The Winterless North - Yeah Right!

Cherry Blossom Winter Leaves

After weeks of frost, very cold nights but lovely sunny days the weather became very changeable and has been followed by lot's and lot's of rain. Today it is raining the proverbially "Cats & Dogs" and although I realise we can expect some rain in Winter, enough is enough! The rain is accompanied by extremely strong Easterly winds which also are most unwelcome and owing to the heavy deluge we received a couple of weeks ago, the soil  just cannot take anymore, so we have surface flooding in all the paddocks. Laying out extra hay for the animals, soon becomes an exercise in futility as they are so intent on getting "their share" they barge one another out of the way and drive the hay into the mud and it is wasted.

The Flood

I fear that our Apricot trees are not going to survive this frequent flooding and if they do, it will be a small miracle. I am thankful that I managed to get our new berry garden planted before the onset of heavy rain and I guess the bananas will appreciate the water. The banana leaves look rather tattered and torn after our 1 1/2 weeks of frost and of course the Tamarillos and other tropical type plants such as Hibiscus, roses and fuchsias are also looking a bit frost burnt. I tried to water the leaves before the sun rose each day (apparently this makes the damage less severe) but they look pretty brown. It was interesting watching the birds trying to have a bath in the frozen water and we had a laugh as we imagined our friendly "Mrs. Thrush" flying in at speed and skating off the top into the bushes! Any buckets that had water were also froze solid and the glasshouse roof was sparkling in the sunshine, looking as if we had sprinkled diamond dust over the structure.

Wooly Heifers

Our heifers of course have nice wooly coats, but the paddocks are turning into a real muddy mess reminiscent of photos of the Western Front in World War 1! (One of our Advertising clients who grows Bromeliads was telling us today how nice it was living in a volcanic area of Whangarei and she was grateful that the water didn't hang around, maybe we should shift to Maunu)

The river has invaded our dam again and the water is extremely muddy, so we are careful to check all the filters for the intakes as they soon clog up. Fortunately we don't need to use the irrigation systems on the gardens, but our remaining Capsicums in the Polyhouse need water as they are still under cover.

Berry Garden Beginnings 2012

I have just planted out some Raspberries, Blueberries, Black Currants and Blackberries (all thornless) and I am using scrap timber to make a "berry good garden" that I can make bird proof. We had a large crop of Boysenberries last year, but these are very thorny and I have to make sure they are covered each year as the birds just LOVE them! We froze a number of ice cream containers and we use them on ice cream, muffins and other Winter delights such as sponge puddings. Possums are invading the Mandarin trees and we may have a rat running around in the house roof. I have laid bait and set a trap, but I am not brave enough to climb up and investigate any closer … I HATE THEM! They love making nests in our hay bales in the pack-house and I have to buy large amounts of expensive baits to leave out, nailed to wood so they don't store them. The wild rabbits seem to have disappeared, but our resident pukekos are still trying to pull out my new plantings of shallots. The vege garden is suffering with a Winter snail and slug invasion and cleaning the brussell sprouts and caulis is always a careful chore.

Winter Pin Oak

One aspect of the frosty weather was being able to photograph some of our deciduous trees in all their naked glory. Our pin oak in particular has a beautiful shape and looks quite stark in the Winter sunshine, whereas in Spring it is laden with beautiful green leaves that drape right to the ground as I have not pruned it since it was planted 20 years ago. Likewise the Tulip tree and the Oak trees that are of a similar age. The leaves of course are a problem as they blow into our garages, but a bit of raking and sweeping usually lasts for a couple of days before the process starts again. Good mulch though!

A Frosty Rose

The last rose petals have fallen and it will be pruning time soon and the list of other pruning jobs is quite large with grapes, berry canes and willows all needing a trim. Oh well, I guess that is the fun of living on a lifestyle block, you never get bored!

Finally a lovely Quote:

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”

― Edith Sitwell

Day 6 And our Australian Finale

A lovely Queensland Sky

DAY 6 The silence of Tuesday morning was broken by the sound of a noisy Kookaburra and it was almost as if he was telling us it was time to leave Australia, but with his blessing. Once again it was a lovely sunny day and we had a very pleasant breakfast before we gathered all our suitcases and prepared to leave the Apartment complex which had provided us with a luxurious accommodation for our entire visit. Our host Sheree had organised to take us to the airport on her way to her studio in Brisbane, however we didn't have to leave too early, so we missed the heavy morning traffic

We duly arrived at Brisbane Airport which was a scene of frantic activity and after farewelling Sheree we gathered our luggage and headed for the Air NZ counter and then Customs where our departure took a dramatic turn! When I packed my bag I had inadvertently included a can of aerosol mosquito spray and the nice Customs man suddenly began to look serious after scanning my bag twice. He called me over to a separate counter and began rummaging through the bag opening my toiletries and hauling out the offending can, which he threw rather forcefully into a large metal container. ( I am surprised the force didn't make the can explode there and then!) After being loudly admonished I was ushered to the next counter, where a voice told me to "Take that cap off and look at the camera!" I couldn't see any camera until I was told to "look up!" whereupon I noticed a small round glass object at the top of the aisle. I was then allowed to proceed.

MEANWHILE! Lyn had been hauled out of the queue and was taken off to one side where she was body searched for explosives! She was also given a card to read which outlined the penalty for carrying explosives! I was absolutely amazed that this could happen as even when Lyn is being devious and working on a plan to surprise me, she never even looks slightly suspicious! I can only surmise it was because I had committed such a dastardly mistake that she was picked on too :-) We both took our shaken bodies and headed for the café and a coffee and a large Oz scone.

Lyn and a cuddly Koala

We then wandered around the duty free shops checking out the electronic bargains and other specialty shops including a branch of R.M.Williams the famous "Bush Outfitters" The goods on display were something to drool over and their range of clothing and leather goods was absolutely fantastic (as was the price in AUS Dollars) I thought briefly about a real Akubra Hat but at a price of $200 AUS I decided to be "just looking thanks" Even a crocodile skin belt was in the region of $200 AUS! I grabbed a 2012 Autumn catalogue which is a magnificent production in it's own right and better still it was FREE!

Brian & Adelaide the Koala

We realised at, this stage we needed to purchase a stuffed toy that I wanted to take back to my Granddaughter Holly for her 1st birthday, so went looking for a Koala bear. Some of the stores had huge stocks of stuffed animals, but in many cases the quality left a lot to be desired and others although well made had tacky little leaves stuck to their paws or had Velcro paws, which did not feel cuddly at all. Then we spied a store that had the crème de la crème of Aussie Koalas and it became a difficult choice as to which one we wanted. Finally we found a bear that was well made and extremely cuddly and was named Adelaide, which we thought was most appropriate. It was at this stage that Lyn realised her handbag had broken (hopefully not because of the rummage squad) and we had quite a time trying to handle all our luggage in a seemly manner. We spotted the departure gate with our number and decided to sit close by until boarding time.

Our Air NZ Flight

The Tannoy announced it was our turn to board and so we gathered our gear and slowly walked to the plane which had filled very rapidly and soon we were winging our way back to New Zealand. As I looked out the window as we flew over Moreton Bay I reflected on what had been a wonderful experience and wondered if I would ever return to Australia. Hopefully I will at some stage in the near future, but I have some unfinished business off my "South Island Bucket List" to finalise first.

 

Last view of Australia

 The clouds started to build up as we headed out over the Tasman and the menu arrived for our onboard meal. Lyn and I both had poached salmon with a small array of vegetables, a small bottle of white wine and it was delicious. The flight seemed to go quite fast and of course because we were heading into the night it became dark quite quickly and we reset our watches to NZ time. As we got closer to the coast the weather deteriorated and we landed at Mangere in driving rain and quite windy conditions.

Once we landed it was a long hike to the terminal and my arthritic knees were very painful so it looked like a very slow walk in front of us. A nice man came past in a motorised luggage carrier and spying that I was struggling, he offered to give us both a lift to the terminal proper. What a lifesaver! After clearing customs without any drama, we collected our luggage we collected our duty free products and headed for a bus to the Local Terminal. It was absolutely pouring with rain and the bus was crowded with passengers and luggage and it was quite a dramatic experience after the sunny weather we had enjoyed.

Holly cuddles Koala

By this stage we were both quite tired and it didn't help our demeanor when we heard all flights had been delayed and the flight to Whangarei would be delayed at least an hour owing to the stormy weather. It was a bit of an anti climax to our trip, but fortunately we had books to read, but the seating was not all that comfortable and we were surrounded by large numbers of unhappy travelers. Finally they called out our flight and we staggered into the stormy night and climbed aboard our plane. The pilot advised it could be a "lumpy flight" and he wasn't wrong! It wasn't as bad as some flights I have endured into Wellington, but I was pleased when we landed. We had rung Jeannie and Mike to advise of our lateness and we had to wait at the airport until they could come and collect us. They duly arrived and we were the last to leave the building except for the cleaners.

We apologized to our Chauffeurs for having to drag them out so late at night and although they invited us to have a cuppa, we decided to head off for the 1/2 hour drive to Waipu and home. Needless to say, we both slept well that night!

All in all it had been an interesting trip and I only wish we could have had longer with the families over there. We found it quite expensive, especially for some food items and we couldn't believe the numbers of ex-pat Kiwis and Brits we came across in Brisbane. SAVING HAS STARTED FOR NEXT YEARS HOLIDAY!

An Affectionate Episode in Ipswich with "Furi Bear" and Laura

DAY 5

Our trip to Ipswich to meet our Grandchildren on their home turf was quite an emotional trip in more ways than I expected. It also gave us a chance to see more of what I had always imagined rural Australia to look like (and I wasn't disappointed) and although much of the journey was via their motorway system we were high enough in many areas to get a broad view of the countryside. It helped that I didn’t have to drive and we were grateful to Richard and Sheree to offer a very comfortable drive in their Volvo. I was amazed at the number of toll stations on the route from Narang to Ipswich, but the quality of the road surface and the huge areas under construction for the extended rail network were very impressive.

Flooded Ipswich 2011

We left the apartment mid morning and the journey took about 1 1/2 hours which was good considering the holiday traffic. During the drive Richard pointed out various interesting  locals site of interest and as he is a Queensland Fireman he had ample knowledge of the 2011 floods which had caused so much damage in Queensland. It was quite a sobering experience when we crossed a bridge and realized that the construction work below was a complete rebuild of a supermarket complex. There were a number of signs outlining the height of the floods and we were thankful that our families had not been affected too much although we learnt later that our Ipswich family had to be evacuated from their home and that snakes had invaded their back lawn at one stage.

Love that Fretwork!

We eventually arrived at the outskirts of Ipswich and Lyn and I were impressed with the sight of so many houses built in the Aussie style that we had imagined from books and films. I gather there is a State Law in Queensland that protects these houses from being demolished or altered without consultation, unlike the fiasco in Auckland where the heritage and character Of Parnell and the Inner city have been ruined. Many of these Aussie houses had the typical corrugated iron roof with a large verandah around the front, the wonderful fretwork around the verandah and of course many are in brick or wood and have been preserved beautifully over the years.

A Traditional Ipswich House

The following item explains the main points about Ipswich

In the 1850s, Ipswich aspired to become the capital of Queensland. Although it lost this honour to Brisbane, it was a prosperous and confident city and this is reflected in its buildings which include imposing public offices, several of the oldest churches in Queensland, numerous fine mansions and a large number of historic houses and cottages.

Pasted from <http://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/about_ipswich/heritage/heritage_buildings/>

Furi Bear, Laura & Hillery

After negotiating a number of back streets (i.e. we were temporarily lost) we finally reached our destination. It was delightful being able to spend some quality time with our Grandchildren and their Mother Hillery had prepared a lovely lunch. The boys were fairly nonchalant about our visit, but Laura was extremely welcoming and within 5 minutes of our arrival, she asked if she could recite a poem to us from her local school choir repertoire. This lovely 8 year old then proceeded to entertain us with her poem about a girl named Louise,finishing with loud applause from everyone. Then Laura asked if I would like to meet her big teddy bear, so we went upstairs to her bedroom, she climbed up her wooden bookcase and came back down with a L_A-R-G-E teddy bear. The children then decided to show us their skills on a couple of backyard trampolines, and believe me they were very good, especially Deklan. Flynn of course was buried in his books (he is an avid reader and is a bright intelligent boy who is doing extremely well at school)

Laura & Grandad in Conversation

Laura meantime was giving me a vivid description of her school and when I asked if they had to sing a good morning song to the Teacher, she replied "No, the Teacher calls the roll and we answer, Here!, as she called out our name" I said "What if the Teacher stutters and says "Laura, Laura, Laura"  …. Without even stopping for a second she replied " I would say "Here, Here, Here!" THEY SAY LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE AND I SURE DID FEEL MUCH BETTER!

Sheree decided it would be appropriate to find a spot at a little park close by for a photography session to record our visit and we duly followed her to the park. We had a lot of fun and

A group of "smilers"

 managed to secure some excellent photos for our albums and as usual when you are having fun, time flies fast! I was feeling rather sad that I would soon be saying farewell to my new found family and when Laura came over and suddenly gave me a cuddle, I would have been happy to bring her back to New Zealand with us! The final heart rending moment for me personally came when Laura and I were discussing the big bears name. She said he was called "Furry Bear" and proceeded to write this on a small heart shaped "Post-It" note so that I wouldn't forget as I was an "Older person!"

 When I looked over her shoulder she had written "Furi Bear" and gave me the whole block in case I wanted to write the name again so I would be sure not to forget. This little gesture brought the tears welling to my eyes and I had to stagger away to regain my composure. I treasure this little note block and it has a prominent place on a shelf where I can view it every day.

Laura & Furi Bear

We finally managed to say our farewells and as we drove away, I wondered if I would ever return to this place in Australia that had given me so much raw emotion to handle in such a short space of time. I hoped I would.

Richard decided to take us on a different route home so we could see a bit more of the countryside and as he pointed out a number of interesting sites I realised just how scenic our own South Island is compared to Queensland and why it has become a popular tourist mecca. I know that Lyn and I look forward to our annual holidays in the South, albeit very brief holidays. We did see some fascinating ant hills and marveled at the wonderful old buildings in the little townships as we drove through.

Collectibles and Cafe

We stopped at a Café on the outskirts of Ipswich called the Ipswich Antique Centre and this was a prime example of good use of an old building. It was full of old wooden furniture, historical bits and pieces (all for sale) and even an old Golliwog sitting on a bed with a stuffed fox hovering close by. The coffee was very welcome and we left feeling quite refreshed.

Once we arrived back at the Apartment and as it was our last evening in Brisbane our hosts prepared a lovely meal of  BBQ leg of lamb (cooked on a Weber) with all the trimmings and a delightful dessert of Ice cream, Macadamia nuts and Frangelico Liquer. Delissimo!

We sat around chatting until late and then it was off to bed in preparation for leaving in the morning for New Zealand. It had been quite a day!

FOUND THE GOLLIWOG PHOTO!

Foxy Friend watching over Golly

R&R, Moreton Bay Bugs and Barramundi. Day 4 of our Oz Experience

View of the Great Divide Mountains

Day 4 Dawned nice and clear and the weather Gods were definitely on our side. We had a leisurely breakfast and while our hosts departed for a day at a Vintage car meet, Lyn and I waited for Nick to collect us for a quiet drive to a scenic location for a coffee and a chance to spend some time together.

Unfortunately this was not to be as their house was burgled during the night and they arrived late and very distressed. It was decided to have lunch at the Pines Golf Club close by and we duly booked into their outdoor restaurant. (Apparently the complex has about 5 food options for guests) 

An OZ steak sandwich!

Lyn ordered a turkey sandwich and I decided I would try their version of a steak sandwich. Sure enough, the sandwich came on very thick bread with the usual salad and chips! (This must be a traditional OZ preparation) While we dined, we noticed a large gum tree was full of noisy squawking birds (not uncommon in Brisbane from my point of view) and it turned out to be a Kookaburra being challenged by crows and other noisy birds. Talk about a racket! Just as well we all had good hearing as the noise went on until the Kookaburra asserted his or her authority and the noisy attackers departed.

A VERY noisy tree!

After lunch we returned to the apartment and spent the afternoon watching a couple of DVDs I had put together for Nick, mainly of his childhood in NZ and a brief outline of our Waipu lifestyle which he had never seem before. It was obviously quite emotional for him and the tears flowed freely all around the group. Worth the effort and I have determined to continue recording a range of future items to send to him from time to time. There is nothing like a video of family gatherings to get the emotions moving!

 

What a bugs meal should look lik

After Nick and Sherrie had departed to sort out the burglary situation we readied ourselves or a night out at the Grand Hotel Restaurant in Labrador a suburb close by. The Restaurant was named "Kokonut Willies" and was located on the Marine Parade and looked out on Wave Break Island in the Nerang River. Lyn had Moreton Bay Bugs on her Aussie "bucket list" and I had always wanted to try Barramundi, so we ordered these two dishes and settle down for what we hoped would be a meal to remember. I wished I had ordered a steak similar to Richards or the Lamb Shanks that another of our party had ordered. The seafood platter was pretty miserable by our standards, with two small servings each of Barramundi, Calamari and prawns and Lyns "Bugs" were tiny and not terribly easy to eat. The restaurant was very dark and although the scenery would be nice during the day, it was too dark to see what was happening on the river. The Guinness was nice!

We did enjoy having a night out and we met some lovely Aussie friends, but I can't wait to get down to the South Island for a meal of Blue Cod or to visit Kaikoura for a feed of crayfish!

A Memorable Pool Party in Oz .. Day 3

Before the Invasion!

The 3rd day in Brisbane dawned fine and clear and the prospect of meeting my Grandchildren for the very 1st time added an air of excitement to the day and although I had prepared myself for this event, I began to feel slightly nervous about how the event would pan out. My Son Nick, his partner Shiree and her children arrived shortly after morning tea and we sat around chatting for a while before making our way down to the patio and pool area. Our hosts, Sheree and Richard, began to set up the tables for lunch and we all relaxed in the warm sun and the beautiful surroundings added to our pleasure and Lyn and I enjoyed watching the children splashing in the two pools.

Brian & Nick

It was a wonderful feeling to be able to enjoy my son Nick's company after a 23 year break and I only wish that we had had more time to chat about his future plans. He and Shiree were preparing to move to McKay for a new job and hopefully a new beginning. Australia is apparently heading for a mining boom and Nick is planning to add to his metal working skills as a qualified boilermaker and how they can be utilised with some of the huge machinery that is needing repair.

Laura (our little Mermaid)

The security gate was flung open around 11 am and three more excited children roared into view and immediately headed for the changing room. Nervously they appeared again and their Mother brought them over to us and introduced them. Flynn aged 10, Deklan 9 and Laura 8 turned out to be just three wonderful and lively Grandchildren who spent the whole day cavorting in the pools. I had spoken to them on the phone a few times, but it was nice that we had finally met them in the flesh and it was a thrill to see how all the children interacted with one another. The two boys were real characters, but Laura Monique, stole my heart and I felt quite sad that we lived so far away from one another. She surely is a water baby in the true sense of the word as she spent almost the entire day in the pool! I called her our "Little Mermaid" I have heard since that she is "delighted to have a Granddad" as sadly her other Granddad has passed away.

Grandad & Flynn in a serious discussion

Our BBQ lunch was excellent and the children came out of the pool briefly to join us and then back into the pool until it was time to return to Ipswich where they live. Flynn and Deklan were pretty active for most of the day but I was able to have a chat to both of them during lunch and I was just happy to sit back and enjoy watching the blended families having fun. Nick of course was very involved and took the part of "Senior Kid" very well!


As the following Monday was a State Holiday we decided that we would go to Ipswich and spend some more time with the family and both our hosts offered to drive us there.

The Family farewell

 Some tears were shed at the afternoon farewell and as we waved goodbye I felt a little happier in the knowledge that I would see them all again before we left Australia. It sure was a lot quieter in the complex after their departure!

Our resident Kookaburra

During the day Lyn had spied a number of brightly coloured birds, but had not been able to get close enough to film them. I needed to go to the apartment to reload the dvd camera and when I alighted from the lift, I got one hellava fright when I turned the corner as there was a large Kookaburra sitting on a ledge close by. He got a fright as well and took off as fast as possible, but without making a sound. They are a most unusual bird and I was amazed at how big they are and of course their "laughter" is absolutely so distinctive.

It had been a lovely day and the four of us retired to the apartment where Sheree cooked us a meal of yummy toasted sandwiches. I have a reputation of being a great meat eater (typical NZ Male I gather) however her offering of Avocado, Cheese and Chilli sauce was absolutely delicious! Another highlight of the meal was the Nobilos wine, an excellent choice by our host Richard "The Fireman" who assured me he had been a Nobilo fan for some time. A lovely finish to a memorable day!