Thursday 30 October 2014

Planting a shelter belt


Our new piece of land has a prevailing wind pattern from the south, so a while ago we decided to plant a shelter belt of natives on our southern boundary.
Using Flax, Ribbonwood, Hebe, Karo, Olearia, Kowhai and Manuka we aimed to plant a double row that went the whole length of the fence (approx. 50 metres).
I did some research online, and we bought trees from a local plant nursery that was closing down in Coromandel, as well as buying 100 plants from Full Bloom Nursery near Hamilton.
The biggest challenge was getting all the plants to fit in my little car!


The process was to:
> mark out the area where we were going to plant the natives (making sure they weren’t too close the fence and the hungry cows on the other side),
> put up shade netting on the fence so the young plants didn't get scorched by the sun,
> mow the grass and dig holes for the plants, adding a small handful of blood and bone to each hole, and
> plant the natives and cover the grass around each plant with cardboard (free from Four Square!). Here are Duncan and I hard at work.

 

We then covered the cardboard with mulch, and put in a watering system. 'How do we know where the watering holes are on the pipe?' I asked. 'Oh! The watering holes get pushed in once you have laid the pip out on the ground!' Clever, eh?


We also planted a couple of larger puriri trees at the same time, to replace a couple of trees that had been removed (one a puriri that was taken out before we bought the land, and one a blackwood that was unfortunately exactly where we wanted to put the building).

And hey presto, one shelter belt!

A few months on… and the trees are doing really well. In retrospect, we should have planted them even further from the fence, as man, those cows can reach! But we have only lost a couple of plants and all the others are growing vigorously, so we are very pleased. What's the next job? Oh yes, build a house!


Friday 19 September 2014

Spring has sprung!

Spring has definitely sprung!

We heard our first Shining Cuckoo today as we were eating breakfast. Later, after a shower of rain, we were outside planting seeds.

This year we have a definite focus on Mediterranean vegetables that are pricey in the shops: aubergine, peppers, good tomatoes and herbs.


We were given seeds by Jimmy Boswell, the Gluten-free chef, and that has encouraged us to try some more unusual heritage varieties. This year we are growing Babich and apple cucumbers, basil, long sweet red and yellow peppers and Marmande, Costoluto Fiorentino and S. Marzano 2 varieties of tomato.




Mmm, can’t wait until they are all ready to pick (and eat!)

Saturday 2 August 2014

The Design

Right now, we are close to the end of the design process…
We have fantasized about our new home, we have been presented with concepts, we have talked about the merits of various types of brick, and now we are signing off on the design and nearly ready to put the plans to Council, with the hope that we can start building in the Spring…

So what is the design like exactly?
Well, it is a series of three brick two-storey rectangles, joined by glass corridors… think industrial, think mid-century, think white painted brick…
The first rectangle will house a garage/laundry/toilet on the ground floor and two bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor.
The second rectangle will house a kitchen/dining downstairs and two bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor.
The third rectangle will house a 1½-storey living area.


Here are some photos of how I imagine it will look when it is finished... or how it will feel… kind of :o)




Monday 7 July 2014

The Art of Resting

The Art of Resting

On the last weekend in June, I went on my first ever yoga retreat (restorative yoga) with a girlfriend. A whole weekend of blissful child-free pampering at the Mana Retreat Centre… what could possibly be nicer? Arriving in the dark/wet was quite stressful (and we were late, of course). But all that tension and concentration melted away once we arrived. The welcome was warm as was the delicious vegetarian food… simple yet presented with care.


We read the schedule in front of the fire, had our first taste of restorative yoga and got an early night, in anticipation of a full Saturday and Sunday.


For our accommodation, I had chosen the option of being further away from the main centre building, but this had the benefit of more privacy. Our 2-bed sleepout (with separate bathroom a few steps away) was further up the mountain, either a 10-minute walk or a short drive back to the main building. Waking up somewhere new when you’ve arrived after dark is always exciting – the weather was clear and still and we felt a sense of expansiveness watching the sunrise over the Firth of Thames…



The course leaders, Karla and Neil had suggested a silent space prior to the first class. I was a bit peeved at first, no chatting to my girlfriend, but after that first morning, I began to see the benefits of no talking – my mind cleared, leaving behind all the mind chatter, and I felt calm and relaxed. Listening to the gentle clinking of breakfast dishes and the cries of kaka (rare native parrots) that routinely circle the Centre building, I appreciated this composition of sounds so different from my normal weekday rush.

The restorative yoga concentrated on reconnecting us to our breathing as we worked through a number of very relaxing postures or asanas (with the aim of giving ourselves an impeccable level of comfort). The sessions were just the right balance of serious enquiry and playful relaxation.



To do this we used props; by the end of the session the floor was a sea of blankets/bolsters/cushions, and I was making a mental inventory of my blankets etc. at home.


I spent some of my spare time at Mana exploring the many walking tracks. Even in mid-Winter we were blessed with sun, so it really was a pleasure to get outside and enjoy the lush and varied environment. Having enjoyed the morning silence, I had to escape the dining room from time to time, finding even occasional small talk a bit much. I really felt that I connected to a quiet space inside myself, that rarely gets a look in, in normal life.


As well as the pleasure of just walking, I was very happy to try watsu for the first time. This is a night-time candle-lit massage in blood-temperature water in a special outside pool, and really the most amazing thing. I really encourage you to try it if you haven’t. Another woman there described it as like being a child on a swing with your father pushing you, and I felt it was the closest thing I will ever experience to returning to feeling like a really small child, feeling safe and nutured. That sounds such a cliché, and I have always had a healthy skepticism for ‘rebirthing’ experiences, but this was something else… so relaxing and enjoyable; a truly unique experience.

Not my photo. I found it here:
http://integratedthaimassage.wordpress.com/massage-2/watsu-3/

After the watsu I wasn’t sure how I would feel, but actually I felt great and energetic so I decided to walk alone up to the Sanctuary, which is a private non-denominational chapel. Some of the others had walked up before to listen to the bells and do some singing. I had a lovely sense of anticipation before going inside – seeing the lights shining out into the darkness.



After a very good deep sleep and more delicious food, I realised it was nearly time to go home. I was looking forward to seeing my family again, but wow, what a great weekend…
(If you like the sound of this, the same teachers are doing another restorative course in September 2014. You can find information out about it here: http://www.sacredmoves.com/events/the-art-of-resting/)