A Very Handy Man

Stephen and Ray working on the internal wall.

Stephen certainly had plenty to keep him busy while we were back in Invercargill. He managed to have made and replaced the spouting on two Skyline garages, build a tank stand and fit it up to harvest the rain off a shed, build an internal wall at the new education centre at the Community Nursery as well as help tidy up around our property in Rakiura Parade.
Even I got roped in to help with the painting.


More photos of the new building can be found at this link (scroll down the page):                      
News from the Nursery

Our friend Jim is very happy with his tank and tank stand, Irene and her sister in law are most appreciative of their now 'not leaking' garages and Chris at the Nursery is very pleased with the progress being made with her new classroom space.

Jim and his new tank.

Rakiura Parade is looking very tidy with the veggie gardens put to bed for the winter with peas straw, and the driveway area where the pine trees were removed starting to take shape with lots of new plantings. There is still plenty of firewood to cut up but it has been good to get 40+ natives planted to fill in the big gap that was created when the pines came down.

Oyster Festival

The Bluff Oyster Festival is an iconic Southland festival and attracts thousands every year to Bluff to sample the world famous oyster. Unfortunately it is one those events that we always promise ourselves we will attend but never quite get around to it. By all accounts there is plenty to keep everyone entertained as well as fed. Yesterday would have been a bonus year as the weather was on its best behaviour.

The following link will take you to the website for further information and maybe tempt you to attend next year: Bluff Oyster Festival

I had fully intended to cook pizza for tea last night but it was much later than I intended when I was heading back to the bus. I had been visiting a very dear friend who has just lost her husband so I decided that fish and chips from the Otatara Takeaways would do very nicely. When I went into the shop there was a big sign saying Oysters Available so I thought I would treat ourselves to this local delicacy. I placed my order for blue cod and a half a dozen oysters and duly paid. You can imagine my surprise when the shop assistant apologetically told me they only had ONE oyster left. I ran with just the one and we duly shared it. Next year if we are in Southland I think a trip to the Bluff Festival is in order.

If It Weren't For Your Gumboots......

'If It Weren't For Your Gumboots where would you be'  is from that iconic piece of New Zealand culture by kiwi icon Fred Dagg .
Youtube link to the song


Well I was left with two gumboots last week but they weren't a pair. I love my gumboots especially at this time of the year as they are easy to pull on and it doesn't matter how 'mucky' the ground surface is. Out here in Otatara it can be wet under foot at this time of the year so gumboots are just the thing.







I have a pair of RedBands which did cost me quite a pretty penny a year or two back so when I purchased them I promptly labelled each one with a big ME.







It was on Saturday morning that I realised I then didn't have a matching pair. Not only did one not have a lovely big ME it was a size 5 and mine are a 6.

I don't usually go far in my gumboots but the Southland Community Nursery on a Friday morning is one place I do go in them. No joy there. Chris has a different brand and Dawn doesn't wear gumboots. We had thought Margaret, who had come with Ray may have been the culprit, but a check around in Matua Road was also unsuccessful. Only one pair of size 8 Red Bands.  Our neighbours who have recently built a new house on our west boundary was another place I had visited but no luck there either.


It wasn't until yesterday that I was visiting Glenda, on our east boundary, that I suddenly thought that maybe this was where the confusion had occurred. Out we went to her back door entrance and here was the missing gumboots sitting alongside her Size 5. Mystery solved.

A gatecrashers' dinner party with a twist

Leigh (Stephen's son)  is currently travelling NZ as part of the Stage Challenge and J Rock event. This is for Secondary and Primary schools to explore dance and drama and present their performance in a theatre setting. Leigh has the job of filming, recording and creating a DVD for each school. This is a six week contract for Leigh and they travel the length and breadth of NZ.
Link for more info: Stage Challenge

When they initially picked up the gear in Christchurch it became evident that Leigh needed some initial help with setting up and using the equipment so MJ was flown from Auckland to help him through the first week. As a thank you Leigh text me to ask if I could cook them a 'home made' meal and I was more than happy to do this. Only there was one problem!! You can't fit seven adults in a bus for a meal.

Thinking caps on and working through the options we decided that the Watsons would be a good choice of venue. A quick call to Julianne to explain the situation and all was sorted. I organise and sort  all the food and they would provide the space and ambience.

And so on Wednesday we spent a very enjoyable evening with Leigh and his Stage Challenge crew, Jamie, Dwayne, SJ and MJ,  and of course Julianne and Jim.  Everyone enjoyed the 'home cooked meal' as well as the good company and conversation. 

It was lovely to be able to spend time with Leigh (he is based in Auckland) as well as see him in a working environment.  On Friday evening we went back stage at the Civic Theatre and were able to see first hand exactly what Leigh's job entailed as well as watch some of the performances from the side of the stage.

Can you get lost in Gore?

Can you get lost in Gore?? Yes you can and if you are in a 9 metre bus and towing a car it isn't such an easy exercise.
We had left Clyde about mid day and travelled to Roxburgh where we stopped for a late lunch, above the banks of the Roxburgh Dam. This is a favourite spot, on the other side of the dam to the main road. We often take this road down to Millar's Flat as it is quieter. Stephen doesn't like a build up of traffic behind him.
We got to Gore just before 4pm and managed to find a park in the central shopping area. We first headed off to H&J Smiths to say catch up with  Donna, Stephen's sister, before doing our weekly grocery shop.
As Stephen wanted to take the back road through Hedgehope we needed to get across town to Charleton Road. This is where we struck trouble. Twice we made a turn into a no-exit street and twice we had to disconnect the car from the bus so that we could turn around. It was at this stage we turned on the i-pad and looked at google maps. This immediately showed us where we were and how to find Charleton Road.  By now it was getting on in the day and we like to be at our destination before dark. Already pushing our luck on this point, Stephen then pointed out, as we were passing through Hedgehope that we really didn't have as much fuel left in the tank as he would have liked. The bus is a hungry beast, only going 5km per litre so as we got close to Rakahouka we decided that we would pull over at the church for the night. There was plenty of parking even if it was somewhat close to a busy road. However it was perfect for us and in the morning we were able to make our way down to Lorneville to get that much needed fuel to take us out to Otatara.

The Iconic Swede Stall

Note the jam jar for the money.
Such honesty in the south.

As we  turned at Raes Junction on our way back to Invercargill on Wednesday we spotted the sign for swedes. We traditionally stop for a good Southland swede  or two when travelling this road. We used to always stop at one just south of the Pomahaka River but this one doesn’t seem to be there these days. We suspect the children who were using it has a fund raiser have all left home. So stop we did and got ourselves three 
great looking swedes for $5. 

The size of a good Southland swede

Jessica's UK swede

This of course reminds us of Jessica’s attempt to buy a swede in the UK. She orders most of her groceries on line and has them delivered. This particular week she was making a soup that called for swede so she duly ordered her swede. Imagine her dismay when it arrived.  Not the best value for money at ₤1 especially when you compare it to the ones we bought. 

We love swede and use it in various ways. One favourite is swede soup. The swede is cooked, either boiled or steamed and then mashed. In a heavy based saucepan I saute onions and a chopped rasher or two of bacon. To this pan I add more butter and flour and cook briefly before adding the milk to make a roux sauce.  Once this is cooked I add the cooked swede and season well. For a smoother soup I use the blender stick and for a dairy free version by using chicken stock instead of milk to make the sauce. 

As a vegetable we love it cut into small cubes and boiled, drained and seasoned with a knob of butter and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. 

Sweet Chestnuts

Ever since we were on Crete last year and enjoyed a meal using sweet chestnuts I was keen to try and replicate the recipe myself. I know that the UK make good use of these  especially at Christmas time and the French call them ‘‘l’arbre a pain’ (meaning tree of bread).  They are a very versatile nut and can be used for both sweet and savoury dishes. A favourite is chestnut stuffing, but they can also be used in soups, nutloaves,biscuits, desserts or can be ground into a nut flour or simply roasted and enjoyed as a snack.

There is a wealth of information on the internet and the following links give you much more detail than I can supply. 

Foraging and using Chestnuts

Roasting Chestnuts

Once again my book “Find it, Eat it,” by Michael Daly was much initial source of information on both finding the correct tree and then some suggested uses. 

Sweet Chestnut - note lance shaped
serrated leaves.

The sweet chestnut tree - Castanea sativa, has leaves that are oblong or lance-shaped with pointed teeth. The large edible seeds grow in a protective prickly case which splits open when ripe in the autumn. It must not be confused with the Horse Chestnut which is poisonous, has large palmate leaves and tends to be the one found in many of our botanical gardens.  I was lucky to spot the sweet chestnut growing on my brother’s farm in mid Canterbury. It  They are very nutritious. Unlike most nuts, they are rich in both carbohydrates and proteins, but contain very little fat and no cholesterol. 

Chestnut crumbs

Chestnut and Pumpkin Loaf.

My brother collected me a large bag full when we were back in the area for Dad’s birthday and I have been experimenting with various ways of using them. First the tough outer skin needs to be removed. A cross cut into the top of each nut is first made to stop them exploding and then they can either be roasted or boiled. While warm it is easy to peel off the harder outer crust.  I turned some into crumbs and used them to make a Chestnut and Pumpkin Loaf. This is a delicious loaf and very easy to make once the more tedious job of making the crumbs is done. Fortunately I now have enough crumbs in the freezer to make several more loaves. 

Chestnut Stifado

It was on Crete that we had tried a Stifado or stew, a traditional greek recipe usually made with beef but in our case the beef had been substituted with the freshly gathered chestnuts from the surrounding mountains. A quick google gives you plenty of recipes to choose from but they are all similar and easy to follow.  
Link to the Chestnut Stifado recipe:   Chestnut stifado

So it was that we sat down to a delicious chestnut stifado served with brussel sprouts.  However we did suffer a considerable amount of ‘wind’ that night and we couldn’t decide if it was the large number of pickling sized onions used in the stifado, the brussel sprouts or the chestnuts. Another google reveals that all three were the culprit!!!  So the lesson here is to be sure that the chestnuts are well cooked and eat only in moderation.  We have had no such effects from the loaf.

Another way I used them was as a pizza topping, roasting them first with pumpkin and red onion. It made a delicious topping. I also have another recipe for glazed chestnuts and winter vegetables which I think would make a lovely accompaniment to a roast.

Chestnut and Pumpkin Sweet Loaf (courtesy of Michael Daly’s book Find it Eat it.)

125g caster sugar

100g softened butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract.

1 Tbsp golden syrup

175g steamed and mashed pumpkin

75g sultanas (I used dates and this worked well too)

200g chestnut crumbs 

200g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground nutmeg

Cream butter and sugar and add eggs and vanilla. Mix in the pumpkin, sultanas, and golden syrup before folding the dried ingredients. Place in a prepared loaf tin and bake 35- 40 minutes at 180℃ or until cooked and spongy to the touch. Cool in the tin.

Omarama

Since noticing the Hot Tubs, soak in the view, on the outskirts of  Omarama, we had promised  to spend a night in the area so we could indulge ourselves.  As we were on our way back to Clyde and without an immediate reason to be there, we decided that this would be the trip when we would take the time to try these tubs.

We parked at the DOC campsite at the Ahuriri  River and headed along just before 6pm, a time we thought that would give us the benefit of the last light of the day as well as experiencing the night sky.

Our hosts, Lance and Jan  provided us with an excellent evening. The tubs are made of red cedar and heated with both wood and diesel. Each of the ten tubs in the complex are completely private thanks to the clever landscaping, and give you stunning views of the surrounding scenery. Each tub has its own changing room and shower (though the showers had been winterised at this time of the year) and before getting into our tub, Lance made sure the water temperature was comfortable for us. We were able to adjust the temperature during the evening by either adding more cold water, or lifting the damper to encourage more fire. 

We spent nearly a couple of hours in our tub, soaking in the view and gazing at the stars. It was certainly money well spent and something we would do again. 

A link to their website is Hot Tubs where you can see more photos like the following as well as information on all that is on offer.

After an excellent night’s sleep we biked the two km into Omarama and had a fossick in the local shops, and in particular the Totara Peak Gallery and Collectables. This little gem is well worth a look if you are passing through the area. They have all sorts of bits and pieces, from new jewellry, scarves and bags, to collectable china, bric a brac to a 'blokes shed'.

A link to their website is Totara Peak Gallery

Before heading south to Clyde we had one other place we wanted to visit and that was the Clay Cliffs. Just before the approach to the Ahuriri River heading south towards Omarama there is a sign pointing west to the Clay Cliffs. So off we went and drove the 10km to these magnificent natural features. Access is across private land and there is a $5 charge that goes to help maintaining the road.  A short walk soon has you among these amazing cliffs, formed over time by the weathering of the clay. They can be seen from the main road, as you are heading south from Omarama but it is definitely worth a trip in for a closer look.