manure

Neighbours say this vine has the best grapes ever. So I thought I'd better do the decent thing and give it some food and a prune. Buried 4 dead possums under it (grapes love blood and bone) and took off several years growth. As you can see it is a very old vine so we are looking forward to trying the grapes - that's if it survives such a hard pruning.

Next is the passionfruit vine but I think I will leave that till September when it is a bit warmer, but before the new growth gets too big. They are very heavy feeders so I plan to give it a treat with lots of compost and mulch with sheep manure mixed in.

We are lucky to have lots of animal manure available to us - mind you, it takes quite a bit of work to access it. There are cow pats in the paddock next door, and we have 4 sheep who I go around behind with a bucket and spade every few days. All chook manure gets raked out and put in a drum with water then fed as liquid manure. Comfry is good too but I'm a bit short of that after the chooks scratched out all my small ones. WE have a composting toilet too that gets mixed with sawdust and used around native trees when completely broken down. Amazing how people cringe at that, but it really is no different from waste from any other animal. I knew someone once who grew his pumpkins under his dog kennels - I draw the line there I have to admit. Too gross even for me. But you get my point.

Darn jersey

This jersey has been worn practically everyday in every winter for about 10 years, It's a working jersey so it's been in mud, caught up in trees, slept in - and it has been mended so many times I have practically remade it. But it's such a great jersey so darning it is almost a pleasure. I found a ball of wool in an op shop years ago that is similar enough to do the job - I am a fanatical op shopper so look out for photos of my favourite finds from time to time. And I've just mended my boots with dental floss - it withstands any punishment you give it.

Bob's your aunty

Someone has kindly donated a rooster called Robbie to the clan. The girls have been giving him a hard time but I've see the odd one cosying up to him over the last few days so today I took a chance and let him out to free range with his girls - I don't think he will go far from them, and they all seem to be clucking away together happily in the edges of the bush.

Yet another kind soul has offered us 10 more chooks, younger ones that will eventually be called 'the girls' and the old ones will graduate to being 'the aunties'. There may be a few feathers flying for a while as they get used to each other but they do have 17 acres or so to lose each other in. By bedtime they are so tired and full they will hardly notice eachother, ha! Fingers crossed.

Never a dull moment

The last month is a bit of a blur. We have taken over the care of a neighbouring property - yes another good cause! This one is an outdoor education camp for children that is used by schools and also hired for private groups in the weekends.Lonsdale Park is a bit rundown due to lack of finance and they need a couple of people who love restoring things and love a challenge - the first two lines in our CVs!

Some would say we are mad...Each property is still at the stage of restoration, and the plan is to have them both to the point where we just need to maintain them over summer when we will be at our busiest with visitors. That's the theory anyway. I'll keep you posted on that one, so to speak.

We have had the pleasure of working with a couple more Wwoofers, Michael from Germany and Mike from England. Amongst other things, they helped us build another chook run, and have also put in another couple of raised beds of veges and herbs. We are still eating well out of the covered garden with bumper broccoli, plenty of silverbeet, beetroot, red onions, leeks and salady things but in these recent winter months that garden doesn't get much sun. The new beds have lots of sun, so in go the strawberry plants, herbs and more salad stuff.

And I have been trying to make use of every resource I possibly can. This has become an exercise in living off the land, (much like we did in the 70's but with older bones!) Some lovely friends have given me lots of fleeces and I have been spinning heaps and knitting a jersey for Chris plus some small things for grandchildren. We don't have TV, so the evenings - that's the bit between dinner and collapsing into bed by 9pm - are perfect for crafty things by the fire.

I've been curing sheepskins too - they may become slippers, or mats, not sure yet.

We did an unofficial kiwi count at the Water Gardens and it looks like we have at least a breeding pair and two single males who are both calling for mates. So exciting. Unfortunately we also have a growing population of pukeko who delight in pulling out all the new plants we have painstakingly put around the ponds. It's very frustrating. We are still getting possums in the traps and now of course we have to start afresh at Lonsdale with a pest programme.

I have recently made contact with the local seed saving group and am looking forward to swapping some of the seeds I brought with me in the bus (I knew there was a good reason!) for some local goodies.

Roll on summer!

We are winning!

The kohekohe trees are in flower! Everyone says that if you see these flowers you have made a serious dent in the possum population, these being one of their favourite treats. They have bunches of delicate white flowers a bit like a hoya which grow straight from the wood of the trunk and branches. Very pretty. So now we have white kohokohe flowers mingling with the pink puriri flowers and berries on the track and the wood pigeons are having a great feast. They get so full they can't fly and plummet through the bush in a most ungainly way before regaining their balance. Hilarious.

Recording kiwi calls

Three of us, on a hill overlooking a stunning wee coastal bay, in the dark, the milky way lighting up the sky, shooting stars providing bursts of magic. Pen in hand we wait for the first kiwi call...then not one, but two start calling each-other just 200m away, clear as a bell on a still night. A pair (their calls are distinctively different) What a thrill. We recorded 7 calls over the two hours. That's pretty good we are told by the experts. Just in case we needed even more entertainment, we also heard lots of moreporks, a few nocturnal pukeko, the odd possum and one very strange high-pitched whine that none of us could identify until we realised it was the thermos lid leaking air after a very welcome hot cup of tea at half time.

We have joined up with the local Landcare group who focus strongly on maintaining a supportive environment for kiwi. We recently attended a workshop to learn how to record the calls as a way of keeping track of where all the local kiwi are. They are keeping us awake at night at the moment - it is truly amazing to know they are right there digging around in the bush beside us - this might be our only chance to actually see one too so when the weather clears up we will do a 'kiwi and glow worm watching night' Apparently each kiwi has several burrows and sleeps in whichever one they find themselves closest to when dawn breaks. Then after dusk they call to their mate to find them ready for foraging all night. They are getting ready to nest at the moment. Very exciting.

surviving the recession on four wheels

In early 2009 life changed for us and we left our house and wonderful organic garden in Nelson and hit the road in an old Bedford housebus. Six months into a tour of the North Island we came to a shuddering halt when we found a gardening project that we couldn't resist. I created a website with a blog to record our progress - all good.

Another six months on, we have taken on a second project (another good cause) and I am creating another blog for that property. Will post the URL when it is ready.

But there are lots of other interesting things going on in our lives that have no place on the other blogs so here we are with a third blog JUST ABOUT US


We have lots of interests and projects going on, so expect gardening news, seed saving stuff, musings about living in a bus, craft projects, 70's style living-off-the-land ideas and general sharing of experience and knowledge, particularly about how to enjoy life to the full without spending money.

We use everything, don't waste a thing, and live off practically no income (at the moment, though that will change in summer hopefully.) Our general philosophy is recycle, renew, restore, reuse.

Here we go....