Last weekend Daryl and Shaun were planning on going up to the block to do some work, but Jessica and I tagged along (more on the reason why below). Unfortunately or fortunately depending on which way you look at it things are never quite as productive on the block when the family is up there. I think it's because there is a lot more baggage to load and unload from the truck and I do tend to insist on regular normalish meals instead of snacking on the run, so even after a 4am start by the time we get to the block the day is already half over.
We still managed to get quite a lot done however, and we completed Daryl's main mission which was to dig a drain leading from our wettest paddock into our culvert and down to a pond. This was done mostly by Daryl in the tractor however we had to dig out near and under the fences by hand as the tractor couldn't get in close enough.
The drain worked really well and we got to see some instant results! As Daryl dug with the tractor the ditch
filled up with water draining in from the surrounding paddock and, once we joined the new drain to the culvert, a river of water ran down. Hopefully this new drain will have the effect of drying out the paddock so its not so boggy at the bottom end and isn't drowning the grass further up.
We still managed to get quite a lot done however, and we completed Daryl's main mission which was to dig a drain leading from our wettest paddock into our culvert and down to a pond. This was done mostly by Daryl in the tractor however we had to dig out near and under the fences by hand as the tractor couldn't get in close enough.
The drain worked really well and we got to see some instant results! As Daryl dug with the tractor the ditch
filled up with water draining in from the surrounding paddock and, once we joined the new drain to the culvert, a river of water ran down. Hopefully this new drain will have the effect of drying out the paddock so its not so boggy at the bottom end and isn't drowning the grass further up.
While we were busy digging, the kids kept themselves well occupied. Shaun either riding his bike down the stream to the pond, digging with a toy backhoe loader in the water, digging with his new spade in the drain and dirt piles and just enjoying the mud. By the end of the day he was well soaked, covered in mud and exhausted.
Jessica, after her first foray into the puddles and mud where she got her boots stuck, preferred to stay on high ground. She had great fun banging stones against the trailer and making noise, or climbing around inside the car. By far though, her favourite activity was riding in the tractor with Daryl. She really got the hang of 'helping' to change the push button gears!
Jessica, after her first foray into the puddles and mud where she got her boots stuck, preferred to stay on high ground. She had great fun banging stones against the trailer and making noise, or climbing around inside the car. By far though, her favourite activity was riding in the tractor with Daryl. She really got the hang of 'helping' to change the push button gears!
So, the reason we all went up to the block is pretty exciting. GreenIdeas magazine has asked to feature us and our build in their magazine. They will be writing a series of articles about the build which will be published in a sort of diary in their upcoming issues....yes you read that right, ISSUES!!! We are going to feature in more than one magazine! Part of this involved getting some professional photos done of us out and about on the land so on Saturday when we had some beautiful sunny weather a photographer came out from Nelson and took some photos, of us, the family, the land and of us working. We've seen some of these photos and they are amazing! We can't wait for the first article to come out! |
So amongst all the digging and photographing we managed to get a few more bits and pieces done. Shaun, Jessica and I got to see the Calf for the first time and it's doing well and is already quite big. Daryl and the kids shifted our Steers into another paddock with the tractor (they happily follow it expecting Baleage) and we gave the Heifers their Molassis bucket then unloaded another load of fence posts and rails from the trailer. So although we were only there for roughly half the day, we still got a fair bit done.
According to Shaun, we can't make the trip home without stopping to see the seals and the sea. So we pulled over at the Ohau Stream, did a nature walk through the forest to see the seal pups playing in the waterfall then spent some time on the rocky beach throwing rocks and running from the waves!