Lots of Helpers

Our family's life in New Zealand

Bits and Pieces of the Day

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It’s been awhile since I’ve gotten anything on here.  Daily life is busy!  Here are a few glimpses of yesterday (I planned to post this yesterday, but….)  I had Esther grab her camera and take pictures of what all her brothers were doing.

Two little boys were busy coloring pictures in the morning–look at that concentration!

This boy was reading a book on our new Kindle.

This boy was making tent pegs to give to some friends.

Oldest boy was mowing–one of his favorite jobs.

Lunchtime–think they like salad?!!

I had a bit of time in the evening to zigzag around the squares of flannel from an old nightgown that I was making into wipes for the new baby, and Joe handed them to me.

Finding a Bull

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What a day we had yesterday!  It started out peacefully enough.  I got up a little after 6:30 (Gayle had the day off, as the day after Christmas is also a national holiday), and had my quiet time.  Seth showed up in the living room at 7:15, so he went out with me to milk.  Our first hint of trouble was when I saw that the gate to where the cows were was–OPEN!  Oops.  Last night I moved their fence, then came to the house a different way, and forgot to latch the gate shut.  They obviously shoved it open and went off exploring.  They were nowhere in sight; they had all night to wander whereever they wanted to go.  We quickly checked, and no, they were not near the calves.  Uh-oh, now what?  I got my keys, told Gayle what was going on, and we got in the van.  Which way to go?  No tracks anywhere to be seen.  I had a hunch that they might go north; we’ve pastured them in a neighbor’s paddock in that direction and they know the cow there.  We went that way, checking for tracks in the driveways we passed.  No clues till we got beside the paddock they wintered in.  Finally, we found tracks in the dust on the road, going the way we were going.  Thank God, we were on the right track!  We went on; at the end of our road is a paved road and I knew we wouldn’t be seeing tracks there!  Well, Lord, which way do we go now?  Right towards Cheviot, left on Munro Road towards the railroad track, left and then right to Sinclair Road, another gravel road, or right and then left onto Factory Road?  I decided to check out Sinclair, turned that way–and we saw them!  They had found a herd of beef cattle and were visiting with them over the fence!  Thank you, God!  We drove around them, and Seth got them moving–but they went the wrong way on Munro Road!  He stayed at the end of Sinclair while I went around them and got them going the right way again.  They fairly willingly turned onto Homeview Road and headed for home, but while we were following them home, I saw something I was not happy about.  We were thinking that both cows were pregnant, but on the way home Chessie was very definitely showing signs of being in heat.  We thought she was six weeks pregnant, but by the time we were home it was pretty obvious that she was not.
After we got the cows home and Chessie milked, I started making phone calls.  First I called the man who AI’d the cows, and as I thought, he no longer had the gear to do it; mating season is over here.  So, I called the other man in Cheviot who does it; he’ll have the gear again in 3-4 days–otherwise no one is closer than Culverden.  Neither one had any suggestions of a bull to use.  We called a number of other people, and the boys and I went to the neighbors who had the Belted Galloway cows and bull, but she sold the bull.  We did get to meet her husband, and that was quite interesting.  He is a deep-sea fisherman, working near Heard Island, halfway between Australia and Africa and way south.  He goes out for six months at a time, catching Patagonian Toothfish–in South America they are called Black Cod.  The ship takes all supplies needed for six months, and freezes the catch onboard; they are not resupplied the whole time.  Next time he goes out he’s going with a different company, on a ship that only carries enough fuel for three months, so that’s how long he’ll be out then.  These islands are volcanic, but totally covered with ice except for a little spit that has a tiny bit of vegetation.  The only time they were inhabited was about a hundred years ago when some sealers lived in holes in the ground for five  years, catching elephant seals and putting the blubber in barrels.  Very interesting–I was glad the boys got to learn about it.  They couldn’t help us with a bull, but gave us a phone number of someone else to try.
I made more calls, and finally about 1:00 the man whose number the neighbor gave us called back and said he did have a bull we could use, a Belted Galloway, out at Manuka Bay.  Manuka is two bays south of Gore Bay, a few miles.  It’s probably 10 or 15 miles from here.  Too far to walk the cow!  We needed to find a horse float, now.  Well, the neighbor who lets us use her paddocks has a horse float, right?  Gayle was in Cheviot, so I called on his cell phone and asked him to stop by and talk to them, since their number is not in the phone book.  Just before he got home, a friend and her daughter stopped by for milk, and I asked if they would happen to have a horse float–no.  Gayle got home with the report that the neighbors sold theirs, but had a truck–but were using it today.  Our friend called about that time to say that they had a trailer that might possibly work.  Gayle talked to her about it, and she talked to her husband.  She called back to say that their trailer would not work, but she  had talked to someone else and they had a horse float we could use!  Finally, everything was lined up:  bull located, and horse float organized.
Gayle picked up the horse float after finishing the project he was working on.  Finally, at 4:30 we were ready to go.  We had decided to take both vehicles so we could all take the cow to the bull, thinking that we could spend some time in the water while we were there.  We found the paddock the bull was supposed to be in with no trouble, but no bull in sight!  We followed Chessie up the hill, and gates opened into two paddocks, one sort of open; the other thick bush.  A couple of boys went into the bush to search for the bull, and Gayle and some other children went up the other way.  I stayed near Chessie and followed her as she wandered up the hill, grazing.  It took an hour and a half of searching through a maze of paddocks and cow trails over hills, through thistles and springs and deep bush, to locate the bull!  In the paddock Chessie spent most of her time in, there were tall hummocks everywhere, and they were quite soft.  We figured out that it was many year’s accumulation of dead grass–each year the grass dies and falls down, and then more grass grows up through–as well as thistles!  There are thistles everywhere in that paddock, too–and springs of water flowing across and down the hill.  The view from that hill was absolutely gorgeous; quite a view of the ocean, and we could even hear the waves breaking.  Lovely place to spend a summer afternoon!  Finally they got him down to the first paddock, which was wide open, however, and we directed Chessie down there as well, then all sat back and watched to see what would happen.  It took about half an hour, but the job got done.  Then, we got to separate Chessie and her new boyfriend to take her home!  Even a Belted Galloway bull is massive, and that was a bit nerve-wracking.  He quickly realized we were trying to get her to the gate, and kept himself between her and the gate!  It took 10 minutes or so, but we finally got them separated enough to get her through the gate and lock him in.  Sure hope this works!  We’re praying for a Galloway/Jersey calf about the first of October.  Quite the adventure–but as I told Esther, our life here has seemed like a long series of adventures.

There were several definite blessings yesterday. #1:  This is THE week I really wanted Chessie bred, as if she takes from this time, which we’re praying for, she’ll go dry the week Chrissie calves and we won’t be without milk.  #2:  Gayle was home yesterday; he rarely has a day off, and I could not have done the job myself.  #3:  The calf should be a good dual-purpose calf, good for meat if a bull and milk if a heifer.  Wonder what a black-and-white Belted Galloway/brown Jersey cross calf will look like?

Looking south from Cathedrals Road, on the way to Manuka Bay, towards the Hurunui River.

Looking north or west from Cathedrals Road. The views from this road are spectacular!

The gorgeous fellow we went to such trouble to locate!

Moving Hay and Flopped Bread

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Gayle has been hauling our year’s supply of hay today.  Some dear friends of ours here got their hay baled today, and Gayle brought home ten big bales–each one is about a ton!  He brought them one at a time on our little truck, then stacked them in a small shed here.  Hopefully this will be enough for all the animals for the year!

I made bread today–but forgot all about it.  By the time I found it this afternoon, it had overraised and there wasn’t enough time left to raise it and bake it today, anyway.  So, I rolled it out and made pita bread–of sorts.  Some pieces are more like crackers.  Yummy!

Today’s Snacks

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I don’t very often fix a snack for the children, but today I was inspired to make not one but two!  For an afternoon snack, I took a cup and a half or so of ricotta cheese that was in the fridge, and mixed in a bit of salt and some oregano and basil, then spread it on crackers.  That was quite popular!

Busy making sure he got his fair share–and then some, maybe!

After supper and clean-up, I made some quick milkshakes.  I filled the food processor about half full of sliced frozen bananas, then covered them with milk and added a bit of vanilla and a pinch of salt, and ran the processor until it was smooth and thick.  I spooned it into tea cups and everyone enjoyed the treat!

Boys discussing their plans for tomorrow as they enjoyed their treat.

Salad!

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Our raised beds are growing beautifully!  We’ve had a cool, wet early summer so far, and the lettuce is gorgeous.  We’re eating huge salads twice a day.  The herbs are doing well in their tires, too.

These rose bushes are near the garden.

Thyme

Rosemary, thyme, sorrel, oregano, and sage

I brought in half the radishes from the carrot bed one morning!

Birthday Party

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I am not one to plan a wonderful birthday party, but Seth turned 12 today and we had a small party for him.  He got to have a friend over for the night last night, and another friend’s mother brought her children for a couple of hours this morning and then took the first friend home with her so his dad could pick him up.  I had imagined that the boys would spend their time playing outside–but it started raining this morning!  They were out for about half an hour, but then came in.  We had to quickly think up inside games for a group–not my forte, either!  They ended up playing Musical Chairs, and then Elephant Stop, which is a fun variation of Blindman’s Bluff.  After that, they each made an individual pizza, and while the pizzas were baking they played Pin the Tail on the Donkey.  I learned how not to do that!  I had printed out a donkey, on four sheets of paper, and they felt the edge of the paper.  Then, they felt each other’s tails and used them as a reference point to put their own on.  I decided that it would have been better to trace the donkey onto a larger sheet of paper, and then draw the tails on with pencil or marker–have to make it more challenging for my crew!  They seemed to have fun, though.

Musical Chairs–down to the last two!

Elephant Stop

The birthday boy with his cupcakes!

Enjoying his ice cream!

Mud and Boys and Life

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This has been another normal, interesting week.  The “mud” in the title comes from Wednesday evening, when the three youngest boys slipped outside after supper when I wasn’t watching.  They went into the garden, which they had been told before supper not to do, and played in the mud.  I’m sure it was fun–but what a mess!  I didn’t get a picture of it, but it looked worse than this one from Michigan two and a half years ago!  This time, they were coated from head to toe in thick, sticky clay!  Because they had disobeyed, and because they knew beforehand what the penalty is for getting muddy, I had no compunctions about hosing them down with a cold-water hose.  I had  to hose and rub with my hands to get the quarter inch of clay mud off their clothes, then had them take off their clothes, and hosed them again, and then sent them to the bathroom to finish off with a cold shower!  And it wasn’t a warm evening.  They all decided they don’t want that again.  While the youngest watched the other two getting cleaned up first, his lip stuck out farther and farther as he considered his coming fate.

One warm evening, the kitchen door was open, and Ginger came along to see what we were doing.
I spent a couple of days this week sorting clothing.  Does this look anything like a secondhand shop? or a garage sale?  We’ve been blessed with lots of hand-me-down clothes for the boys!

Next step:  sort through what each boy had in his drawers/closet and decide what to keep and what to put away/throw away.  Here is Seth’s stack (think he had more than he needed?):

One rainy day, Esther decided to make a batch of bread, since it always raises better on that sort of day.  I gave instructions while I worked on clothing.  It turned out pretty nice!

One day this week the sun shone!  I did lots of laundry (and it all got dry!) and we weeded the strawberry bed.  We found a number of ripe strawberries.  Yumm!  We have to get them quickly or the slugs eat them.

Aren’t Esther’s kids cute?

We went to Gore Bay for a baptism this afternoon, and when I mentioned we wanted a family picture, one of the ladies there offered to help take one.  It took quite a few tries to get one with everyone’s eyes open, and this is the best.

After the baptism, we went to the home of the girl who was baptized for a meal.  Joe discovered this wheelbarrow and had so much fun with it that they gave it to him when we left!

So there you have it–several tiny glimpses into our week.  It was a good one!

The Latest in Toy Boats (don’t try this)

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My boys are having fun this morning as a result of my failure!  I made bread yesterday–and had the worst flop in probably 12 or 13 years.  The bread rose a little in the warmer drawer in the stove, then cooked on top because the oven was running, then fell.  I baked it anyway, but ended up with little flat bricks.  The boys cut them open this morning and hollowed them out, then tried floating their “boats”.  Good way to soak the crusts for the chickens!  I’m going to turn the insides they hollowed out into bread crumbs, so we won’t entirely lose the batch of bread–and I’m making a new batch today.

Will they float?

They didn’t float long.

Corn Crunch

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I finished making a batch of Corn Crunch this morning, and thought maybe some of you would like to know about it.  I do not buy cold cereal.  It costs too much and is not good for you, as far as I’m concerned.  (One of my favorite stories is about the scientist in the 1960s who did an experiment with rats and cornflakes.  He had three groups of rats; one he fed rat chow as a control; one got cornflakes; and one got the box the cornflakes came in.  The group that ate cornflakes sickened and died before the group that ate the box died of malnutrition.)  Corn Crunch is one of our favorites, and one that I feel good about feeding my children.

Mix: 1 quart buttermilk or mixture of yogurt and milk
3 cups cornmeal (I grind popcorn)
4 cups flour (I use whole wheat)
Let it set overnight.  Next day, mix in:
1 cup sweetener of your choice
2 teaspoons soda
2 teaspoons salt
Spread on two ungreased cookie sheets and bake 15-20 minutes at 350°F.  Let cool enough to handle.  Crumble a bit and grind in food processor or blender.  Return to cookie sheet and toast in oven till nearly dry, stirring often.  It will finish drying the last tiny bit after you take it out.

The baked “cake”, ready to grind.

Crumbling the “cake” into the food processor.  I had an enthusiastic helper for this step–he helped mix the first of the ingredients the day before.

The ground cereal, ready to toast.The finished cereal–ready for some cream!

Picnic at the Ocean

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We had a spur-of-the-moment picnic at the ocean tonight.  I threw together a quick casserole by baking sausages and cutting them into little pieces, then mixing in a couple of cans of baked beans and topping it with leftover mashed potatoes, while Elijah made Ants on a Log (celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins) and Esther cut up fruit.  Then, while the casserole baked, we milked quickly and then left.  The children had great fun digging in the sand, while Gayle and I got to be by ourselves and walk down the beach to the rocky cliffs at the other end.  What a lovely end to the day!

Looking south along Gore BayIs he really having fun?

One of my sweet boys picked this bouquet for me on the way back up the cliff!