One week later all the cows except Popeye, who is blind in one eye and came home to me, had left the farm and I was checking out travel brochures and consulting travel agents. I thought I might start with Tasmania then Alaska, and after that Antarctica. I left the Antarctic until near the end in case I have to resort to a wheelchair – you don’t leave the boat very often down there.
Whilst waiting for the passport I went back to the farm for a day of reminiscence and sat under the mighty totara tree thinking about how middle son had fallen out of there 30 years ago. Of course it wasn’t so tall then, and luckily he walked away unscathed. Our favourite mother-up cow used to shelter there in sun and rain, sometimes with five calves cuddled up to her.
Then I looked out over the hay paddocks and wondered where all the ragwort had gone. Was it those little beetles and grubs who had eradicated it all? I walked over to check the road fence, thinking how often we had had to cut it to let families drive through the hay paddocks when the road below had washed out. I remembered the young sharemilker mother who had come over from the Trust farm one Sunday to help me calve a heifer with a wonderful calving jack. Both mother and huge calf survived. There has been blood, sweat, and tears spent on that runoff; blood from me, as I am on blood thinners and it runs freely, sweat loading the hay bales clothed in merino clothing and raincoat over top, and tears, often of laughter, but sad and angry too as I watched the three-quarters full hay barn go up in smoke.
As I shut the gate I looked back and realised I was leaving the farm in much better condition than 39 years ago when we first bought it.
I will miss the stock agents buying and often selling my stock although lately happy customers have pre-ordered their cattle. I have made some very good friends along the way, especially the lifestyle block holders who would barter wood, pruning, gardening, piglets, whitebait, or crayfish for hay.
And I would like to thank Glenys Christian for her patience correcting and editing my articles. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing for the Dairy Exporter over the years. And thank you, the readers, for the feedback. It has been my ambition in life to make people laugh. I hope I have succeeded in the 150 articles I have written. These stories have been printed in five books with profits going to Hospice and can be purchased from me at $12 each, which includes postage. Email elaine.waimana@gmail.com or write Elaine Bell, RD1, Waimana 3196, Bay of Plenty.
Keep smiling.
Co-editor’s note – Thanks to Elaine for all the wonderful tales she’s shared with us over the years. Her heart-warming and amusing stories have been enjoyed by many.
