NZ Lifestyle Block Magazine...

Peter and Willoughby have made an appearance in a 2 page article in this month's NZ Lifestyle Block magazine. The article can be found below...

Helping Hands...

This year with the drought hay is like gold in our region. So, for the first time we decided to make our own hay and keep it, instead of getting contractors to cut, turn, bale and sell it. But with Peter unable to do manual labour at present we had to rely on the kindness of friends and family, who turned up to help us get in the harvest. We produced over 300 bales in total...

Above: The hay being baled

Below: bricks of straw gold

Above: Friends turned up with utes to help us get the hay in

Below: Uncle David and Aunty Jo with their truck and trailer.

Above: Georgina and Stuart et al unloading hay

Below: Andreas and Julian stacking bales 

My grandfather also came out and trimmed all the goats hooves; and one of our neighbours took some of our lambs to market for us. So, thank you dear friends and family for rallying around us and looking after Peter.

Bad things come in threes...

Poor Peter!

It has hardly rained at all since I left NZ, and the Waikato is on the brink of officially declaring a drought (quite unexpected). This of course places a lot of pressure on those managing a farm, and newly planted gardens. 

To make matters worse, last week our gardener and farm manager had to resign due to immigration issues. 

As if that wasn't enough to contend with, yesterday Peter then ended up lacerating the extensor tendons of his dominant hand due to the combination of a brand new pair of hoof trimmers and an ill-timed kick from a goat! Luckily our friend Jackie was out at Willowbrook at the time and could drive him back into town. 

He ended up in the Emergency Department, where thankfully he was surrounded by plenty of familiar and friendly faces in my absence, and very soon thereafter had the tendons repaired by a plastic surgeon friend who I went through med school with. Who says the public health system doesn't work! (I must say up front that he did not receive any special treatment, but the standard stirling work of the team at Waikato Hospital).

So, now he is faced with the problem of managing a farm and gardens with one (non-dominant) hand. He is in an elbow to finger-tip cast for 6 weeks; can not drive; in fact, was having difficulty opening the tin to feed the cat (lucky Willoughby has a large open bag of dog biscuits!).

So, my brave Peter will have to manage with the help of friends and family (I did offer to come home, but he said things weren't quite that bleak). 

Thinking of you from the other side of the ditch,

David.x

A Decade of Memories...

It was 10 years ago today that Peter and I met, when I was working in the Emergency Dept of The Royal London Hospital. Little did we know that 10 years later we would be on the other side of the world embarking on Willowbrook, nor that we would go through all that has lain in between. I don't think either of us would change a thing.

Amicus Tuus Semper Ero

Taking the bull by the horns...

I wanted to surprise Peter for his birthday with something unique. I decided to make him a pair of book ends using Bella's horns. I got several pieces of pine mouldings and glued them together, then cut them to length and stained and varnished them. I then cleaned and sanded the horns and varnished them before mounting them on the wooden mouldings...

Happy Easter...

Happy Easter to everyone out in the bloggosphere! Here are a few ideas to help you celebrate with your friends and family this Sunday...


Firstly, a lovely recipe from Martha, describing how to make these divine little chocolate eggs from home dyed and blown eggs (free-range, organic naturally)...

Blowing your eggs...

1. Using a pin, poke a hole in the bottom of a large raw egg. Insert the tip of a utility knife and turn to open the hole slightly. Using a rotary drill fitted with a 3/8-inch bit, carefully widen the hole to at least 1/2 inch in diameter.

2. Insert pin into the hole to pierce and “stir” the yolk. Hold the egg, hole down, over a bowl, and blow air into the hole with a rubber ear syringe (the air will displace and expel the egg). Rinse out egg. Repeat to make 12 blown eggs (you may want to make extras in case some break).

3. Sterilize eggs: Submerge them in a pot of cold water with 1 tablespoon white vinegar; bring to a boil, then simmer, skimming foam from surface, 10 minutes. Let drain on a pin board (see how-to below). If not dyeing eggs, let dry completely on pin board, 2 to 3 days (check insides for moisture).

Dying you eggs...

1. Step 1

   Pour 1 cup water into container.

2. Step 2

   Add 1 tsp. plain white vinegar to water. The ratio of 1 cup water to 1 tsp. vinegar is not exact. However, if you use substantially more water, you will need to use more vinegar.

3. Step 3

   Create purple dye by adding drops of red and blue food coloring to vinegar mixture. For best results, 3 drops red coloring should be added for every 1 drop blue coloring. Continue adding drops until the desired hue is reached.

4. Step 4

   Place hard-boiled egg into purple dye using spoon. If a section of the egg is exposed above water, rotate the egg periodically to ensure full coverage. Repeat this step for each egg you intend to dye purple.

5. Step 5

   Use the spoon to remove the egg after it is has reached the desired hue. Carefully pat down with paper towel and let dry.

Filling your eggs...

1. Using an offset serrated knife, very finely chop 3 pounds of chocolate. Reserve 1 cup chocolate. Using a bench scraper, transfer remaining chocolate to a large heatproof bowl.

2. Temper chocolate: Set bowl over a pan of simmering water. Melt chocolate, stirring occasionally, until a chocolate thermometer registers 131 degrees. (Note: Many brands of dark chocolate should not be heated to more than 118 degrees.)

Remove from heat. Stir in reserved cup chocolate until completely melted. Pour 2/3 of the melted chocolate onto a clean, smooth work surface (such as marble or stainless steel). Spread thinly with an offset spatula. Then gather together chocolate, and take temperature. Continue spreading and gathering chocolate until it cools to 82 degrees to 84 degrees.

3. Scrape chocolate back into bowl with remaining chocolate. Stir until it cools to 82 degrees to 84 degrees. Set bowl over a pan of warm water, and reheat to 88 degrees. To check consistency, dip a spoon in chocolate and remove. The chocolate should set in about 2 minutes, turning shiny and hard.

Note: This temperature must be maintained as you fill the eggs. Keep a thermometer in the chocolate, and check frequently. Rest the bowl on a heating pad wrapped in a towel, or set bowl over the pan of warm (not hot) water.

4. Place eggshells in an egg carton. Place a disposable pastry bag in a tall glass, and fold top down. Fill bag with chocolate. Cut tip to create a 1/4-inch opening.

5. Insert tip of bag into each egg, and fill with chocolate (about 1/4 cup per egg; fill a new bag with chocolate as needed). Let set completely, about 4 hours.

For table settings...

And for the front door...

Surrexit Alleluia!

Orta recens quam pura nites...

My 30th Birthday!

The last day of my youth finally arrived, and to be honest I was quite looking forward to it: I was spoilt rotten!

Peter bought me another beautiful Chagall, L'Ange (The Angel) for my birthday, which we shall hang in the drawing room of Willowbrook for all our guests to enjoy:

To celebrate we had a large picnic out at Willowbrook Park. My friend Jackie baked a lovely cake:

We had a large Arabian marquee and a BBQ set up at the current stable block. From there people could stroll over the park and admire the plantings, the lake, and all the animals.

I would like to thank all my friends and family who turned up and made it such a special day.

Non Seq: Last week it was finally dry enough to put in the gate to our farm, and a 9 wired fence on either side. I hadn't realised how deep one had to dig to put in strainer posts! Anyway, with the help of my grandfather we managed to get it finished by my birthday:

Merry Christmas...

Wishing each and everyone of you a very merry Christmas, and the best for 2010. We hope that this festive season is one of joy, and that you are all surrounded by the warmth and love of friends and family.

David and Peter.x