The Jetty...

The jetty has been complete for a few weeks now. Having decided where it was going and how big it was going to be, we had to decide how we were going to construct it. Our friend Richard helped us with the build. He did some recognisance work during his holidays at the lake, kayaking under the many private jetties on the lake and discovering how they were put together. After this we set about the construction...

It started off as posts in the ground. We cemented them in with quick drying wet condition concrete mix (it doesn't get much wetter than this)....

We then affixed 6" x 2" H4 treated timber to the marine grade strainer posts,
all the way around the jetty with 6" lag screws, ensuring that it was level...

After that we braced the framing internally with further lengths of 6" x 2" timber and
lag screws, pre-drilling all the holes with a brace and bit...

Finally, we placed the top boards on and nailed them in with 4" nails, then trimmed the edges with a circular saw...

Above and Below: Almost finished. I was waiting till the lake was lined before I took the final shots. Now there is a finished jetty, with an empty lake!

We then promptly ended up draining the lake in vain. We managed to get the water down to a few inches in the bottom, but when the company turned up to install the liner, they said that they couldn't install it if there was any water in the lake at all, because they could not weld the liner to the rubber boots they had made for around the jetty posts. Frustrating! (You'd think that a company that specialised in lining ponds and lakes would have equipment that could cope with surface water!).

So we now have to wait until it dries out completely, which will be about December. In the meantime we have planted all the bulbs that were to go around the lake, elsewhere, and have post-poned the order for all the water lilies and lotuses. Still, it will give me time to restore the boat.

Chatsworth Auction...

Peter has just returned from a week in London. While he was there he discovered that Sotheby's is auctioning off antiques and other assorted fittings belonging to the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire and her late husband, from their many country estates - Chatsworth, Chiswick House, Bolton Abbey, Hardwick Hall, Holker Hall and Lismore Castle.


This is surely going to be one of the great auctions of the century. Those of you who follow our blog will know that I am a keen fan of Chatsworth. We shall be keeping our eye in on the event - we may need to plan another trip to London!

The Circle of Life....

Whilst we are still coming to terms with the loss of our little boy Spencer, a ray of hope has pierced the gloom: Bramble gave birth to 2 live baby goats - the first for the Willowbrook Stud. This was unexpected, for although we knew she was pregnant, from the dates we were given she was not due for another month. Both the kids are girls, and are unrelated to our ram, Bracken, as Bramble was pregnant by another ram when we purchased her, so we now have 3 does for Bracken to cover next year.

We have registered with the NZ Boer Goat Breeders Association and are planning to register our goats and the rest of our animals with the NZ Rare Breeds Conservation Society

The boys were quite jealous of all the attention Bramble and her little kids were getting...

We also had a big planting weekend this weekend gone, planting nearly 2000 trees. I shall post some photos once I have finished drawing the overall park design and layout maps, so that visitors can see which photos belong to which part of the park.

Spencer Lord Cowell 2007-2010

After consultation with our vet and the orthopaedic surgeon, it was discovered that our little boy Spencer had an inoperable spinal fracture with dislocation at L4/L5. His chances of walking again and having any quality of life, even after surgery, were slight. The only thing keeping him comfortable was the Morphine infusion, so we took the advice of Spencer's doctors, and let him go...

Requiescat In Pace

Spencer Lord Cowell

"The choice was his, and his completely,
He could have anything he desired.
He could burn with the splendour of the brightest star,
or else he could choose time...
And how he lived, how he shone,But how soon the light was gone."

Tragedy...

We had a very stressful weekend. Spencer, our hound, was hit by a truck on the state highway to Morrinsville on Saturday morning. Spencer (the darker beagle, pictured below with his brother Willoughby), has always been a wanderer, but it was still a shock. The person who hit him didn't even stop, and a kindly police woman rang us to say that she had found him dragging himself along the side of the road.

He has been in hospital over the weekend on a Ketamine and Morphine infusion, and has stabilised. He has a badly fractured pelvis and will be getting an orthopaedic opinion this morning to find out what the best plan for managing his injuries is. We are again thankful to the ever dependable Richard, who came to pick him up from the roadside on his weekend off and take him into the Pet Practice. So, we wait with baited breath for the news.

Willoughby is beside himself. As you can see, they are very close brothers, and Willoughby spent the weekend crying at Spencer's empty basket, and quivering, and being ill.