Hobbs Family
A Frosty Start
We had a nasty wee frost last night.
The temperature dropped steadily from dusk onwards so I was out on patrol from 8pm until 11:45pm when the temp hit -1c and I cranked up the pump.
It ended up getting down to -3c and I didn’t shut down until 9:35am.
It was a long night!!
Here’s some frost fighting photos for you guys to enjoy.
Check out my FLICKR page for heaps more.
Bees: A Love/Hate Relationship
Bees play a vital role in fruit production.
The problem is that they only work on their terms.
When the weather is good they work away nicely.
And then the weather gets cold and/or wet and they decide to stay in their hives and sing folk songs all day long.
Thankfully we are having some decent weather at the moment so the bees have put away their guitars and are buzzing around the blossoms.
Long may it last!
Early Spring Photos
Here’s some more early spring photos folks.
The blossoms on the Sundrop and Earli Rill Apricots are almost at full bloom and the bees are working flat out.
We’re meant to have some wet weather coming in over the next few days so I had to race out this morning and apply a blossom spray.
We’ve been lucky enough to not have any frosts over the past couple of days.
We did have a slight one on Tuesday morning but the temp didn’t drop down to -2c until just before 6am so I only had to run the sprinklers for a couple of hours until the sun was up.
Sundrop Apricot Blossoms
Looking down from up by the dam.
Almond Blossom
Sundrop Apricots in partial bloom.
Me applying a blossom spray to the Earli Rill Apricots.
Blossoms Are Out!
The first blossoms have appeared on our Earli Rill and Sundrop Apricot trees!
That’s right folks that’s about two weeks earlier than last year!!
Needless to say I’m not dancing with joy.
It does look really nice though!
Here’s a couple of photos I took today.
Sundrop Apricot Blossoms
Earli Rill Apricot Blossoms
The Buds Are On The Move
Sundrop Buds Almost Ready to Pop!
I hate unseasonal weather!
Especially when that unseasonal weather is warm weather in late July that causes the buds on the trees to move!
That’s right folks, thanks to a couple of weeks of warm weather here in Roxburgh the buds are getting set to burst.
Needless to say I’m not very impressed.
If the weather keeps up the way it has been then we could have blossoms on the Apricot trees within the next week!
So in between pruning, mulching and other winter maintenance I’ve been running around getting the frost fighting system all good to go.
This involves checking sprinklers, flushing lines, cleaning out filters, getting the tractor and pump serviced, doing a full test run, etc.
Thankfully I’ve had the assistance of my 2IC (Ruby) so things have been going smoothly!
Ruby may be small but she’s certainly a little worker!
On the pruning front I’ve been making steady progress.
At this stage I hope to finished the stone fruit in around 2 weeks and then I’ll be into the pip fruit.
That’s the thing about pruning, it’s all about finding the perfect balance of speed and quality.
You can go really fast but end up doing a substandard job. Likewise you can go the other way and over analyse every cut and end up moving down the row at a snail’s pace.
Once you can move along at a good pace but still be doing a good job then you’re away laughing.
Hobbs Orchard Nostalgic Photos: No.6
Here’s another Hobbs Orchard Nostalgic Photo.
This one is of Mum, Dad and me out in the plum block in June 1993.
The Hobbs Family Go To The West Coast
We decided last Saturday that it was time for us to get away for a few days.
Our destination of choice: Greymouth.
Being our normal spontaneous selves we made the decision on Saturday night and set off on Sunday morning.
Nothing beats doing things at short notice!!
It was a lovely scenic drive and as we wanted to reach Greymouth that same day we did what we like to call “speed tourism”.
What is speed tourism I hear you ask?
Speed tourism is where you quickly stop the truck, jump out, take some photos, jump back into the truck and roar off.
Good times.
Mum fueling up for the rest of the drive at Cameron Flat.
Mum and Ruby fueling up at Cameron Flat.
We had a nice little pit stop at Cameron Flat just past Makarora before heading into the Haast Pass.
At 6:30pm we rolled up at the Charles Court Motel in Greymouth.
Jeremy and Rachel run a good ship.
The service is great and it’s right beside the beach!
“I’m sure there is a rock around here somewhere?”
The beach behind the Motel.
The sunset behind the Motel!
Sam and Ruby at the Shanty Town sawmill.
Sam, Belle and Ruby at the Shanty Town train station.
Belle has finally agreed to let us put pictures of her on the blog as she is no longer creeped out by it!
It only took a few years to convince her!
Persistence pays off!
The next three days were filled with fun, excitement and mild insanity.
We went to Shanty Town, walked on the beach, went on bush walks, took a truckload of photos and did every other touristy thing humanly possible.
Sam, Mum and Belle on the Train at Shanty Town.
Sam, Belle and Ruby at Gold Panning site at Shanty Town.
Mum caught short!
This is where Mum and Dad would always pose for photos.
A very moving moment was when we went to the Pike River Memorial at Atarau to pay our respects to the lost miners.
We knew it would be emotional but nothing could prepare us for the wave of emotion that hit us as we pulled up.
It took about 10 minutes for us to compose ourselves enough to take photos.
If you’re ever on the West Coast then a visit to the Memorial is a must.
It is a beautiful tribute.
On Thursday we set off from Greymouth at first light and started to make our way home.
On the way we stopped at both Franz Josef and Fox Glacier.
I must admit they are quite impressive.
Checking the map at Franz Josef.
We had several stops on our way home at some lovely scenic reserves as well as the peaceful little settlement of Okarito.
We finally crusied up the driveway at around 6:20pm.
Nothing like traveling in the truck for hours on end to make you appreciate your Lazy Boy chair!!!
I’ve only put a couple of photos on here.
Check out my FLICKR page to see the rest of them.
Winter Arrives At Hercules Flat!
Winter has arrived!
This morning we awoke to find the ground blanketed in snow!!
Once it was light enough Mum, Ruby and I ventured outside and to take some photos.
We tried to convince camera-shy Aunty Belle to come out as well but she (wisely) declined due to the fact the temperature was still sitting at freezing point!
Here’s some of the photos I took this morning.
You can find more of them on my Flickr page.
Moorpark Apricot Trees with a blanket of snow.
Nectarine trees in the snow.
Me and Mum out in the snow.
Mum and Ruby out in the snow.
Hobbs Orchard Nostalgic Photos: No. 5
Time for another nostalgic moment.
Here’s a photo from around 1992 that Mum took of Dad spraying a copper spray on the Apricot trees.
Hobbs Orchard Nostalgic Photos: No.4
Here’s a photo of Mum taking a well-bundled up Ruby for a ride in her Mountain Buggy back in the winter of 1995.
