HAYESY HAY DAY

Today we baled and stacked 300 bales of hay. It was a bit of a family affair, Mum always at the ready with a cuppa and a scone,  Dad,76 with one kidney and some dodgy pipe work happy to get on an ancient Fergy tractor and haul it around the paddock that has some tight corners. We started the job yesterday in 29 degrees - today was  aslightly cooler but sticky 27 degrees uncomfortable.

And then there is the Rock who has a passion for doing things the old way which means using old stuff. Some of it 30 - 50 years old. We had our moments - the Holland Baler busted its boiler a couple of times but the Rock , as he almost always does , fixed it. And the Hay conveyor chewed bales for a while till we worked out a bulging guiding rod was the culprit  it was fixed in a paddock moment with the most intricate of tools  - a sledgehammer. Two bangs and dang if it didn't slide the bales up like butter. 

Son Matthew joined us for the last round of the paddock so there were three generations of Campbells outstanding in their field. It also meant the oldest skited to the youngest by ripping round the paddock  only to be sworn at to slow down. Dad might want to do a lot of things at his age but apparently driving a  62 bedford truck scooping up hay sedately is not one of them. 

The bales were neatly stacked in our shed  - almost all of them - a mate took about 60 straight from the paddock for her stock. 

As I sit here typing this , Im still feeling the scratch of a lonely grass wand on my slightly less ample arse  but  no one stirs. 

Asleep they are  -  dreaming of big bales and noisy machines, dust and a very tidy stack, a cleansing shower  and the smell of Mums fresh scones and my strawberry preserves from the house and a cold beer.   

Don't die - multiply

"However, as with other cities that have faced eviction; Occupy Auckland did not die - we multiplied. Thus, our members have committed to (and already begun) independently establishing several new simultaneous occupations throughout Auckland, that will continue to grow organically and under their own governance." - https://www.facebook.com/OccupyAuck?sk=wall

Translation : we went home ( or back to our cardboard box under Grafton Bridge.)


"Occupy Auckland ‎#OANZMedia URGENT NEEDS...... We need Tsticks for Mobile Internet x5 We need an upgrade to our Ustream channel www.ustream.tv/channel/occupy9z Currently we have a basic channel Its 90USD to upgrade to a Professional channel." - https://www.facebook.com/OccupyAuck?sk=wall

Translation : we need access to those 'corporate news' channels and multi-national capitalist, telecommunications channels we disparage.


"chris - we're still in Aotea Square. we need to go somewhere. let's go to vic pk.

awatea - vic pk! that's where tangata whenua are going.

areta - twh needs to stick together against you, the british subject, the settler

alison - i acknowledge that i'm a guest on this land. I was raised by maori, i was the first to speak up for tangata whenua on the occupation. insulted by being called a racist." - http://occupyauckland.org/ga-minutes-23-dec-2011-1800

Translation: Maori have more rights to protest than non-Maori.

BEAT UP OF THE YEAR

What a complete load of tosh. This is another example of  speculative journalism. Take a pinch of facts chuck in some fame seeking expert. Look at the worst case scenario and report it. 

Mind you if the birds glow in the dark they will be easier to catch.

However we are pretty confident that the titi's biggest threat is a hungry Rakiura Maori chap or chapess.

Auckland Council reconnects water supply to Occupy Auckland protest site

FINE WINE AND LODGINGS

Today was a great day. We woke up early at Spring Creek  motorcamp and I shot down to the creek to feed the eels.  They fought with the ducks and trout  for a few crumbs of bread.

Then we decided on a trip up the Wairau Valley. Our first stop was a small pub at Wairau Valley township where we had a toasted sandwich and I had a half of Matsons lager..  It was a nice light drop.

Then we went to one of a myriad spots that motorvan owners (mo'vanners) like ma and pa know about. Todays visual treat was Lake Argyle which is a small canal lake that is diverted from the Branch  and Leatham  Rivers to create a bit of power.. It holds a few fish - so ma and I went for a stroll to the big rivers while dad had a couple of casts in Argyle. While he claims he got a few nibbles there were  no fish in his bag on our return.  

On the way back  to Picton and our final night in the South, we stopped to get some cherries for lambcut  and some good white wines . I wanted some nice aromatics to go with the crayfish dishes I have planned for Boxing Day. 

So I purchased a six pack of  Gewurztraminer, Toru and Pinot Gris from Te Whare Ra wines. 

I have a few recipes to try out and will blog about the matches after Xmas. 

I am no true believer in biodynamic practices but  I am a  believer in loving the land and nurturing it and whatever the Flowerdays are doing it is good for the grape. Their wines are probably some of the most complex and interesting aromatics in the country. 

And I cant wait to pair them up with a range of crayfish,  whitebait,  and smoked eel dishes. 

Today was a brilliant day.. some great sights, fantastic people and good food and wine.. It doesn't get much better.. 

A GOOD BED AND A TANIWHA

Tonight we are in the Spring Creek motor camp. Its a lovely wee place and we are again in a cabin for $80.  So what did i get for $80?  A really nice bed  clean as , a bright and clean duvet a clean toilet and shower. 

Its old and built of concrete block but perfectly adequate.

Its light years away from this hell  hole in Kaikoura.

And this holiday park is set up for kids and has a delightful spring fed creek thats home to some huge trout and eels. 

Its the quintessential new zealand holiday park. 

KACK IN KAIKOURA

We  are on the first stay of a three day trip from Christchurch to Wellington. So far it has been fabulous to spend some time with mum and dad in their faithful steel steed - their motorhome known as Bugsys Burrow.  We stopped at Waipara Springs  winery for a stellar coffee and bought a couple of bottles of wine  and then stopped in Cheviot and had a noisy in a fabulous antique shop. Then we looked into a lovely gallery and struck up a conversation to find in ten seconds  flat that we found an acquaintance we had in common. This seems to be a national sport for Kiwis. Work out with a stranger someone you both know in the shortest time possible. With well travelled parents and a chirpy and inquiring old man - its a daily occurrence.  Now we are not too precious about where we stay on out trips and it makes it easier if its a camping ground with a power site for ma and pa and a cabin for me - that way we can stay together.  Their motor home is cosy for 2 but cramped for 3. So our first night park  up is in a place called the A1 Motel in Kaikoura. Its a place probably built in the 70's and its bloody tired.  Now we dont really mind tired but we dont abide grubby and this one is grubby.  It was $30 for the power site for ma and pa and $70 for my room.
We have with us some precious cargo - a mate who owns a lobster exporting company gave us over a dozen cray tails for xmas.  so a fridge is good. I unpacked them and put them in the fridges freezer and as i closed the door it fell off. Landed on my toe..  it hurt. but i could not help laughing.  the sheets are clean but the toilet would be a great centrepiece in a horror movie of the genesis of some alien life form.
So we wont be back. But like all good holidays the bad experiences are all part of the trip.  This morning we are off to cruise around Blenheim. A mate has offered us a cuppa tea and some fresh xmas baking.  And then Sunday sees us in Picton for the big crossing on BlueBridge.

Pushing the envelope

A HUNTING WE WILL GO

Hunting is in my blood - not sure if its the Maori, Portuguese or Scottish genes but the reality is I am happy to kill to eat.

I harvest muttonbirds - its not hunting as you know where they are  and for a few weeks they dont move and despite very sharp beaks and feet its not a fair competition - hence the distinction. 

We harvest for food or food for barter. Our right to harvest muttonbirds is enshrined in legislation the preserve of  the descendants of a few families canny enough to strike a deal with the govt over 100 years ago. 

Our father  - indeed most of our family have hunted for generations for food to feed their families. The aim is always to do the least damage to the meat to ensure the greatest amount of food for the family. 

Head shots make heroes of hunters.  

Duck Hunters dont hunt - they harvest - a defined  bird population and an  unequal competition . This "sport" is not hunting. It is not about food. Otherwise the rules and gun type would be different to reflect the desire to do the least damage to the meat. 

Instead shotguns are used.  Its about killing the most ducks the quickest way possible. Old and young are slaughtered - again no practices to support the maximum return of meat. 

And bush assassins like this  dork - who gloats about the size of the hole the bullet has made in a deer are not hunters. 

For them its about the killing. Not the hunt and not the food they talk about the kill, the guns and the bullets. 

Its not a sport as the deer has no comeback. Those who worship the gun have no respect for the animal they kill. 

And as all girls know gun nuts make lousy lovers.

Dunne has made it his mission to ban heli hunting.  

Ground hunters hate them - seeing them as the soulless air assassins who have no love of the hunt - that mythical quest to pit man against beast in an  "even  contest" 

Deer, tahr chamois are all considered pests so plans to manage their numbers is critically important.

Everyone wants to see humane kills and thirdly the recovery of meat and skins for food and because of their value is important. 

Heli Hunting has been carried out all over New Zealand  and was largely responsible for the huge reduction in numbers of deer in places like Fiordland. 

We have heli hunted heaps in Te Anau . Its quick clean and requires the skill of pilots and shooters and done well its superbly efficient. 

However the ground hunting lobby has managed to secure the political support of Peter Dunne who is making it his mission to get rid of commercial heli hunters. 

The problem is the argument is plain silly.

Heli hunting brings in big spenders from the States and Europe. Older men ,  usually who are  not physically fit enough to hunt on the ground. 

They will pay huge money for trophy heads.  A good pilot will ensure even the worst shot will down his quarry. 

So what do they do right?

The animals are killed - reducing the impact on the bush and mountain tundra. More often than not they are killed quickly and cleanly. 

And thirdly they bring in a class of tourist who spend up big while they are here. 

Thirdly there is no pretense of it being  "sport " or an "even contest." 

The shooters just want to go home and say they killed a cool animal. And they will pay extraordinary money to do it. 

Ground hunters  claim the moral high ground. However its a very low sandy bump in a desert of hypocrisy. Ground hunters cannot guarantee to kill an animal quickly and cleanly. And many just kill for the trophies showing no interest in the venison making them no different than helihunters. 

They claim that helicopters are noisy and destroy the back country experience. 

Funny - its the same noise that a rescue helicopter makes.  

They claim that heli hunters " haze " or herd the animals. Maybe they do and if that was such a welfare issue then this heli hunting ban  should also include the wild venison recovery industry. 

So the argument on "welfare  grounds " is  invalidated - it should be all or nothing. 

I know that if  I wanted some venison and I could afford it I would take the chopper  any day. 

The reality is that this is  an issue of envy.  

Its about those who cannot afford to charter a chopper to seek out their prey. 

I can hear the roar of the jealous from here.  

Anyone got a  308? 

No, not the productive Ardern I meant the other one ...

Sir Loin was standing at the K Road  / Pitt Street intersection a few weeks back. The pavements were infested with jiggling young Labour groupies waving their trite slogans. They waved at the weary commuters on the way home from their over-taxed underpaid jobs. A product of the stuttering economy Clark , Cullen , Cunliffe and all the other wannabe Commies gifted to New Zealand with their tax and spend during the boom years of the two triple zero's.

In the middle of the squealing farrow was a tallish young woman dressed in a sensible dark skirt and jacket. Inexplicably, though entirely appropriate to the location, she was wearing what appeared to be 'hooker boots'. She turned and smiled directly at Sir Loin. Sir Loin recoiled as if he had been gazed upon by Medusa , it was the Labour candidate for Auckland Central. Sir Loin rapidly retreated into the shadows cast by the ex Naval & Family bar hoping that he would not be turned to stone.

Apparently the unsuccessful electorate candidate for Auckland Central but highly placed list MP is seen as a potential Labour Party leader and possibly Prime Minister. So what qualifies her to decide how much tax will be screwed out of us and how that tax will be spent / squandered ?

Jacinda Ardern was born in Hamilton in 1980, went to primary and secondary school in Morrinsville and then headed to Waikato University in 1999 where she earned her Bachelor in Communication Studies. 

She also spent a few years of her childhood in the Bay of Plenty town of Murupara, where her dad was stationed as a police officer. 

Like many New Zealanders, she headed overseas in her 20s, for a taste of freedom and to widen her work experience - including spending time in London working for three years as a senior policy advisor. 

She has been heavily involved in campaigning for grassroots Labour, serving as vice president of Young Labour in 2003-2004, before being elected president of the International Union of Socialist Youth in early 2008. 

As president of the International Union, Jacinda spent time in Mumbai, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Algeria, before deciding to focus on making a difference back home in New Zealand.

Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/Candidate-profile-Jacinda-Ardern/tabid/419/articleID/230094/Default.aspx#ixzz1gAYBkkRB

It appears like all her current cohorts and past Clarkian mentors she is highly qualified to be a Labour MP and Prime minister. She has a decade of experience taking / spending other peoples money and then telling them how to live their lives.

Camp Brown

A look at the list of "Like"s for Occupy Aucklands Facebook page makes sense of why Camp Mother Len Brown is taking so long to boot the whingers off ratepayer funded property. Len Brown  likes them.

CORRECTION Oh dear Sir Loin made a mistake, Occupy Auckland like Brown. The good news is that Keeping Stock has dug deeper and found Len Brown also likes Occupy Auckland.

I'm thinking that Occupy Auckland liking Len Brown is far far worse: if he was doing his job they would hate him.

HORSESHIT AND BIODYNAMICS

A few weeks ago when the International Big Oil was in town a few media politeratti and cliteratti gathered for a bit of a catch up.

There was good wine to be had.  Lots of it - we were buying and sharing our favourites with  others . 

A well known media personality presented us with a new wine.  

It was cloudy and sorry boys - but it was the colour of a mucky period.. 

A diseased ruby color. 

We all sniffed inquisitively and as I cast my eyes around the table it was clear that this was not an ephiphanistic drop. 

We sipped but our palates were in obvious agreement - it was not a great wine. 

The purchaser of this bemusing wine was aghast - "Its bio dynamic! " he exclaimed 

Moments like these are always dangerous for us sheilas of advancing years and bladder valves worn by too many evenings on the hops as a young un. 

We were characteristically blunt. "Its crap." 

Others murmured in agreement . To be fair some thought it was okay  - drinkable at a pinch - " A quaffer " someone proffered.

Then the buyee of the bottle thundered  "Its $245.. "

About $10 bucks worth shot out the left side on my mouth. 

A mate lost control of her muscles and spilt a $20 bucks on the table as she jerked in reaction to the revelation. 

Then we proceeded to take the piss out of the plonk. It was universally declared ordinary. 

Bio dynamics is a wonderful marketing ploy by the organic lobby. Medieval mysticism gone moderne. 

Now I grow a few veges  and we have cows and sheep a horse and chooks and as everyone knows manure is good for you. I use it extensively  and the results are glorious. Use lots of manure and you get robust, lush fecund fauna. 

 However playing in shit filling up horns cos they are the seemingly magical   "fertile" bit of the bovine and burying them to mature the said crap  is just frikking daft. 

Doing it in time with the moon and sun indicates that the believers have been exposed to too many solar flares. 

Now in this video  up on the Seresin Wine Site (which I think has some of the finest wine in the world) is an example of  how this pseudo science is being peddled. 

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/forejgHXqD4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>iframe>

Some cute guy  playing with poo somehow seems romantic when the dreamy scenes are linked to lush vineyards. 

He looks like some agrarian Merlin piling the poop into horns for it to mature in the earth to wait a while for it to turn into plant superfood. 

The simple fact is - if you line up a biodynamic vineyard and one that uses natural fertilisers like manure broken down in the old fashioned way, the results would be the same. 

Its not the moon or the sun or the "fertile horn"  or even the steadfast belief of the cute guy that's creating good wine. Its a modern myth. 

Its simply that shit is the biz when it comes to making things grow. 

And its time that this weird wine wankery was unmasked for what it is  - bollocks. 

Some biodynamic wine will be good in spite of the all the jiggery pokery .  Because shit is good for the soil.  But all the biodynamic ritual adds no value

The shit is where its at. 

So to all you good wine makers out there - stop taking the piss - us good wine drinkers deserve more respect .

Their is truth in the vine - tell it.