Cleaning the gas surrounds. . . A horrible greasy job! Use what ever oven cleaner you like to use in your kitchen. Let the cleaner work it’s magic (following the directions) and then simply water blast off! So satisfying and so rewarding to see the crime get blasted away! Works a treat on your oven racks too. I know a girl who goes to the car wash in town simply to clean her oven! Many have since shared their experience with placing them in the dishwasher. Mine simply do not fit. So this could be an idea if you want to try an alternative to my very satisfying water blasting job.

Have you ever watched a group of rural woman clean up after an event? The efficiency in which tasks are completed, food distributed, and rooms left cleaner than when they arrived, would make any management firm envious. And it’s this attitude that has pulled the woman of Tairawhiti through some really trying times. I am not qualified nor experienced in any post disaster trauma. I’m not even trained in cooking. But I love to chat, I love to laugh, and I can make enough food to feed a crowd. And that’s what the lovely woman of Farming Women Tairawhiti invited me up for. Thank you for having me. I hope you enjoyed yourself and you had a chance to clear your mind for half a day. I also hope that you were able to get that chocolate sauce out of your jars 😆 If you want to reach out to anyone in this region. Please pop over to Facebook and message the Farming Woman Tairawhiti group. I’ve linked them in a post.

Picnic Pie This recipe can be found in my first book 'a high country life', but you truly don't need a recipe - just a few essentials. All you need is one batch of flaky puff pastry (store bought is fine), eggs, sausages (or sausage meat), and tomato relish. All the rest can be made up with what you have in the fridge (leftovers included). Today I have 10 eggs, six sausages, tomato relish, leeks, and some seasoning. Sometimes I add peas and potatoes to bulk it out. If you are running low on eggs, simply use what you have and add a little cream (or milk) and whisk together before adding to the pastry casing. See no rules. It will be filling and fuelling no matter what you have x #ahighcountrylife #winterwarmers #picnicpie #norules #leftovers #station cook

Last week the latest issue of @03_magazine came out. In it @julietspeedynews has done an exceptionally fabulous job of navigating my rambles, and written one of my favourite pieces about this journey of mine. Go and find a free issue and have a wee read.

150-200 Every day is different than the previous. Weather, health 😉 and mobs will effect the tally, but ultimately the number will be around 150-200. That's how many merinos a shearer will shear in a day. Multiply that by six stands and seventeen days and you'll get a rough idea of how many sheep we have shorn this season thus far. Here's a fact for you. My grandfather Archibald Johnstone was a shearer and in fact won a title at the @nzagshow show in his day (but an extensive Google search has failed to help find the year).

If it feel like la la la la la It must be merino wool! Day twelve and it’s looking so pretty. Our sustainable, traceable, durable, and 100% natural fibre. Contracted to @nzmerinoco - our ZQRX certified wool is destined for great things.