As Julie reminded me the last blog entry for me was my 50th birthday and my 51st will roll around before I know it.
Well a lot has happened for us since my last entry so I will try to remember all that has happened.
The biggest thing for us is that we sold our farm , have moved out of Canvastown and are no longer farming. Our intention has always been to sell our farm within the next few years but because of the huge rise in the payout from Fonterra ,and the flow in effect that had to farm and cow prices we were able to sell sooner rather than later. We put the farm on the market in the beginning of December and by the middle of January it was a done deal.
Shit , what have we done, what do we do now and where will we live were our first thoughts. We have had the security of monthly checks and no shortage of daily work and commitment for so long that the future with out all that seemed a bit scary. Fortunately we found a house that we both liked in no time ,but it is out of Canvastown where we had been for 16 years. We are now living at Anakiwa . We have a house , a 1/4 acre section and neighbours (we haven't had neighbours since 1982 and now we have them on all 4 sides). It's not too bad though as they are all holiday houses and we have seen very little of them so far. The Outward Bound School are just down the road and there always appears to be something going on there. I am sure I will be able to get some part time work there when I start to get bored. Our house was run as a B+B by the previous owners and we will probably do that as required in the summer. We are at one end of the Queen Charlotte Track (a popular 4-7 day walk to the outer sounds) . We use the track daily either biking or taking Jed for a walk. Talking about Jed he has adapted really well to his new life. There's not much left that he hasn't crashed into or fallen off . Yes he is still blind as a bat. So leaving the farm wasn't too stressful. Possession for Anakiwa was 2 weeks before we had to vacate the farm so we had plenty of time to shift. We also sold the farm as a going concern, which means the purchaser bought land,buildings, shares, cows and machinery so that was a big help.
Life went on as normal up until we left and during February and March we had a very busy time. It cost a fortune in relief milkers as we seemed to be away a lot. Hayley moved to Wellington as she is doing a course in travel and tourism. She is really enjoying her course and has settled into Wellington well. It's a 10 month course and she hopes to get a job there when it is completed. We had a really great week away with 8 other friends mountain biking the forgotten highway and other tracks in northern Taranaki. We spent one night staying at the Whangamomona hotel. It's about as remote as you can get in NZ but if you can get there its really worth the experience.
About then I also had a few days away tramping. I climbed Mt Tapue-o-Ueanukue (Mt Tapy is easier). It is just under 3000 m and is the highest mount
ain in NZ north of Mt Cook.In the picture I am holding on to the pole so I won't be blown off
and it was bloody cold so we didn't hang around.
So after a busy few months on and off the farm we find ourselves here living a totally different life to what it has been for the last 28 years farming.
At the moment we are between drinks. Just enjoying ourselves with no commitment to anything . I can see that I will need to get some kind of part time work in the future ,but for now
bugger it !!!!
p.s the cow at the top of the page was one of Bev's pets that she was sad to leave behind.
Dave
