6. Ponies

The last time I rode a horse was in Waipu at least 8 years ago and I will not be doing it anytime soon.

I felt so sad for this poor horse having to carry me up the darn hill and it was really muddy. I kept saying “sorry” to the horse the entire trip. The woman I was with (who owns horses) laughed at me through most of the trip, especially when I said “oh my god the horse is panting”.

Did I want a horse as a child; probably. My parents had a 10acre section in Karekare and I went on my first horse aged about 3 years old. I think that if they had chosen to keep the section and build there, then I would have had a horse, and the annual Karekare beach races would have been part of my life.

We live in Te Atatu Peninsula and every morning and evening we go past a huge block of land with quite a number of horses/ponies grazing there. I always get a bit worried that they don’t have any shelter from the elements, as there are not really many trees. So they are really exposed to the sun and the rain. Most of them have covers which is great if it is cold, but probably stifling if the weather is warm.

One of the greatest things is that they give away free manure for gardens. I cannot wait to start out vegetable garden with a good helping of Peninsula Poo.

Spring Vegetable Garden

When we moved into our new place we decided we really wanted a veggie garden. My friend and landlord kept saying “oh you need to put in your winter garden”. Suffice to say it’s nearly spring and we obviously did not put in a winter garden.

Perhaps if we had spent a little less creating virtual farms on Farmtown, then we would have actually made our own garden.

The area for the garden is pretty much ready, although it needs another weed before we raise it slightly and put soil and compost in.

The best thing is, is that we live in an incredibly fertile area. I think a lot of the land was actually market gardens. Citrus grows really well.

To be honest I am kind of excited and apprehensive about having a garden. I am excited because we get to grow our own food, but apprehensive because I really want it to work. Both my parents are avid gardeners, so it’s funny for me to not really have a green thumb in the slightest.

So Mark and I really need to get started, otherwise we are going to miss another season for gardening and growing our own beautiful, yummy vegetables.

Feeling a little more motivated now, perhaps we will weed this weekend and get the top soil and compost in!

Next year I might consider some spring flowers.