Steam train trip on the shortest day

 There she goes, woo hoo!

6.30am from Paekakariki on a heritage diesel, and then two steam engines replaced the diesel engine at Palmerston North (it was light by then).

Then on to Ohakune in the middle of the North Island.

Two steam engines is rare and we were quite the drawcard. There were photographers on every crossing and hill and good viewing spot: people waving from their front doors and streets and parks and cars. A celebrity train.

Going around a loop.

With photographers on hay bales and cars as we came around.

Train chasers.

Sheep and cows running away from the long monster with the whistle.

The base of Mt Ruapehu near Ohakune, obscured by cloud and our steam and smoke. 

Over one of the viaducts. We needed those window wipers when we got steamed up inside, mostly in the dark at the beginning and end of the ride, and also coming out of the tunnels.

Ohakune is a small ski town, they weren't really prepared for 550 people suddenly appearing. We had our own sandwiches and tea etc but did manage to score a local coffee before we had to jump back on.

It was dark when we got back to Palmerston North and they put the diesel engine on the front, leaving the steam engines on. 

The shortest day was a loooong one for us - 14 hour train trip, phew. But we had a great day!

Greg's travelling welding workshop comes to Raumati

Brother Greg has all the welding gear, and Mish has been angling for a welding lesson for a while. Our friend Paula has a timber based workshop and is keen to learn welding too so she turned up, and here they are. The experimental practise piece is on the welding table.

Bonsai area construction

 Another Mish project. 

The bonsai plants (meagre collection that they are) have been plonked but well protected under the plum tree for several years. They survived the build. Mish is building an area where we can work on them and actually look at them. Yay!

On the south side, things are moving more slowly. But there are pavers, certainly not laid with the precision of the landscaping team who paved the back. We'll probably grass around these for a sand free walk. 

Can't believe we are planting grass, but, well, yes. 

Here's the seating area for the adirondack chairs, currently under construction. Had to keep the sparrows off the seed, tricksy little birds they are. I think we've sussed it with ex-vineyard netting, and every edge weighted. Mish's gum tree doing very well.

Aotearoa: The land of the long white cloud

New Zealand's Maori name is Aotearoa (ow-tay-ah-row-ah). 

Legend has it that when land was sighted from the first migrating waka about 1400 years ago it was Kupe's wife Kuramarotini who called out ' he ao, he ao, he aotearoa!' (a cloud, a cloud, a long white cloud).

Waiting for Mish at my favourite little bay beside the airport, there was a very long chunky white cloud hanging in the sky from the entrance to Wellington Harbour, across Cook Strait and over to the city's southern suburbs. 

Here it is: a long white cloud. 

And up the hill behind me, a moa!

Autumn sunset

Awesome last night, from the west deck.

The guest sculpture challenge

Bits of left over cut concrete, saved as they have a lovely smooth terrazzo edge, plus some  metal curves used in felt hat making, and a white rock from Kaikoura - waiting for visitors to have a play and rearrange.

Painted!

The old house is now fully painted and looking like a more modern adjunct to the new house. We're happy.

One of the painters does a click of the fingers short video to show the house before and after. It's pretty neat and here's the clickable link to the Instagram post.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIiE83azsMd/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== 

The Abodo cladding on the new house will get a third coat later this year, so the works go on. Of course they do! 

And then there's the landscaping...

Great weather for painting

First coat on the west side, giving a nice contrast to the new build's black. It's in shade this morning so it's brighter than that haha. Landscaping proceeds...
 

East side this morning

The Mish big fish gets its spines back

The new version, still using old bits from a table busted in the Newlands wind and the original washing machine head and tail, with new bits from a chair found by the road. 

It's been a while since we disassembled it at Newlands to bring it to the beach. It was our clothes line there but now it is simply sculpture.

Autumn works

It's cooling off, especially in the morning and evening, and the park poplars are thinning out with a dry rustle. Days are beautiful. And we've had rain! Also a local tornado, which we don't want. It hit about 30km north of here and smashed a few houses. There have been several in the last few years (never had them before) but now it seems that's a thing - sudden and small tornados in the North Island. Great.

Meanwhile, we're full speed ahead with house painting. The old house is getting a facelift and will be the yellow/green in the background here. That's the dining room pushout that was part of the new build.

Today the first undercoat has gone on and it's a sparkling bright white. So we contemplated that white for a moment as it looks great against the black of the new house - but probably too glary in the NZ sun. We're staying with the colour. Which will also be bright haha.

New and old house from a marigold corner in a veggie box.

Mish is back on her big fish today, with new spine construction.

A Mish production

It's another corten steel planter box.

Measured, bent, cut, drilled, anchored.

In goes the first bucket of sandy soil - from under the blue tarp. That was scraped away by the landscapers before they laid the crushed limestone. It's a rubbishy water repellant mix so we'll use as fill and buy some good stuff to go on top.

The bottom of the pile appears.

Next, planting.

A little ginkgo tree

 Such a lovely tree, but they're big. We're delighted to find a rare small one - it'll go to about 3 metres and we might live long enough to see that haha.

Here is the Mish designated spot and in she goes.

Suddenly Sydney

Quick trip to Sydney to see Janey in hospital. Looking south to Cook Strait from the Wellington airport hotel - stayed there overnight as we flew out at 6am.

Spent a few days at Robin and Gillian's place being wined and dined and looked after, and then relocated with Jase to a hotel opposite RNSH, so we could just walk across the road. The cafe in the hotel had an interesting mirror assemblage to bounce light around.

Saw Janey every day but only for a short time. Managed to see a few other people and even got to the Collaroy sea pool on a beautiful autumn day.

View from Janey's house looking across Parramata River. 

Left Janey recuperating in hospital and back home at 1.30am in an Uber from the airport. Flight schedule times Wellington-Sydney are a bit rubbish.  A multitude of jobs underway now, including planting two mini forests.

The lancewoods at the top of the drive. Perhaps New Zealand's weirdest tree - young ones look like a bunch of sticks.

The casuarinas at the back by the garage. These sprouted in the driveway from trees there and we've cut and pasted them. The discussion about how high we'll let them go continues. They should form a nice little forest in the back yard.

Meanwhile, the kawakawa mini forest lining the driveway is doing very well. These small trees will grow several metres and be a green avenue. We can grab a couple of leaves as we pass and make an anti inflammatory hot drink - grow your own medicine!

Hulloooo, what's in here?

 

It's a weta, trying to get some peace in an old bolt hole in a concrete post in the garden. Spikey legs are a bit of a giveaway. 

We've been planning to make a weta motel for a while. Zealandia has them - they are basically a wooden post with holes gouged out and a cover that can be swung open so you can see what's home. This weta has made her own weta motel room.

A piece of history

Years ago we bought a carriage step from Granpa's Shed in the southern highlands. It's a beautiful big solid metal step that assisted passengers into a horse driven carriage pre 1900. And we've carried it around since then, waiting for the right spot. It had to be used as a step, that's been my criteria.

I think we have found the right spot, leaving the back door.

Landscaping - there's a bit to do

The landscapers are here, digging and pounding and paving in the front and back yards. We have big piles of sandy soil to deal with.

Front yard is looking more organised. Crushed limestone is down and our two figs are espaliered. They'll grow like stink so we've probably overdone it having two, but it's an experiment and they'll help to cool the area down. 

We had to repair our macrocarpa pine table and benches - they copped a lot of weather at Newlands and the table has some rotted boards. Fixed. Now, it'll go on for a few more years in a more benign climate.

Table and benches in situ, with a new umbrella, as February blimmin HOT.

Mish's plan is to construct a corten planter box on two sides of the table area filled with lavender to enhance the outdoor dining experience.

Meanwhile, round the back, the landscapers are building a paved path from cars to back door. Today that is up to pounded gravel and stringlines so not much to show yet. 

Zealandia

 A nice cool slow walk in Zealandia today, forest bathing!

Lunch in the cafe (with a bunch of people off the cruise ship in town), then back home on the old road so we could go to the Pukerua Bay bookshop.

I've been trying to get a copy of 'The Day of the Jackal' since the new tv series came out, cause it's excellent. Not the same story as the book, but, whatever. 

Home with books and cup of tea - aaaah.

Into the sea

 It wasn't THAT cold.

Blurry due to photographer focusing on the island. 

A very nice swim after a sweaty day getting some kind of order into the garden. The work will take a while, but plans are evolving fast. 

Ok, we can get out.

Christmas 2024 in Australia

 We had Christmas in Hobart with Jase, Michelle's brother. First, there was hard core gardening:

And second: digging out, clearing out, mulching, digging in. Much horticultural yak.

Then some sightseeing and driving around Hobart. Pre Christmas markets and lots of yummy food sampling and a teensy bit of shopping.

Walking around on the waterfront. So many sandstone buildings remain from Australia's early white settlement.

And of course the famous convict built Richmond Bridge just out of Hobart.

We passed the bridge on the way back from Orford and lunch with Cheryl, me old mate from Scotland and our boarding school kitchen hand days (1979), yikes.

Maria Island from Orford.

Dave and I setting fire to the Tasmanian Country Women's Association Christmas pud - and it was delicious!

The Sydney to Hobart yacht racers came in after Boxing Day and stacked up in the harbour. Wild Thing ended up third in the results.

We took a cool harbour cruise. Captain got in very close to inlets along the coast. then a speedy trip to Betsy Island and back via the convict built Iron Pot Lighthouse.

Then up to Sydney and the Southern Highlands to see and stay with a bunch of lovely people. 

Janey and Peter took us to Lavendra, overlooking Milsons Point and Luna Park as night fell - great venue.

We bed hopped between friends for nearly two weeks. Thanks everyone! Had a great time catching up and having city moments and walks and sea pool swims and laughs and many delicious meals - and just catching up. Always good. 

Finally, a Robertson moment in the gum trees on the way to the airport.