With all the rotten weather the chickens deserved a treat.  To make them feel better about the wet and cold I did chicken house spring cleaning today.  This involves a fair amount of effort to make sure all the waste is removed and the inside of the chicken house brushed out. You wouldn’t believe how much waste material four chickens would produce!  Read more

It’s been a rotton day weatherwise and this doesn’t make for a happy Domestic Executive household.  A southerly front has blown in and has brought the clouds down in our valley and brought with it persistent rain since the middle of the night.

Because we’re reliant on tank water rain is always a good thing.  But I’m beginning to think enough is enough.  Our tank is full, our drainage channels are flowing and our ground is waterlogged.  Enough is enough I think. Read more

Welcome to the new home of the Domestic Executive blog.  Hope you like the new surroundings!

It’s only fair that I give you a helping hand to try and work out how our landscaping is shaping up.  Given that there are only sticks in the ground you can neither tell what it is nor see what Jamie our landscaper was seeing when he put together our landscaping plan.

The wonders of the internet allow me to give you not just the answers but point you in the right direction for all those people contemplating getting sticks like ours.

Read more

This is Fortnum hard at work. He takes his place in Domestic Executive HQ very seriously preferring to park himself on the spot right under my feet where I work. With all the rain we’ve been having we’ve spent a fair amount of time inside. But all work and no play makes Fortnum a very dull boy.

As soon as there was a break in the weather we headed out for a walk. It takes us ages to reach the road as the boys like to check in with their neighbour friends on the way. Today it was a particularly long chat with the cows who we’ve not seen close up for a while.

Although such chats extend the walk by quite some time, it did at least give me a chance to try and photoblog the visit. Enjoy! Read more

Welcome to the new home of the Domestic Executive blog. Hope you like the new surroundings!

Like all building projects there are plenty of snags to fix. I promise to get to them over the next few weeks.

Becoming a geek has taken it’s toll. Mostly on my eyesight reading the small print of computer code. There have been times in the last few weeks when I wondered whether it’s really worth the effort but now I’m through the pain barrier it doesn’t seem so bad.

I’m so grateful to regular bloggers who’ve been visiting me. Do tell your friends. Seeing the readership stats go up gives me a real buzz. You can bookmark the page or add to your RSS using the link below.

Look forward to continuing my everytales tomorrow. Watch this space – the sun is out today!

Brr it’s been cold and wet today. Nothing new you may be thinking but with snow across the South Island and even on our own Rimutaka Hill I think it’s safe to declare winter has arrived.

Tornados were threatened which worried me today as I walked to the Westpac Stadium today to for a Catapult gig espousing the value of values. The walkway to the Stadium is one of the most exposed in Wellington where being blown off your feet (literally) can be your fate if you’re unlucky to be caught by a strong gust of wind. I clung to the railings at one point until the wind died down and then tried to walk away looking cool and calm. You never know who might have been watching me struggle in the wind and drizzle.

By the time I got home this afternoon it was full pelt rain and certainly not dog walking weather. It’s the chickens I felt most sorry for huddled in their chicken house squat on their roosting rail looking out at the cold and wind. Chickens don’t like the damp, a bit like basset hounds and Domestic Executive’s really!.

Forecast is to improve whic will mean I can put off any longer some of those outdoor chores I’ve been avoiding with the icy blast.

Today is Fortnum and Mason’s 9 month birthday. It’s hard to believe that they’ve been part of our household for over 6 months now. I can hardly remember what life was like before the bassets came along.

A quick review of the basset pics shows just how much they’ve grow from those cute bundles of mischief into the lolloping hounds who lounge around the house creating havoc and upset.

It’s fair to say it’s been a learning curve, some of which I’d rather consign to my memory banks not to be resurrected again.

One thing is for sure, they’ve gone through beds like children go through shoes. Just when you think they’ve got the size to fit they wake up the next morning and don’t fit any more. They started on a small cushion that fitted them both then progressed gradually to their enormous size day bed that they love to curl up in. That’s of course when their not blowing hot air onto my ankles under desk in Domestic Executive HQ.

As they’ve grown they’ve kept their cheeky faces but their habits get more disgusting all the time. Can’t wait till they start slobbering as mature boys. It’s bad enough at the moment when they’ve had a quick drink and then want to share the excess by shaking their heads.

Still every day they make my heart melt in some way. Today it was Fortnum bounding across the grass at Tunnel Gulley when we were out for their walk. Also when Mason stuck out his lizard like basset tongue to since he’d obviously decided it was time my face needed another wash. Oh gross. I know where he puts that tongue!!

I wish they hadn’t grown up so much it would be so handy just to scoop them up like we could when they first arrive. I’m afraid I’m not that strong to lift dead weights of over 30kg – regardless of the waratah bashing training done this weekend!

After the arm aching efforts in the garden I was pleased to have some comfort on my feet this weekend. On Saturday my lovely slippers finally arrived from their long journey from the USA.

Regular bloggers will recall how the Tale of Two Slippers started. New readers can catch up here.

It’s fair to say that online shopping in the US and shipping to NZ was a bit of an experiment to see if the system worked. I’m pleased to say it does but takes rather longer than you might imagine and doesn’t necessarily save you hoards of money.

Fortuantly the slippers themselves were a bargain and it was free shipping in the US. When you add the shipping costs they came out about the same cost if I’d had someone buy them for me in the UK and post them out. At least this way it saved my family and friends from slipper shopping.

Now I have my new Acorns I’m seriously thinking of starting NZ import. I can’t believe there aren’t kiwis out there who’d like a lovely pair of stylish feet warmers for these winter days and nights.

Fortnum and Mason think that they are really cool. Well actually nice and soft and warm. Idea for them to rest their heads on under the DE desk and snooze a litte. Since Fortnum dribbled on one when sleeping I’m keeping the bassets off my cosy slippers in future!

Would I do it again? Where slippers are concerned, oh yes indeedee! A girl must have her creature comforts! And, I’m sure for those other specialist items you either can’t get or are so expensive here in New Zealand.

This dinky flower on our Leptosermum Huia was the one bright spot in the garden this weekend. Apart from this is was simply hard graft, rain and lots of pain.

We managed to get the final tree holes dug and planted. Then came the tricky bit to put in the stakes to keep them protected from the Wellington winds. The landscapers recommended Y Shaped Steel Fence Posts, commonly known as Waratahs and we have two for every tree to keep it safe and sound.

Sinking waratahs into the ground is best done with a special Waratah driver. This is a metal gizmo that weighs about 10 kg.

Rain stopped play (I mean work) on occasions which made the job harder and more miserable than it might otherwise had been. Looking on the brightside. The trees are in and well watered. Now all I need is some arm rest for the remainder of the week.