New Perspectives

During winter our guest numbers are definitely down. Just as well, really. It’s actually one of the busiest times on the farm with stock ready to go away and new stock to replace them, to view, bid for or buy, organise trucking and drenching of the newbies, and overseeing their arrival and orientation. It’s a time to tidy up pasture and lay the bones for the season ahead, prune roses and trees, and perform maintenance on the buildings like clearing out gutters and so on. Today I have spent most the day on the quad spraying carrot weed.

It also means I can have some time “off farm”.

Having married my gorgeous Queen Street IT professional, I now am in the somewhat blessed situation of having the best of both worlds… we have two homes between us, mine in the countryside and Dave’s in the city. And not just any city either. Auckland is our largest city and boasts much to give one a cultural, shopping or culinary fix. So last weekend saw me nip down the motorway for a weekend that included an early morning foray to the Oratia Famers Market where we snaffled some Buffalo Mozzarella, walnut bread, cloudy apple juice, huge red onions and crunchy munchy capsicums at giveaway prices, THE best peanut butter in the world - Pics – check their website out if want to have a good laugh – smoked garlic, and two divine spicy pumpkin and cream cheese muffins …..mmmmmm. This great little market sits on the outskirts of town behind Glen Eden, nestled amongst apple orchards not far from where my Uncle Jack used to live – I remember piling into his Escort to go for Sunday drives, shopping from “honesty” box fruit stalls along the roadsides.

Later in the day we took in a movie at a very grown up cinema, The Rialto at Newmarket, where we sipped pinot noir from the comfort of huge squashy comfy seats, with no-one kicking your chair back or rustling crisp packets, talking or texting… bliss! The film was Cemetery Junction and I recommend it. Then it was off to dinner at an inner city Italian job – pancetta & field mushroom risotto for me, and spicy lamb for Dave.

We slept late on Sunday, watched the All Blacks trounce the South Africans on Sky Sports, walked 5km on comfortably non-ankle threatening pavements, and cooked together in the evening, glass in hand, in his uber modern designer kitchen before curling up together on his fabby reclining leather sofa that is guaranteed to put one to sleep faster than a political broadcast…..

His piece of real estate comes with a back drop of native bush complete with resident tuis and wood pigeons, fantails, spotted doves and wax eyes plus all normal feathery friends; sparrows, thrushes, blackbirds and starlings. A mere 2 minute walk takes you to the Manukau harbour where wading birds and gulls call to each other, and a coastal walk that has a set of steps way better than any StairMaster! About thirty ducks hang about the street warming their bottoms on the asphalt when they aren’t fossicking in the stream in the reserve, the road comes with Ducks Crossing warning signs.

On the subject of signs – two that make me laugh every time I head south:

One on the fence of a rural property reads “I WANT KUMARA” along with a cell ph number to call if you have a surfeit, presumably…. Bet he gets a few prank calls too. And on the outskirts of Warkworth there is a cheese place that has a sign up declaring “Last Cheese Before the Airport” – I think one is meant to assume they mean Auckland International but in fact it eludes to the Warkworth Airstrip a few kms down the road. Full marks for enthusiasm!

My next trip south will be in a Beech 1900 plane thanks to last minute tickets at super bargain bin prices – and I will have yet another perspective over our beautiful countryside!