Struan Farm

Weeding this Weekend

This past week I came down with a throat infection that laid me low for a day or two. The doctor instructed me to "take it easy" over the weekend and prescribed some medication.

Of course I listened, sort of. I slept in a bit on Saturday a.m. and when I got out in the garden only weeded one trailer load instead of my usual three-four. At this time of year there's so much to be done that it all can get overwhelming. The best I can do is to try to make a dent on weekends, one area at a time.

But sometimes one needs to stop and marvel, even at the weeds:

 
It was just so perfect, I left it there for next weekend.

 

Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Knitted Bunting, TA DA

My knitted bunting is finished, finally. I cranked out the applied i-cord edging and sewed the loose ends of the flags in one marathon evening last week.

I started the i-cord with navy Cascade 220, but it was feeling too flimsy to support the weight of the flags, particularly given the number I'd made. I thought about running a cord or wire inside to reinforce it, which was definitely one option. But I had a ball of rustic garden twine on hand, and thought I'd try knitting with that to see what it looked like.

 

Turns out both the color and the support the twine provided for the flags worked well, so I made the i-cord with that. It was a little rough on my hands, but then I didn't really take a break when making it (not the best knitting protocol for hand health, I know). 

I love the span of the bunting and colors of the rainbow with this rustic twist. As previously posted, the bunting was made with Biggan Design DK Merino First Cross and is Green Mountain Mama's Knitted Bunting Pattern.

 
It will eventually hang inside across a beam in Struan Farm Knitting Studio, but we've also decided to hang it off the deck outside the Homestead french doors for our family Boxing Day sporting day and lunch.

Sheepish Yet Again

I don't spend many weekends at our house in town given the work projects to be done at Struan Farm, along with my desire to see my husband (oops, that's vice versa in order of priority, clearly). But last weekend I didn't go to Piopio so that I could get the Christmas shopping started (and done), presents wrapped, house cleaned, garden weeded, and have a bit of long overdue beauty therapy (the fingernails were simply shocking). Yes, I planned a busy weekend.

I landed at the market at 7:30 a.m. to get the food shopping done. That box ticked, I then headed for a caffeine fix before my scheduled maintenance. Enroute to the cafe I passed a  shop with a Christmas window display in which there were life-sized green lambs that looked like topiaries.

Suffice it to say this stopped me in my tracks.

Turns out they weren't living plants but a reasonable facsimile, and were for sale. I went back after my appointment and checked them out more closely. So guess what (or who) will decorate our Boxing Day buffet table at the farm?

 

They had two left, another lady had already purchased two. I was tempted to get both to have a pair but restrained myself this once (not sure why, and this might be something I live to regret).

Now I just need to work out what to put around its neck. Trying to decide if it will be knitted, ribbons, or some sort of wreath. Maybe something knitted in red and white that looks like candy cane stripes, hmmm....

 
Post holidays it will live in Struan Farm Knitting Studio and thus needs a name. After the lack of consensus encountered when we christened Biff, perhaps I will cut to the chase and call the lamb Lola, even at the risk of being labelled "trendy." 

Recycled Doorknobs

We're reusing old brass and black tin doorknobs in the Homestead as much as possible, and are slowly getting around to polishing and reconditioning them.

Knitted hearts were made by my friend Cathy Bebelman:

   

One of the items on the agenda after Christmas, along with the exterior painting, is to paint the outside of our front door black. John is keen to have a rather elaborate old fashioned lock reconditioned for that, and has found a tradesman to do it. We still need to find a knob that will work for the door. Can't wait to see how it turns out. 

 

Carrick's Tomato Soup

Both John and his brother Carrick attended St. Paul's Collegiate School in Hamilton. The School Association recently published a cookbook to fundraise, and my brother-in-law contributed his mum's tomato soup recipe, one that he particularly enjoys.

The cookbook, called "Plates for Mates-Recipes from St. Paul's," has just come out, and includes the Robertson family recipe with an accompanying pic of the dish with a toasted cheese sandwich thanks to photographer Nicola Topping and great food stylists:

 
I know Carrick refers to the recipe as "Mum's Tomato Soup," but I'm thinking he has now assumed her mantle as the family Master Chef, and a published one at that.

"Plates for Mates" can be purchased for $30 plus $10 postage and handling (within NZ) by emailing: [email protected]. It includes a range of favorite family recipes contributed by both "Old Collegians" and current school families.

The Great Chook Debate

This week a lady who works with John dropped off some fresh free range farm eggs on the Homestead doorstep.

We will eventually raise our own "chooks" when I'm living at Struan Farm full time. We know they will have their own little area up near the orchard and/or the berry patch. I've been researching the styles of different chook sheds to decide upon a design that will work for our climate and conditions. Mapua Country Trading sells chooks, chook sheds, and also has a wealth of information on raising chickens and the differences between the various breeds.

Awhile ago in Country Living, one of my favorite magazines, I'd seen a photo of pastel colored chicken eggs in soft blue and green. I thought they were beautiful, and since have learned that the breed (at least one of the breeds) that lays them is called Araucana. John is completely turned off by the colors, thinks they look rancid. A traditionalist at heart, he would much rather have conventional brown or white eggs.

So there is what I'd call "The Great Chook Debate" happening between us. (Not really, I'm okay with leghorns, but I can't let him know that since it's fun to tease...)

Today I popped into my local coffee bar, where the owner sells free range chicken and duck eggs from her farm. I was amused to see that she has Araucana hens. There was a note for us townies saying that the colored eggs are meant to be lower in cholesterol.  Hmm, a health benefit? Let the Great Chook Debate continue...

 
Not really.

Clifford's Latest Triumph

As posted previously, our dog Clifford is a bit of a complex personality.

 
He gets bored easily, is way too smart for his own good sometimes.

Last week after dinner John and I went outside before sunset to wander and discuss work projects around the garden. It was the time of evening just as the sun sets when the light is soft and special.

As John was musing about where and when he'd get the digger in and I was planning my next weeding onslaught, we heard a crash in the woodshed by the tennis court, then a yip. Clifford came flying out of the shed with a possum in his mouth, which he shook fiercely and dropped to the ground, dispatched.

Possums are serious pests in New Zealand. They were introduced as a food item long ago, but their more recent claim to fame is destruction of our native bush and birds. They are such a problem that the NZ Dept. of Conservation and Regional Councils poison them with 1080 aerial drops, controversially, in more infested areas than ours.  We set traps on Struan Farm in the bush when we see evidence that they are in the area, since they tend to roam.

It was quite the end to our peaceful sunset interlude in the garden. We called out to Clifford that he was a VERY GOOD BOY....still can't believe he is able to do this, since these are fearsome animals with sharp teeth and claws.

And of course he promptly took a victory lap and deposited the possum at our feet, before he took it off to hide it for future snacks in the bushes somewhere. Such is life in the country!

The Pond: Make Way for Ducklings and Frogs

 
We have what seems to be a reasonably healthy little ecosystem at our pond at Struan Farm. Ducks nest there each year, much to our delight.

We've sat in the evening at the Cottage after dinner watching a mother duck march her troop up the paddock in line, wondering where they were going and why they were doing so, only to find them back at the pond swimming the next day. The incident made me recall the children's book "Make Way for Ducklings," but in a country setting, no police were involved.

In summer the frogs serenade us to sleep. They can be seen lounging in the pond, floating along croaking to one another during the day if one walks up quietly.

I was down at the pond this past weekend and saw a duck fly off, so know they're starting to nest for the season.

 

Passionfruit Pud

One time when visiting my friend Glen Davenport at Doone Cottage in Motueka I came across this recipe for a quick passionfruit pudding in her extensive recipe files:

One can/tin sweetened condensed milk (I use "lite")

1/3 cup sugar

3 teaspoons heaped gelatine dissolved in 2/3 cup boiling water

pulp of passionfruit (at least six, I use a cup or so)

Whip milk until thickened, add sugar gradually then gelatine, then pulp. Pour into serving dish or ramekins and refridgerate at least two hours.

Since discovering this recipe I freeze passionfruit pulp in season so I can whip it out as needed during the year. It's easy--it can be served with cream if you want to be decadent, although I serve it simply with fresh strawberries, kiwi fruit, or extra drizzled pulp for a reasonably healthy dessert. While the recipe calls for normal sweetened condensed milk, I've used "lite" sweetened condensed milk to reduce the fat and it tastes fine to me.

We've also planted a passionfruit vine. In its first year we had eight (jealously guarded and nurtured) fruit. This year I'm expecting more production. Despite a few scary moments when we had heavy frosts this winter, it's starting to flower in reasonable profusion:

 
 

White Sheets, Katherine Hepburn & Mae West

I have always used white cotton bed linens, and continue to do so in both the Cottage and the Homestead at Struan Farm.

 
I never knew why, until I stumbled upon this quote by Katherine Hepburn: "Use only white sheets, anything else changes your personality."

At the other end of the spectrum, we incorporate a little Mae West into the bathroom at the Cottage:

 
Just in case anyone were to be undecided.

A Room with a View

The window seat was installed in the Homestead sunporch this past week. The cushion is being made, and it still needs a paint, but the pillows are done:

 
We incorporated some storage bins, which I think was a good idea.

John is planning to lounge here and look out through the french doors to the trees and the garden in his spare time. I'll let you know when (if?) that happens.

 

A Garden of Earthly Delights

I keep finding beauty around me in the garden at Struan Farm. Right now the dogwoods are flowering, there are two. One is a more conventional white, but the other has beautiful pink tipped blossoms:

 
The different varieties of hydrangea cuttings from Anna that I planted last year are starting to flower:

 

 
I was pretty psyched this weekend when John told me he thought I was becoming a gardener.

 

Calling The Great Pumpkin

This weekend I got a little carried away planting pumpkin seeds near our compost bins, on a shady bank that otherwise would have stayed overgrown for now. As you may surmise, I normally don't do things halfway. Maybe I was seasonally inspired-- it's almost Thanksgiving.

I had stumbled upon a pumpkin called "Musquee de Provence" at our local Clevedon Farmers Market, and knew I wanted to grow these for their sculptural quality alone, even if they're used mostly for soup. With that in mind I went onto the Kings Seeds website and decided to experiment with a few different varieties.

  

I also planted "Marina di Chioggia," which don't look as sculpturally elegant as the French variety but are interesting and supposedly good for roasting.

 

For good measure I planted "Autumn Harvest" and Kings Seeds Mini Harvest Blend F1.

Had an extra packet of "Marina di Chioggia" that I bequeathed to Anna. At least I know when enough's enough or perhaps already too much.

 
John and I then proceeded to get the tractor and trailer and clean out this area of the garden. It was entirely impromptu but a satisfying, hard day's work. The chainsaw was involved.

Do Fence Me In

Part of our outside work at Struan Farm entails redoing and replacing old fencing, including the front entrance along the pet paddock and around the new house site.

This past week the first part of the fencing around the house site was completed:

 
It leads into our grove of redwoods. We'll eventually plant rhodos under the trees once this area is fenced off from stock. Since rhodos are poisonous to animals, the fencing comes first:

 
John has also created an area that will most likely become the berry patch and home to the chickens/chooks:

 
The orchard is planted across on the other side of the "drive", along with enough room for my veggie garden beside the house site. This makes me want to start laying out my veggie garden, I still haven't decided if I'm going to do a series of raised beds or dig gardens directly into the ground, there's enough room for either option. We're starting to cart the recycled bricks up to the site for paths or a low wall either way.

 

The Reincarnation of the Purple Rose

As we pondered the renovation of the old tennis court, currently surrounded by garden, I was sure we weren't going to keep this particular brambly overgrown rose bush. Others, yes, but not this one.

Funny thing. We cut it back over winter, and it's come to life. So I've had to reconsider. Purple roses, wow:

 
They have beautiful white stripes down the inside.

And a second, more old fashioned rose, also saved: 

 
John (accidentally) killed another of this same rose that had grown beside the Homestead; I hadn't been overjoyed but these things happen. I'm glad we have a second chance.

I'll take cuttings before he gets any diggers in. And we've agreed that we need to give everything a chance to flourish with some love and attention before any final verdicts are made. I've learned that lesson.

 

 

It's all Marilyn's Fault

Oh dear, practical me, it's dawned that some of this stamping paraphenalia can be put to useful purposes:

 
Thanks Marilyn! The idea of making my own Christmas gift tags with garden twine or baker's string appealed, particularly as I start to think about posting presents back to the USA. And then I thought if I got some brown craft paper, that it might look rustic and interesting stamped as wrapping paper.... 

 
But where does it stop?

 
Best not to ask, rather just enjoy the ride, and yes, I know my technique is a bit rough. I'll improve.

 

 

 

Bunting Update: Flags Done

I finished the bunting flags this week (okay, except for sewing in loose ends) and am really pleased with the range of colors. Now it's on to the applied i-cord edging.

 
Trying to decide between navy and cream for the cord. I'll start with navy and see how that looks.

As previously advertised, the pattern is Green Mountain Mama's Knitted Bunting. 

 

Rediscovering Cintique

Before we embarked on our renovation of the Homestead, and after extended family had decided what they wanted from the original house belonging to Rosemary and Maurie, John and I had to decide for ourselves what we wanted to keep.

There was this wooden loveseat with frayed burnt orange cushions in the old dining room. It had an elaborate network of metal springs supporting the cushions on both the bottom and back.

 

I saw lovely "bones" first and foremost, so decided that with some TLC it could and would be reincarnated-- refinished in a darker stain with re-upholstered cushions. It turned out that John's brother Carrick had a matching chair acquired from his mum years earlier. He told me that the furniture was called "Cintique." His parents had purchased the two pieces at a time when farming was doing exceedingly well; he remembered it as special and not for everyday use when it arrived at the house.

 

A quick internet search and I learned that it was mahogany or oak furniture made in NZ in the 1950's by an English furniture maker who'd emigrated. It's advertised on Trade Me (our local NZ e-bay) as "the retro chair everyone wants," but that may be an enthusiastic seller's slight exaggeration.

As these things evolve, my friend Marilyn had three pieces (a larger loveseat plus two armchairs) that she'd loaned to a friend. They were being returned, in terrible shape, and she was giving (or throwing) them away. I raised my hand. These pieces have also now been refinished and are awaiting a trailer ride to Te Kuiti for new cushions, fabric chosen. 

On a trip to Nelson last year John and I discovered a set of Cintique in the window of the vintage shop I haunt there, Eclectic. John was interested in the selling price relative to what we were spending on the reincarnation project, while I was interested that they were viewed to be sufficiently special that they featured in the front window of the shop (note the differing perspectives?).

So seems we're onto something sufficiently retro cool for the seating area of Struan Farm Knitting Studio.  

 

A Peony Grows in Piopio

Peonies are one of my favorite flowers, along with hydrangea, lilacs, and old fashioned roses.

While they thrive on the South Island, where they are grown commercially, peonies on the North Island are a dicier proposition given our relatively warmer climate. We really don't get sustained, freezing cold weather. But since Piopio is colder I thought I'd give them a try.

In my first year I've got one bud on two plants, both of which look to be healthy and growing well. I take that as an encouraging result. Next winter I'll ice them to see if that helps things along.

 

A Treasure of Mint

There has been mint growing at the Cottage for as long as anyone in the family can remember. Whenever a bit of fresh mint is needed for roast lamb (or iced tea in my case), and the herb supply around the Homestead isn't flourishing, a quick walk to the Cottage solves the problem. It is however spearmint, not peppermint, so is quite strong and requires a light hand.

When we renovated the Cottage there was much discussion about the outside patio area, and how we could work to accomodate the mint. At the time I took and grew cuttings to make sure it was saved regardless of what we ended up doing.

However, the solution arrived at was to leave a gap from which the original mint plant still grows. It's somewhat odd looking but preserves the tradition. When it gets leggy or ratty looking we cut it back and it continues to thrive, regardless of the season.

 

This mint is like the fig cuttings, another Struan Farm survivor!