Tena Koutou Katoa – Hello Everybody,
Ann had a bonsai workshop with Hugh Grant (not that one – this one is an Aussie bonsai guy). She took three trees to possibly work on and chose to concentrate on one of her yew trees.
Our ride-on mower has now clocked up over 1200 hours of running – that’s a lot of grass being cut. It’s 17 years old and still going.
The beginners bonsai course continued with the wiring and repotting sessions. Now there is a three week break before the final session to allow the trees to recover.
Ann continues with her weekly visits to Marshall in Te Kauwhata. Peter came up one day to help install a couple of security cameras and redo a couple of the bonsai benches we put up quickly when she moved in. He’s improved the spacing and levelled the bench tops.
Marshall also had her sister come over from the USA for a brief visit. We met up for lunch at the Woodlands Homestead just north of Hamilton. Lendon is an accomplished horsewoman who represented the USA at the Olympics in the 1980’s and is still very active in running dressage workshops all over the USA.
One sunny weekend we drove over to Eureka for a book fair. Ann managed to get 7 books but, sadly, there was nothing for Peter. The girls came too and waited patiently.
We spent a couple of days heavily pruning the kiwifruit vines as well as the lemon and mandarin trees. The lemon tree needed it to help get rid of a fungus.
Ann and the girls have been on feeding duty for Bev and Tom’s chooks and cat. One of the chooks has been very broody, refusing to get off the eggs and go get some grain feed. Ann’s had to put on her big girl pants and learn how to move the bird to get to the eggs and move out of the way fast when she retaliates! Another village friend, Lorelei, said that Ann was now a proper rural girl.
Honey ‘helps’ in the morning on their way out for a walk and Sox ‘helps’ each afternoon.
Both girls love their car rides!
After three missed years the Pirongia Annual Craft Fair was up and running again. We managed to get there early whilst it was still quiet. No wine for Ann this year but she did get some fudge, possum / merino fingerless gloves for pooch walking, three small bonsai stands, a tomato plant and a piece of garden art – a piece of reclaimed wood with a koru insert made of paua shell.
