Living in New Zealand: I Wish Lyttelton Had a Fishmonger
When we lived in Hondarribia, there was a small fishing fleet there and there were 5 fishmongers. Admittedly, it was a larger place than Lyttelton, but considering the size, there should be at least ONE fishmonger.
We buy fish from the market most Saturdays, so that's something. But I don't know if it comes off one of these little boats. I'll have to ask.
Click the image if you want to use it
It's a Good Day to Be Inside the Studio
Our conservatory is currently serving as my studio. It is a good place to watch the weather come in over the harbour, especially when it is blowing a cold southerly like today. Billie has one of his beds in here and likes to keep me company until it is time to light the log burner in the lounge.
I love listening to podcasts when I ink. Playing in the background is my current favourite, Fortunately..with Fi and Jane (thanks to my unrelated friend Jane who recommended it to me).
Illustrated Epistle: Predator Free New Zealand Though Not Yet At Our House
I write this as we have insulation pumped into our old villa's timber walls. I wonder what the rats and mice think of this. Apparently, New Zealand is having a rodent explosion and many of them seem to be at our house.
There is a government-backed committment to make New Zealand predator free by 2050 and Kiwis are being encouraged to trap and kill predators in their own backyard. The focus is on rats, possums and stoats, but they would also like to see the back of hedgehogs. I have to admit I couldn't bear to kill the two hedgehogs we found in the sump last summer. Hedgehogs are dying out in the UK but it seems they are thriving here.
We have however been trapping rats. We have 12 traps in the attic that Duncan checks on a regular basis and there are now 6 dead rats buried in the garden. Until recently I had three trap tunnels baited with peanut butter and set up around the house to catch rats. These didn't catch any rats, only sweet little field mice (which are also an invasive species).
Although I didn't like it, I continued trapping these poor mice until one of the traps caught and killed a sparrow. Another "exotic" species, but that was a the last straw for me and I've stopped using those traps for now.
This is an excerpt from my Illustrated Epistle, which goes out in the middle of the month. It is a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a cartoonist (specifically, mine). I'd love it if you signed up at the bottom of this page, or here:
Happy Father's Day From Arctic Circle
I forgot about Mother's Day earlier this year because it is different in New Zealand and the US (Sunday 13th May this year) to the UK (Sunday 31st March). Fortunately, Father's Day is on the same day in the US and the UK (though NZ's is on 2nd September). Given that I have to submit my Sundays weeks ahead, there is no excuse to make the same mistake.
