We spent our first Christmas on the farm. Dug up some potatoes out of the garden and had them with Christmas dinner. It was cool to be eating out of our own garden, but we can't take the credit for it as we didn't plant them. It was fun digging them up though.
Had more potatoes for dinner tonight too. However these ones weren't growing in the garden - they were growing wild in the compost heap! I pulled the plants out of the compost heap to get it ready for new material, only to find the potatoes were much bigger than the ones I'd picked out of the garden for Christmas dinner.
P got the ride-on lawn mower out of the garage yesterday and managed to get it going. He took it around the main part of the yard twice and I took it around another couple of times. It was lots of fun. I stalled it a couple of times on the long grass. The last time it wouldn't start again. Ooops, here I go breaking everything again. P had to finish off the job by hand (using the ordinary petrol push mower). It took him hours.
We have more uninvted guests in our house.
Every day I find 3 or 4 little black caterpillars in the sunroom. I have no idea where they are coming from. I throw them outside but every morning there are more crawling across the carpet.
The starlings are gone from the ceiling above the kitchen. To be replaced by sparrows in the guttering/under the eaves above the deck. The worst part is all their droppings are right outside the door that leads onto the deck. We left the door open this afternoon and V crawled right through it. Yuck, yuck, yuck.
We get our water from a water tank. When we first moved in I drank the water out of the tap and didn't like it so haven't touched it since. P tried it today and said it is foul. Not quite sure what we have to do now. Maybe get the water tested? Will definitely boil it before drinking in future.
We had initially been concerned about using too much water and running out. However it has rained every third day since we've been here, so haven't had to worry too much about it yet.
Took another step towards self sufficiency this week by baking our own bread. Ok so we still have to buy the ingredients so it's not exactly self sufficient. But we are now making our own bread and lemonade, and eating our own potatoes out of the garden. It is a start.
-M
29 December 2008
22 December 2008
Week 2
Haven't managed to get much done around the house this week. Opened a few boxes but that's about it. Attempted to get into the garden but kept being interrupted by V trying to eat stones or crawl away, and K needing to go toilet or wanting to "help" me. Managed to deadhead a few rose bushes but there are more to go. The lawn is getting long, the grass in the paddocks is knee high, the vegetable garden needs attending to, the compost needs turning. But at least I attended to the decorative part of the garden!!!
Have started living off the land though - rather than buying juice from the store we have been making our own lemonade with lemons off the tree. As an unforeseen consequence we are drinking less than we used to, or drinking more alcoholic beverages, so as not to have to make the juice so often. Which was not the desired result.
P got rid of the birds in the ceiling. He climbed up and found their nest, complete with baby starling. He took baby starling away and we haven't heard a peep from mum or dad since. The city girl in me feels really bad about it. The city girl in me also smiles whenever she sees rabbits running around our property.
The hardware stores in Levin are all closed on a Sunday. P was mighty annoyed and drove to Palmerston North instead. He has built a fence to keep V away from the television (in our old house the TV was wallmounted so it wasn't a problem).
Discovered the local rubbish tip yesterday. We do not have a local rubbish collection this far out of town (unless you want to pay for it) so will probably become frequent tip visitors. Although that's not cheap either. But as our washing machine broke down just before we moved, we have been going through a LOT of disposable nappies since we arrived here.
Had our first party in the house this week. The dishwashers were working overtime the following day. You know your house is big when the vacuum cleaner cord barely stretches from one side of the room to the other.
-M
Have started living off the land though - rather than buying juice from the store we have been making our own lemonade with lemons off the tree. As an unforeseen consequence we are drinking less than we used to, or drinking more alcoholic beverages, so as not to have to make the juice so often. Which was not the desired result.
P got rid of the birds in the ceiling. He climbed up and found their nest, complete with baby starling. He took baby starling away and we haven't heard a peep from mum or dad since. The city girl in me feels really bad about it. The city girl in me also smiles whenever she sees rabbits running around our property.
The hardware stores in Levin are all closed on a Sunday. P was mighty annoyed and drove to Palmerston North instead. He has built a fence to keep V away from the television (in our old house the TV was wallmounted so it wasn't a problem).
Discovered the local rubbish tip yesterday. We do not have a local rubbish collection this far out of town (unless you want to pay for it) so will probably become frequent tip visitors. Although that's not cheap either. But as our washing machine broke down just before we moved, we have been going through a LOT of disposable nappies since we arrived here.
Had our first party in the house this week. The dishwashers were working overtime the following day. You know your house is big when the vacuum cleaner cord barely stretches from one side of the room to the other.
-M
15 December 2008
Week 1
Moving boxes everywhere. P took a couple of days off but there is still so much to unpack. We have SO MUCH STUFF. Currently there is stuff piled on top of stuff. Where are we going to put it all? Lucky this house has so much room.
It is amazing being in the country. Every now and then I'll just stop what I'm doing and look out the window, and just go WOW. Just looking out at green everywhere feels so peaceful and relaxing.
Biggest difference from being in the city (besides the scenery) ... it is dark at night, so very dark. No street lights, no neighbours lights, just darkness.
We have birds living in the ceiling and the walls. One sounds like it is behind the kitchen wall/rangehood. We had two others fly down into the chimneys. P opened the fireplace door and one later flew out into the room.
There are flies everywhere. Every day there are a dozen fly carcasses lying on the window sills around the house. I have to be vigilent and find them before V does, lest she try and eat them.
We have a swimming pool. We've never owned a swimming pool before either. On day 1 and day 3, K and I went for a swim. Now the pool has turned green. We suspect the previous owners had a filter running. We need to find where it is and how to work it.
Have been so busy with the inside of the house, we haven't even looked at outside or the land yet.
-M
It is amazing being in the country. Every now and then I'll just stop what I'm doing and look out the window, and just go WOW. Just looking out at green everywhere feels so peaceful and relaxing.
Biggest difference from being in the city (besides the scenery) ... it is dark at night, so very dark. No street lights, no neighbours lights, just darkness.
We have birds living in the ceiling and the walls. One sounds like it is behind the kitchen wall/rangehood. We had two others fly down into the chimneys. P opened the fireplace door and one later flew out into the room.
There are flies everywhere. Every day there are a dozen fly carcasses lying on the window sills around the house. I have to be vigilent and find them before V does, lest she try and eat them.
We have a swimming pool. We've never owned a swimming pool before either. On day 1 and day 3, K and I went for a swim. Now the pool has turned green. We suspect the previous owners had a filter running. We need to find where it is and how to work it.
Have been so busy with the inside of the house, we haven't even looked at outside or the land yet.
-M
Intro
My husband P and I (along with our daughters K and V, aged 3 and 1) have just taken ownership of a small farm / lifestyle property, just north of Levin in New Zealand.
The farm is 11 acres, made up of about 5 paddocks. One paddock is planted out in lavender. Currently there is no stock on the land and the grass is starting to get long. The house is large, 400 square metres. It is old (1930's?) but was moved to this site 15 years ago. At this time an upstairs and a basement were added.
We have made this move from the big city. The broad intention of this adventure is to eventually become self sufficient, growing our own vegetables and raising chicken, a dozen sheep and a few cattle.
However. We are both farm novices. We have never done any farming in our lives, neither animals nor crops. The closest I've come to growing anything has been a few herbs in containers. The only animals I've owned have been cats, rats and a dog. I have no idea where to start or what to do.
And so this blog comes in. You can follow my adventures, pitfalls and successes as we learn the hard way how to go from being city slickers to farmers.
-M
The farm is 11 acres, made up of about 5 paddocks. One paddock is planted out in lavender. Currently there is no stock on the land and the grass is starting to get long. The house is large, 400 square metres. It is old (1930's?) but was moved to this site 15 years ago. At this time an upstairs and a basement were added.
We have made this move from the big city. The broad intention of this adventure is to eventually become self sufficient, growing our own vegetables and raising chicken, a dozen sheep and a few cattle.
However. We are both farm novices. We have never done any farming in our lives, neither animals nor crops. The closest I've come to growing anything has been a few herbs in containers. The only animals I've owned have been cats, rats and a dog. I have no idea where to start or what to do.
And so this blog comes in. You can follow my adventures, pitfalls and successes as we learn the hard way how to go from being city slickers to farmers.
-M
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