Longing For Spring!

As I write this I am sitting in a cold office in the middle of a particularly cold, wet and windy week.... 

This is not my idea of a good time - I am longing for spring!

As a New Zealand Flax farmer, winter is very much an indoor enterprise and its success is really dependent on having prepared during summer and autumn. 

We have had plenty of stock still available in my flax flower shop this winter because of summer preparation, which is such a good feeling.

I worked with one of my students Shayna to set up her own little business producing flax flower whenu for me at Flax & Fibre. Shayna has used the skills and knowledge she learned though my ‘Commercial Flax Flower Production’ course to make a nearly instantly profitable micro business without having to leave home or find child care for her three beautiful tamariki. Because of her mahi, I have had plenty of dried whenu to use this winter – this has been life changing for us both. 

Even so, I long for warmer weather!  I want to see daffodils in the fields outside, I want to see my flower seedlings poke their heads up through seed mix and I want a few days in a row of dry and sunny windless weather!!! 

I would love to feel the sun on my skin as I harvest; I want to hear birds singing; and I don't want any more mud, thank you very much! 

Do you have your own winter woes?! 

Hunter the Harakeke cat!

I can’t wait to make use of the lovely large deck my tane built for me last Christmas and sit in my beautiful bath-seat enjoying the smell and feel of fresh harakeke as I process for making putiputi, potae and kete. I want my burner to start first time, and I want to be waving away steam from the harakeke boil-up. I want to hear the slap of freshly boiled whenu bundles as they hit the warm black trampoline mat and start to bleach in the sun. I want to hear the rustle of dried whenu as I collect them at the end of the day to go inside before the evening dew dampens them. 

Oh spring and summer ...... please come soon! 

What are you looking forward to doing in spring???