Sheep tracks

Eye Dog

Pippi was the friendly dog on the farm stay that we visited in Waitomo. She would appear with breakfast and hang around until we headed off for the day. She seemed to know that she wasn't allowed inside the holiday cottage and would faithfully wait on the deck, eyeing us through the glass door.

Equestrian Exploits

The foal in the middle picture was just a day old when we first saw him and was three days old in this picture - he'd fattened up nicely in that short time and was much steadier on his feet. I was much more tempted by the donkey though...

The littlest bull

These are some of the miniature cattle that were on the farm - the miniature bull, top right, is just 1 inch taller than the smallest in the world.

Big Birds

On our recent trip to Waitomo, we stayed on a farm specialising in big birds and miniature beasts. The ostriches were particularly tame, the emu less so.

Grapefruit Curd

I attempted to make grapefruit curd for the first time in August 2010. It was a disaster and didn't set at all. I finally managed to put my demons behind me and tried again this week. Success!

I used a different recipe and I think that sieving the eggs might have made all the difference. And the simmer ring on our gas hob might have helped too. Plus stirring for 50 minutes non-stop.

So far, it's been delicious with pikelets and lemon muffins and toast. I'll make some yoghurt soon and stir it through for a tasty dessert.

Huntsman's Stew

From this...

...to this...

...to this! Mmm...