Waterford Estate

Friday, January 28, 2011

Look Darl, We've got a Patio

The concrete men arrived this morning at 7am and by 4pm we had a concrete patio, footpaths, a driveway extension and wash-bay. They did a great job with the concreting, it looks really good. The timing was perfect as we are due for a bit of rain overnight which will help prevent the concrete cracking.

Patio and foot path to clothesline and car parking

Patio and path onto driveway

Footpaths to front door from driveway and carpark

Path to the front door

Driveway extension and car park

Car park and driveway extension

Footpath from car-park to front door

Path next to car park

Footpath to washing line

Wash-bay/tack up area

Tack up area


Wash-bay

The concrete around the cottage has been coloured to make it less prone to glare in the bright sunlight. The wash bay and tack up area have been "broom-finished" to give it grip for the horses. The contractors will be back next week to cut the concrete with expansion cuts to stop it cracking.

I'm really looking forward to sitting out on the patio enjoying the sunshine, and not having sand and gravel tracked all through the cottage!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Rainy Weekend

This weekend brought some much needed rain to Waterford Estate. What wasn't quite as welcome was all the wind that came with it but nevertheless we survived the storm. There was some minor surface flooding around the place but it drained away within a few hours.


A wee bit of water on Waterford Estate

Lily coming to check out the umbrella man

Wet sheep

The wet weather put paid to any outside work over the weekend, but Chris wasn't about to let a bit of rain stop him. Instead of continuing with the cattle yard construction, he got busy constructing the tackroom. The tackroom is actually two rooms in the end bay of the shed closest to the stables. There are two doorways, one between the actual tackroom at the back, and the feed room at the front and the other into the rest of the shed.

View from the shed into the feed room, with green external door into stables

Standing in the feed room with tackroom on RHS and rest of the shed at the back

Looking from feed room into tack room

Aerial view of feedroom (foreground), tackroom (top left) and rest of shed (top right)

Standing at door to stable area looking into feed room

In tack room looking at feed room wall

Aerial view of shed

Finally, here are some pictures of the stables/tie up area taken the other day. Chris has levelled the area in preparation for the concrete wash bay and tie up area.

Tie up area and wash bay in front of stables under the shed awning

Left hand side of shed looking through wash bay into shed and stables

Horse-eye view from inside the stables

Elevated view from stables

Elevated view into wash bay/tack up area and stables

Friday, January 14, 2011

Stables & Shed

Just a quick post with some updated photos of the stable area and shed that I forgot to get the other day, as well as Chris on the Mower that we have on long-term-loan from Chris' parents.

Zoom zoom

Getting the tricky bits

My tackroom with first piece of dividing wall (pink wood on ground)

Stables lined with gate posts and dividng wall posts in awaiting concrete to wash bay

Inside feed room

More planting in garden

Filling up with plants

We have had a guest arrive at Waterford Estate. Her name is Lilly and she's a 5 year old Standardbred that has been retired from racing. She's staying for a few weeks until she goes to her new home to Katikati with Dad and Cathy. She is absolutely delightful to have around, although not according to Foxy! Luckily they are safely separated from each other.

Lovely

BIG trot

Walking

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Happy New Year!

Ok, so it's actually the 12th of January, but better late than never right?? I've been reminded that I've been a very bad blogger so I thought I'd better put up some pictures of what's been happening at Waterford Estate over the past few weeks.

Chris has been super busy as usual and started a few new projects. He's made a great start on the stables. The shed is all lined and the posts are concreted in in preparation for the rest of the tie up/wash bay area concrete to go in. We are waiting for the contractor to come back from holiday to give us a final price on that. At the same time he will also do the concrete paths around the house, and the patio out the back of the cottage. I am very much looking forward to that - it will mean less sand in the house!

The cattle yards are coming along at a great pace. Chris organised all the gates to be made and they were delivered last week. He also bought all the gate hardware such as straps, hinges and gudgeons. I have learnt to just say "yes dear that's great" when Chris comes home and says "I've been to Bunnings and spent $XX!".

We hosted Christmas at Waterford Estate. We had Chris' parents come and stay, as well as Dad and Cathy & Briar, Chris' Aunty & Uncle & Cousins and my sister when she eventually arrived from Aussie after a nightmare trip of cancelled flights, delayed flights, detours through Christchurch, no sleep and delays on the motorway! It was a full house but we all had a wonderful time, eating (far too much), drinking and generally being merry.

We were very spoilt for Christmas this year. Chris' parents have lent us their ride on mower for as long as we need it. They brought it up from Gisborne and it was put straight to work cutting the grass and what a fine job it did too. As well as the actual lawnmower, Dad and Cathy gave us three portable lawnmowers - aka sheep! They are Wiltshire sheep which lose thier fleece so only need to be short once a year. There are two ewes and a ram. They have provided their fair share of entertainment already - we have found out our electrobraid, while fantasic for horses, is next to useless for sheep. So we have free range sheep for now. One of the ewes was handraised so is very friendly. Her name is Muffin and she comes running over every day for a scratch. Very cute!

Chris has also started planting of the septic tank drainage field in what is to become the gardens. Mum had given us some money for Christmas which we set aside as "garden fund". Chris, Lesley and I went on a nursery tour and managed to get quite a few plants for a resonable amound of money so we were very happy.

In other news, Mack is at the breakers starting his education under saddle. I went and visited him before Christmas and he was happily feral. He was with another horse, a pinto called Chief and they were happy as larry running around playing all day. Foxy is going back to Auckland this weekend as she isn't 100% sound which is very disappointing. However, she's going home to be a babysitter for young horses, a task I'm sure she will perform admirably.