tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58985021931484831812024-02-07T19:26:39.979+13:00How did we end up running a B&B in New ZealandCastle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-79649160777518331742013-07-12T16:48:00.000+12:002013-07-12T17:04:26.058+12:00More additions.....We would like to take this opportunity to introduce Berkley, our two year old Labrador.<br />
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To be the worlds greatest exponent of the game fetch appears to be his only goal in life and the amount of joy he appears to expunge from this dull and uneventful game will never cease to amaze.<br />
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Like so many of the animals that find their way to the lodge, Berkley was unwanted and found wandering down the state highway. He has however, found a home here and we love him....<br />
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Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-6189289536084643462013-07-12T16:36:00.000+12:002013-07-12T17:14:03.712+12:00New arrivals, a mixed bag of success.......Further to last year's post Elvis and Pricilla the donkeys never made an appearance at the lodge it just never really came together, but we are not necessarily ruling it out for the future.<br />
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Egg hatching......... I think it is fair to say that I have, not yet at least completely mastered the art of artificial incubation. Out of the 8 duck eggs we got three ducklings. Two, George and Mildred were just fine, the third, known affectionately as "stumpy" for reasons that are probably self explanatory, yeah not so much. Anyway, despite Stumpy's obvious disadvantages we pushed on with duck swimming lessons, these did not go so well for our Stumpy, who was not, as it turned out, particularly buoyant.<br />
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Unfortunately Stumpy did not stay with us too long, he did not drown by the way, we were on hand during said swimming lessons, he just did not really have much of a chance.<br />
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It is here I would love to report that George and Mildred lived happily ever after, as it turned out that was not to be the case either. All seemed to be going swimmingly, excuse the pun, George and Mildred pottered around, George always vocal and would follow us around for food they settled in well. The pair started to nest and lay eggs, great we thought.<br />
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Khaki Campbell ducks, however, are a tricky bunch and not quick to give up the location of their nest. So in a ridiculous attempt, that only a couple of ex-city folk, living the high life in rural NZ would come up with we launched a surveillance mission. Sharon and I tactically positioned ourselves, suitably stocked with adequate supplies and provisions, including copious amounts of wine, which was indeed the catalyst for said plan, we staked out our own ducks, for several hours as it turns out. We never did locate the nest!!!<br />
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Anyway I digress, George able to continually outwit the two half wits that hatched him, was not so successful against the unknown foe. One day he just disappeared.<br />
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We eventually found his remains in the paddock still unsure of the fate that befell him.<br />
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Mildred remains with us, currently enjoying the large lakes formed in the garden by the continuous rain. We did try to replace George, with George the second, an incredibly handsome, tall Peking but Mildred was unimpressed, chose to ignore and soon he disappeared too! He may have flown away or Mildred is in fact a serial killer!!!! We just cannot be sure.<br />
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Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-19542626220016110152013-07-12T15:56:00.000+12:002013-07-12T15:56:36.149+12:00First things first.....Sharon and I are very happy as the lodge continues to head in the right direction, we completed our busiest summer yet and things are looking great for the coming year.<br />
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In 2012/13 we welcomed back Ian and Judith for their annual visit and Bob, back again, great to see you guys. We saw "shocker" twice and the second time he brought "dobbsy" along, no, I am not making this stuff up, it was great fun guys and Shocker the big fish are waiting for you this season!!<br />
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Ward and Margaret look forward to catching up in October.<br />
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Once again to all our guests past or future, thank you....Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-21066086510201745362013-07-12T15:43:00.000+12:002013-07-12T17:20:04.998+12:00Still here and going strong!!Winter has once again befallen the lodge and we have, so far, been doing it pretty tough. Two large dumps of snow and rain, oh boy, gallons and gallons of rain which has led to swollen rivers and wide spread flooding and needless to say things are still pretty soggy under foot.<br />
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However, I can't say that it has all been bad; the rain has provided several new swimming holes for our duck Mildred, which I will get to shortly along with other new arrivals, minor disasters also on the duck front, power cuts leading to winter bbq's and candle lit dinners and other exciting developments. Somehow Southland seems to produce some of the most beautiful winter days you can imagine and today is one of those days.<br />
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I am currently sat on the new bean bags in the cosy guest lounge here at the lodge, feet up, and the sun has just melted behind Castle Hill to the west after a stunningly bright blue day. Making this the perfect moment to make some long overdue updates to the blog.........enjoy!<br />
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<br />Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-31505417996528649632012-04-16T17:56:00.000+12:002012-04-16T17:56:33.446+12:00The mystery guest and other stuff.Its now been a couple of months and things are ticking along quite nicely at the lodge, guests have been sporadic but given the global financial situation and all, pretty good. However, we do not dwell too much on the trials and tribulations of the world here in Garston for it seems, at times that we are somewhat protected and removed from those mainstream worries...... so on with the news from our beautiful valley, that was carved from the land by a glacier all those millions of years ago and, of course, our little ol' Lodge. <br />
Since Christmas we have welcomed guests, among others from NZ and the UK, including my Mum and Dad, great to see you both, Australia, Finland, Germany, America and couple of great guys from Liechtenstein, of all places, who I think bought the entire stock of Stu's Fly Fishing Shop.<br />
Although, one guest will stand out above all others for a little while at least and means that we can now make claim the to be the 'Internationally Renowed' Castle Hill Lodge. It all started innocently enough, much like any other before the rumble of tyres across the cattle grid and distinctive crunch as a bland white rental vehicle, much like the thousands of rental vehicles that pass every day meandered its way up the drive and toward the house. Sharon showed it's American occupant, Seth, into the house and he quickly decided on the Borneo room and settled himself in. Not much out of the ordinary there and in fairness it remained that way for the entirety of the Seth's stay. He was very pleasant, very talkative and he seemed pretty comfortable and happily worked away on his computer making use of the Wi-Fi. Off he went the next day after a good breakfast, lots of coffee and some more frantic typing on his laptop, nothing out of the ordinary there either. A few days later, however, an e mail from Seth arrived and read.....<br />
<em>'It's Seth, your solo guest from last week. First, thank you so much for a lovely if brief stay, with individual thanks to Sharon for the excellent breakfast and Mark for the regular coffee. It was the perfect place to rest and get work done, not to mention learn something about the widely ranging personality of goats, before moving on. <br />
I'm sorry to say I engaged in a bit of deceit during my stay -- I am in fact a travel columnist for The New York Times and write a weekly online article about budget travel. The work I was doing was an article about the North Island, which I had recently arrived from and was on deadline to produce. And now, guess what? I'm writing an article about the South Island, which will focus on...rural accommodations. So, while I will not be writing a review of your place on TripAdvisor, as Sharon requested, I will be mentioning your lovely bed and breakfast (and Basil and Parsley) in an article that will appear in my column, which is called The Frugal Traveler. It appears at www.nytimes.com/frugaltraveler, and should be online by Wednesday morning.'</em><br />
Needless to say we were very excited and indeed very proud. Seth's (or should we call him the 'Frugal Traveller!) article did indeed appear in the NEW YORK TIMES and can be seen by following the link below:<br />
<a href="http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/on-new-zealands-south-island-farm-stays-with-friendly-hosts/">http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/on-new-zealands-south-island-farm-stays-with-friendly-hosts/</a><br />
So that is how our little lodge in Garston, NZ, made its way to the NY Times, and we are all prepared for the inevitable flood of New Yorkans next summer. <br />
In other news, Sid and Reo have both been 'tidied up', a shearer's term for....well a haircut but not around the head, enough said! Reo, who will be a mother this year by the way although she does not know it yet, is of considerable intelligence and she saw it coming a mile off as our good friend Mac unpacked his shearing gear and she proved to be quite a chase! Sid, however, who is of questionable intelligence, cannot claim to have the same foresight. He watched and skipped around with merry abandon as Reo was 'tidied' and proved an easy catch as he walked over to see what was going on and stuck his nose into proceedings, undoubtedly looking for pellets in Mac's pockets!! He looked a bit bemused by the entire process of being flipped on his back and roughly shaved clean but I fear, for Sid at least, it is unlikely that he learnt anything at all from the experience. <br />
Ducks will, hopefully, soon be the new additions to the expanding brood. There are currently 8 Khaki Campbell duck eggs in the incubator and will be due for hatching on or around the 11th May. We have not experienced to much success as yet with the hatching process so fingers crossed! Other than that it is also possible that Elvis and Priscilla the long awaited Donkeys of Castle Hill may soon be making an appearance, watch this space for further news. Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-23750567222526868622012-01-31T19:02:00.001+13:002012-01-31T19:05:33.709+13:00Seriously, who gets a chicken for their birthday!!!!!!!!!!Garston is an occasionally strange and wonderful place!! We are truly blessed with some fantastic friends and neighbours but their choice in birthday presents never fails to amaze. Word of the great stoat attack and loss of one of our dearly beloved hens has clearly reverberated around the area but I could never have guessed that she would be replaced so soon. <br />
Sharon and I celebrated my birthday with lunch at the Mt Difficulty Winery (very good by the way) and then that evening Sharon invited a few of the neighbours around for a few quiet drinks. Which are rarely few or quiet!! <br />
As a staunch and regularly disappointed Everton Fc supporter I was surprised at how it was a blue theme that ran through the evening. Football, or soccer as it is more commonly know here, is a relatively new and largely disliked and disregarded concept, especially in Southland, as rugby, or football as it is more commonly known here, rules all! However, always willing to embrace the unknown, our good friends, embraced the love of the Toffee men, for the evening at least. <br />
I was afforded at bottle of Wolfe Blass wine cleverly disguised as an Everton tipple and was even serenaded with a Kiwi rendition of....... 'it's a grand old team to play for, its a grand old team to support........' you get the idea. Tom even went to the trouble of dressing up, in a, well, ill-conceived but well meaning way, as a Scouser. <br />
But most surprisingly and intriguing of all, taking nothing from Tom's beautiful, if not altogether tuneful voice, was a large box, wrapped lovingly in Batman birthday wrap, gifted by he wonderful Wilkins' clan. Carefully and somewhat nervously I unwrapped the gift. A long standing joke involving some Police 'do not cross' tape and the Wilkins' newly opened vegetable and superb venison and lamb outlet gave me reason to be concerned. <br />
As the batman wrap and small portion of said Police tape peeled back and underlying box revealed it became only too apparent from the agitated scratching and clucking from within what its contents were.........a chicken! However, this was no ordinary chicken, oh no. This chicken had allegiance, this chicken new the pain of supporting perennial under achievers, this chicken supported Everton!! It proudly displayed it's alliance by virtue of its blue beak and claws and most proudly by the medallion that adorned its neck!!! This was, and proud of it, an Everton FC supporting chicken who shall for ever more be known as.... Ever-tina!!<br />
Following the obligatory photographs, see attached, Ever-tina was introduced to the hen house and settled in for the evening as did we. The wine flowed in what turned out to be a fantastic evening. I am regularly, pleasantly, overwhelmed by the people here, their warmth and their humour is unsurpassed. <br />
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God speed little fella. <br />
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We are hoping to have some better luck with future hatchings at the Lodge.Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-82015909541145378952012-01-27T17:57:00.001+13:002012-01-27T17:59:45.342+13:00Moving Piano's Southland Style!!When Tom, our neighbour from up the hill and soon to be father of two, invited us to his place for a BBQ we thought, great, great way to catch up with our good friends a crack open a beer for the New Year, brilliant. Now pretty accustomed to the Southland BBQ we rummaged through the freezer for some decent sized slabs of meat and slapped them in a old ice cream tub, preparation, done! For those of you that may be reading this in, say, London, Paris, New York or any other city or town where supermarkets are two a penny and pretty handy, meat is done a little different down here. <br />
First of all you generally, knew the beast, cared for it, fed it, moved it between paddocks or at the very least, and in our case being the big city sissies that we are, were, are.......anyway, at the very least you know someone who cared, fed or regularly moved it, a few months prior to it eventually makes its way to the grill. The second and perhaps most obvious point of difference is that they really don't care what it looks like, its meat, it ain't meant to be pretty! Oh no, long gone are the days of water filled, plump, carefully portioned and exquisitely presented mince and trimmed, symmetrical and perfectly sized for the discerning diner steaks from Asda. It's a dead cow..... chop it up, whack some cling film round it and Bob's your uncle! However, the third difference is that it tastes sooo much better!<br />
Anyway, I have strayed somewhat from the point. Innocently, we arrived at said BBQ, irregularly sized steaks in the ice cream tub which we to the cook, Tom, and sat down for a beer or two. Things continued quite merrily. Tom's cooking was to an excellent standard, there was, as expected, a ton of meat, of various kinds and a completely irrelevant and largely untouched salad.<br />
It was only when we were all very pleasantly full and mildly intoxicated that Tom's heavily pregnant wife, Katie, disclosed the true reasons for the festivities. There was, in fact a piano that required moving!! To make room for the imminent addition the upright piano was to be moved out the room, across the kitchen, through the pantry, across the garden, over the road into the paddock and be relocated in the workroom!<br />
Buoyed on by the raucous Chardonnay swilling female crowd, the testosterone took over and muscle it we did. Four burly chaps, one on each corner, lifted, dragged puffed and panted our way through the trick chicane of the kitchen and pantry and breezed across open expanse of the garden to the gate. It was a scene not dissimilar to that of the old PG Tips adverts and their famous chimps. Pretty exhausted by the effort, although all of us were trying not to show it, we looked despairingly at the not altogether short distance between the house and the workroom and the rather rough looking path and gravel road which would not allow use of the piano's inadequate wheels. <br />
It was then we saw it..... Tom's tractor, yes the tractor, the tractor was the answer. Operating heavy machinery would allow us to maintain our masculine pride and prevent the need to break out into an unsightly and completely unnecessary sweat or run a risk of pulling a hammy! <br />
With Tom at the helm of the powerful blue beast and forks lowered we carefully and ever so precisely moved the piano into position. At this point the sensible thing to do would be to find some rope or straps, not that hard to find or particularly rare on a farm and secure the piano. That would be the sensible thing and for that very reason, not what we did. Instead, Gerry and I positioned ourselves precariously on the prongs and held the piano in position. Not that we would have been able to hold the thing in position anyway had it moved, but I think it made us feel better.<br />
In a scene that would have given a health and safety inspector a heart attack and killed them on the spot, we trundled across the public road, perched on the 2 inch wide prongs of a large tractor 10 feet in the air holding onto a really heavy piano! <br />
I am pleased to report that I am still alive and in one piece as are all of the removal experts of Garston. We were lucky, it all turned out okay, but there is a lesson here........ If you are ever invited to Tom and Katie's for a BBQ, find out why before you say yes. <br />
Just another night in paradise!!!!!!! Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-79883808298134035792012-01-05T16:53:00.001+13:002012-01-05T16:59:17.489+13:00Stoat attack at the Lodge!!!!!Having just enjoyed the festivities of the new year with our very good friends, feeling extremely relaxed and happy albeit a wee bit tired we returned to the lodge and settled in front of the TV for the evening. I must at this juncture deviate and just extend our thanks to the best neighbour in the world, Pam Naylor, for taking such good care of the place and animals in out absence. <br />
It is about midnight and we are lying prone on the settee, Hercules nestled between us, snoring as usual, watching The Green Mile when there is an almighty squawk from outside. We both looked at each other, mainly for reassurance that the other one had also heard it and in the hope that they had answer as to what it was!!! With the TV muted and the pair of us now looking out of the window into nothing but darkness we waited.......... 'SquawK!!!!!!' there it was again. <br />
This time I ran outside and heard the now more frequent and panicked squeals from the chicken coup. With extreme bravery and with complete disregard for my own safety :-) I charged for the coup only to trip up over one of the now free and hysterical chickens. Picking myself up I made it to the enclosure. One of the hens was tipped up and unfortunately no longer with us and across the run I saw it, the grotesquely elongated and stealth like body of a stoat....<br />
'Sharon' I exclaimed 'get me something to hit this f*****g thing with. <br />
Sharon who was by this time in hot pursuit in her pink pyjamas, turns tail runs back and quick as a flash returns with the biggest axe in the world!!!!<br />
Meanwhile, me and the stoat are transfixed in a stare down both trying to work out what the others next move would be. The chickens are running everywhere and of course all the activity has alerted Sid the sheep to the state of emergency. Sid, however, finds the sight of Sharon carrying an axe in pink pj's hilarious and is completely oblivious to the seriousness of the situation and proceeds to skip around like a new born lamb and take advantage of the open chicken run by helping himself to the chicken food!! <br />
Me and the Stoat are still locked in our trance. <br />
Sharon hands me the axe, no one is more surprised than me at being handed a very large axe to go into combat with a stoat. Anyway, Sharon's return or possibly the sight of her looking really rather lovely in her jim jams breaks my concentration and the Stoat seizes it's chance and runs for it and is lost in the dark!! <br />
There is nothing I can do for the prone chicken, she did I believe put up a brave fight but now we have to recover the remaining five.<br />
"SQUAWK!" Sharon is alerted to more panicked clucking runs across the yard. Armed only with a small torch she elects the screaming, slightly crazed unpredictable foe approach as she bound into the darkness and possible confrontation!! I follow as fast as I can and we find bumbles the chicken upside down head lopped to one side. I can hear rustling beneath the bush and try to flush the little rodent out, still clutching the enormous axe and still determined to take revenge for not only the unnamed chicken but for Bumbles!! She was so named as she had a bout of 'Bumble Foot' a skin condition that we had nursed her through a couple of months prior.<br />
Unfortunately the stoat was too quick and it scuttled passed me and into the woods and that was the last I saw of it. <br />
I returned to where Bumbles had fallen and bent over her expecting the worse. She was still alive!! Carefully, I picked her up and put her back on her feet; dazed and a wee bit unstable, bleeding slightly from the beak, she waddled forward and sat down, feathers all puffed and panting ever so heavily, for a chicken. I scoped her up and carried her back to the coup and slowly we rounded up the remaining chickens and locked them securely away for the night. <br />
I am glad to report that Bumbles and the girls are doing well.<br />
As for the stoat, he'll come again but this time we will be ready!!!!!!!!!!!Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-14795059250676949472012-01-05T16:00:00.000+13:002012-01-05T16:00:32.569+13:00Happy New YearSharon, Mark, Hercules the Cat, Jack and Ryan the pigs, Sid and Reo the sheep, Basil and Parsley the goats, the goldfish (as yet unnamed but suggestions gladly accepted), Bumbles the Chicken and her 5 new friends would like to wish all the customers of Castle Hill Lodge, past, present and future the very best for 2012.Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-84873432599102905262011-11-03T13:25:00.000+13:002011-11-03T13:25:27.317+13:00The Great Power Cut of 2011!Well the day started off innocently enough and pretty much like any other day here at the lodge. A couple of 2 minute power cuts, nothing to worry about. Our guests were out in the garden anyway and unaware of the annoying little incidents.<br />
Being the perfect host that I am I had already made up the venison stew for the evening meal and it was busy doing it's thing in the oven.<br />
The winds started to pick up quite rapidly outside much to the annoyance of our chickens who find it pretty imposible to walk with any dignity when there's a small tornado whipping up their feathers. They end up flying along the ground at an incredible pace and generally in the opposite direction to which they want to go.<br />
Parsley, as usual, believed the world was coming to an end and began to run around here enclosure like a goat possessed, Basil looking on in dismay and far more concerned about the lack of pellets he had received that morning.<br />
Well, with trees bending and gates swinging the power cut finally arrived at around 5pm. Not too much of a problem as it was still light. <br />
Now where did I put those candles?<br />
Our guests came indoors and, in true crisis style, we got the Monopoly and cards out.<br />
Once 7pm arrived I think it became clear that the power was not returning for some time and so the hunt for candles and torches commenced. Success, one candle and 2 torches with flat batteries!<br />
There was also no water as our electrically run pumps were no longer operative.<br />
Not to be panicked, we put the wood burner on full blast and began the very slow process of cooking rice in a pan on top of it. In true British style we managed to make an endless supply of cups of tea on our tiny camping stove. You can deal with anything if you have tea!<br />
Mark was called out to work on numerous occasions during the night due to power poles and trees falling down everywhere. It was pretty scarey sat indoors listening to it all, seemed to come in waves of complete calm and then chaos for a few seconds. Just before the rains came I manage to get the sheep in, more for my benefit than theirs I think as they seemed completely unmoved by the whole thing.<br />
We could hear lots of loud noises on the roof as various sized branches and debris hit us, made all the more scarey by the night time darkness having arrived.<br />
Monopoly by torch light soon ended and as the heavy rains fell and the wind seemed to subside we all made our way to the safety of our comfy beds.<br />
The following morning was a beautiful day but still without power.<br />
We discovered 2 fallen trees but no other damage at all, what a relief. Normality was restored at 3pm that day when the power finally returned.<br />
It's life on the edge here in Garston. Do come and visit.Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-75255929164878277542011-06-12T10:50:00.000+12:002011-06-12T10:50:23.613+12:00It's been a whileWe are so sorry for abandoning our blog for such an amount of time but as usual our fast paced and crazy lives took over.<br />
To update you fully. We finished our sunflower season with a bang and sold out every time we went to market. It wasn't however to be our fortune maker just a little bit of pocket money you might say once the petrol and parking tickets had been paid! We had a blast though and i think will continue with this venture next season. It made people smile and you can't beat that.<br />
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Big changes too in the full time employment stakes. I left for a year and am now in the middle of my time off. However, very unlike our normal selves, we made a decision to take a slightly safer option when Mark was offered the perfect local cop job. It seemed too good an opportunity to let go and so I am, much to my dismay on cold days, alone in my fight against the constraints of full time employment and normal life. Mark does fight the cause too but only on his days off!<br />
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Our busy season is well and truly over now at the lodge. We have a few guests due to stay each month but certainly not enough to keep the debt collectors away. Fear not though we are, as is the norm, hatching various plans. Sending all the brood to the circus is at the fore front of this list.<br />
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We recently returned from a trip to England where, for once, the sun was shining and it wasn't raining. The lodge and animals were looked after by our wonderful neighbour Pam without whom we would be lost sometimes. Upon return there had been various feats of misadventure by all the fur coated creatures.<br />
Jack and Ryan, our pigs, had decided that the goat enclosure was offering so much more than theirs was. So, sensing that the electric fence had finally lost it's charge, they made a run for it. When I say run I suspect it was more about getting their stomachs to roll forward and then allowing momentum to do the rest. Once on the heavenly side of the fence they took over the goats hut and had an amazing holiday in a new and unexplored land.<br />
Reo, our sheep, upon seeing that the pig enclosure was absent of it's snoring and farting occupants decided that she too should check out new territory. Once again helped by the fact that our electric fence was on holiday she lept across the great divide. Sid, our fur ball sheep, was on a leash and unable to follow as I feel sure he would have.<br />
Parsley, upon seeing the new occupants of her enclosure, began to butt everything. She doesn't like change does our Parsley and her answer to everything is to hit it with her head first and then when that doesn't sort it out well she hits it again. Basil was uninterested and bored of eating hay.<br />
I am sure you can imagine the scene as we returned from holiday to see, well, to see no-one where they should be.<br />
Hercules greeted us with loud meows which continued all night. Infact they are still continuing and we've been home a week now. His routine has finally returned though. At the first hint of movement in the house each morning he is at the front door meowing like life itself depends upon him being heard. Once inside he eats biscuits, cries for milk and goes to his cushion in the lounge. This cushion, although already soft and fluffy, is then padded and clawed for 15 minutes to make it softer and fluffier until he finally goes to sleep. Here is where Hercules remains until he is forcibly ejected around 10pm each night. <br />
So, the electric fence is now charged, the animals in their own beds, Hercules on his cushion indoors, the fires glowing with a welcoming warmth, normality is restored once again at Castle Hill Lodge.<br />
Wonder what this next year is going to bring? Whatever it is we can't wait to get on with it.Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-57420707532432599542011-01-30T18:16:00.000+13:002011-01-30T18:16:26.735+13:00A new year, a new start?2011 has begun at the frenetic pace that seems to encompass most of our life and major changes are afoot! we do not wish to cause any undue panic or alarm and assure you that some things remain the same, for instance the goats are still susceptible to awe inspiring bouts of flatulence and Hercules the cat is still capable of enduring amazing amounts of fuss at the hands of any willing volunteer. No, the animals are all safe and well and evidently completely sane. We, however, are arguably completely insane! Once again we have stepped off the employment merry-go-round and turned our backs on security and predictability! Yep, we have once again abandoned our employers for another year! It would be fair to assume that we have a plan for the coming twelve months, unfortunately.... we have not! We do, of course have the B&B and have enjoyed a good season to date, thank you very much, but as we hurtle toward the long cold nights of winter, the coffers are likely to get very lean. We are, however, undeterred and have decided that unpredictability, uncertainty and self sufficiency are actually very good for the soul, hence we have now become farmers of Sunflowers! <br />
We have about 5000ish of the blooming things and on Saturday 29th January, 2011, Sharon and I went to market.<br />
The night before we gathered the troops, when I say troops, we mustered four of our good friends, plied them all with food and wine and then marched happily into the paddock for the rather chaotic, ill-disciplined and hap hazard harvest! Cut, trimmed and bunched our way through the next couple of hours and, needless to say, a couple more bottles of wine, and before you know it we had our stock.<br />
Simple, yellow and stunning, three large buckets of floral gold and happiness in a pot!<br />
Up at 6am, we squeezed the buckets into the back of the truck and headed to town. Even the boulders that fell overnight and smashed the road to pieces around the Devil's Staircase were unable to stop us as we strode confidently toward Queenstown Farmers Market!<br />
We did not quite make our fortune but people did like the little bunches of sunshine and we sold a few, we also made lots of people smile on what was a very gloomy day and starred in many, many holiday photographs. Sunflowers are the way ahead, at least they better be if we are gonna eat this winter!!!!!Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-59277344841865972682010-12-27T20:47:00.000+13:002010-12-27T20:47:23.158+13:00The 'Sneeze-fart' a Goat keeping Phenomenon<span lang="EN-NZ"> I would assume that it is a little known fact to those outside the world of keeping goats, and indeed it was a mystery to us too, but for reasons that will baffle scientist around the world it would appear that goats are susceptible to simultaneous explosions from both ends whenever they enter into anything more than a gentle trot. I have no idea when we first noticed it nor when it started but exist it does, the 'sneezing-farting' goats of Castle Hill Lodge. Whenever moved to their new feeding ground and the excitement builds to an overwhelming crescendo both Basil and Parsley literally burst unashamedly. To describe this phenomenon, first of all there's a small sneeze, similar in all aspects to a human sneeze and similar in depth and tone to a quick, gentle, nose tickling sneeze like that when one may accidentally inhale pepper for instance. Not particularly funny in its self. However, this is immediately followed on every occasion by a short comedy 'raspberry', like noise produced should one poke out their tongue and seal their lips and exhale quickly. The effect is quite hilarious and almost musical in its regularity and only matched by the immediate look of utter surprise upon their faces after every note!!!!<br />
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</span><span lang="EN"> </span>Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-36166360580558978452010-12-13T15:01:00.000+13:002010-12-13T15:01:35.284+13:00The Great escapeYesterday we put Sid in with the other sheep. They were both on a good section of land with electric fencing surrounding them. We thought this would be enough.<br />
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The other sheep, Reo, has no requirement to leave her little plot of heaven and is quite content to sit and eat all day. The same cannot be said for Sid.<br />
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He has now made 3 sucessful escape bids albeit he doesn't travel far, just to the other side of the fence.<br />
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So I pick him up, return him to his section and walk back up the driveway. Before I get to the house he is out again. Now, if I sit and watch him he doesn't try to leave but the moment my back is turned he escapes.<br />
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I can only imagine that his wool, which is randomly thick on his face, is preventing him from being zapped by the fence.<br />
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We are hatching a plan to crank up the zap from the fence by attaching it to the tractor. Once he gets a hit from it I am sure he won't push through again! Well thats the plan. Stay tuned.Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-59638106079633613922010-11-24T16:49:00.000+13:002010-11-24T16:49:19.141+13:00Bits dropped offAfter a couple of months of running around with an elastic band around them Sid's unmentionables have finally dropped off. We found them by the front door this morning. He seems unimpressed by the whole incident.Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-3115428800269526562010-11-24T15:09:00.000+13:002010-11-24T15:09:52.102+13:00Our Firsts at Castle Hill Lodge<strong>Clipping the goats feet</strong> - Do you know how hard this is when you don't know what you're doing! Our neighbour Hamish came over to show us how to take Basil to the ground. Hamish moved his neck back nice and calmly and Basil obligingly lay down. Once Hamish left though it took Mark and I about 20 minutes to get Basil back down again, both so nervous incase we were hurting him and Basil taking full advantage of the situation.<br />
<strong>First paying guests at the Lodge</strong> - Couldn't find any matching crockery so the breakfast table looked like a paint pot accident that first morning. Everyone loved the cooked breakfast though so all good. I love it when people write sweet things in the visitors book. Hoping for lots of that.<br />
<strong>Earthquake - </strong>It happened around 9.15pm and was about 7.8. The front door started banging furiously and us having only recently moved from England were convinced someone was trying to break in! We both jumped out of bed, torches in hand and ready to defend ourselves. It was only when we saw the kitchen light shade swinging from side to side that we realised. Straight on the phone to the neighbours to check it was infact an earthquake. We were very impressed that we survived our first, everyone else in Garston was very un moved by it all!<br />
<strong>Ploughing</strong> - We got the old Fordson Major tractor for only $500, what a bargain. Mark set about ploughing our paddock out the front. This after we had borrowed pretty much all the attachments from locals. The first plough was kind of a Banana shape rather than a straight line but once Peter and Hamish had set him straight there was no stopping him.<br />
<strong>Sowing the Sun Flower seeds</strong> - Well why not. With the help of Heather we planted out 12,000 sunflower seeds by hand. Two weeks later we can see tiny little plants about 1 inch in height beginning to grow. We can only count about 2000 so it might not be the wonderful bright Yellow field we were hoping for but its a start. For a couple of English cops who haven't got a clue what we're doing I think we're doing o.kCastle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-28414986774405784052010-11-21T16:44:00.001+13:002010-11-24T17:03:45.379+13:00Meet the Castle Hill Lodge animalsWhen we arrived we started with a cat.He is called Hercules and is the biggest softest creature ever. He arrived here as a wild kitten and has now been tamed beyond all recognition. His demands for fuss are unrelenting as is his ability to melt the hearts of anyone he meets.<br />
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Then came Basil and Parsley. They are the goats, brother and sister. Basil arrived with an elastic band around his unmentionables. The band and everything else has since dropped off! Am still convinced I will come across the small package somewhere in the garden one day. Parsley is just plain silly and believes with all her heart that every time you go near her she will be murdered. I have to confess to coming quite close to such an act when she sent me 10 feet in the air as her chain wrapped round my ankles and she made a run for it!<br />
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Jack and Ryan, they are our Kune Kune pigs. What can I say, they eat and they sleep. Jack is the pushy one and sometimes bites Ryan's ear in his daily battle for more food. He also lies down in the food so that Ryan can't get at it.<br />
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Reo, John and Sid. These are sheep, white lamb and black lamb. All orphans and either their Mum died or she rejected them so as a soft touch and to prevent the local farmer from killing them we have given them a home.<br />
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Chickens too. No names though because I really can't tell thedifference.<br />
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Thats all of us here at the LodgeCastle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898502193148483181.post-14007580686710343572010-11-21T16:20:00.000+13:002010-11-21T16:20:16.660+13:00How it all startedMy husband and I were working as Police Officers in England. As is often the case after a long time in the same job decided enough was enough and took a career break to travel the world.<br />
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What a year. We backpacked around Nepal, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Vietnam, Australia and finally New Zealand.<br />
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It was here in our beautiful final destination that things began to happen for us. The New Zealand Police were recruiting English Police officers and so we put our names down. Do you know how hard it is to try to complete an application form and a cv on a computer screen with 50 other backpackers waiting to get on it!<br />
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Forms all completed and in we returned to England to await our fate.<br />
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We didn't have to wait long to hear back and after a lot of written tests, strange questions and intrusive medical checks we were in.<br />
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We landed in New Zealand on the 22nd of Sept 2008.<br />
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We had been looking online at houses before we left England and this was the first time that we set eyes on Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfast. It was called Anglers Lodge back then and was set in the beautiful town called Garston in Southland. Its not really a town, more a village or should I just say a pub, a school and some great people. No-one has ever heard of Garston, most Kiwis don't know where it is either.<br />
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Tried to play it cool when we viewed the house. You know what I mean when you try not to giggle like school kids cause you,ve found the place of your dreams but you want to knock the owner's price down. We failed, she knew we were smitten and on December the 13th 2008 we moved in.<br />
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It wasn't being run as a B&B year round so we didn't really have any accounts to see if there was any business. All we knew was that we loved it as a home first and a B&B second and if we could make some money out of it too then it was all good.Castle Hill Lodge Bed and Breakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928027180608575383noreply@blogger.com0