Haven't the seasons flown by.......

Who would've thought that since our 2020 Covid lockdown that life has flown by, farming has carried on as per normal, but we have also been in the midst of another drought here in Central Hawkes Bay.
We have had a wee bit of rain and the grass is looking a little greener but still not a lot of growth though. Our dams, drinking water for the stock, certainly haven't recovered fully either.

There has been a couple of changes here at Paratu with the lease of another farm, very handy, just next door and Richard now a full time farmer. Of course, more land means more work, but for our cottage guests, it means a little bit more walking country. A newly formed track has gone in, for stock shifting purposes, but this does make for a good mountain bike track for the keener cyclists.

Some exciting family news to tell, Richard and I are very excited to become grandparents. Luke and Amy are expecting a baby girl in October.
Jamie, our daughter, graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing at the end of last year and is currently working at Gisborne Hospital.
Mick is still doing his thing in Melbourne and riding lots of winners, unfortunately we had to cancel our trip to Oz, blimmin Covid in Melbourne reared its head again. Luckily Mick got the chance to come home when the Trans Tasman bubble opened, so it was really nice to see him then.

The cottage has been fairly steady the last few months with lots of NZ'ers tripping around the countryside and spending a night or two with us.
There is always plenty of firewood to keep the fire burning and to keep you all warm.

See you soon
Jo x

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