Christmas in Kiwitea

It was nice to spent Christmas with the family this year, in rural Kiwitea, just north of Feilding.  We took the caravan up to Nicky and Robert’s smallholding, and with a bit of manouvering the caravan as tucked in behind the house. 

On the farm for Christmas

Grand-daughter Emma loves Christmas so knocked on the caravan door door  bright and early on Christmas morning.  This family always have a Christmas tradition of hot croissants with ham and cheese for breakfast,  delicious indeed, so much so that we have borrowed their tradition when we have Christmas on our own.  Then came the presents, and what a stack there were.  We ended up with a whole pile too.

Christmas presents galore

Robert has just been made “Master of the Hunt” and was thrilled with his gift of a new bridle in the club colours, and the plaque attached with his title. 

Robert, Master of the Hunt

Dog Noodle was thrilled with his gift too.  Every year he gets a pink plastic pig toy and one squeak from the parcel was enough to get him excited with anticipation, and he could hardly contain himself.   There wasn't much left of piggy by the end of the day, but he certainly had fun.

Well and truly destroyed

Christmas lunch was a feast of BBQ chicken, glazed ham, salads, yummy desserts and a glass or two of bubbly, eaten picnic style outside under the shade of the gazebo.  The girl’s boyfriends were there too, so it was nice to get to know them a bit better.  Also invited were some neighbors who live alone, so it was quite a lively bunch.  We were fit to bursting after lunch and I must admit to a nana nap in the afternoon.

Poor Gemma was traumatized by the household cats.  The older cat PK (Psycho Killer) had gone missing for several months and only just returned home.  Meanwhile, the family had just acquired a young kitten, so both of the felines were rather put out with each other.  And then, we arrived with Gemma in the caravan, so there was a bit of hissing going on and Gemma couldn’t cope with this at all. We decided that it would be better for Gemma, and our peace of mind, if we kept her in the caravan, well away from the other two cats.  But that didn’t stop them from coming to the door, ready and willing to sort out this townie cat who dared to enter their patch.

PK on the caravan doorstop

Life on a farm doesn't stop jest because it is Christmas.  Thee were chickens to feed, so I went to help with that.  We could hear the chickens clucking away behind the trees in their chicken yard, quite a soothing sound, really.

Daughter Nicky with one of her chooks

Robert went to collect two steers to fatten up on Boxing Day.  And there was baleage to deal with, holidays or not.  It was mowed today and will be baled and wrapped tomorrow.

Hard at work in the hot sun

We had a lovely time here in Kiwitea, eating our meals on the picnic table under the gazebo, enjoying the warm sunny weather, and generally relaxing with the family.  It’s almost time to move on, where to next, I wonder?