We have settle in well to our Stronvar house sit. Enjoying being on this small farm and caring for the animals. Two baby goats called Lois and Maggie, 30 odd sheep including a pet sheep called “Chopper” who loves a pat, 2 unfriendly cattle, 2 dogs, 3 cats, numerous chooks and one duck. Also a large veggie garden to look after. It is hot and dry here – a long time between any decent rain. As the farm is completely dependent on rain water it is tricky to keep the water troughs full, our clothes clean, and the veggies watered. We recycle as much as possible – being Australian is good training as we understand the meaning of drought well.
Lois and Maggie are great entertainment! They are still being bottle fed though we’re supposed to wean them while here. They’re also excellent escape artists and we’ve already had to search the far paddocks to find them – often innocently having a little lie down in the grass. They’re always happy and surprised to see us. They also visit the veggie garden if at all possible – need I say more! They follow us everywhere and are great company. We’ve decided to dig out all the thistles on the farm. Big job! We drive the ride on mower out into the paddocks; Reg digs and I collect. Very slow work but very rewarding. We often have a visit from Chopper and Lois and Maggie are never far away.
We drive once a week into Masterton to shop. It is a beautiful drive, very typical of the Wairarapa region. Masterton is a lovely town of around 20,000 people. Everything we need is there, though we still prefer to spend most of our time in the country side with our assortment of animals.
By the way, we got the job at Manna. will go home mid January for a couple of weeks before returning to Oakura and work!
Much love
Di and Reg
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