Virginia Garden

Well I am starting the gardening process all over again, but this time in Virginia.  And I don't have to spend time helping Heather care for her chickens and turkeys, but I do try to help Pamela, when she needs me, take care of my two grandsons.


Since the soil in Virginia is CLAY, which is as hard as a brick when it is dry, I've decided to make raised garden boxes, similar to what we built in New Zealand.


So off the Home Depot to buy the wood and have it cut.

Here is the wood stacked up by the workshop/studio windows waiting for me to get my act together and build the boxes.

And here is the first finished box, ready to be moved to the garden area.

So after waiting through three days of off and on rain, I finally got into the garden area this morning and was able to level the ground enough to get the boxes into position - just two at this point.  

Two boxes in position on the right and the tomato bed is ready to go on the left, up against the south side of the garage.

The raised boxes are 3' x 6' and 12" deep.  After lining the bottom with mesh to keep weeds out but let water drain through, I dumped in a layer of wood chips to help with drainage, a layer of humus, and then started filling the boxes with top soil.  

Unfortunately it began raining around 3 pm this afternoon and we're supposed to have more rain through the night and all day tomorrow.  I guess more work on the garden will have to wait until next week.

Happy Birthday Uncle Mike

Daschel and Julian wanted to sing happy birthday to their Uncle Mike, so we did a short video of the event.

And they were so impressed with the pants that I wore helping Heather and Mike paint the house, they call them "paint pants", and they each wanted a pair of their own.  Of course I obliged them.  Here is what they look like wearing their paint pants.

Christmas with the Grandsons

Julian and Dash's Uncle Brian gave them a drum set and a guitar with a microphone for Christmas.  Here a videos of the boys rockin' out!

Day 69 - End of this trip

Saturday was the last working day of my vacation and we still had lots to get done.  I started early and painted the ceilings of both bathrooms.  Heather joined me later and cut in the walls of the master bath and then I painted the walls.  The upstairs bath was too small for two people to work in so I cut in and painted the walls.  Mike's dad came over and helped Mike put the wire fencing up around the orchard.  Mike's mom had sent along a bacon and egg pie and we heated that up for lunch.  Later in the afternoon Heather and I went back and put the second coat of paint on both bathrooms.  So with the exception of the walk in closet in the master bedroom, all the walls and ceilings of all the rooms in the house are now painted!!  Mike grilled hamburgers for dinner and then in the evening I started to pack.


Sunday morning after finishing packing I walked around the property and took a few more pictures. The pictures below are a few "before and after" views.  

Lambs at two days and at two months

Poults at two days and at two weeks

The vegetable garden in late September, then late October, and then late November

The grape vine in September, October and then in November

And here are a few of my favorite memories.

The Wee Mansion

Silla, the pet sheep across the road

Newborn lambs

Romeo, the sire of all the 20 baby turkeys

Working on the house with Heather and  Mike

Overcoming my fear of heights

Watching Heather care for her animals

Incredible cloud formations

Amazing sunsets

Watching the baby turkeys grow

Interacting with wild life

Playing with big machines!

Roo and his girls

More turkeys!

Number Eleven

California poppies in New Zealand

The turkey house

Working in the garden with Heather

Fruit growing on the trees in the orchard

Good bye for now to my New Zealand friends and family. See you all next year!

Days 67 and 68

First job Thursday morning was to paint the ceiling in the hallway and laundry room.  Then Heather and I drove to Rangiora to pick up some paint for the bathrooms and more turkey food.  After a quick lunch we put the final coat of paint on the walls of the hallway and laundry room.  As soon as that was done we headed back to Rangiora to meet Mike for my birthday dinner at the Blue Rooster.   Heather and I had steak and Mike had a lamb shank and everything was delicious!  Happy Birthday to me : )


Friday Heather and I went into Christchurch to shop at the new Cashel Mall.  Here are some pictures of what the Cashel Mall looked like before the devastating earthquakes hit earlier this year.

Here are some pictures of what the Cashel Mall looked like after the three major earthquakes - September 2010, February 2011, and June 2011. These pictures were taken by professional photographer, Ross Becker.

The buildings show in these pictures have been demolished and the debris has 

been removed.  There is now a new mall in place, but it is completely constructed of huge shipping containers.  Here are some pictures I took of the new Cashel Mall.