Kathleen On The Farm

Kathleen on the farm and ready for work

Kathleen had expressed an interest in seeing what was happening on a farm and my family were happy to share their lifestyle with her. The first day saw us helping my nephew shift some sheep, then round up more to drive into the yards for drenching. Kathleen was a natural on the quad bike. Occasionally my knuckles turned white as I clung on the back, but she never actually unseated me. With having the extra pairs of hands, his dogs didn’t have to do too much to help until the sheep were penned, when I understand the huntaway did a grand job of jostling the sheep to where they were supposed to be going.

Later, in the Catlins, we would come upon a farmer shifting sheep across a large paddock and over a hill. We parked and watched him work his dogs until the sheep disappeared from sight.

I headed away to spend some time with my mother and son, leaving Kathleen to the tender mercies of rural New Zealand, but she seemed to survive okay. I believe after the drenching, Kathleen enjoyed some Chatham Island blue cod for lunch, which she cooked herself, and then was taken on a tour of my brother-in-laws tractor sheds where he has 82 fully restored tractors, and a lot of parts.

She found some common US plants and trees growing in my sister’s garden.

My nephew and his wife are involved with the Poultry Club and given Kathleen’s interest in her own chickens, they had something else to talk about. Edward (11) proudly showed off all his pigeons which they also show.

We spent four nights on the farm but beyond the first day, we had little time to enjoy anything resembling farm life. We were just there to rest our heads each night. Our days were full of adventure.