My time as a farmer

Hello everyone,

unfortunately, my computer is still not doing well and it is unlikely that it will get better. I need a new screen, but unfortunately, my screen is not available in New Zealand and since I don't stay anywhere for more than a week, at least not at the moment, I can't order it from abroad, not to mention the costs that would come with it... Therefore, I won't be able to write a blog every day anymore because I rely on public libraries now and I can't write quickly anymore. But I will try to keep you updated regularly about everything.

Not much has happened since my last blog post, and yet time has flown by and I don't even know how to describe all my experiences. I am still with the family in Te Anau, but my time here is almost over and I can already say that I will miss the life here, the people, and the animals. There has been a steady increase in sheep since I arrived here, as two of the three sheep have given birth. It's been a mix of successes and failures, but overall, we can be satisfied. Out of 5 lambs, 4 have survived and I enjoy them every day. Whether it's because they follow their mom or their mom watches after them, even though it seemed at the beginning that she had rejected them, or because they run, jump, and play in the pasture. The youngest ones turned three days old today. But let me tell you the whole story step by step.

On Wednesday, the 16th of August, three lambs were born, which is extremely unusual for sheep. Unfortunately, one of the lambs did not survive despite the efforts of both us and the large farmer Sid (who has over 10,000 sheep) and our friend. On this day, I also cleaned the cottage, which is my main task here, and accompanied Helen on a pony ride. When we have children as guests, Helen offers them a guided horse ride on Bonnie the pony. It's an absolute highlight for all the children who have been here, children's smiles are still the most beautiful... closely followed by mine when I get to ride, which was the case today. This time, I went to the "riding arena" in the afternoon and rode there a bit, and I realize that it's time to practice and take lessons again.

On Thursday, Sid came by again to check on the other lambs, which are doing great. Since he had to go to the neighboring town afterwards, which is beautifully located by a lake, he took Helen and me with him. We dropped off Helen at one of the access points to the Kepler Track so she could jog her usual 12 kilometers home. He showed me the town and took me to a butcher's, where I helped him load all the meat into the car. Manapouri is a tiny little town that consists mostly of holiday homes and a few locals who operate these holiday homes or are otherwise employed in tourism, because tours to Doubtful Sound, one of the largest fjords here in New Zealand, start from Manapouri. After he dropped me off at home, I cleaned the cottage.

On Friday, I finally had a day off and could finally take care of my computer. With all my stuff, well almost, I went to Te Anau and to the only official computer specialist within a 100 km radius. Unfortunately, he was not in his office... Well, then I went to the tourist information office first and got some brochures for my next destinations. After that, I went by the office again and this time, luck was on my side and someone was in the office. The nice lady immediately took a look at my computer and assured me that she would take care of it. Relieved, I set off to explore Te Anau, the lake. A wonderful lake and a very nice lakeside path. But halfway through, my phone rang and it was the lady from the office. Unfortunately, she couldn't find an adapter for my German plug and wanted to know if I could bring her mine. Annoying, but what can you do, back to the car and home to get the adapter. However, since I needed it again in the evening to charge my various electrical devices, such as my camera, which I needed the next day, I parked my car by the lake and waited there until shortly before the lady from the computer office finished work to pick up my plug again. While waiting, I started talking to another backpacker who had spent 2 years in Australia. We had a nice conversation, which made the time fly by much faster. When I went by the office, the lady told me that she couldn't see what the problem was and would like to ask her boss, who would only be back in the office on Monday. Well, no big deal, whether the computer is unusable here or with her, it doesn't make a difference.

On Saturday (August 19th), the day came why I originally wanted to go to Te Anau, a trip to Milford Sound, one of the must-dos when in New Zealand. I treated myself to the full tour, luckily it was on special, and I had beautiful weather, foggy and atmospheric in the morning, and sunny in the afternoon. The entire tour consists of a bus ride into the sound, where you learn many interesting things about the landscape and the history, and stops at the most important and beautiful spots to take photos. When you arrive at the fjord, or rather the sea water, you take a boat tour and again, I was lucky to see both dolphins and the so-called fur seals, whether they are sea lions or seals, I can't say unfortunately. But it was a group of young males that are no longer allowed to be with their colony. All in all, I had a great day and I can only recommend this tour to everyone, it's worth it.

Since the previous day was eventful, the following Sunday was much quieter, except for cleaning the cottage and fetching firewood from the storage and stacking it at the house, I didn't do anything. And that was it.

Monday (August 21st) was a better day again. After cleaning the cottage, Helen and I went for a ride. Once again, we had absolutely wonderful weather and enjoyed our ride. The surroundings are simply beautiful.

On Tuesday, I had to clean the cottage again and then I drove to the Kepler Track, to the spot where Sid and I dropped off Helen, and I walked from Rainbowreach to the Control Gates of the dam and from there back home. It took me 2 ½ hours for the 12 kilometers. It was a beautiful hiking trail that mainly led through the forest and along the river. I was back home just in time for dinner and after eating, Helen and I went to get my car.

For a change, I cleaned the house on Wednesday. We finally had a booking for two nights. Since I usually finish cleaning the house quickly, I had time to ride in Man again in the afternoon. Well, not only because I had time, but also because the weather was cooperating again, which is unfortunately not always the case.

On Thursday (August 24th), I had to clean the cottage again and on the way to the cottage, I spotted a small white spot in the pasture and heard an unfamiliar noise. So I went to get Helen and we went to check it out and it was indeed a little lamb, unfortunately, the mother had already gone somewhere else. By chance, we also found a second lamb that was hiding between logs. So we decided to catch the lambs and lock them up with their mother in the shelter so she couldn't run away and the lambs could drink milk in peace. However, she didn't stand still even in the small shelter. But since the first mother's milk is vital for the lambs' survival, we had to intervene even more. I pinned the mother between my legs and Helen tried to bring the lambs to her udders, which caused the lamb to throw itself to the ground. Anyway, we rolled it onto its side and managed to get the lambs to drink some milk. Later, we let the little family out of the shelter to get some exercise. After all the excitement, we were glad that the day was over and the lambs followed their mom and she tolerated them.

For the rest of the weekend, I was in charge of everything by myself since the family went skiing. When I woke up early on Friday, everyone was already gone and my little big adventure began. Sid came by very early to check on the new lambs. According to him, they are healthy and lively and don't need to be locked up in the shelter anymore, they are free to roam in the pasture. After that, I fed the other animals and then cleaned the cottage. Later, I had to check on the other horses. On Saturday, I had to feed all the animals again and otherwise, I washed and ironed all the laundry. It takes quite a long time when you have to iron bed linen and towels, but at least I could watch TV while doing it. I managed to watch all the Hobbit movies. Today (Sunday, August 27th), I cleaned the cottage again and took care of all the animals and continued watching the Lord of the Rings movies.

That's it, now you are up to date again. On Tuesday, I will start again, then I will drive to Invercargill and then through the Catlins towards Christchurch. At the latest then, you will hear from me again.

See you soon, yours Jessi