering dogs. 

I spotted a wandering dog the other day in the lambing paddock. At first I thought it was an Arapawa sheep, similar colour and size, and I thought why was it out on it's own. As I got closer I realized it was a dog, so I yelled at it to "go home". Hopefully a familiar command all dogs are taught. The dog left the paddock but only to get stuck in the fence and needed assistance to be freed. It's collar somehow latched itself onto the fencing wire. After I just yelled at the dog, I approached with caution, and fortunately the dog was friendly and let me untangle him. He was then on his way running down the roadside... accompanied with my parting words "go home go home".

I am just loving this lambing season.