Blue the Mouth is big enough for the longer walks now, and like a child he needs a good solid walk each day, so TonTon and I took him on the Dandelion Walk to the bridge this morning. We mow a little path through the wild grasses along the creek bank. Blue was excited on the way to the bridge and quiet and puffing on the way back and slept the rest of the morning. Perfect.
Walks work for us all in many ways. You can see the farm right out in the background.
Today we have the roof shout. It is a tradition in New Zealand to shout the builders a few beers when the roof is finished. I have cooked one of our own beef roasts and today I will bake some bread and caramalise some onions. Then I will make roast beef sandwiches with lettuces and spring onions from the garden, home made mustard and home grown horse-radish and the last of the neighbour’s pickles from last year because mine were such rubbish.
The fridge is filled with very cold beer and a few bottles of home made wine and cider. I will drag chairs through the rubble of construction under the big tree and we will all sit down and admire our beautiful roof and talk about nothing terribly important at all.
Good morning.
I hope you all have a lovely day, I am up an hour early because there is just so much to do today and I want to be done in time to sit down for a glass of something cold with the men too. As well as everything else, I am shifting the electric fence into the sheep’s paddock today. Those two naughty lambs will be doing their own version of walking the corn shortly. It pops up very fast. So I need to retrain them not to crawl under the fences.
You know that feeling when there is too much to fit into your day, but it just has to be fit in. I have that feeling today.
your slightly frantic friend, celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
60 responses to “A Dandelion Walk and the Roof Shout”
Lucky roofers to be able to sit with you and shoot the breeze with a cold beer! Hurrah on your roof.
Good Morning.
~ Carol
Morning carol, hope all is well over your side! our road is as pot holey as ever.. ah well.. c
Sounds like a marvelous tradition…almost enough to make me wish I was a roofer!
Totally understand the ‘Wear’em out with a walk”. Works for all the little ones, be they two-legged or -four…except maybe those naughty sheep!
Have a good day, C. There’s a nice reward waiting at the end 😀
So exciting the roof will be finished today!!! And how fabulous about the ‘roof shout’! No doubt a good time will be had by all! The food from the farmy sounds delicious! xo
morning Diane and in answer to your question the other day yes, charlotte is showing real signs of being pregnant, now i have to worry that the day will not be too hot when she goes into labour1 I am making too many mistakes lately, chasing my tail… c
Try to relax about it my friend. Roxie had her babies at night and we awoke to a happy momma and 6 wiggling piglets, outside in their wooden duplex. No fuss, no worries, nothing. I have a feeling that Charlotte’s birthing will be the same! XO Oh, we had already put a fence between the duplex entrances to keep Roxie and Bernadette apart, just in case Bernie took too much of an interest in Roxie’s babies.
How smart of you to plan a treat after all the work is completed; that’s a great idea to put into place for many other situations I can think of…or none at all. A celebration is a special thing, no matter what you”re celebrating!
It must be special for john to bring out the cider!! morning ronnie! c
Nothing like a good roof wetting. Enjoy. Laura
The sandwiches sound delicious!
Enjoy your frantic day. The same kind of ceremony happens here. For the House that Jock Built (left 7 years ago) we put up an awning in the garden/cum worksite and then went to UK for daughter’s wedding. When we came back, there’d been a gale and the awning had blown away. The party was the next day,, with loads of locals invited, so a new venue had to be found: the garage. French tradition insists that a bouquet is tied to the chimney, so having sampled the champagne, Jock climbed to the highest part of the building with a fistful of sunflowers. We got through a fair bit of food and champagne, the corks of which were encouraged to fly over the house!
don’t over-tire yourself! Love, ViV xox
Oh my i don’t have a chimney in the new tiny house, I could tie a bouquet of lilacs to the tree maybe?, we will have to think.. c
Yu-um. I love it all. The sitting in the rubble. The talking about nothing. The accomplishment. And the happiness. Yay, Celi!!! That little puppy — on quite another note — has stolen my heart. Is he as sweet and good-natured as he looks? p.s. Excuse me, but…HOMEMADE mustard? Can you share that recipe?
yes he is very sweet, he is a cuddler, i have never had a dog like him, he has to be touching all the time and if he can only find a foot he will put his foot on it when he sits next to me.. too cute. c
Oh the mustard it is from chicago john and i believe he got it from Mandy who got it from celia! I shall find it for you and let you know. It is very hot and tasty.. c
Me too please! I so miss the real English Mustard – you know the type that has a deep burn and is so good with beef. The version they sell over here is so mild it”s more like the yellow stuff.
old farmers in my area used to make a wooden ”yoke” for sheep that got out often,
3 pieces of wood, about 1 inch square by a foot or 18 inches long, and bolts
a triangle about size of the offenders neck was in the middol
with ends patruding
held on with dog collor
after week or so, the sheep forgot thay they could get out small spaces, and yoke could be removed
it did not innerfear with eating or drinking, in day or so they got used to it
That sounds like just the thing for tilly, the murphy will be off to the freezer soon but tilly needs to learn to stay inside.. what an idea! thank you for popping in with that litttle gem ron.. c
You are going to so enjoy that cold glass of something this afternoon C!
What a happy and exciting day.
🙂 Mandy xo
I want to build a roof at your house, Celia.
Gosh, Blue is growing fast.
Love it! You are like me frantic to get it completed and move onto the best parts of living 🙂 We must stop for a cold drink and a look back at all that has been done!
Have I missed this before, the creek and the bridge. Please take us all the way along the path to the destination. I want to see the water and the bridge. I absolutely love that “walk” image–the green grass, the way the shot draws the eye in…
Cheers to completion of the roof.
The creek was dug into a drainage ditch by johns great grandfather so it is not pretty and the bridge is very utilitarian, but we love it anyway, in late summer the herons stand under the bridge in the shade, it is a nice walk.. c
What great news.. a “roof shout” for you and a “roof wet” by us…
Great that the roof is finished and the celebratory lunch sounds fantastic! And the feeling that there’s too much to fit into the day is almost everyday here! 😀 But it’s all good. Whatever would we do without electric fence? Have a great day, Celi!
I have one more fence to put up and then i am done, this one has special things to keep it taut and I am a little mystified at the moment but I will work it out.. The easy shift quick fence took me half the morning to untangle! sigh! but it is up now.. c