It really has been a year since I last updated this blog.  What a year it has been too.  Just measuring what has happened by the size of the pigs is the most obvious way of showing how GYNORMOUS a year it has been.

I've recently returned from an amazing month long trip incorporating Ireland, England and Germany. It involved mainly horse trials and covering those, but I also had my first assignment as a travel writer for some time which meant I had the opportunity to stay at Castle Leslie.  It was an awesome experience, on so many levels.  I'll put the link up when the story is published.

I've still a way to go before my expenses are exceeded by my earnings for such trips.  Being an equestrian journalist is not the most lucrative of career options, and so these trips are only possible through the work I do in other areas, and being able to save very hard in between trips.   I do, however, get to do things I really love; horse trials and travel, and I keep having to tell myself that as I look at my bank account.

But being away and travelling on my own gave me a chance to reflect on a number of things so I am making some changes now I am home.   It's not just about trying to achieve a work-life balance, its about trying to use my time wisely, and invest in and appreciate what really matters.

There's some great opportunities ahead, but the challenge will be to fit them all in without sacrificing things that are dear to me.  

I'm a fat pig now

Gin and Tonic Cake

By popular request, here's my recipe for Gin & Tonic cake. It seems that many of you may  be quite keen to try it.   I made it yesterday for Richard's birthday.   It tasted superb and was appreciated by everyone.   Be a great cake for a picnic.  Don't do what I did though, attempt to ice it when it was still warm.  Icing kinda melted a bit but still tasted good, although the little yellow icing lemons I carefully made ended up being just blobs against the white icing. However the thinly sliced lemons and limes on top of the cake looked superb! 

Gin and Tonic Cake

makes one large 9×13 baking dish / cake tin

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs (I used 6 ordinary eggs)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons freshly zested lime rind (or lemon)
1/4 cup gin
1/4 cup milk
juice of 1 lime (or lemon)

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until creamy. Add in sugar and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl if needed. Add in each egg one at a time, beating until fully incorporated before adding the next. Add in vanilla and lime zest and mix.

With the mixer on low speed, add in half of the dry ingredients. Add in gin, milk and lime juice, mixing until combined and scraping the bowl if necessary. Add remaining flour and beat until just combined. Pour into a greased 9×13 baking dish, and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a knife comes out clean. Make up the glaze while the cake is cooking.   Remove cake from over and immediately poke holes over top with knife. Pour gin glaze over then, then let cake cool completely. While cake is cooling, mix up icing and once cake is cold, put on the icing.   

Gin Glaze

1 3/4 cups icing sugar (I used castor sugar instead successfully)
Half cup of gin
half cup of tonic (you can have more tonic and less gin or vice versa but the cake soaks up whatever liquid you throw at it)
the juice of 1 lime or lemon (included a bit of pulp too)

Mix ingredients together until sugar is well dissolved, then pour over cake immediately while it is still warm.

Gin Icing

2 1/2 cups icing sugar
2-3 tablespoons gin & tonic
Lemon zest & lemon juice to taste
Mix ingredients together until a very thick but spreadable icing forms. Once cake has completely cooled, spread a thin layer of icing all over the cake. Note: start with 1-2 tablespoons of gin, if more non-gin liquid is needed, use tonic water, milk or cream. You can substitute more tonic (instead of gin) in the frosting if desired.

 

Kunekune Update

The piglet girls have settled into life on the farm really well, after the return of the wanderer.   I kept them in their enclosure for some time, so they got used to having back scratches and knowing the food calls.   The last few days I've been letting them out to forage for acorns.  This afternoon I managed to get them to follow me right out to the driveway, lined with oak trees and thousands of acorns to be found.   Piggy heaven.

I checked on them a couple of times, and then when I thought it was about time to get them in, I went out to the drive to look for them.  No sign of them anywhere.  Minor panic, but thought I would check back in their enclosure, and sure enough, they were just waddling back in there, with tummies like little wine barrels.   They still managed to devour the bribes I had with me, thinking I would need those to get them back into their hut and pen. 

After the last snack, and a drink of water, they wearily climbed the little step into their shed, snuggled into the straw and got very cosy.  So cute!

After a long but productive day in front of the computer, I wish I could just curl up in my nest, but no such luck here!

Kunekune Piglets

I have long wanted to get some kunekune piglets to add to the animal team.   We had always had a pig or two at home when I was a kid.  My mother used to get quite fond of them, she would name them after friends and they would hang around with the horses and dogs, part of the family.  Some friends didn't like having pigs named after them.   She therefore wasn't that keen to use them for bacon.   Instead, she would load them onto the horse float and take them off to the local stock sale where she would sell them.  She would then take the money she got for the said pig off to the butcher to buy up some bacon.   

Anyway, back to my pigs.   The  Butcher had always been quite adamant that we didn't want pigs.  He had spent a lot of time as a teenager feeding and raising pigs as part of his chores on the farm.  There were a lot of pigs, and there are even the remnants of the old piggeries left on the farm.   I think the Butcher also sees quite enough of pigs at work.   Despite that, I pressed on, and when I discovered that the pigs would eat all the acorns which the horses and donkeys eat, I could argue that it was for a very good cause.  Acorns are poisonous to donkeys, horses and sheep but not to pigs.   Perfect! 

We had talked about it a number of times, and I could feel he was starting to waiver.   Just hours after our last conversation (when there was the slight detection of waivering), the local newsletter / advertising circular arrived and there was an advert for FREE kunekune piglets.   I arranged to get two but they were not going to be ready for a couple of days.   That worked out well as we had a bit of work to do to make the enclosure piglet proof.   Out with the hammer, nails and various things around the place, including trellis, shade cloth and netting.  We readied the old chook house and also the old dog enclosure as an alternative, and even fenced off the garden, although it was obvious our yards between the garden and the sheds were not going to be pig proof until they were quite a bit older.  

Over at work, I discovered our neighbour also had arranged to get two, so we went up together to get our piglets on the arranged day.  It was quite the adventure.   The neighbour (Jenny), Richard (brother in law) and our two french wwoofers and I all off in the farm truck.  The Butcher chose to go for a bike ride instead.  I had a box and the cat crate for my piggies, Jenny was using the sack transport option.  

There were four little piggies for us to choose from.  Three were ginger and one was a lovely chocolate brown.   I chose this one, she was the smaller of them all but so very cute!   Jenny had her pick of the redheads and I took the last one.  Pigs were captured, put into their various enclosures and into the truck and off to their new home. 

They seemed quite happy with their new enclosure, and enjoyed the scraps from the house that we had been saving for them.   The lycra clad Butcher arrived to suggest that they needed some bedding as they liked to "nest" so the old horse cover did the job well that night.   Both piggies curled up inside the cover and seemed quite happy.   

Others in the animal family reacted quite differently.  Cole snorted and performed for some time, avoiding the area completely.  The donkeys were intrigued, as were the dogs, and the cats watched from afar but were caught having a closer look later.  

Bella was also quite keen to see what they were eating, she had been known to break into the chook enclosure to steal their food but I thought my fences were better reinforced now.

I decided to call them Frenchie and Francie, both after the lovely wwoofers we had staying with us and also because it was our Year of France - we are heading there in August.   Francie was also short for Francoise (one of the wwoofers) and his beard was the same colour as the brown pig.  The other one was therefore called Frenchie.   The next morning it was more scraps for them for breakfast. I then went off to work for a few hours.  Coming back down the driveway I was greeted by two little piggies coming towards me, nibbling away at acorns as they went!  I stopped the car and attempted to drive them back down the drive.  

Some success for a while.  The dogs heard the commotion and came out to help.  Milly was very helpful, Bella not so.  We managed to catch one, but the other one headed off in the other direction.  Milly went with it and so I took the squealing pig back to the enclosure.  The door had been broken - Bella had squeezed through and broken the catch and the chain.  I fixed it as best I could, then put the squealing and squirming pig into the enclosure and went back down the driveway to find the other piglet.   Little did I know that there was in fact another hole that Bella had made right by the pig trough.  While it wasn't big enough for her to get in, it was big enough for a piglet to get out!     I went to track down the other piglet who had gone back up the driveway.  I got a call from the Butcher to say someone had just called into the factory to say that there was a piglet running down the road.  I suggested that I might need a hand and ran back to get the car and put the dogs away.  I took a quick check on the other piglet just in time to see her disappearing into the crop in the next door paddock!   I decided the pig on the road was the priority, but up and down the road and not a piggie in sight.   No sign of the Butcher coming to help either.

Back to the pig enclosure and no pigs.  Shit.  I decided it best if I fixed the pen as best I could so that I could at least contain any I caught.   It was then off down the road again to look, and this time I caught sight of Frenchie (the ginger one) in the neighbours.   She saw me and did a U turn back into the crops and wasn't seen again.   The dogs tracked her for a while into the crop but nothing.

I called into all the neighbours to alert them.  Back to the house where I attempted to fix the enclosure properly.  Part way through this, I heard some noises and looked up to see Milly herding the little brown pig, Francie, towards us.  Good Milly!   Good Francie!  We got her into the enclosure and stayed around a while to see if it held.   No problems.  By then the wwoofers turned up and we spent the rest of the afternoon looking for the ginger piglet.  No sign of her.  I hoped she would just come back like the other but nothing.  It started raining, and Francie was quite happy making nests in the chook house in the straw I had got for her.   

The Butcher finally turned up about 7pm so both he and Bella were in the dog box.   I know it was probably a bit harsh to be so shitty with the Butcher, but for someone that said they were coming to help to turn up at 7pm on a wet, dark night,  grrrrrr!   Bella knew she was in the poo as she kept bringing her toys to me and putting them on my lap.   As if that would change anything, greedy Bella.

Still no sign of Frenchie despite us walking around, driving around, visiting neighbours, walking through crops, calling, calling, calling.  

In the meantime, Francie seemed quite happy on her own, enjoyed all the attention and the food and got quite tame.    We had to go away for the weekend for work, but the wwoofers had strict instructions about what to do if she turned up.    When we got home on the Monday, still no sign of her.  Francie was doing well though.

Then Wednesday morning, I head out to feed Francie who has started to make some great noises as you walk down with her breakfast, when I hear some other piggy noises, turn around and see Frenchie walking out under the gate from the crop paddock!   Milly instantly leapt into action and herded her back.  We got her into the enclosure using the food as bait and she was soon tucking into our scraps.  Yahoo!   So relieved that after one week and two days, Frenchie decided she would come home.  What a clever pig.

Francie, on the other hand, was not exactly pleased to see her.   There was quite a bit of jostling over the food, to the point where I have to have separate piles for them!  

Im hoping that at some stage soon, when they grow a bit bigger and get a bit tamer, that they will be able to free range out in the paddocks, eating the acorns.  I really should teach them to lead as well since I am not a very accompished pig herder!  That could be fun!

Wet weekends

Bella and the butcher enjoy a bit of couch time

The donkeys and horses spent quite a bit of time in the shed

Really must get something  done here, we get a mini lap pool every time it rains. Bella's chook spent some time trying it out though 

The donkey boys hate getting their feet wet 

Mountainbiking competition

The butcher and I enjoyed a trip down to Fairlie.   The main point of the trip was for him to compete in the Pass to Pub cycle race (Burkes Pass to Albury Pub).  Its a beautiful area around Fairlie and the race was a good one. 

No cellphone coverage so I got out and about with my camera.   Took so many and quite pleased with the results.   I was also very impressed how so many of the riders near the end of the course had the time to say hi or wave or smile - obviously they needed a harder / longer / steeper ride!

The  butcher was delighted with his ride, especially after his bad spill last time.  He was just under 2 hours and enjoyed himself.   The beer they gave away at the end of the race was very welcomed.

We drove down on Saturday on the main roads as we had to call into Christschurch.  That road is SO boring and awful.  The way back, via Geraldine, Methven, Oxford, Rangiora etc is so much better.  It really is a lovely route, and while it may take a few minutes longer, its well worth it.

Here's all the photos I took if you are at all interested.
https://picasaweb.google.com/108038742003880059367/PasstoPub2014JRT#

Animal Antics

Its been dry on the farm.  The summer weather has been very patchy, 35 degrees on Saturday, then walking around in jerseys on Sunday.   There isn't much grass around though, and while it suits to have the fat horses and donkeys on rations, getting them back to a manageable and healthier weight, they do get a bit hungry.

We have just harvested all the barley on the farm and then baled the barley straw.  I got the french wwoofers to bring me over a bale of fresh hay to put in the horse/donkey paddock as a bit of extra roughage for them.  Not exactly their favourite meal (they far prefer the lucerne hay of course) but it made a bit of a change for them.

Having a huge bale of straw arrive in the home paddock was a bit of excitement for all.   I took some fun pictures of the action after it arrived.



Murphy was first in

Earthquake anniversary

Its been 3 years since our region was struck by the devastating earthquakes.  Looking back at my timeline through that great app "Timehop", it was so interesting to see my various responses as each anniversary has passed.   There was also my very optimistic and happy Facebook update from the morning of the earthquakes.   "Im off to Kaikoura again for my census work.  Cheviot to Kaikoura highway is the best scenic route in New Zealand in my humble opinion." 

I remember driving back that highway later that day.   My knuckles were white I was gripping the steering wheel so hard.  I was worried, first that Bryan had elected to go to Christchurch to find his kids, and second that the earthquake may have loosened all the rocks and that another big landslide would come down and swallow me and my car.  I went through all those tunnels holding my breath. 

My friends and family were all OK.   Not sure some of them have come through it so well emotionally or mentally, but physically everyone is fine.   Those earthquakes have affected so many people in so many ways.   Having worked in the recovery effort for the last three years, I frankly feel a bit exhausted by it all.  I am lucky that I can chose to remove myself from it, and take up other opportunities.  I do feel guilty I am not doing more, and I am not discounting wading back in, when the time is right.   But for now it is time I let someone else with a more positive attitude take up the challenge.  If you want to find out more about  my job, shortly to be advertised, let me know and I'll put you in contact with the right people!  Comms, stakeholder management mainly.

Walking around Christchurch city in evenings is unfortunately depressing for me.   Yet I persist in doing it quite frequently.   The  place is deserted with the exception of the odd tourist, usually a bit lost and bewildered.   There are so many empty spaces and broken buildings still.   Yes, there is rebuilding going on, but it is going to take some years before it resembles anything like a vibrant, funfilled city.   It will get there though, but I feel that I will be so much older.   The rubble below was once the Charles Luney House, where I worked for some time for the Canterbury District Health Board.   We had some good times there, I met some great people that I am lucky to say are still friends today.
Yes, today is a day to be grateful for what we have, and how we got to here.

Christchurch walk, a poignant evening

This is a bombardment of photos of Christchurch.   Lazy blogging, but then again, a picture tells so much, a thousand words don't they say?

Rebuilding the Oxford strip, near the restart mall.

Looking down the restart mall towards Ballantynes

Cranes, so many cranes, so much a part of the Christchurch skyline

Symbolic that the suffragette statue is still behind barriers?

But it all depends on your perspective I guess.  Poking camera lens through wire...

The floral clock is back, but not working.  Neither is the sprinkler system around it that used to go off if you got too close.   Great fun at 3am after a night out, believe me...

There used to be a fancy hotel in that gap...

This isn't tagging.  This is the system the USAR teams used to identify that the buildings had been checked.  

Kaikoura, a magic spot

Yesterday Richard (my brother in law) and I went up to Kaikoura for the morning, mainly to visit the farmers market as we hadn't been to it, and really, any excuse will do on such a beautiful day to go to a beatiful place just up the road!

Kaikoura is truly a gem of a place.  The mountains and the sea, just right there, next to each other.  Then you have the lovely rocky coastline, the beautiful kelp and the seals.   There were quite a few people who obviously thought the same, the place was fairly full but there's always a number of tourists there.  Not as many as in Queenstown however, and we still managed to get a car park right on the main street!

The farmers market was really good.  Not a lot of stalls but all of them very worth having a look at although I just couldn't bring myself to try the wines at 10 oclock in the morning.  I avoided the home made icecream (still on my weight loss regime!) but couldn't resist two teas from Wildflower Botanicals including a chocolate black tea which has the most amazing fragrance (and it tasted sooo good when I got it home!).  My plan was that if I got more chocolate cravings, then a cup of chocolate tea would be a good substitute.  Here's hoping!  The blueberries were also cheap and sweet.

Of course no outing with Richard would not be complete without some good food, so we decided on The Pier for lunch and managed to secure a brilliant table outside, right by the coast.  Our seafood platter was good, but nothing could beat the views.   Richard is great company, and it was a treat to spend the morning with him.   An awesome outing, and good for the soul. 

Quiz Games

Had lots of fun playing a quiz last night with just two categories; sports and the food and drink. My favourite topics! There were lots of foodie meaty questions to keep the butcher interested, as if it's anything other than sport he does have the tendency to switch off.  The secret of winning seemed to be being able to respond quickly. I didn't win but thoroughly enjoyed the evening, so good to spend it with good friends, good wine and good food (more ham!)