Yesterday evening was the first of the gatherings. 
Beautiful Daughter arrived on time and within hours had hijacked the dog and walked to two local dairies looking for her favourite dip ingredients.
Sops had been dreaming of this Kiwi dip for days and could not settle until she had found the ingredients, mixed it up and popped it in the fridge to cool.
She made her dip by mixing dried onion soup, reduced cream and a spark of vinegar. And we snacked on this while the oven did it’s thing. 
Mama was snapped snapping: 
The shot is of the cutting of the hot bread. 
This is home made bread and Mama’s Meat Loaf. All the meat loaves were topped with piles of New Zealand Tasty cheese. The Original version has swathes of tomato sauce and yellow mustard on top of the cheese and the New Improved is topped with lashings sweet thai chilli sauce. It goes without saying that my children started with the original. We also had a beetroot and feta salad, that was eaten so fast no pictures exist!
The evening proceeded with loud chatter and laughter the way all these family gatherings do. Our plates, that excited so much attention only minutes before, were cleared of food, refilled, cleared of food again and then left where they lay as we talked on into the night. 
And as both my sons work in the film industry and are pretty mean photographers themselves, Camera House was passed around with the wine and the photos, and the images deteriorated into a fairly honest unfocussed mellow documentation of the evening.
Good morning! Now for some news of The Farmy.
Everything seems to be going according to plan except for Daisy. Over the days since I have left the Farmy Daisy’s behaviour in the milking parlour has deteriorated to the point where she would not let the Milkers or John milk her at all. She has been hurling herself about the room, kicking and carrying on and generally putting her health and the safety of my people in danger. I kept thinking she would settle down but yesterday John was unable to milk her at all. So I told him to call the breeder and, yesterday evening, after she had milked her own cows, she came over with an anti kicking device and milked Daisy dry taking 32 pounds of milk from our bad tempered cow. (Usually we get 20 pounds each time)
John called it miraculous. I shall talk to Our John again today and hopefully get him to send me a picture of this device. The irony of this does not escape us. I worked so hard on covering the milking with extra people, but did not anticipate this reaction from the cow herself.
Everyone else is behaving just fine, the pigs are still obediently trotting to and from their fields and the sheep are healthy. Kupa has been observed standing on top of the builders digger inspecting the worksite and they should be pouring the footings in the next few days. I did not ask how many eggs they are getting each day. Maybe I don’t want to know.
Today is my birthday in New Zealand so tonight I am roasting New Zealand lamb with a rosemary yoghurt crust, crunchy roast vegetables (all of them) and enormous salads! We will once more gather around the big oak table, that has been handed down through generations of my family and is resting with Fourth Son for this generation, pick up where we left off last night and talk the night away.
Have a lovely day.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
100 responses to “The First Gathering and a Little news from the Farmy”
Happy New Zealand birthday!
Poor Daisy! I bet she was really grumpy when she ended up with 32 lbs of milk to carry around!
yes i am sure she is feeling better already, but there is nothing more terrifying that 1500 pounds of kicking fury! c
I like the photo of you behind the camera. Happy birthday! Your tales of good eats and long talks are lovely fare.
Morning Siobhan! Hope all is well on your side of the world.. c
Happy Birthday 🙂
It looks like you are having a wonderful time.
It is grand to be home.. morning mad! c
Happy New Zealand birthday! Glad you are havign a good time visiting with family! Poor Daisy — she misses you!
It does seem that way, but her protest was getting a bit out of hand, I am glad that we were able to call in the Big Guns and hopefully things will begin to improve.. c
Can’t imagine a better way to celebrate a birthday than the way you’re doing it this year. Have a wonderful one!
Also, Daisy is acting like a three-year-old does when she thinks she can get away with something…Mama’s not here, so I don’t hafta’!
A very big three year old tanty.. I can just hear it,’ But you’re not my mother you can’t tell me what to do!’ Naughty cow! c
Happy birthday Celi from all of my family! Sorry they’re having such a hard time with Daisy. That’s why I never go anywhere if I can’t be home for milking. Even when you find good help (which I have yet to do) those cows are set in their ways and she wants Momma! Glad you’re having such a good time.
Poor daisy, I only go away once every few years, next time i will arrange it for when she is dry..but she is used to john milking her too, so I hope it sorts out.. c
Happy birthday C! What a wonderful way to celebrate. It looks like you are having a great time. How fun to have multiple days of family gatherings with all these delicious treats. Glad everything worked out with Daisy and the breeder. I can just imagine – she must have been about ready to burst! Enjoy your day and evening! Cheers!
Being in NZ at your birthday! Perfect!
Happy Birthday, Celi!
Happy birthday! What lovely shots. Poor Daisy. She misses you, I bet!
Morning Gerry! c
Happy birthday Celi! Sounds like you’re having a glorious time!
Happy NZ birthday… had a few like that in my herd… would only allow certain milkers near them… I think they might get used to your hands, smell or just general demeanor…. I think she’s missing you… Hey that supper tonight sounds delicious….
She is a one woman cow! but will quickly learn to behave now.. the thing is the others have been milking her daily for weeks, with me just pottering about in the background, so i don’t where this naughtiness is coming from.. c
have a wonderful birthday!!!! it sounds like you are having loads of fun with family and food. i am glad that you got the milk from your cow. she has to feel better
you would think so.. morning terry.. c
Birthday Greetings – you will have a wonderful time, we know it! Shame about Daisy but hopefully it will sort itself out.
Thank you Tanya. Things usually work out in the end, one way or the other she will be alright.. it just makes me miserably having to have other people do the hard yards while I gallivant about! c
Sometimes you have to enjoy receiving (I know, it´s hard) but it gives pleasure to those who are giving to you 🙂
Happy Birthday Celi 🙂 I’m enjoying the “real time” aspect of your NZ holiday, and the no less abated joy in your voice when you share that unequalable joy of being together with people you’ve known forever. Funny things happen when you are away, not likely while you are there… (my cats ued to completely disappear, the dog got sick…) but as the breeder had the solution to hand, it’s indicative that Daisy wouldn’t be the first cow to become recalcitrant in the absence of her Mama 😉
very good pound EllaD.. to even own a contraption like that does mean these cows can be naughty!
The breeder reminds me of Nanna coming to stay when the kids are getting too naughty, Mum’s not coping and a firm, no nonsense hand is needed…
Happy Birthday, dear Celi. Lovely pictures, both photographed and in story, of joyous time spent with your children and families. I feel the warmth of spirit! Poor Daisy…but if our tortoise can “act out” when we are away, I can only imagine what a cow might intuit. You have a way with your animals that isn’t easily interpreted to others, I think. All is well. Continue soaking in all this love! 🙂