Bloody big Mouse

We let Cino out for a walk outside just as I was cooking tea and George called me saying there was a baby rabbit under the herb planter - Cino had got the fright of his life when it moved and jumped clean off the patio, then had it cornered under the planter. Cino started chasing it when the rabbit made a run for it - I then let Dante out as he is the hunter and he was lightening fast - over-taking Cino and had the rabbit in seconds....

He let it go a few times (we are sure he was thinking 'this is the biggest bloody mouse I have ever seen') and got it again (you know how they do).... and in the end it got away as it ran into the horse paddock - the horses had been watching all the commotion and when the rabbit started running into their paddock Garbo started chasing the rabbit and Dante who was following closely...well Dante had not ever been that far outside before and he decided that he was a bit too close for comfort to those big animals and he would retreat - and the rabbit got away....

Probably just as well - Dante was trying to bring it inside to 'play'.

Type rating

George gave me a type rating on the ride on today so I cold mow the dock and buttercup in the paddock. It was fun!! And it looks so much better now.! I got the electric tape caught on the mower height lever but that was the only trouble I had. Oh - and my snakey bends...

Veggies

Wow - the veggies are going nuts - we had some silverbeet in spinach from the garden last night (in a frittata with capers). It was really yummy.

Today I had a thermogram - for any of you ladies reading this - you may be interested in this alternative to mammograms. Check out the clinic website - it has lots of great information in the articles and news sections.

I finally planted the flaxes.....

This weekend if it's not too raining - buttercup!!! Pulling it out - big job. Need helpers if anyone is keen. I'll make cake?! LOL

Planting

I managed to get the other 14 plants into the bank today and Saturday - so now half way I guess...what do you think?

This is the frisia minus a few leaves from the recent wind....

This shows the pohutakawas we planted last year too.

Oh and I really don't know why they don't sell these in pet shops as cat beds!

Drizzly day

It was a bit drizzly today and the cats and horses all thought it was a good day to snooze.

This is a photo taken about 6pm of the sky - quite dramatic - but the paddocks look pretty good hey!

Curtains have arrived

The Harveys curtains (costing $800 with tracks as opposed to $3800 that we were quoted by some creative curtain place). OK so they are not some designer linen fabric but they are just fine for the bedroom. One room down so many more to go!

The veggies are growing well - the potatoes are popping through

and the seaweed seems to be working wonders. No bugs yet either. I have planted Cleome flower plants next to the tomatoes so they should flower the same time as the tomatoes fruit. They attract the shield bugs (I really hate them they suck on the tomatoes) away from the tomatoes.

The Jack and the Beanstalk plant (Tree tomato/tamarillo) is doing well too.

We haven't decided where to put the avocado yet. Or the passionfruit.

I finally took all the duvets and rugs off the barn couch and put this sofa cover on and got two nice cushions for it. Pretty flash for the barn hey!

Heritage Day in Helensville

It was Heritage Day in Helensville today and as well as house tours there were various other activities going on but I was outside spreading hay all over the grass seed when I heard it - the Steam Train! It was so awesome hearing it come up the valley and waiting for it to appear.

It stayed in Helensville about 2 hours and then we heard it coming back and got some great photos of it coming down the hill from Helensville and then travelling south along State Highway 16 - just down from our fence!

The Puriri tree is finally starting to look like a tree again. We planted the Robinia Frisia today too.

Garbo looking at the train.

And the top picture is my patented bird scarer!

Yummy dinner

For dinner tonight we had fritata and then strawberries and ice-cream - yum yum yum...

Bobcat day

I didn't sleep very well last night - the bobcat was due this morning but I wasn't sure what time so I wanted to be up and showered etc by 7.30am just in case. Sure enough - 7.30pm one guy turned up (the digger driver) to make sure it wasn't too wet after the rain yesterday - but it was fine. He said the digger would be an hour. 90 minutes later it arrived on the back of a truck. George and I had taken down the electric fence and I had taped the horses into one side of the track - they were lying down sleeping when I wanted to move them (of course).

So from 9am to 1pm he moved the clay pile (sorry horsies) and spread that in the low lying corner of the paddock, and then the top soil left over from the build.

It's amazing the difference it makes!

Before.

After.

Then we put the fences back up again with the help of the boys and the cows next door.

After some lunch I spread grass seed on the soil and loaded up some horse poos for someone collecting a few bags tomorrow.

I started pulling out some buttercup and sadly the grubber (Fiskars) broke! Bugger!! It was so good too!

Later in the afternoon I had to sort out 10 bales of hay for the lady I sold them too. The neighbours cat was sleeping on the top bale! What is it with us and our neighbours cats!?

Cam came over and invited us to their bonfire tomorrow night. Think we'll pass but sweet of them to invite us.

Gardening again

I wanted to take some 'before' photos because we will be getting the spare topsoil spread this week hopefully - over the low areas in the paddocks where you can see the buttercup.

I got an avocado tree (yum), a passionfruit vine (yum) and a tamarillo tree - yummy. Need the vine to grow on something - not sure what yet.

Planted the potatoes and sweetcorn in the new planter. All looking good so far. Also went back to AWA Nurseries and got 20 more plants for the bank.

Oh and three Merlot flaxes.