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Slavery versus Ownership
You’ve all heard it. “You will own nothing and be happy.” Individuals separated from their families, herded into cities. Working at jobs that cover less and less of the cost of living, that are less and less fulfilling. Yet we stick with this way of doing things that is obviously breaking under the strain. Why?…
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Kittens!
Right, time to do something about this blog. I’m going to try for Saturday morning posts, to at least get into a routine. Anyway. It so happens that in the autumn of last year, we had holes cropping up left and right across our land. Rats. This is a farm, not a golf course. Besides,…
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“Are we there yet?” Part 2
Or, how we escaped from New Zealand. This post was written in August 2022, but backdated to mid-February 2022. It was in October 2021 that we got the news. Starfish was pregnant – which we knew – and would not get obstetric care at a New Zealand hospital. Starfish’s father, being medically contraindicated to receive…
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“Are we there yet?” Part 1
Or, why we escaped from New Zealand. This post was written in August 2022, but backdated to mid-February 2022. What happened to New Zealand is enough to fill the heart of a faithful citizen with grief. The land that was once called, “God’s own country,” (and so acquired the nickname, “Godzone”) has turned its back…
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Happy New Year!
…and a much belated Merry Christmas. The Kiwi Homesteaders hope all of you had an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas season, and could remember those things and people that are most important. New Zealand is on summer holidays, after the insanity that is the month of December. The country virtually shuts down by degrees, and most…
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Cresting Heartbreak Hill
Since I was about 18, I’ve been a keen runner for training and exercise, though seldom for any competitive purposes. But at times I’ve trained with other people, and in particular on a visit to a friend and fellow runner, T., who was doing a postdoc in Boston, Massachusetts, he introduced me to the concept…
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Raising Turkeys (and assorted birds)
This week on KiwiHomesteading; The challenge of raising turkeys When the Mad Scientist and I decided to move to Canterbury we were very interested in finding a place where we could become self-sufficient and build a sustainable life. We started small by raising chickens in the city and growing a veggie patch. We always knew…
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Don’t worry!
It is, “Situation normal, completely crazy,” at the Kiwi Homestead right now. I don’t believe we’re called upon to practice Zen-like detachment, though. This world is real, the battle lines are real, and we’re in the thick of it. Starfish fell a month or so ago and hurt her leg. By God’s mercy it wasn’t…
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One Crazy Drive
Hello, again my dear readers! At last, I bring to you our tale of the journey over the mountains to the West Coast of New Zealand. We had bought two chicken coops on Trade Me, and they were for collection by the buyer. The Mad Scientist got up bright and early, and nipped down the…
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Chicken Coops
One of the most difficult things for Starfish to do when we started renovating our old house was say goodbye to our six brown shavers and three chicks. They went to a good home with some friends of ours, but we missed their personalities and their eggs, which we used ourselves and sold surplus. Now…