Almost watertight at the neighbours

There’s been plenty of progress on Mike and Andrea’s house and it’s almost watertight. Not too soon given the way the weather has been but it’s good for them that things are moving along as well as they are.

There are the usual homeowners grumbles – they’ve put the wrong handles on the windows we understand – but they do at least have a roof and windows and their cedar garage and front doors (even if this pic shows them open!).

Cabin fever

In their short lives Fortnum and Mason have only really known hot sunny days. Of course it has rained and it’s been often enough to know that they don’t like it much.

This week the weather has broken and it’s been cold, wet and miserable. The southerly has brought a stiff, cold brrrrreeze to Kaitoke. The temperature has dropped around 10 degrees which is shock to the system I can tell you.

The bassets hate it too. On the occasions that I’ve put them in their playpen they’ve retreated to their dog house to play and snooze. As I have a heart I’ve also had them in the kitchen area to play which is OK until they start fighting over toys and chews when they are then banished to their bedroom (aka laundry) where they have taken to shredding newspaper or in Fortnum’s case, destroying the stuffing in his bed. I’m putting this annoying and less than charming behaviour down to cabin fever which they seem to get when it rains and they can’t be running around outside.

Whilst we expect rain and we need it for the water tank and garden I really really wish it hadn’t come this week. My friend Sarah has arrived from the UK for her visit and it’s just not fair that she has to endure the mist, rain and chill. Thank goodness for the central heating so we’ve been able to keep warm. Fingers crossed that the weather will improve before she heads off on her 5 day tramp of the Milford Track.

New Catapultian

Today Catapult launched a new website to boost our presence for leadership programmes. With our first public leadership programme starting this week in Martinborough it seemed appropriate to be launching the new site for all to see. Check it out!

This programme is the backbone of my coaching practice this year as I will be coaching all participants in their follow up coaching sessions (around 150 hours of coaching in all). I have however landed two new executive coaching clients for Catapult Coaching . It’s a really nice feeling to actually start to see the business starting to develop. Hopefully the coaching element will be added to the main Catapult website soon – don’t worry I’ll tell you when it’s there!

Photoblogging – more to come

MT’s been photoblogging this weekend at the Kaitoke Regional Park. This is just a five minute ride in the car from where we will. It’s an amazing place of natural beauty with plenty of walks and swimming holes in the river for those who want to cool off.

It’s hard to capture the sense of place in photos sometimes but this will at least give you a glimpse of what you can enjoy there.

He won’t thank me for posting this picture but this is BT, my father in law. He’s been an avid photographer whilst here in NZ. I’m hoping to pinch some of his pics to be able to boost my photoblogging before he leaves at the weekend. Watch this space for more to come!

A right caning

Big night out at the Rugby last night to watch the Hurricanes play the Chiefs. The local team delivered a right caning with a 39-19 win over the visitors.

It was a balmy evening so made for a pleasant night out. Although it seemed like touch and go whether we’d get tickets as the queue went for miles and people were reporting only a few tickets left. Seems that someone needs to go back to school to teach the ticket sellers how to sell and preferably more quickly without having to share the EPTPOS machines. Made me think we could do with Marilyn my friend’s aunt who ran the ticket office at Sunderland Football club for years.

We were seated close to the front which to be honest I didn’t find a great place to be as all you saw were chunky thighs and knees scrabbling around. At least when you’re higher up you get a better sense of where the ball is and what’s happening.

With The ‘Canes dominating play at the opposite end from where we were sitting I was looking forward to the second half when play would be more at our end. But no, the Chiefs were striking back and I’m not sure I really got my money’s worth of action.

Still, it was a warm and balmy night and the locals did win!

A problem shared

The person who came up with the saying that “A problem shared is a problem halved” must have been completely deluded. I’ve been sharing my current problem of weed attack with Bob, my father-in-law, but it doesn’t seem to have halved the problem at all. It did however make the legs and back ache slightly less than it might otherwise have done.

Having got the flower beds weeded and mulched it was time to start on the soon to be herb and salad garden and the remaining land around the house. After about 4 hours of work between us we’ve cleared about 20 square metres. Not a bad effort but just think about how long this is going to take to tackle the other couple of acres of weeds.

Still, armed with my fork, trowel, weed hacker and my trusty garden cart I shall set forth day by day to try and clear the worst before the rains come and they multiply all over again. But hey, it’s all in a day’s work eh out in the country!

Site of the soon to be herb and salad garden

Just to prove that I’m not playing up the extent of the weed problem. My prize thistle and dandelion field.

Back by popular demand – this is what Fortnum and Mason do to contribute to the weed busting effort. Playing together in the sun (that’s after they’ve been shooed off the area being weeded where they like to lie right where you are working)

For more on my garden.

A treat never hurt anyone!

It’s been a tough time for the bassets since their op’s made harder by Fortnum’s longer recovery. However, we try to make it as much fun as possible for them with an occasional treat to cheer them up.

Also, Fortnum’s been increasingly allowed to take his hat off and run free and wild. He is much happier when it’s like this but because he needs to be supervised all the time to ensure he doesn’t start licking his wound it can only be a short respite. He looks so depressed when you pick up the buster collar on but despite his hatred of it he placidly accepts that’s the way it’s going to be.

Fortnum and Mason are just such different characters. Mason is the bold, clever (sneeky) and athletic of the pair. He is a real attention seeker who loves to make mischief but pretty obedient in training. Mason’s not really food motivated too much and would rather snout around and play in the flower beds given the chance rather than sit with a food toy to distract him.

Fortnum is almost the opposite. He’s the follower, more tolerant and loveable in his inability to be agile. He’s a big boy and lumbers around although content to sit or lie on the veranda sniffing into the wind. Most of all he loves food – pretty much any sort. Most of all he loves his bones, pigs ears and treats. In the morning he loves to play picking up his soft toy stingray as he hurries out the door to do his business first thing. He gets very upset when Mason doesn’t want to play and will bark for attention before heading into the corner to sulk or find a way of flopping into your lap for a cuddle.

Every day you see them both develop physically and their characters. There is no doubt they create huge amounts of work but they give enormous amounts of pleasure too when you watch them goofy around or simply kicking back basset style and laying in the sun.

Mason getting his chops around his chew

Fortnum is not taking any chance with his treat and hording it in the corner away from Mason who might try and nick it from him

You can see more of Fortnum and Mason.

Kiwi Cook

Roseanna Wohnsiedler was born in Gisbourne and now lives in Napier.

Houseblogging – end of an era

Today I closed down my companion site – Kaitoke Grand Design. A blog designed to chronicle the build of the house. You can check it out.

Plants are thriving

Despite the hot weather the garden is starting to thrive with the plants in the beds around the house really setting down roots. It is starting to look like a real garden should. The bees are loving the plants close to the front veranda which makes it difficult for maintenance during the day. Best to wait for the bees to go to bed.

Only another 20 plants to put in this week and then that’s it for this growing season as the remaining plants we need are simply not available at the nurseries at the moment. Still, there are plenty of thistles to be dug up so that will make a change from putting plants in the ground!

January 2008

End February 2008 – not bad eh!

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