Revamped Fireplace

When you purchase a 100 year old villa in New Zealand, you do it because you like the character of that style of home.  Their high ceilings, enormous hallways, large rooms, structural detailing, fireplaces, native timber  .... the list goes on.   You definitely don't do it because of the warmth .. (of the heating kind).

The homestead on the Ponderosa still has it's two original open fireplaces, however previous owners had replaced the old coal range (gggrrrrr!!!!) with a wood burner which had seen better days.

During the first winter we got to experience how the fires worked in conjunction with each other and although I like an open fire, they really aren't as effective for a 3.5 metre stud house.  The result was we spent most of our winter living down by the wood burner.  The ceilings in that space are slightly lower and the fire was more efficient in heating the space .. along with us. 

During the second winter we were more prepared with firewood and got to understand the timing of lighting the wood burner and the open fire in the lounge so that by nightfall the house was comfortable.  By the end of that winter, devastation happened.  Our poor wood burner "shat" itself so to speak which meant a replacement needed to be made and an opportunity to give the "fireplace" a new lease of life.

Out with the old wood burner, tiles and mantle and in with the new .. finished off with a nice couple of coats of paint.

Ole faithful with her lovely terracotta tiles and wooden surround

The new fireplace with a revamped surround and new tiles

The first fire for 2014

You may be horrified to see that the surround has been painted and that the terracotta tiles have been replaced with black painted, fire resistant lining, but after two years of pondering over the homestead on the Ponderosa, I decided that I had to let the wood look go if I was to achieve the result I wanted. 

I envisaged a black wood burner to blend into a black backdrop so there was more emphasis on the flames themselves when the fire was lit.  The fresh, crisp, white surround was simply to match the rest of the room once it has been completed.  A clear white canvas to compliment the rest of the decor that will be in that space.  The cork floor will be replaced with light ceramic tiles that have a wooden floorboard effect. 

Well that's what I saw in my head and the biggest task was convincing my husband of my vision.  He will be the first person to admit that he couldn't see it and wasn't a fan of painting over the wood, but after seeing the finished product he was more than impressed - as was I.

There is an even bigger plan for the actual space this fireplace lives in, as it entails an extension that will push the entire eastern wall 5 metres to create an open plan living, dining and kitchen area with a deck overlooking the paddocks of the Ponderosa.  The fireplace will remain as is of course, but that extension isn't the priority yet.  The lounge room is :-)

Have a great day people!!

Hammock Garden

I've been trolling through old photo's of the garden and found some with our hammock.  Yes we have a hammock garden .. a place where we can rest, relax and reflect on whatever it is that you want to reflect on.

We've always had a hammock since our first home and enjoyed the thought of laying outside under a tree listening to natures best, reading a book and probably falling asleep.

When it came time to move into our second home, there was no place for a hammock.  That home had everything you could possibly want ... crammed into a 680 m2 section with an outdoor pool.  No trees to swing from, so a mattress on the courtyard with lots of pillows was the answer.

Enter the Ponderosa ... hammock paradise - it really was!!!  We just had to decide where to put it which didn't take long at all.  

The beginning ... the pooch lazing in the sun while my husband reads a book in the hammock

Add a small rustic cable reel to rest those essentials such as a glass or book

Add a bigger cable reel for an additional sitting area

I'm really happy with this garden.  It has a wonderful outlook onto the paddocks and rose garden.  The table provides a wonderful resting area for afternoon refreshments, and kids just love to hop in the hammock and have a play around.

In future I do envisage adding more plantings to the garden itself and some lighting in the trees for a little ambiance so watch this space.

Happy living people!!

Front Boundary Gets The Chop

If there's one thing I love about the Ponderosa is the wonderful mature trees on the property.  Not only do they provide privacy, but they give a majestic ambience that makes you wonder what stories they could share with you over their years.  It so relaxing to sit on the porch and gaze out over the land and look and listen to them swaying in the breeze.

During the different seasons the trees give a whole new take on the Ponderosa.  In the summer, the land is filled with lush foliage providing necessary privacy and shelter for us and the animals and not to mention fruit.  The autumn brings amazing autumn colours followed by the lose of leaves which help organically feed & treat our stock .. and not to mention fruit.  Winter the trees look dormant & sad while the birds nests become visable from below.  Then there's spring which brings new growth with new blossoms and colour into the garden and with it comes a sense of revival as the days become warmer and new fruit starts to emerge.  Out of all the seasons, I would have to say autumn and spring are my best times to sit and enjoy the trees and what they have to offer, either by listening to the breeze, birds chirping or the fruit they bear for our consumption.

So .... you could imagine my disappointment when I recieved a phone call from the NZTA saying they needed to widen our road, which meant taking the row of wonderful mature trees on our front boundary.  I was equally annoyed when they tried to say the trees serve no real value or purpose.  Grrrrr!!!  Enter my husband who had the task of negotiation.

 

The trees in the background - not a good angle I know

The trees coming down 

The trees all gone :-(

I do miss those trees on the front boundary and I'm not a fan of the Ponderosa being exposed to the road .. and all that comes with it.  The bonus is we get to plant new trees along the entire length of the new fenceline so I just need to decide what, when, why and how so stay tuned for the continuation of this story.  Hopefully I can create an outlook of tranquility from within and privacy from outside the Ponderosa which mets our needs.

Happy living peeps!

 

New Chicks On The Block

It's been just over 2 years since we embarked on the journey of having chickens and blogging about it - Our New Chooks.  As I reflect back on that blog I can't help but giggle at the tone of excitement and the stress of what I put my husband through.  The goal was always simple.  To have fresh organic eggs, however to continue having a constant supply, we must ensure our chickens are up to scratch .. so to speak by replenishing to find that balance.

In December 2013, one of the older hens became very broody so we thought we would source some fertile eggs and see how it went.  My husband and his friend, did a deal with a supplier and 9 eggs came home with a plan that after x amount of days, they would hatch into little chicks and add to our whanau.  Well, we waited .. and waited .. and waited until early January 2014.  Still no baby chicks. 

We thought it could've been us, but knew we had made a huge effort every day to ensure we checked the broody hen was providing enough of her love.  Finally we recieved a phone call from our friend (who not only purchased some for them, but their neighbour as well).  Out of the 20 eggs that were sourced, only 2 had hatched.  Long story short, supplier said "that happens sometimes" and fair to say we won't be using them again.

After feeling extremely disappointed, we went to another supplier and recieved 8 new chicks as there was no time for new eggs - the broody hen was back on the lay.  These chicks were so cute and made themselves quite at home with the rest of the chooks.  It even made my daughters go up to the chicken run to feed the rest of the girls .. just so they could have a play.

The new chicks with the broody hen ... they are about 15 days old.



All our chooks in March 2014 scratching in their new chicken run

Not quite sure if the little egg is from the new chicks .. but it was interesting to find.

The new chicks are now 5 months old and coming along quite nicely.  The goal of having fresh organic eggs is still being achieved and although the volume of eggs we recieve during the warmer months is more than we can consume, I'm happy to say we supply my parents and grandmother with their daily supply.

Happy living people!

 

Our Personal Cash Cow

Reflecting on my past posts regarding our wonderful beef, I can't help but realise just how fast time has past me by which is a constant reminder to me that I haven't been enjoying the lifestye the Ponderosa has to offer as much as I would like at present.

Bullet is still with us, and we hope he has done the business properly, however we had to get rid of our wonderful calves.  Not because we wanted too, but because the Ponderosa wasn't big enough to sustain 14 beef without bringing in more feed to help out.

We (or should I say my husband) has worked hard to ensure the paddocks used for grazing has been as organic as we can keep them, and as a result our beef were growing extremely fast.  An awesome result, if you want to get a return on your investment but it was sad that we couldn't keep them longer.

Don't get me wrong.  The original plan for the calves was to get the experience of calving, see how much work was involved, how it fitted into our lifestyle, how cost effective it was with an end result of selling them or putting them in the freezer when they were at least 2 years old.

The Calves - Approximately 2 months old

The exercise was well worth it and although I didn't personally enjoy the early morning feeds, there was a sense of accomplishment at the different stages of their growth.  They didn't quite make it to 2 years but the return we recieved exceeded our expectations.

The challenge for us now is to get that balance of beef right for the Ponderosa.  We hope Bullet has done the business which means all 8 of our cows are in calf, due by July at the earliest.  The next exercise is to see if calving with mothers is much easier than without.  I have a feeling that it will and I'm excited to experience the first calf being born.

Happy living people.

Farewell to The Pines

When we first moved on the Ponderosa, one of the first things that made an impact on the property was the 20 years old pine trees that were planted in the back paddock I nicknamed "The Pines".

It was the perfect location for our chicken run and allowed the Chooks shade and plenty of bugs to dig up and feed on.  Remember my blog when they first arrived - Our New Chooks.  They looked wonderful from the east boundary looking towards the homestead as well.

Unfortunately during the first winter we got to experience just how much the south westerly winds like to whip through the pines.  As time progressed we became extremely concerned that some would fall either on the homestead or on the neighbouring property or heaven forbid on their house.

So .. an opportunity arose to have them removed and we took it.  If I am to be honest, I wasn't too enthusiastic to have them come down, but I caved and after it all was quite surprised with just how much difference it really made to the landscape of the property.

Before

After

Before

After

If I am to be honest, I am sad to see them go, however in the long term I hope to turn that area into an orchard .. only after the chooks have had a good crack at scratching the decomposing the area first.

Scented Wonder

I can't believe that summer has come to an end and we are already half way through autumn.  I've been busy over the past few months as my beautiful grandmother has fallen ill which means I haven't spent a lot of time on the Ponderosa.

Today I had an opportunity to do some work around the house and during some reflection time of sitting on the front porch, I gazed out over the rose garden (which is coming starting to come to the end of it's flowering) and reminisced on the beautiful display it managed to produce this season as I was either leaving or arriving home.

I just had to post some photos considering the last post was about designing it.  

It never ceases to amaze me the enjoyment that the Ponderosa provides me.   99% of the roses in this garden are wonderfully scented so you can just imagine the aroma that drifts through the air when there is a gentle breeze.

There is still room for a few more roses, and there are specific ones I am after and need to look quite hard to source them ... watch this space.

Happy living people

New Rose Garden

The new rose garden has been a work in progress for a while now.  It all started when we decided to trim the existing climbing rose that was entangled on the existing trellis (which was being held up from the rose itself).  When we started the fence just fell to pieces.  Hmmmm ... time to rethink the garden.

I've always loved roses and I needed a place to plant existing roses from the Ponderosa to one central place.  This was the perfect spot.  The fence came down .. and stayed down for quite some time until we acquired some used tin for free and used it to replace the old trellis.  A quick spray paint with "karaka" which made the fence blend into the backdrop and not stand out.  Transport the roses from other existing gardens .. luckily only two didn't survive :-( ... fill in the spaces with a combination of other beautiful roses.  Plant some swan plants, gladioli bulbs and erect a nice bird house .. painted curiosity of my lovely god daughter Hope.  Add some weed cloth to keep the weeds away, cover with bark to keep in the moisture ... then sit back and watch the garden grow.

Before ...

Nearly Finished

Hope adding the final touches to the garden .. painting the bird house

I envisage the roses at the back being quite tall adding a backdrop for the front flowers in the garden and the colourful birdhouse peaking out from the lush roses that will grow up and around it.  

So it's not quite finished yet, but I'm still very happy with the current result!!

Happy living people.

More & More Cakes

The last couple of months have been quite busy for me and my cakes so I thought I would share a few more photo's.

Happy living people

Summer Fruit Surprise

We have been in our home for two years now and it never ceases to amaze me how we are still finding new and exciting things around the house that we've never experienced before.

The lastest is three fruiting cherries and fruiting japanese plum tree.  Don't get me wrong.  I've known the trees were there, but last season I didn't notice any fruit on them and thought they were both of the "ornamental" kind.

Last year we had two plums fruit on our tree which was such a disappointment.  We waited for three weeks before the fruit look ready for picking, only to go out and find .... GONE!!  Not sure where they went as we couldn't see any pips or evidence the birds had got to them.  I got to thinking someone had picked them and didnt' tell us :-(  This year though, it was a awesome. The tree was loaded and we awaited the first plum to be ready for picking.  Hmmmm, it was worth the wait.  A whole year of waiting, with two weeks of fresh plums .. but now the tree is empty.  Stripped from us picking and eating them constantly.  I thoroughly enjoyed this seasons plums on this one tree, although I can't help wonder that we are about one month ahead of ourselves with the weather.

We've planted two black doris plums and two other plum trees on the property to help with our season demand.  Hopefully next season, we will have more than two weeks of enjoying fresh plums.

As for the cherries?  Well that's a completely different story. 

Imagine my surprise when I was sitting at home on my side porch overlooking our land with our beloved dog "bruno", when a flashing red colour caught my eye as the breeze was blowing in the trees.  I ran down to have a closer inspection only to find cherries starting to colour.  I was so excited I yelled 'WE'VE GOT CHERRIES', only to realise I was the only person at home, and my dog was looking up at me with a very strange look on his face :-) I had to text my husband straight away to tell him the news and when arriving home, he found two other trees fruiting as well.  YAY!!!

Unfortunately we weren't as lucky with the cherries as we were with our plums. The birds got to them first, but rest assured, I'll be determined to keep them away next season!!  We've also planted another two more cherry trees and hope that they will also flower and fruit to help provide for us over the future summer months.

Happy living people