The Seaside Market

We've had a fairly productive week around here.  B is almost finished (or maybe he is finished, I can't remember) getting the electric fencing in order which means a) some stock at last and b) new levels of vigilance required to keep J from electrocuting herself.  Fun!

We'll be getting some cattle in first of all just to eat the grass down.  Then I think there'll be some sheep to keep in the orchard and in the house paddock.  Chickens, of course.  Ponies, DUH.  Ok ponies are probably a long way off but if I keep saying it maybe I will manifest it to be true.

As I write this I'm stuffing my gob with cheese scones which our neighbour M just dropped off to me, still hot from the oven.  This morning I accidentally woke her up as I was delivering an apple and feijoa crumble which I'd made to say thanks for the brownies she'd made last week.  If this keeps up I'll be the size of a house.  And, let's face it, pretty darn happy.

Speaking of darn happy, the cat is seriously pleased with the new living arrangements.  He spends his days stalking through the grass feeling like a jungle panther.  That is until the neighbour's chickens come stalking through the grass from the other direction and they're a bit too big and scary.  Far better to find a decent perch up off the ground and imagine how he'd whip those chickens into line, just if he could be bothered.

J is 90% sure there are fairies in our garden and I tend to agree with her.  Wouldn't you live here if you were a fairy?

B's next project is to move some fences around.  We've all been having a great fun in the afternoons out there as a family kicking through the undergrowth.  This pear tree (below) is the most amazing climbing tree, even if it is in danger of tearing itself apart.

I just love the late afternoon light here as it slants through the trees.  The house is positioned so the sun tracks across the living room and warms our bedrooms in the late afternoon.

 Most mornings now I step out of the house quite early and go for a walk around with my camera.  It's cool and quiet with just the birds and the occasional rooster crowing.  I can smell the smoke from the chimney and I usually have J scampering around with me, thrilled to be out in the fresh air.

I really love it here.  I love being outside of town, I love watching J (and, to a lesser extent, A) exploring and playing and observing.

We've got two big camellias on the verge of bursting into flower and I almost can't stand the suspense!

This morning we headed into town to check out the Seaside Market in New Plymouth.  I remember writing it on the calendar when we were still living in Perth and it felt quite surreal.

Unfortunately a few of these photos are overexposed.  My excuse is that I was juggling the camera, a coffee, and a certain chubby baby who was strapped to my front.  Also, I forgot to change my camera settings and also did not check the shots after I took them.  And, I have no editing software to fix them.

The markets were quite good.  I'd mistakenly expected that it was a farmers' market but it was much more of a craft market with the standard crafty stalls - wood carvings, kids' jackets made out of old blankets, macarons, spicy sauces, and ready made terrariums (terraria?).

The foods on offer were all pretty great, especially the Hungarian bread puffs.  I have no idea what they are except FREAKING DELICIOUS.  See exhibit A below.  Kind of a cross between a beignet, bruschetta, and a donut.

So that about wraps it up.  Hopefully next time I write there will be photos of cows in between the mountain and garden shots.  Got to mix it up, right?

Snow on the mountain

As you would have seen this morning if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, it snowed on the mountain last night.  I was very excited to wake up and see it sitting there wearing a snow blanket.  We bundled the girls into the car very early and went for a drive to have a closer look.  Brisk!

Firstly, though, here are some shots of the autumnal weather and beautiful colour that we've had this past week.  It poured with rain for a day or two there but now the sun is back to shining.  The temperature is noticeably cooler, especially in the early morning and evening.

No mountain that day

Bit cold underfoot isn't it, pusscat?

Is talking about the weather all I do now?

Nope!  Because, in other news, on Sunday I went horseriding for the first time in, oh, 15 years.  I was hopeless.  Utterly hopeless.  Couldn't even rise to the trot.  To think I once considering competing in dressage.  I have forgotten it all.  But the thing is, I had THE BEST TIME EVER.  I didn't care that I was hopeless.  I was so happy to be amongst the ponies again.  All the participants were awarded something and I got "Most Ecstatic".  I think that pretty much sums it up.

My horse madness may have lain dormant for some time but, much to B's consternation, it is back.  I need a horse in my life, like, immediately.  Preferably a very quiet and patient beginner's pony.  And about 50 lessons to re-learn everything I've forgotten.

Apropos of nothing, check out these hydrangeas I picked from my very own garden.  Am short on vases, yes.

Here comes the autumn colour.  Guess how many photos I'm going to take? MANY

J off to indulge in some mischief no doubt.  Look at those busy little legs

Bored yet?

Too bad, because there's still more!

Ok that's it for the autumn colour I promise.  For now anyway.

Now here is the mountain this morning wearing his snowy blanket.  It was very fresh  out there in my jammies before sunrise taking these you know.  The things I do for this blog.

Once we'd got the girls dressed in about five layers plus hats, plus preferred soft toys and dummy for A and talked J out of wearing her sparkly sandals, we drove up towards Inglewood to take a closer look.  Our original intention was to drive up the mountain to the snow but it hadn't come down low enough for that just yet.

I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities for day trips to the snow soon enough.

I mean, BRRRR

Briefly, other news is that there is a place for J to start two days of kindy in June at a great centre just down the road from us.  This is very exciting for all of us as the poor little thing is bored out of her mind without any company her own age.  She adored daycare in Perth so I'm hopeful that once she settles in she'll have an equally positive experience here.

A had been sleeping so poorly I didn't even want to talk about it, then she gave me a few decent sleeps earlier this week but last night it was back to the constant wake-ups.  Argh.  In fact, she's currently grizzling on the floor next to me so I'm probably going to have to wrap this up very shortly.

Got a pork shoulder slow roasting in the oven which smells amazing and has every fly in the vicinity blundering in the windows to see what's for dinner.  Fun fact: no fly screens in NZ.  On that note, I'm drafting an entire post of fun NZ facts for you.  Get excited.

Ok, grizzling is reaching critical level.  That's all for now!

Morning at Pukekura Park

I figured out how to get some photos off my camera!  There's still a large number I've already taken that I won't be able to access until our computer arrives but at least the ones I take from now on are accessible.

Let's start with a random selection from around our property...

Autumn colour seeping into the ginkgo

It wouldn't be a blog post without a photo of the mountain

Digger with a view - preparation for some yards which will mean we can get some stock on the place

Finally allowed outside in the last few days and very pleased

View to the house from down by the back fence

Ol' curly top

Ok, so clearly my nighttime photography needs some work.  I took the below photo by balancing the camera on the roof of my car and using an exposure of about 4-5 seconds.  I should have made notes but I think I also turned the ISO way up too.  The result is pretty awful, but once my tripod and other lenses turn up, look out!

We've been having the most beautiful sunny and mild autumn weather, and yesterday morning we decided to take the girls and meet B's mum at Pukekura Park in town.  If you've been paying attention you'll recall that it's one of my favourite places in New Plymouth.

It was a great way to spend the morning and watching J bouncing along, talking a mile a minute, hand-in-hand with Nan was pure joy to behold.

There's lots of work going on at home.  B is finishing up a post and rail fence around the house and then next week the big project is getting some yards built.  Once we have the yards we can get some stock in which is badly needed as the land is quite neglected and the pasture full of weeds.

I was driving down our road this morning after doing a load of washing at my mother-in-law's house (one of the downsides to having all our earthly goods stuck on a container ship), with J in the back seat pointing at "Cows!  Mummy, cows!" and "Tractor!  Bwoo tractor!".  I felt very very happy.

Luckily, baby A was there too screaming her head off.  Just to keep my feet on the ground.