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In: Cafe's, Family, General, Location, Shane's Posts

Jude and I had a fantastic day today as we took my sister Una and husband Steve from Canberra Australia for a ride up to the Borland Saddle. Leaving from the farm at Otautau we headed to Brunel Peaks Cafe on the corner of Blackmount Redcliff Road and Lake Monowai Road for lunch, a beautiful cafe in a beautiful setting. The staff were absolutely wonderful and very welcoming, just had that personal touch. As for the food, a good selection, generous portions and everyone enjoyed every mouthful… well I did anyway, just a treat. After topping off a wonderful meal we enjoyed a cup ofRead More →

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In: Farming, General, Shane's Posts

We got a battering from the Northwesterly freight train today. And if the damage on the farm was any indication (although light) I’d hate to see how the rest of the province fared. We didn’t have any trees topple however quite a few branches were torn loose, a sheep loading ramp went for a short flight, window glass blown in and the odd sheet of corrugated iron was ripped of the sheds. Jude and I had spent the morning repairing gate hinges (not storm related) when the wind really picked. The dust from the dry paddocks was whipped up and making a nuisance of itself.Read More →

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In: Farming, General, Shane's Posts

Funny day with the weather today, hot n dry, cool with light rain… a bit of a mixed bag however more warmth than cooler weather. The jobs todays, pickup Toms Ute from Oreti Plains, tow boat to Otautau motors for WOF then repair sliding gate at the stock yard. Jude and I attacked the task repairing the sliding gate, problem was the top rail was bent out of shape and the rollers had seized. 10mm x 32mm steel double track was certainly a test of engineering for us two novelist engineers. But after a lot of trial and error we were successful at the end…Read More →

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In: Food, General, Shane's Posts

Jude and I were in Australia recently and while we were there we experience some pulled pork which was cooked by Riki Simeon in his Traeger Smoker and it was so bloody nice I made a pig of myself. While spending the summer in the Deep South, Jude, Tom and Sam invested in a Traeger Smoker. What a beauty that beast is and they have turned out some amazing tasties such as legs of lamb, brisket, spare ribs, reverse seared porterhouse steak and chicken. The flavours and texture of the smoked meat is mouth watering. Jude now is relentless in learning and experimenting with differentRead More →

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In: General, Shane's Posts

Long story but here goes. While up north did a first fishing attempt with the drone and it went well until it crashed into the ocean on the second flight.. the fault was with me for not handling the situation appropriately… no matter how I tried to blame something or someone else. On testing the drone it came up with an error, so rather than risk flying it I sent it to drone hospital to let the expert drone doctors check and or repair it. Took about 6 weeks to get her back with the tick of approval from the repair service. Today the timeRead More →

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Its been a lovely stay in Gisborne with Ian and Tui after my Parliament Grounds Freedom Village experience, both of us catching “Alphadeltacrom”, recovering and exploring the lower east side of the Wellington coastline such as Cape Palliser, Lake Wairarapa and Masterton. Jude and I have had a lovely time staying with these great mates. Of course because we are jab-free they do tend to call us their leper friends… but amongst friends who cares. These guys are amazing and we really enjoy the banter, beers and the friendship. Now the weather is another story and boy when it rains up here it rains. JudeRead More →