Sonia has a Holiday at Sheree's House

 

Sonia loves going to Sheree's home for a holiday because Sheree has a playhouse outside.

Inside the playhouse house there is a child's size table and two chairs plus Sheree's dolls and some toys.

The first evening when they went to bed Sheree's mother came to the bedroom door at 11.00pm and told the girls to stop talking. They will have plenty of time to talk tomorrow.

The next day Sonia and Sheree go to a public swimming pool to have a swim.

Sonia has jumped off the diving board into the pool and she waits for Sheree to do the same.

Sheree and Sonia have had enough playing in the pool and are now sunbathing to dry their swimming costumes.

The girls are now dry and sit on the chairs and have the drinks they brought with them.

On day two the girls go to a farm where you can have a donkey ride. Derek leads the donkeys around but has stepped aside for the photo.

They have also been allowed to go into the paddock with the mother and baby donkey.

On day three they go to the park to meet two All Blacks who play rugby for New Zealand. The All Blacks encourage the girls to practice kicking the rugby ball.

On day four they girls go to the area where the tuatara live. They are so happy to see some tuataras sunning themselves on the rocks.

This is the morning Sonia is going home. Sonya has had a lovely holiday and is looking forward to see Sheree at school after the summer holidays next year. (This is a two car door so Sonya's father has moved out the way so Sonya can climb into the back seat).

The Donkeys - part 4

Derek and Andrea have unloaded Annie the donkey from the float. Annie is going be one of the donkeys who the children will be able to ride on Sunday afternoon.




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Jonathan and Esther have arrived back to Kowhai Corner after picking up the guests who will staying with them for the weekend. The guests have been invited to the first open day at the farm for donkey rides.



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  Derek has been focusing on the donkeys as Andrea has instructed. Andrea has been coming back to the farm at the weekends and stays in her cottage. She also has been working with the donkeys and on Sunday afternoon they are going to have donkey rides. It has been advertised in the local paper and there is going to be a special guest arriving.

                                     

Andrea and Derek are having afternoon at Jonathon and Esther's house with the invited guests. They are discussing the plan of how the donkey rides will happen tomorrow afternoon.

Auntie Iris is with Pollyanna, (the special guest), to have the first ride on a donkey on the open day of donkey rides at Andrea's farm.

Pollyanna has loved her ride on the donkey named Annie.

Derek's daughter, Rebecca, is next on Brownlee, led by Bill. Each rider is accompanied by Derek or Bill as a safety precaution.

Daniel is having a ride on Annie who is loving giving the children rides.

Next is his sister, Martha having a ride on Shrek the donkey.

Simon is on the far right.

David and Maree have just come back from their donkey ride. Many Children have had donkey rides and this will continue every Sunday afternoon and during the school holidays on the afternoons.

Christmas 2025

 

The Dazzle Family are looking at the Nativity set which is outside Kowhai Corner Hall.

The Light family are waiting to have some pieces of the new chocolate, Caramilk Slices which is

caramelised white chocolate, flowing caramel, vanilla flavoured creme & choc biscuit pieces.

Andrea has surprised Derek this Christmas with a farm bike she has brought for him to use on the farm.

Settling in on the Farm - part 3

 Settling in on the Farm -  part three

The Dazzle family arrived four weeks ago to live on the farm and they have all settled in well.

After the first week Derek approached Bill and asked for his help in catching the turkey. Bill and family live in a caravan on the farm and have a pet goat.

Bill was happy to go with Derek and try and catch the turkey so they walk to the area of the farm where they have had glimpses of her. As they get closer to the apple tree they see the turkey pecking at the fallen apples. The men make their move and catch her!

Derek carries the turkey to the area he has set up for the turkey. Derek is hoping the turkey will learn to come when it is called. If it does become tame the turkey will have it's freedom during the day and will be fed in the evenings and put in it's enclosure at night. He thanks Bill for his help. 

Two weeks ago two fire fighters arrived on the farm to speak to Andrea. They told Andrea the cause of the fire in the house was caused by old wiring and that the rats had been chewing the wires. It was rumored that her father had fallen asleep while holding a cigarette. Andrea will now let the community know the truth of the fire.

Andrea has brought a donkey whose name will be Annie. Andrea and Derek have been spending time with the donkeys walking them around in an area they will use to give donkey rides. This weekend they will open on Sunday afternoon to the public for donkey rides.

There is a special guest coming on Sunday to the donkey rides. 

                                     

Today Jonathan and Esther have gone to pick the two invited guests who are going to be at the opening of the first donkey rides at the Farm. Who are they?

The Discussion About the Future of the Farm

This is part two of The Dazzle Family have Arrived

The owner of the farm was an old widower and he died four weeks ago in a fire in his home. His daughter Andrea has inherited the farm. Andrea has employed Derek Dazzle to look after the animals while she decides what she will do with the property and livestock. Andrea lives and works in the city. Andrea  organized a relocatable house to be put on the farm for Derek and his family to live in.

The next morning Derek went to the barn to meet Bill who has finished milking the cows. Bill shares information about the cows and introduces Derek to the cows. This evening Derek will be milking the cows and Bill will be with him, from then on it will be Derek's job to do.

In the nearby paddock is the bull which is not used for the farms cows but some of the near by farms borrow him as a stud bull and have been very pleased with the results. 

Next they go over to the horse paddock where Bill explains only one of the horses belongs to the farm the others belong to locals who lease the paddock.  If the owners wanted Bill to take care of them on occasions, the owners signed a contract will Bill. Bill explains the owners with contacts will be passed on to Derek and Derek will have the opportunity to continue the contract or refuse.

As they approach the paddock where the donkeys are they see Andrea there. Andrea introduces herself to Derek and asks him to let her know if there are any problems or things the family need to let her know. Andrea explains that her father loved the donkeys and wanted to make them available in the school holidays and Sunday afternoons for children to ride. Her father didn't have the health to do this and Andrea lives in the city.

They walk back to the barn to see the chooks.

Andrea throws some wheat on the ground and the hens and two roosters come over to get the food. There is a female turkey on the farm but it appears occasionally and it  has not been able to be caught. The male turkey disappeared a few years ago.

The last paddock is the sheep. Andrea leaves the men and reminds them to come to Kowhai Corner Hall at two o'clock where a discussion will take place as to what ideas other people have to develop the farm. The farm has not been able to get enough income to pay the outgoing expenses of the farm.

                                      

 At 2 o'clock the meeting at Kowhai Corner Hall begins with Grandfather Jonathan introducing  Andrea as the owner of the farm. 

Andrea introduces Derek as the manager of the farm and invites his family to come to the front where the community welcomes them. Then Connie offers to take the children outside for some ball games.

The boys want to play soccer so that is what they start playing... boys against girls.

 

Andrea tells the residents of Kowhai Corner that the farm is in debt and she would like to sell it but she has been advised to look at other options and that is why she has wanted to have this meeting. She asks for ideas that people may have. The ideas come quickly and they are: a dog rescue center, a rabbit rescue center, start having the donkey rides for people, increase the hens and sell the eggs, buy some alpacas, plus more ideas. Derek speaks at the meeting and says he likes gardening so he hope to be able to grow and sell vegetables. Andrea thanks the people for attending the meeting and will think about the suggestions. She does mention that any rescue center's that people would like means that they would have to make sure that they would be able to pay the rent for the use of the land.

                                        

                                         

 

  

 

 

The Dazzle Family Arrive

The Dazzle family have arrived in New Zealand from Ireland.

 

 Jonathan and Esther are at the airport waiting to meet them and drive them to the Wallace Road farm which is near Kowhai Corner.

 Jonathan and Esther go over to welcome them to New Zealand.  Esther offers to carry the baby to the truck. 

Jonathan carries the bag to the truck and he wonders if they have brought the kitchen sink with them!

They have all climbed into the truck and Jonathan starts driving them to the farm. 

Two weeks ago when Derek Dazzle accepted the position of managing the farm Andrea, who has 

inherited farm, organized a relocatable house to be put on the farm for him and his family to live in.

( Bill Sport has been working on the farm but handed his notice in to leave when the owner an elderly  man  died four weeks ago. The farm is run down and Bill Sport and family have been living on his farm in a caravan.)

The truck arrives at the house on the farm where the Dazzle family will live and Jonathan and Esther say good bye.

They unpack some of their things and eat the soup that Jonathan and Esther has given them.

An hour later they are all in bed asleep .... or is one still awake? 

Tomorrow Bill Sport is going to show them around the farm.