are you sick of hearing about gorse?

So, are you sick of hearing about gorse? What is gorse anyway?

Well, Gorse is an abnoxious pest in the form of prickly bushes. The English settlers brought it over with them (thanks ancestors) and the seed can lay active in the ground from 40-70 years, depending on who you talk to. THe best way we know how to keep it at bay is to keep mowing down the grass so that it does not get a chance to grow. Even when it looks dead it is still just as prickly.
Our house yards have lush grass with no gorse on it but where it has not been mowed for 4 years or so, we have that jungle of prickles I keep posting pictures of.....
We have been cutting down the bushes to make way for our fruit trees and well just sick of the sight. Yesterday was no different. Armed with a hand saw and pruners I was determined to free the fence along side the house so we can plant our berry bushes and replant our passionfruit vines.

half way there

clear fenceline and an easy walk around now

Proudly now I can say we can now walk right around our house without coming across a gorse wall...

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Flashback - Rotten teeth?

I was putting the boys to bed the other night, and as usual you go through the usual teeth toilet, bed etc... I asked Rakai, did you brush your teeth? He said no. (He was honest) So, I said, "do you want your teeth to fall out while you are asleep?" He answered with a sad look on his face, "yes, cause then I can get some money". Oh that was such a Rakai thing to say!! I had to counter that (trying not to laugh) by telling him that the tooth fairy doesn't give money for rotten teeth! Then, Hikawera pipes up saying he got $5 for a rotten (dead actually from being banged) tooth that the dentist had to pull out. I had to go into real damage control then!! Rakai comes out with the funniest things sometimes. He is golden.

Waikato Winter

I have been told it gets cold in the winter here. I remember the fog that didn't lift until lunchtime, and wearing a couple o layers of clothes when I lived here about 20 years ago, but I must say, it's way colder. I am still getting used to the grass crunching under my feet early mornings when I go to get light for our run. I keep thinking I use get the treadmill going again. Then there is the defrosting your car to drive to work. It takes me longer to clear the ice and frost off the car than it does to drive to the office. This morning I heard the creaking sound when I opened the car door as it was starting to freeze shut. I had to take a couple of shots. Arama's car usually a dark green. The side of my van. The view (or lack of) from the inside of my van. Brrrrrrr, so great fun for heat pumps and hot water bottles.

Volleyball

Teancum really enjoys playing volleyball. He jumped right into the teams at boys high, and within a couple of weeks, he was in the 'A' team. They came runner up this season to a solid Hillcrest school team. An awesome group of boys.

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