Winter…

This month has seen winter really show her face, but we are still having some lovely days. Rich and I finally got around to hiking Mt Cargill last week. We can see the tower from our current lounge window, it has been on our list since arriving, beckoning us….

Here is a better picture of one, so pretty…

It was a big climb up but the views well worth it….

Last weekend it was “Snow drop Day”, (a British bulb flower that thrives here and long associated with winter), at “Larnach Castle”. This is a well known Dunedin home, built in 1871. It is not really a castle as such, but one of the few homes in NZ built to this scale. It has been lovingly restored and the home and gardens are beautiful. Privately owned still, they open it to the public to help with the costs of maintaining it. We had a great few hours there.

There was live music and food in the ballroom, one of the musicians just happened to be one of Luca’s music teachers. We did not know this before going, so a nice surprise.

See the chandelier? Back in the day the methane from the outdoor toilets was collected and used to keep the chandeliers lit. Luca thought this was hilarious 🙂

After relaxing we grabbed a map and with Luca leading the way, we roamed around the huge gardens admiring the views.

It was a fun day and we were so lucky with the weather. We are all very much appreciating the mild winter we are having.

Still slippers are still needed to keep the chill off, and Rich’s have been in need of replacement for some time!

It was Luca who found his new ones 🙂

When Luca turned 5 he started getting an allowance, ($4 a week), and with this came the responsibility of keeping a ledger so he knew where his money came form and where it is spent. He puts all other “income” in it as well. He has to put some in a savings account, some is to spend on others in the form of gifts or charity, and the rest he gets to do with what he likes. It has been a good way to teach him about money and introduce math in a practical way. It is interesting to see how it has evolved over the years and how nowadays he really focuses on saving for things he wants, and is much more able to resist “impulse buying”. Rich and I also know how much he really wants something by if he asks who is paying for it, us or him 🙂

I have started sourcing the breeds of animals I want for our little place and the first buy is chooks. I was part of Rare Breeds Canada and bred chickens there, Russian Orloffs, that were suitable for that climate. Here I want Orpingtons. There is a Rare Breeds NZ, so I am sourcing animals from there, it will take time to organize but I am hopeful we will have chooks by Christmas.

Rare and Heritage breeds are important to maintain because they have traits that current popular breeds may not have, like resistance to disease or ability thrive in harsh conditions. The modern breeds may grow faster and produce more, but as this world changes if we lose the traits of animals that can cope without the use antibiotics and can adapt to less than ideal conditions, then these traits are gone forever and our food chain is at risk.

Luca has already started to think of names 🙂

What this girl is going to think of her change of lifestyle and introduction to “country life” we do wonder, time will tell….