Defences

When I wandered around the property with a cup of coffee this morning I spotted that not only were the silverbeet plants being destroyed by something - despite being under a net - but so were the beetroot. Steps were required…

So when I got home from the final exam of the year I scavenged about the place and found a couple of offcuts of wire netting fence, some flat standards and bird netting. And the essential number 8 wire. 

It was time to build a cage around and over the beets. This is a proportionate response if the pest is a possum, because they can easily clamber over a wire fence. If it’s a rabbit, I’ve gone over the top. Droppings of both animals have appeared close by, so it might be a double-pest problem.

I threaded the wire netting through the flat standards which I shoved deep into the soil. Then bird netting was attached over the top (and extended to the far end of the raised bed to provide protection to the parsnips and carrots as well - just in case - as the extra shows). I have secured the wire netting to the soil using pegs made from the wire, which are completely invisible in the photos.

Of course it was only when I’d finished that I spotted the drawback to these super-defences: they’ll keep me out, as well as the pests. I will have to partially deconstruct it to harvest the crops inside. It will be worth it if it works.

Number 8 wire is a Kiwi icon. It is a 0.16 inch diameter wire in the British Wire Gauge, which was brought to New Zealand in the 19th Century and mainly used on sheep stations for lightweight steel wire fencing. 

It has since become synonymous with Kiwi ingenuity and resourcefulness, being used to solve structural and mechanical problems all over the countryside. For instance it makes great makeshift pegs.

The other significant event of the day was buying a bar fridge to turn into my new cheese cave. Thanks to Black Friday / Cyber Monday I found one with 1/3 off the price, plus free delivery, which was too good a deal to miss. 

This will mean that I can store quite a few more cheeses (because as we all agree, you can never have too many) and they won’t be crammed into a small space getting squished.

The downside is that the only space for the new cheese cave is in the guest cabin. I will have to trust my overnight visitors not to have midnight snacks!

Thank you for the wise and supportive comments about the initial tribulations regarding being an Executor. 

I'm hoping it will be a relatively smooth experience: it is a simple straightforward Will, with only one beneficiary. I can’t think of anybody who would - or could - contest it. And once #2 brother is up to speed he’ll be good to work with. We just need to remember to cut each other (and ourselves) some slack: it’s only a week since Bill died.