Down on the Farm

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Last weekend (long weekend in Auckland) we decided to go to Kiwi Valley Farm, a place where Sophie could get up close and personal with a few animals that she hasn’t seen for a long time. After arriving 15 minutes before they opened and trying to keep Sophie occupied with food and drink we were finally allowed through the doors and into the petting stall. To start off it was a bit like stepping through the doors of some backward horror movie with stuffed animals and dusty farm equipment in a darkened hallway, not to mention some of the staff who were a little ‘strange’, but then we were moved into an open air petting area and it all seemed a little normal again!

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Sophie got to pat some rats, rabbits and piglets before we headed on through to the pond area so she could feed the ducks and geese – although we thought we killed one of them! It stuck its head so far through the netting that it looked like it broke its neck – Sophie’s hysterical and I am running back up to the farm to find someone to put it out of its misery – but no it was just stuck and the guy roughly shoved it back through and off it toddled again.

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Sophie wasn’t quite so happy though as the ducks got whiff of the food (bags of bread) and proceeded to follow us all around the farmyard in a long line. A little reminder for me when I lived on a farm and it was the chickens that used to follow us around in a straight line for hours around the farm as we did our chores…it was so funny though that Brad and I were doubled over in laughter as Sophie panicked (suppose you had to be there). God we are mean...

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To top off the day (for me anyway) I got to go on a horse ride! Another reminder of my childhood growing up on a farm as I had horses as a teenager – a white horse called Twilight and a Palomino called Honey. The horse on this day though was an old workhorse who was about 25 years old and proceeded to piss all the way around! Sophie got on half way through the ride and wasn’t at all impressed; I think unfortunately for me she’s going to be a city girl!

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The weather here has been absolutely amazing, a true Indian summer. I can’t remember the last time it rained. We have spent as much time as possible outside soaking up summer before it disappears into a miserable long winter. And to top it all off, we have listed the house on the market and hope that it sells soon so we can move onto a family friendly home with lots of outdoor living so Sophie can spend her days outside as can we. Will keep you updated of anything that happens.

Ingrid