Carol and Mischa in New Zealand
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Monday, March 18, 2024
And we're off!
The extension has commenced.
Bits of wood and string lines behind us, the day before the mud room came down and the piles came up (the driveway).
Looking out the glass of the back door at the emptied mud room. That was a really useful space.
The monster pile driver is in the yard.
Of course, on the day it arrived, on an even bigger truck, the local electricity people were working in the street with an abundance of vehicles and cones and people. Taken from the bottom of our drive.
Monday, March 4, 2024
Set out for the new build
The builders have been and pegged out the dimensions of the new wing with stakes and string. Took them a day and a bit. There was digging to find the electrical connection to the property. Don't want to drive a pile through those wires.
Our shabby south fence needs work! The whole thing is off boundary, some of it not in our favour and some in our favour. We'll spruce that up. Ground showing the result of a summer without rain.
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Birthday weekend
We had a great weekend in the city. Bunged the dog in the kennel and headed in on the train. Got half way before we were kicked off and had to go the rest of the way by bus. Trackwork - again!
Walked from the station to a Pasifika festival on the waterfront and watched a waka (canoe) competition.
The old girls in pink are manouvering into starting position - it took a while.
And they're off!
Te Papa had a wonderful dinosaur exhibition from Argentina. The patagotitan was a monster, one of the largest dinosaurs ever found. We're wearing masks as a cruise ship was in town and the place was crawling with people off the floating petri dish.
The long neck of the patagotitan and a titanosaur in the distance. South America had some whoppers.
Taxied up to a posh hotel in the hills above the CBD and walked down later to go to dinner at one of our favourite fancy places. Reasonable fancy - interesting food and wonderful venue (an old bank) and a bill without indigestion. We've had a few top end city restaurants close recently so we're hoping this one hangs on.
Next day we wandered the city - the bookshops, the alleys, the outdoor shops and the art shops. Nice.
The ficifolias outside the solid old government building (biggest wooden building in the southern hemisphere), looking up to parliament: the Beehive.
Had to bus all the way home to Paraparaumu, but it's the scenic route along the coast so all good. And Michelle's car was still at the station, amazing! We had to run for the train the day before and parked it fast without checking the signs.
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Crab apple harvest
The tree at the front door (planted by us and Jase) has grown very well. The first harvest last year was about a cup and this year we got 2.7kg. Six jars of bright delicious crab apple jelly.
Then there was sorting and taking off their stalks and wee leafy bottoms.
Mish boiled the fruit and we set them up for an overnight drip through muslin. In the morning we had a neat package and a bowl of glistening red liquid.
Friday, February 9, 2024
Do do do, looking out my back door
Classic New Zealand wooden 1950s house, about to get an update.
This is the view of the back door and garage, on the right. The new back door will come out onto a ramp about where the gas cylinder is, and the new wing will go down the left side of the photo. The dodgy mud room gets demolished day 1 of the works. We'll get all new windows for the house and a nice bright paint job at the end of the works.
We've cleared the space and just waiting for the builder now. Getting close to ground breaking.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the property, Mish has been doing her own groundbreaking, making a nice even platform so we can come and go from the park side gate a bit easier. It's too steep and overgrown to access the park that way, we go through to water and weed around our guerilla plantings.
Saturday, February 3, 2024
Saturday, January 27, 2024
A visitor!
Not many coming by. We will have a visitor wing later this year, so standing by.
Us with Felicity at the Dutch cafe in Foxton. Happily awaiting my apple crepes...
Building consent approved and we start to move stuff
It's approved! Our building work will begin within weeks.
That means imminent demolition of the mudroom at the back and everything in there has to come out. My dickey shoulder is a nuisance so we've enlisted the nephews to lug big heavy things around.
Today, Alexander came and he and Mish walked around the house with her big pine cupboard, in the rain. Days of hot dry weather and today - of course.
That and a bookcase came into the living room (it's going to be a tad cramped for a few months) and then some big pots outside and then concrete posts. The posts came out of the old fence and we've kept them for a future artwork. They're now out of the way for the duration of the build.
The rain increased and here are two drowned rats tackling that final job for the morning.
We do need rain and we love it - but that was bad timing. We're getting the remnant of Cyclone Kirrily from Queensland for a day or two of good rain.
Peka Peka swim
Still trying to get the dog calmly into the water. She's not a happy swimmer. This day we got the bikes off the car rack and one tyre went pzzsht! Put the bikes back on the car and drove along the beach to a quiet spot. Plenty of those.
Mish encouraging.
But no. So we just went in ourselves. Water unusually warm and although it's a dark grey day the air was warm as well.
Monarch season
Early summer and more butterflies are around looking for those swan plants to lay their eggs on. The driftwood stakes I arranged around the plants were not as favoured as the house itself for cocooning on. The second batch of butterflies are popping out now.
Plum harvest done and dusted by Christmas
They were a couple of weeks later than the last three years but we did get bucket loads of the things. Mish made plum butter and I made plum jam and we experimented with preserving them (jury is out on that one). A bountiful harvest.
Prepping boxes to give away.
Mish having a go at plaiting our garlic. Bulbs a bit small but oh well.
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Uses of old concrete
We still have plenty of chunks from jackhammered paths around the house. Some chunks are just stacked out of the way and some are temporality engaged.
Concrete enclosures for pumpkin and zucchini. My theory is that the concrete will keep the plant mulched and protected and warm. I'll also be able to identify where to direct the water to the roots of each plant when the growth goes berserk and there are leaves everywhere.
A lot of concrete bits went into the driveway gabion cages, with pieces of found metal and brick and wire etc.
Saturday, December 16, 2023
New Plymouth weekend
Mish had to pick up some artwork in New Plymouth so we went up for a quick road trip. Detoured around Cape Egmont to have a stroll through Pukeiti rhododendron gardens late in the day. Missed the flowering by a few weeks but it was nice to walk around before arriving in New Plymouth.
We did get a brilliant flower show from all the yellow pohutukawa trees on the coast. These are much rarer than the red trees, NZ's Christmas tree.
On the coast cycling route.
Glorious.
There's a BMX track there and we watched a meet for a while, lots of racers racing. Had a go on the velodrome next to the track but too chicken to go high though.
And a bit further on we stopped at a food van and enjoyed the music and ambience and view for a while. Lovely day, I'm glad we decided to take the bikes at the last moment.
Even went to the movies - the Hunger Games prequel which was ok. Drove home in the rain yet again. Every time we do a road trip with the bikes on it rains. We could get a paid gig going to drought areas.
Saturday, November 25, 2023
Foot bath, finishing touches
Grinding concrete chunks off the rough top.
In situ, with water and floating flowers a la Polynesia, ready for summer and sandy bathers returning from the beach.