Struan Farm

An Overarching Situation

I'm not sure why we haven't noticed before now that the old willow tree down at the pond at Struan Farm creates a rather scenic natural arch. I finally opened my eyes this week:

 

It's a terrible thing to say, but sometimes we truly do miss seeing all of the beauty that surrounds us. I guess this was yet another message to pay attention!

Grazing for Greens

For some reason Clifford likes to nibble the "green manure" plants I've grown from seed in the vegetable gardens over winter at Struan Farm. These are meant to help the soil between crops. He knows he shouldn't be doing this, and he keeps a cautious eye out for a reprimand while he munches away.  Recently I took the chicken wire down that we've had around this area so that we can think about proper fencing or raised bed options ahead of summer/spring planting--he now must think it's okay to graze here with the wire down. John and I had fun watching him eating away out the kitchen window, casting occasional guilty glances toward the front door.

 

Silly dog! I guess these greens must have something he craves nutritionally, something lacking from his rather expensive "senior and mature" Eukanuba dog food..Shortly I'll dig the plants into the soil, so he might as well nibble on them while he can. 

Over the Edge

I must report that John has gone over the edge recently here at Struan Farm. Over the edge of our roadside bank, that is. This is the one that partially slipped a few weeks ago. The road crew has since removed part of the bank and taken out five poplar trees. We are now left to contend with a gaping hole at the edge of our orchard. And in all honesty a bank that is still slipping, since they haven't really finished the job properly. They've done what they were able to get approval to do. But we can see the section that will slip next due to what they've done, and left undone!

In the meantime John has planted native golden totaras in a line further in (anticipating where the next slips will occur), as well as some natives in the gap to help shore up the bank.

(You can see the section we think will slip next, to the right of John in the back of photos above and below.... the other side is also a concern.)

Neither of us is terribly keen planting any further down this unstable bank than where John is standing above. It's a straight drop down to SH3 and traffic. So we have cut some ponga (tree fern) fronds with spores on them and tossed those down into the dirt, hoping some of the spores might grow into tree ferns (we'll be very lucky if that happens).

Yep, this is a situation. We'll keep you posted.

 

 

Time for Cutbacks

While it's been quite rainy here at Struan Farm, it hasn't exactly been a cold, cold winter thus far. Not that I'm complaining because it hasn't been cold! But it does mean one has to think about the timing for cutbacks of various things in the gardens, namely hydrangea, roses and apple trees. I guess that last one is technically pruning rather than cutting back.

The past few days I started with the hydrangeas on Hydrangea Hill and also trimmed those up in the new(ish) house gardens (which aren't quite so numerous, or established). Last year I wasn't all that ruthless with my cutbacks, wanting to make sure we had heaps of flowers for the December wedding scheduled for the Homestead gardens. But this year they need a decent chop or they'll get overgrown. Even if it means fewer flowers. I'll make my way around the Homestead garden areas over the next week or so, assuming the weather cooperates.

I'm about to crack into trailer load #4 when the weather permits.

 

 

 

Old School Baking

At a certain point it's rained so much that I really don't know what to do with myself. There's only so much sitting (reading, needlework, TV) or housecleaning one can do here at Struan Farm. When I moaned about this to John over the weekend, announcing that I was about to throw myself into baking, he suggested a rather old fashioned option: a sultana cake. Not exactly something in my standard repertoire! So I grabbed The Edmonds Cookery Book, the old school NZ cooking bible, and shortly thereafter found myself popping a sultana cake into the oven for late afternoon tea.

Sultanas (or raisins) are covered with water in a saucepan and simmered for 15 minutes, then drained and combined with chopped butter. This is then mixed with beaten eggs, sugar and sifted flour and baking powder, along with a touch of almond extract. The batter is then put into a greased and lined pan and baked for 1- 1 1/4 hours at 160C. Very simple.

Conventional wisdom says "Happy wife, happy life," but I'll tell you that it's fun to be able to do simple things that make my husband smile, like sultana cake!