Dave "whstler" Clingman

Each Sunday afternoon, our church, Thames Baptist Church, has a BBQ at someone’s house, a different person’s house each week.  This is a time to get a chance to share a meal with others and to talk and get to know each other better.  We very much enjoy attending these, though we only are able to make it about half the time, what with all the other things we have going.

The weekly church BBQ is also a time to see how others live, to see their houses and yards and gardens and all.  We especially like seeing the gardens and fruit trees in other people’s yards.

One family has several acres of hill, and they have many animals, some of which run free during the day.  They have chickens, a peacock and other fowl; goats and a pig; and rabbits, among other animals.  There is even a semi-tame magpie which wandered around under the tables and sometimes nipped people’s ankles.

Another home is at the end of a cul-de-sac in a fairly new subdivision.  Others live up on the hills overlooking Thames.  We are considering possibly hosting one of the church’s weekly BBQs ourselves, but more likely, it will be next year, after we are more established.

At today’s BBQ, Gordon gave Andrew and me a personal tour of his vege gardens and offered us various seeds and root cuttings.  His wife Sanchia gave us a jar of her homemade pickle relish.

The Thames Baptist Church weekly Bar-B-Que is a wonderful time for all, and we attend whenever we can.

Shredding

Andrew is a wonderful man and an amazing husband.  He works all day at his job, and then after a short rest, works more here at home, usually in the garden or internet stuff that needs to be done.  And after all of that, he often cooks a yummy dinner, and in fact often makes two dinners, since my taste preferences are a bit more bland than are his.  He is caring and considerate and helpful and supportive and loving.

Splitting Wood

He takes time to talk with me about our day, both his and mine.  He listens and asks questions, though occasionally his mind drifts to more important things.  He buys me small gifts occasionally, usually simply because he thought of me, not necessarily because it is a special day (like today).  He calls me at lunch time every single day, just to see how I am doing and to tell me about interesting or fun things he’s experienced at work or around town.

I love listening to him playing his piano

He finds as much joy in our gardens as I do.  He does much of the hard labor, such as shredding branches, splitting firewood, hauling stuff from one place to another, and mowing lawns.  We walk together each evening among our garden boxes and orchard with our harvest basket, collecting fresh produce for dinner or to preserve for future use.  He even helps me sometimes managing our six water hoses.

Heading to Work

At other times, we simply sit and relax, and talk or watch a video together.  We walk along the beach, sometimes hand in hand, as the sun sets (though lately, I’ve not joined him and Tazmin as often as usual).  We sit at the table or in front of the computer and make plans for our future, maybe for a day trip to the city and maybe to plan a multi-week trip to Europe or China or South America or maybe just about how we’re going to do one project or another here at home.  Andrew really enjoys planning for our future together, and his excitement energizes me.

Cooking Dinner

At night, he reads a chapter or three from one story book or another, and he is quite good at acting out the voices.  If it has been a very hard day for me, I will fall asleep to his voice, and he seems to enjoy even that, though sometimes he’ll continue reading to himself when the story is very exciting.  He has a very soothing and comforting voice.

Sailing

Andrew’s humour is infectious.  He will often make a comment about something happening around us, and we’ll both laugh and add more comments, making us laugh even harder.  Even when I make a silly joke, he’ll usually giggle at least a little, just to show me that he was listening.  And then he’ll often add to it, so that we are back to laughing again.

But one of my favourite things about Andrew J. Wharton is his love for Jesus.  He gives of his time and energy (and money) to worship, and to helping others.  It is a joy to pray with Andrew, because he very often has insights and concerns that I didn’t consider.  His love for Jesus, I am convinced, also gives him a greater love for me, as well as others around him.

I love my man very much.  He has expanded my world in many ways.

Andrew J. Wharton

Happy Valentine’s Day, my love.

Stage and Northern area (view from spider web pole)

Yesterday we drove into Auckland for the day.  We spent the afternoon at the Big Gay Out in Coyle Park west of downtown Auckland.  It was a lot of fun, despite some rain.

Big Gay Out Entertainment

Auckland’s Big Gay Out is similar to Gay Pride back in California, albeit on a smaller scale.   And there’s no parade, just the gathering.  Even the exhibit area of Fresno’s little Gay Pride is about the same size as the Big Gay Out, but Fresno has a parade beforehand, as well.  And as for San Francisco’s Pride, well, that one is just plain HUGE.

Some of the Booths in the southern area

But as I said, we had a lot of fun.  When we first arrived, we walked around the two main areas to see what was there.  In the northern end of the park, a stage had been set up, and there were entertainers all day long there.  On all sides of both areas, there were booths set up selling stuff or providing free information.  There were food booths galore, as well as several souvenir items and clothing.  And of course, the health information and services companies had their booths, also.

Spider Web which we climbed

Most of the booths were in the southern area, along with a few kiddy rides.  Between the two were the park’s regular equipment, including a large pole with a spider web of ropes hanging from it.  Andrew and I clambered to the top and enjoyed the view from up there for awhile.  The rest of the day, we saw people going up, one after another.  I guess we were the trend setters for that thing.

Some of the people dressed up in fabulous outfits, but most were dressed in just their regular everyday street clothes.  The dogs, on the other hand, had some pretty funny outfits.

After wandering through the booths, we went back to the entertainment area and sat and watched the dancing and comedy shows and competitions.  Many prizes were given out for all kinds of things.  Our Prime Minister, John Key made a speech, as did members of other political parties, all, of course, in support of diversity (meaning that they support people who are gay or lesbian or whatever).  The three main political parties also had booths set up to promote their parties.  And the police had a recruiting station.

Since Coyle Park is located at the end of a small peninsula, parking was difficult to find and expensive at the few local car parks.  So, buses were provided for people coming from near downtown Auckland, cost $2 each way.

Southern area from atop the Spider Web

After awhile, we wandered again back through all the booth areas one more time before heading back home.

It was a great time, much fun, and we look forward to attending again next year.

View across harbor to downtown Auckland (and Sky Tower) from Big Gay Out

Andrew Washes Our Roof

Way back with one of our first Grab One purchases, we bought paint for the roof of our villa.  Our plan was to paint the middle section of our very steeply sloped roof and the one side that is accessible from our carport (or perhaps we should call it a covered patio), and then hire someone to do the rest.  We simply don’t have the necessary tools to get up to the top of our roof.

This past Saturday, Andrew clambered up onto the roof and used our power washer to clean the central section of roof.  We then ran out of time and delayed the painting until Monday (a holiday, Waitangi Day).

The difficulty working up there is that he has to stand on a narrow space, with insufficient room for both his feet side by side.  So, he spends all his time balancing while weilding first the washer and then the paint brush and roller.  This wears on one’s leg muscles, and near the end, his legs were shaking from the effort.  Needless to say, the next day and following, his legs have been very sore and tired.

Andrew Paints Roof

But he finished painting the central section of our roof.

Now, we’ll have to paint the one side that is accessible from our carport.  We can both fit up there to do that work, so I might be able to help (if I work the brush and he works the roller, or vice versa).  I rather hated that he had to do all the work on the central part of our roof by himself.

I will call various painters either this week or next, to get quotes for painting the rest of the roof.  Our guess is that it is going to be highly expensive, since one of our friends told us that a painter was going to charge them a couple thousand dollars just to paint a few walls inside their house.  Yikes.

How do you like the colour of our roof?

Wednesday, Andrew and I received an email that stated simply that my visa status had been changed.  We logged in and found that my New Zealand Resident Visa had been approved.  Yay!

A few hours later, I received an email confirming that my Resident Visa had indeed been approved, and letting me know the next steps.  Who knew that I would have to pay an additional $310 ($257 US) to receive my visa on top of the $790 ($655 US) that I paid with the application?  Andrew explained that the first fee is for all the work that New Zealand Immigration has to go through to check out the applicant and his/her qualifications, and that the second fee is for the visa itself.  The email explained that the $310 fee contributes to things like helping people to settle in New Zealand.

At any rate, we immediately sent in the fee payment and my passport, so that I can have the visa applied.

I am a Kiwi!

Well, I guess that depends on how you define “kiwi”.  I am now a resident of New Zealand, officially accepted and acknowledged by the New Zealand Government.  And in just five short years, I’ll apply for New Zealand Citizenship.

One of the holidays we enjoy in this part of North Island is Auckland Anniversay Day.  In other parts of the country, they get a day off from work on different days, to celebrate the anniversaries of the old, abolished, provinces.  Yesterday, along with Auckland, Northand, Nelson and Buller celebrated their Anniversaires.  Wellington Anniversary was a week ago, and Southland’s was two weeks ago.  Taranaki and Otago celebrate in March, and others in other months.

Regatta (click to enlarge)

The biggest thing in Auckland for Anniversary Day is the Annual Regatta.  There are all kinds of activities out on the water, most of which you can watch from one location on land or another.  We found a free car park (VERY rare in downtown Auckland) and then walked a few blocks to the waterfront.  We finally found Princes Wharf, from which we read we would be able to see most of the activities.  The sailboats were marking time for the most part, until the races began, at five minute intervals, at 11:00.  Then, a few at a time, all the same kind of boat at the same time, departed the area, heading out of the harbour.  The race was on.

Ferry Building (click to enlarge)

After watching them for over half an hour, we wandered around the waterfront.  Andrew pointed out the historic Ferry Building, from which the ferries to the other side of the harbour still depart. 

The Cloud, outside (click to enlarge)

Then we walked over to the Cloud, a building that was originally constructed for the Rugby World Cup 2011.  This building is nearly 5000 square metres (54,000 square feet) and is made to be moveable, though for the time being, it’ll remain there on the Queen’s Wharf.

Inside The Cloud (click to enlarge)

From there, we walked a block up Queen Street to find where the Buskers Festival was performing.  We were just in time to watch, from beginning to end, one of very fun and funny magician, or rather, illusionist, Nickey Fynn. 

Nickey Fynn (click to enlarge)

He didn’t talk but had a very expressive face.  He never pulled a rabbit out of a hat, but he did “magically” teleport a couple of foam balls under one.  He brought up two people from the audience to assist in tricks, but they were really just props, people who didn’t need to do much but stand there and hold things for him.  I am very pleased that he never made fun of the people, and indeed seemed to respect them, and invited applause for them.  I found myself smiling during the entire 35 minute show.

Dragon Boat Races (click to enlarge)

We then walked back up past Princes Wharf to where the Dragon Boats were racing, and watched a couple of those races before walking up the road to the Viaduct Harbour Entrace to watch another of the Buskers perform. 

Blingling Brothers (click to enlarge)

These two are called the Blingling Brothers, and they are average jugglers but with a comedic twist.  They tossed balls, the devil stick, more balls, and even some flaming torches. 

Andrew's Watching a Bagpipe Band (click to enlarge)

We left without seeing their spinning plates, because a bagpipe band started up nearby, which we went to watch.  I do like the sound of bagpipes.

Wynward Crossing (click to enlarge)

Andrew had never seen the new park on the other side of the Viaduct Harbour, so we crossed the Wynward Crossing pedestrian draw bridge, which was up when we got there and which we got to watch lower.  We wandered around there, and then realized that we needed to get to our Grab One restaurant before the kitchen closed at 3 pm.  So we hurried back to our car and headed to the Kings Garden Cafe.

Chicken Salad and BLAT (click to enlarge)

The Kings Garden Cafe is located inside a garden shop and nursery.  You actually have to walk through the shop, through the nursery, and then into the cafe.  The prices are high for what you get, and the food is not overly great.  We had an acceptable deal, because we got more than 50% off what we ate, but we decided that we probably wouldn’t return here.  My BLAT (Bacon Lettuce Avocado Tomato) sandwich had too much pepper, and Andrew’s Chicken Salad was a bit bland and could have benefitted from the addition of a white sauce and some almonds.

After picking up some replacement secateurs (gardening shears) for the pair that Andrew’s sister Miriam had given me for Christmas and which I broke, as I do with most secateurs, we headed home.  It was a long day, and a very enjoyable one.

It has always been our plan to install a latticework (trellis) overhead next to the grapes we planted beside the rainwater tank.  Because one of our new grapes has grown up past the top of the chainlink fence, we decided to begin construction on the grape arbor this past week.

When we first moved in, the tall fence beside the water tank was overgrown by two varieties of vine.  We thought this was unsightly and removed the vines.  It was not easy work, as the vines grew in and out of the chain link.

Training Our Grapes (click to enlarge)

Then we planted two grape plants, a white seedless variety and a red seedless variety, under the fence.  Grapes won’t produce for the first couple of years, but as they grow, you can train the vines to grow where you want.  We are simply leading them straight up the fence.  As side branches grow, we train them to go horizontally.  If the vines attach their tendrils where we don’t want, we gently unwind the tendrils and wind them around the wire where we do want them.  Eventually, the vines should cover pretty much the entire fence, as well as our arbor.

Posts for our grape arbor (click to enlarge)

Andrew began the projecct by digging three holes for the supporting posts for our grape arbor, each hole being more than half a meter (1.5 feet) deep.  We found that almost exactly where we wanted to place the posts, concrete had been poured many years ago.  Fortunately, the concrete ends abruptly and uniformly 37 centimeters (about 15 inches) from where we wanted the posts.  So, we ended up digging the holes and placing our posts closer to the tank fence than we planned, but the result is a very nice looking overhang of our arbor.

Framework for grape arbor (click to enlarge)

After placing the posts in a straight line with the tops all level with each other, we attached the support beam of our grape arbor.  Then we installed the three beams which would support the latticework, sloping down slightly.

We had priced the trellis at one store and received back a quote of over $300 ($240 US).  That surprised me, but not Andrew.  We checked a couple of websites and found a price that was nearly two hundred dollars less.  So, we drove our trailer down the the Mitre 10 store in Thames and went inside to buy our trellis.  The salesman Mike strongly suggested we add two more supports for the trellis, and so we also bought two more 2x4s.  Mike explained that if the distance between supports is too great, the lattice will warp badly.  Mike also gave us some smaller pieces of wood as intermediate bracings for where two pieces of trellis meet.

Installing latticework (click to enlarge)

Back home, I climbed up the ladder again and began attaching the wood.  We placed the trellis on top to be sure everything lined up well, and then I nailed everything into place.

Training Grape Vine (click to enlarge)

Our grape plant seems to be quite content to grow along under the trellis.  It is our hope that we can train both plants to cover the entire trellis, given enough time.  Then we’ll have grapes hanging down from a nice shaded area which overlooks our flower gardens.  We will be able to sit there watching the sunset and pick grapes to munch.

We are pleased with the look of our new grape arbor, a very nice addition to our home.  Entire cost of the project, including wood (lumber) and lattice, is $291 (about $234 US).

Before (click to enlarge)

Before

After (click to enlarge)

and After Shots.

Before (click to enlarge)

Another

After (click to enlarge)

 Angle for Before and After Shots

I like sweet food, and jam (it is never called “jelly” in New Zealand) is one of my favorites.  Smear jam on homemade bread that’s gone through the toaster, and you have a delicious lunch or snack.  Making our own jam is even nicer, because we can sweeten it to our preferred taste, though Andrew likes things less sweet than I do.

We have so many plums this year that we simply could not figure out what to do with them all.  Even with the birds eating more than half of them, we still had more plums than we could eat, and even more than we could seem to give away.  So, preserving them is the option that came to mind, and instead of simply stewing them and putting them into jars or freezing them for storage, I decided to make some jam.  And then I got a bit carried away and have so far made over twenty jars of plum jam.  Yummy.

Stewing and mashing plums. Skins and jam setting mix on the counter.

The first step (after collecting and washing the plums) is to stew them.  It is a simple process to shuck the fruit out of the rather tart skins by simply cutting a slit down one side of each fruit and then squeezing out the insides into the pot.  Then I simmer the fruit until it is soft and squishy, mashing the mess to squeeze out all the juice.

Straining juice from pulp

After stewing the mess until all the juice has been mashed out of the pulp, I strain the stuff in the pot, to remove the pulp, so that only the juice remains.  In the USA, this is the difference between jam and jelly – whether or not pulp remains in the jam.  Strained juice makes jelly, and juice and pulp make jam.  I prefer no pulp.  In New Zealand, though, “jelly” is what we in the USA call “Jell-o” or “gelatin”.  “Jam” is the word for encompassing term.

The first time I made plum jam, I simply measured the juice and added an equal volume of sugar.  That didn’t set up thickly, though.  I was missing pectin.  That recipe (equal amounts of berries and sugar) worked well when Andrew’s parents made raspberry jam while they were visiting us.  But I guess berries have more innate pectin than do plums.  So, I bought some jam setting mix at the local grocery store.  We haven’t yet found anywhere that will sell straight, unadulterated pectin.  Everywhere seems to sell only this jam setting mix.  So, for that first batch, I opened all the jars of jam and poured it all back into the pot, brought it to a boil, added the pectin (jam setting mix) and boiled for six minutes, after which I put back into jars.  That worked well.

For the next three batches of jam, I add the pectin as well as the sugar.  The jam seems to thicken even better if the pectin is added and boiled before adding the sugar (as the directions say on the jam setting mix packet).  So, I do that now.

Boiling jam

Anyway, measure the volume of the juice and put it into a clean pot.  When it reaches a boil, add the pectin (jam setting mix) and bring it to a boil again.  Then add the same volume of sugar as there is juice (more or less according to one’s preference in taste), and boil the mixture for six minutes.  Then let the jam cool for ten to fifteen minutes (again, according to the jam setting mix packet’s directions) before pouring it into the sterilized jars.

First batch of plum jam.

Since preserve jars are very expensive here, we’ve been using old jam jars, mostly.  We have just a couple of small Agee brand preserve jars and used those as far as they went.  Using a one litre (about a quart) measuring cup with a nice pour-spout, I fill the jars and put on the caps and tighten them as tightly as I can.  I don’t know if they need to be tightened that tightly, but better safe than sorry.

To sterilize the jars, we wash them, then fill them with hot water from the tap and let them “soak” awhile, and then finally fill them with boiling water.  Everywhere I look, on the internet, on the back of the jam setting mix packet, and even from Andrew’s parents, I find that the proper way to sterilize and heat the jars is in an oven at 100ºC (212ºF, boiling point of water).  I really should try that one of these times.

Of all the jars of jam I’ve made (just over twenty), only three didn’t seal well.  This happened with two jars that were not filled all the way, since those jars were the end of the batch.  I don’t know what happened to the third jar, but since we are using used jars and used lids, I am very pleased that we’ve had only one real failure.  Those which do not seal well have to be refrigerated, just like opened jam you might buy at a store.

I’ve ordered new jars from a company in Wellington.  Arthur Holmes offers a very wide variety of jars and bottles, both glass and plastic, in many different sizes.  We chose the one-time use glass jars with screw on one-piece lids, rather than the nicer (and more expensive) preserve jars with two-piece lids.  We expect to receive our order this week.

As I mentioned previously, for the peaches, so far, Andrew has been simply stewing them, rather than making jam.  I am going to try making peach jam now that our plum harvest is slowing (the first tree is nearly entirely harvested) and the peaches are really beginning to ripen quickly.

It has been many years since I did any preserving (what I used to call “canning”, even though we used glass jars).  It is fun but a lot of hard work, “slaving over the stove for hours.”  And I sure do like the yummy results.

Plum Tree in Whakatete Bay, New Zealand

We have been enjoying the fruits of our labors and those of others.  Our vege gardens are producing copiously, but not as bountifully as our plum tree.  We have stopped buying produce, except for mushrooms (maybe someday we’ll grow our own, but not this year) and bananas (probably won’t grow well here in New Zealand).

Each evening after Andrew returns home from work, we go out to the gardens and orchard and gather fresh fruit and veges.  Almost everyday there are a few zucchinis and some broccoli, and every single day there are plenty of plums.

One day's canning of peaches and plums

The birds and bees eat more of the plums than we get to collect, but even so, there is more than we can possibly eat ourselves.  So, we give away dozens of plums, and I have been making plum jam (yummy!).  So far, I’ve made over twenty jars of jam.  The plums from one of our trees are the size of tennis balls, and a second plum tree has smaller plums, the size of golf balls.  But we think the large ones will likely be sweeter than the small ones.  We have really been enjoying all these plums, and now we are adding plum jam to our toast and sandwiches, as well.

Andrew's Giant Peach (so far, the largest we've harvested)

The peach tree has also begun to have ripe fruit, and again, the birds are getting more of them than we are, but we still have more than we can eat.  Neither of us likes peaches as much as we like our plums, partly because the peaches are not quite as sweet as the plums, and partly because neither of us likes the fuzzy skin on peaches.  Our peaches are also larger than either of us is used to, though none so far have been as large as “Andrew’s Giant Peach.”  Andrew stews most of the peaches, and then we either can them (put them into self-sealing jars) or freeze them.  So far, we’ve canned eleven litres (11 quarts) and frozen about three litres, and the peach trees are only about halfway harvested.

One evening's haul from our garden and orchard

As for zucchini and broccoli, we’ve been freezing that, and our freezer is full.  I powered up our large chest freezer out in the garage this morning and moved some stuff out there.  Our tomatoes are just beginning to ripen.  We ate only one so far, a couple days ago, and it wasn’t quite ripe.

Every few days, we’ve also been popping a strawberry or two into our mouths as we work in the garden.  There aren’t many strawberries so far, but we’ve more than tripled the number of plants by planting some of the runners.  I limit the number of runners from each parent plant to two or three, so that the parent plant isn’t taxed too badly.  The rest, I simply cut off.

One line of our potatoes

As mentioned in a previous post, we have plenty of salad greens, as well:  lettuce (though it has now gone to seed), spinach, onions and carrots, as well as some silverbeet (though neither of us is overly fond of that, eating it more as a replacement for spinach).  We also have lots of rhubarb, though it is from a plant that was here when we moved in.  Potatoes are getting near to their harvest time.  I’ve planted a few sunflowers and about fifty corn, but they are still in their growing stage, probably still weeks away from harvest.  Our neighbor farmer has given us plenty of veges, as well:  potatoes, gherkins, peas, beans, and beetroot (beet).

As plants finish their productive cycle, I am planting new seeds or seedlings (grown myself on paper towels on bread plates), so that we will continue to enjoy the fruit of our labors.

Life here in New Zealand is wonderful in many ways, one of which is the bountiful yummies from our gardens and orchard.

A few days ago, I found a website which mentioned a Bed and Breakfast owned and operated by a gay couple in Thames.  I wrote to them to ask if they knew of any groups we might be able to join.  I was thinking of our wonderful church’s gay group back in Guadalajara.  They wrote back the next day to tell us that a few couples meet at their house occasionally for a potluck dinner, and they invited us.  The next time they were to meet was the following day, which is now yesterday.  So, we called them and told them we’d come.

We picked some fresh veges from our garden and made a nice salad, adding some bacon and cheese, and drove to the Richmond Lodge.  Garry and Murray, who have been together 14 years and owned this B&B for five years, welcomed us into their home and their kitchen, where we met Peter and Pete, who have been together for 19 years.  We sat and talked and sipped drinks.  After awhile, Rex and Denny, who met just last winter, arrived.

While the others sat out on one of the decks facing Thames and the Firth, Murray gave us a tour of their home.  It is a lovely old villa (similar to ours in some respects) built in the 1930s, but which has been remodelled five times, most recently by Garry and Murray.  They have two guest rooms, the Gold Room and the Silver Room, which really are decorated in gold and silver hues and motifs, respectively.  Very nicely done.  Their entire home and yards are beautiful, as one would expect of an upper class Bed and Breakfast anywhere in the world.

Yummy food

When dinner was called, we all moved to the table in the dining room, which fit all eight of us very comfortably.  There was chicken curry, prepared by Denny, who is from Bali and hopes to open an Indonesian Restaurant here in Thames, two beautiful and yummy salads, a delicious roasted chicken and vege dish, prepared by Garry, and baked potatoes.  For dessert, Peter had prepared creme broulee in two flavours: white chocolate and blueberry, and chocolate hazelnut.  Andrew took the chocolate, and I took the white chocolate, but I couldn’t decide which I liked better.

After dinner, we sat around and talked some more, until late into the night.  It was a very enjoyable time, and the conversations were great.  It was fun to get to know other gays in the village, to know we aren’t the only ones here.  We look forward to getting together with them again, and we’ve invited them all up to see our place sometime.  In fact, we’ll likely host one of the potluck dinners someday.

On a side note, Garry and Murray, in their original email to us, wrote that they’d heard about us when we bought our villa.  One of their friends used to work at Richardson’s, the realty company through which we bought our home.  Murray called our purchase, “the sale of the century”; we got such a great deal on it, as I’ve previously written.

All Great Guys