CHRISTOPHER’S COMMENT April 2015.
For those few people who read this comment you will note that I have promised to be more onto it in 2015 with regard to keeping this up-to-date. I am not sure that I have been but my intentions are good.
Since last writing in December we have fattened and sold all our lambs at acceptable weights (18 kgms+ ) but at unacceptable returns. Our meat processors indicated that we should be averaging around $103 for a 17.5 kgm lamb based on a schedule averaging $5.80 to $6.00. We haven’t been able to average anywhere near that with the bulk of our lambs being around the $5.00 to $5.25. As usual there is every reason under the sun why this has occurred and I am sure some of them are genuine. Our meat industry is in need of a really good shake up before another lot of land gets converted to dairying and now is the opportune time for it to occur given the low dairy payout will naturally put a halt to more conversions. Watch this space.
We were very fortunate to unexpectedly receive 75mm of rain in the early part of January at a time when we were wondering if it was going to be another dry summer. This rain along with smaller amounts at regular intervals has kept us growing grass throughout the summer. It enabled us to make a further 103 bales of baleage giving us a total of 253. Hopefully adequate. I am mindful though that some parts of New Zealand, namely North Canterbury, are still in drought conditions.
All the stock have done well over the summer/autumn. Ewes have gone to the ram in good condition and we have been able to mate our hoggets again after not being able to because of drought in previous years. Our dairy heifers are looking good for returning to their owners next week and there is nice grass closed up for the incoming calves.
So all in all the farm has had a good year apart from our sheep returns which are really out for our control. Hugh has once again done an excellent job in managing the farm although it hasn’t all been plain sailing for him. Our casual worker Candice who between ironman’s was our main helper decided to have a baby in February so that meant we were one helper short at what is a critical time of the year for us. We did have a student job search student to help with weed spraying etc but no-one measures up to Candice....! Anyway, congratulations to Candice and Elliot who produced a baby boy named Flynn in late February.
In late January we had a very welcome visit from Chris and Caroline Addison. When I worked in England in 1970 I spent some time working for Chris’s parents Steele and Margaret. Chris worked here in NZ and this is his first visit back with Caroline. We had a lovely time looking over the farm, going to the beach (including swimming in the Pacific as did his parents before him) and reacquainting with our family – some of whom have been born since their last visit. We look forward to catching up with them again on our next visit to the UK.
In early February Janet and I flew to Queenstown where we met up with Rupert and Shona and the four of us headed to Stewart Island where we had rented a cottage for eight days. We had the most amazing time there including walking the Rakiura track (one of the Great Walks) and finishing mid table in the weekly Stewart Island Sunday night Pub Quiz; not for the faint hearted or those with gentle sensibilities! Lots of other exploring and walks as well. A white tailed deer and fawn in our garden and keas on the deck....amazing! After dinner one evening at a beautiful restaurant called Church Hill we all went up to Observation Rock (together with most other tourists on the Island) to observe the spectacular setting sun; there we met Tara, a young Dutch woman, who was walking the Rakiura and the Kepler Track at the same time as us. The Kepler, established relatively recently to take the pressure off the Milford Track, is a must for all New Zealanders. We were blessed with perfect weather, no wind, sunny, warm and views forever. Absolutely spectacular. Even better, to have someone younger and fitter than us, to save us a lower bunk in the DOC huts! Thank you Tara.
Tara arrived to stay with us at the villa for a few days the following month before she departed our shores. We had a such a good time showcasing this part of the country. She loved the farm, the beach, the trip to the Pinnacles in the Coromandel. We loved having her to stay; such fun. So many Easter eggs.....!
A special visit too from Bob and Audrey March; they had come out from the UK to see their little granddaughter Caitlin while we were in the South Island so it was a quick catch up as they were close to heading to Auckland to fly home. Great to see them again. Thank you for the screws Bob.
After Easter, Mark joined Janet and I for a walk out to the Cape Brett lighthouse in the Bay of Islands, Northland. This eight hour walk sets out from Rawhiti which is half an hour from Russell and we chose the option of staying two nights in the DOC hut, then returning by water taxi the following morning. It is a challenging walk especially the last part from Deep Water Cove to the Cape, with its steep spectacular cliff tops and dramatic drop offs. There is amazing views on the way and the light house itself, although now decommissioned – a solar version has taken its place, is stunning. It is a magical place. We spent our free day relaxing and watching tourist boats conveying their passengers through the well known “Hole in the Rock” including a helicopter landing people on top of the rock. The weather changed on our last night to wind, rain and very big swells. Our water taxi was due to pick us up at 9am in front of the DOC hut but with the new weather conditions we were signalled to go on the other side of the peninsular. There appeared to us that there could be no possible way down this seemingly vertical cliff face( perhaps 80 metres ) but the skipper’s assistant appeared at the top and said “follow me”! We slid, scrambled and crawled our way down and somehow reached the bottom where the next trick was to leap from the rocks onto a pitching boat in the heaving sea. The swell was such that we had to time our jump in the very second that our skilful lady skipper could get the boat close enough to the rocks without hitting them. We somehow all made it, returning to the truck parked at Rawhiti and celebrating that night with a fabulous meal at the Duke of Marlborough in Russell, the oldest hotel in New Zealand. Tara would have loved this trip; truly inspirational?
ANZAC day, 25 April, has come and gone for another year. This year, the Centenary of the Gallipoli Landing, was especially poignant as Marie Beech, Cliff’s Mother, won a ballot to attend the Dawn Service there. We remember all our wartime heroes, especially the family ones.
Now it’s back to reality. Plenty of projects to do on the farm and still plenty to do at the Villa. But also plenty of great things to look forward to as well.
Only one family birthday so far this year. James’s was on 3rd January. The next one is very close. I am sure I’ll be reminded of it all this week!
Take care everyone and we will continue this epistle in a couple of month’s time.
:CMG
27 April 2015
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