Struan Farm

Fill Er Up

The good news is that the pond at Struan Farm is refilling itself, slowly. We've probably got another week to go before it will be back up to its normal level after we drained it to remove the huge fallen tree. 

The bad news is that it's summer and that means algae, so it looks pretty slimey. This will clear up once the weather starts to cool.

Also means it's time for me to kick the clean up of the pond surrounds into gear, since once autumn arrives we'll be able to plant trees and get the landscaping finished.

I know, vision is still required!

Off on a Tangent, Yet Again

I know, clearly I don't have enough to do!

I had some <spare> time, and decided to test out a technique I'd discovered via Pinterest that involves coating glass candlesticks with a mixture of Elmer's Glue and food coloring paste. Sounds messy, and it is a wee bit, but the result is pretty interesting:

It's not an exact science to say the least. After checking the local op shops unsuccessfully to find some old glass candlesticks to upcycle, I bought inexpensive ones at our local Briscoes Home Store. Just dump a portion of glue in a bowl and mix in the paste to get a color you're happy with. I used Wilton's Royal Blue and Kelly Green Icing Color Concentrated Pastes, and didn't need nearly the amount of glue I used initially. 

The trick is avoiding obvious brush strokes and pooling of color to the extent possible, while also covering the nooks and crannies.

Not perfect, but not bad for a first effort! There's a luminousity that I rather like.

Oh, and then I also made some soy candles in vintage cut glass sugar bowls and creamers while I was at it...

Off to the weeding and ironing now, my brief creative fix is over.

The Worker(s)

John often refers to himself as "the worker" and "a slave to the cause" at Struan Farm.

He's not implying that I don't do enough, since usually this is in the same breath as saying that "we're mad" given everything we take on!

Now that Jim's Hut has been moved down to overlook the river, and the river track more easily negotiated, John's work projects seem to have shifted down in that direction. I arrived on the scene this weekend and met this coming up the track from the river:

The boys!

John had been down there spraying blackberry and weed eating in the areas we've targeted for clean up, also mulling over putting up a second hut to justify the shower/toilet block and septic tank for Jim's Hut. (I suspect this is now pretty much happening.) Clifford exhausts himself tagging along.

So I'm pretty much convinced that "the worker" and "slave to the cause" really does this to himself most of the time, as do I!

Inspired Knitter!

Heidi sent through a great photo of her finished scarf, started during her recent visit to Struan Farm over Christmas. I lured her back into knitting with handspun alpaca and Mel Clark's Tweed Scarf pattern from "Knitting Everyday Finery." 

 

I suspect it's helping to keep her warm given the cold and snow in Germany! Wonder what's her next project?

Lazy Days at Struan Farm

We are definitely having those "lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer" at Struan Farm right now, at least for some.

Over breakfast at the Homestead we looked out and saw a group of the sheep, including Sooty and Oreo, relaxing around the base of the big Dawn Redwood.

Even Sooty and Oreo were relaxed enough to pose briefly for the camera. Good to think someone's chilling out while John and I are off to toil at the river and in the gardens, respectively!

Whoa, Nellie!

Finished up my first "Nellie Crush" knitted hat ahead of Lisa Cruse's impending visit to NZ in March and our Embellishment Workshops at Struan Farm.

Can't wait to get this felted (it will shrink considerably), shaped properly and then embellished! Lisa, pack your bags please....I know it's meant to be a vacation, but....

Here's one of Lisa's finished versions of this same hat, I just love it:

Fresh from the Garden

Fresh from the garden at Struan Farm and delivered to friends staying at the Cottage.

As the saying goes: beans, beans, are good for your heart!!

A Slippery Topic

Eels. This subject makes me a bit squirmy. Turns out we have them in the river. Not unexpected, but I was pretending they weren't there. We've left them alone and they leave us alone. They are a Maori food, eaten smoked. Japanese love them for sushi.

John used to go eeling as a boy, it's pretty much a kiwi rite of passage in the country.

Our Philippino friends Michael and Rowena came to visit last weekend with their children. They also eat eel in the Philippines, so they decided to try fishing for eels. After hooking and losing a few, they went into town to buy larger hooks and heavier line. It was a major adventure for the whole family: they stopped after catching three.

It seems that New Zealand may have the world's largest eels. The largest recorded to date is 1.75 metres, while the heaviest 24 kg! They swim out to sea to breed and die, males on average at 23 years and females 34 years. There are three species of the Anguillidae family of fish, "longfin" (dieffenbachii), "shortfin" (A. australis) and "spotted" (A. reinhardtii). We look to have "longfins" in the river. More info can be found here.

Since they eat trout (also snails, ducks, worms, and grubs) we've told Michael and Rowena to come back and go eeling any time!