Looking back over the last couple of years, it seems as though I cannot manage to produce a fourth quarter newsletter! It must have something to do with the holidays. Perhaps this year I will do it and truly live up to the title of The Kiwi Quarterly.
Our local beach, Waipatiki.
The end of 2012 came and went quickly and rather unremarkably. Our builder finished with his part of the house renovations, meaning that when he left we had a new master bedroom and a new entry hall. But just because he fulfilled his obligations doesn’t mean we did! We threw ourselves into finishing the bedroom (minus any decorations, I admit), but burned out before we got even the slightest hint of an undercoat of paint on the entry hall. Being ever so ambitious, we have decided to put off the rest of this project until winter. Since March has given way to autumn – I shudder to think that winter will soon be upon us and I’ll have to be elbow deep into a bucket of paint again much too soon.
Even the Mello pets look a little uninspired!
A good bit of our efforts in the last quarter of the year were spent on raising our first Hawke’s Bay team of racing pigeons. We got off to a terrible start with seemingly every problem you could imagine in a pigeon loft; adults not wanting to lay eggs, empty eggs, “crib deaths”. We weren’t too sure what the problem was, but think maybe the stress of the move and bad weather might have contributed to the situation. Finally, with a little help and some improved luck, we managed to get 24 babies out of the nest.
Most of the 2013 team.
As well as getting our pigeon loft going again, we also got back into the cattle business. After a couple years hiatus, we returned to raising steers, not so much for the income it brings… (how much can one hope to make with only 13 beasts?)… but to keep the grass cut on our 15 acres. As it turns out, 13 wasn’t enough. We had a good amount of grass growth in the spring and our cattle couldn’t keep up, so like we’ve done in the past, we’ve had a few of the neighbor’s cows over to help out keeping things neat and tidy.
The green grass of spring.
The farmer and one of his smaller lawn mowers.
And that pretty much brings us into 2013, where things have continued in much the same manner with one notable exception. We don’t usually have too many guests, but in early February our friends Markus and Sabrina from Switzerland came to visit us for a second time. We met them a few years ago while on vacation in French Polynesia – we were next-door neighbors while staying on Moorea. Jim and I were on a week-long holiday and they were on a year-long adventure! This time, they were on their honeymoon. Only on a three month vacation this year, (even that’s pretty good!), they spent time in Australia, made an impressive tour of New Zealand and also managed to squeeze in a trip to Fiji. Lots of fly fishing, sun-tanning and picture-taking… in fact, I’ve used a couple of their photos in this post. By now they are back in their hometown of Weggis probably getting ready to go back to work and return to the real world! We enjoyed getting to spend some time with Markus and Sabrina and look forward to our next meeting – wherever in the world that may be!
Markus, Jim, Sabrina and Julie
While our friends were staying with us it rained for one day – there hadn’t been any rain for weeks before then and there has only been spattering or two since. That was about 7 weeks ago. It was a very dry summer and broke records up and down the country… driest summer in 30 years or 40 years or 70 years, depending on who’s doing the talking! As of mid-March,the North Island was officially declared a Drought Zone. The hills around our house certainly look different than they did a few months ago. What happened to all of that green? Apparently, things are so bad for the livestock farmers around the country, a suicide hotline has been set up to help get those worst affected through these dark days. On the flip side, the long dry weather has been a blessing for apple, kiwi fruit and grape growers. Vineyard owners are rubbing their hands together with a greedy glint in the eye, expecting a bumper harvest, maybe even the best ever in the New Zealand wine industry.
Satellite images of NZ in 2012 and 2013… this year is much browner.
The brown hills beyond our backyard.
With the countryside looking like scorched earth as far as the eye can see, it doesn’t encourage one to do much sightseeing. However, we have done a bit of driving around, at least in our district and have seen a few of the beaches in the area. There is still plenty of exploring yet to do, maybe when the leaves start to change colors and the grass isn’t quite so crispy.
The north side of Cape Kidnapper’s.
Our pigeon training began in earnest at the beginning of the year and I find myself taking a more active part in the whole program this year. It helps that there are a couple more wives at the Napier Pigeon Club that also participate. The ladies at the club have taught me how to operate the clocking system and the associated computer software. Most importantly, it’s something for Jim and me to do together that we both enjoy. However, I’m not his sidekick all the time… when it comes to taking the birds on their training flights, our dog JR is the one who rides along with Jim! As soon as the birds are loaded into the car, he is ready to GO. The birds are doing well at this almost mid-point of the season and we have even managed a few wins.
Jim’s little co-pilot!
Pigeons loaded on the trailer ready for a race.
So now the weather is changing and we are seeing the beginnings of our first autumn in Hawke’s Bay. I have seen some signs of activity at the vineyards on the road from our house to town and guess they are about to harvest all of the grapes that have been growing all summer. We certainly enjoyed all the locally grown fresh fruit over the past couple of months – I’ll miss the seasonal stands along the roadsides when they close for the season. Hopefully we’ll have a pretty fall season, and a little rain.
A training flight in the midst of the dry Central Hawke’s Bay.
Flying saucer shaped clouds blown in from the Pacific Ocean.
And last but not least, have a happy and safe Easter weekend!
Well, here it is, the end of 2013. I can hardly believe how fast the year has gone by. For us here at the Mello Farm we can look back at what was, for us, a pretty good twelve months. Health is good, lifestyle is good – nothing to complain about! Overall, I guess 2013 was a year of renovations, albeit in a fairly relaxed manner. We started the year working on a bedroom project, ended it with a garage project and had a few things in between, so we feel like we’ve got the house moving in the right direction.
