Category Archives: Guest Blog

Guest Blog, Rural

Signs of Spring

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First Spring Lambs arrive in middle of winter. Read more at Jasper’s Doggy World. It is the middle of winter but it has been a mild one. Cold mornings but warm days, but also lots of wind and rain.

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010Greeting loyal readers and fellow maremmas. Now as you all know We three live in the sunny Mangamahu Valley and it is winter time in New Zealand.  Soon signs of spring will appear – daffodils and magnolia flowers.

One early sign of spring’s arrival in the appearance of spring lambs in paddocks.  Now as you all know We have six sheep and mummy was expecting to see lambs in a few months time.

Well, yesterday morning she was out getting some wood and happen to glance over to one of the front paddocks.  There she saw something little and with a wagging tail.  Yes, you guested it,  new lambs.  Boy she was surprised!!

IMG_6291IMG_6289IMG_6288Yum, Christmas lamb!!

Mummy thinks we might get some more lambies soon.  Watch this space.

Love Nellie, Jasper and Itai, the three bestest maremmas in all the land.

Me and Nellie having a frolick in the long grass. Me and Nellie having a frolick in the long…

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Guest Blog, Rural

Six Green Bottles: An Interesting Find

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Mrs Woolshedwargamer was doing some gardening in the back yard and found these buried. I hope she finds more. Pop over to Jasper’s Doggy World  and see some of what she has turned up on these old bottles – other than the old bottles of course.

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All the bottles All the bottles

Greeting loyal readers and fellow maremmas.  Now as you all know, We live in a very old house (by New Zealand standards).  87 years ago, Two summers ago, mummy was out in the garden digging under the Robinia tree when she discovered these bottles. She put them in a bucket, thinking “I must clean them later” and promptly forgot them.  (Her memory ain’t what it used to be).

Well, today she found them out in the back of her old potting shed, when looking for something else.   Well, she cleaned them up and brought the bottles inside to consult with our friend “Dr Google” to see if she could find anything out about them.

Symington's Coffee Essence Symington’s Coffee Essence

  • Coffee and chicory  essence was a thick syrup, used as a form of instant coffee during the 19th and early 20th Centuries.). The chicory, a plant root…

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Guest Blog, Rural

Happenings on a Sunny Sunday Mangamahu Afternoon.

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Another small taste of our rural life. Hope you enjoy this post from Jasper’s Doggy World.

Romeo (on the right) with his ewes.

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See Me and Nellie in the afternoon sun, waiting for mummy to come home from town. See Me and Nellie in the afternoon sun, waiting for mummy to come home from town.

Greeting loyal readers and fellow maremmas. The weather still continues to be warm.  In the afternoon the temperature often reaches 22 C (71F).  Not bad for halfway through autumn.  Now as you all know We live on a lifestyle block in the sunny Mangamahu Valley.  Mummy and daddy run a couple of cows and a few sheep.  Today, neighbour Paul had to sort out some of his sheep and return our stud ram called Romeo.  So, mummy and daddy said they’d help him.  For some reason Me, Nellie and Itai were left at home.  Something about being a nuisances and  distractions.

Once the sheep were in our woolshed then the fun begun.  The sheep had to be separated in the race, sort of long  corridor with a gate at the end.  When the sheep…

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Guest Blog

On the Road

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I thought some of my overseas readers would like to see a bit of New Zealand – we went on a road trip to get another dog. Check the full post at Jasper’s Blog.

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Greeting loyal readers and fellow maremmas.  Well yesterday, mummy and daddy abandoned  left Me and Nellie to go and collect the new Me.  They left very early in the morning and came back in the evening.  Mummy took some photos of their road trip:


Here are some pictures of the creatures they saw on their trip:

And here are some photos of the New Me!! Mummy and Daddy say he is so laid back that he is almost horizontal.

And now for our international readers, who may think that all there is in New Zealand are hobbits and sheep, you will be glad to know that We too have access to 24 hour a day hamburgers in such cosmopolitan town of Taihape, the gumboot capital of New Zealand.

And of course, don’t forget the international airport:

And one last photo for the road.

Love Nellie, Jasper and Itai, the bestest…

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Guest Blog, Rural

Our House

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Just some background history to our property and some of the neighbouring properties in our valley. From our very clever Maremma dog Jasper’s personal blog.

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Lambhill Lambhill

Greeting loyal readers and fellow maremmas. Last weekend, mummy went on a house and garden tour to one of the oldest houses in the area. The site has been lived on since the early 1840’s, which in terms of New Zealand history is an eternity.  It was first owned by Dr Allison,  The following is from: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Wellington Provincial District] Farmers, Old Settlers etc.

“Allison, (Dr.) James, Sheepfarmer, Wanganui. This pioneer colonist landed in Wellington in 1840, afterwards settling in Wanganui, where he remained seven years. He then removed to the South Island, taking up a sheep-run in the Wairau Valley. In 1855 he sold out and again came to the Wanganui District. Twelve years later he left the Colony to visit the Old Country, but died on the voyage.”

HouseNow this got mummy thinking about our house.  Not a lot is known…

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Guest Blog

Look at What I was Missing Out On!!

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jaspersdoggyworld

Greeting loyal readers and fellow maremmas.  Now, as you all know there was wedding held here at Oeta on Saturday evening.  Now, what is held after all weddings?  Why a reception, of course and what is served at a wedding breakfast.  Food, of course.   Now as you all know, Me and Nellie are rather fond of our food.  What should have been served at this reception??

A whole sheep on the spit. A whole sheep on the spit.

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Were Me and Nellie at the wedding breakfast partaking of all this sheep.  No, We were stuck at home, alone, unloved, unwanted.

Awaiting the food. Awaiting the food.

IMG_4291Now for all of you who want to see a photo of the most important person at a wedding, who is not a maremma.  

The bride The bride

Love Nellie and Jasper, the two bestest maremmas in all the land. And now a word from our mummy.

Please ignore, Jasper and Nellie’s pitiful pleas. …

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Guest Blog

Hurrah. Brother is home!!

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Some perspective on the flooding from our dog.

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See Me and brother See Me and brother

Greeting loyal readers and fellow maremmas.  This evening Me and Nellie were having our usual evening snooze in front of the fire and who should walk through the door, but brother.  He is back from u-ni-ver-sity to work at Farmer Rae’s orchard, assisting in the clean up after the recent flooding.  It is fitting and proper that he is back to give Me and Nellie the love and understanding that We so richly deserve.

Me giving brother some love. Me giving brother some love.

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Here are some photos taken of Farmer Rae’s kiwifruit orchard on Sunday morning.  As you can see there is a lot of flooding and damage to the orchard.

IMG_2812IMG_2816IMG_2819Mummy says kiwifruit vines do not like to get their feet wet so it is very important that the land is drained as soon as possible.  Unfortunately, the weather forecast is for more rain this weekend.  Let’s hope…

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