Greystone late September 2007

Another set of shots for late September 2007 at Greystone. Tulips, Primulas, Plyanthuses, Mt Fuji Cherry and Friesias. Last frost expected tonight or tommorrow (we hope).

The Great Greystone Tulip Race

This is the 2nd tulip to come out fully at Greystone 1pm 19 September 2007. The 1st was some 4 hours earlier.

The 1st (not pictured) was encouraged (planted by Sammo) and the 2nd was planted and whipped ahead by Evan.

The prize was who will pour the G&T's for a full week!

Spring in Greystone

Hello blog watchers! What a feast for your eyes! Sammo's soft toys got tired of being in the basket in the lounge by the fire so they invaded upstairs, en masse. They are now demanding special privileges. We think Picasso and Cleo put them up to it aided and abetted by the Brussels' doglets. If you look closely you will see the tulips have just flowered. There are some 30 of them and will they be a sight in the next few days. Also the Wisteria tree got too big and was pruned and turned into a support for a bird bath. The blackbirds just love having a wash. 10 cents a go, only problem is they don't use the honesty box left out for them.

The photo of Sadie alias Evan was taken 3 weeks back and just about says it all. Note the attentive look and the apparent high IQ.

This weekend Sam and Sadie travel to New Plymouth to see Thomas and Steve's parents. So until next time blog away.

These are the prize polyanthus blooming for Spring! Today was a day in the garden, a minus 2C frost followed by a superb day , very sunny and about 17C.

The hat was purchased in USA in '91 and did not have to accompany Evan, Kris and Carl down the Wanganui river on the 5 day kayak 'cruise' in '90 Another hat was lost (the CDF hat) plus one sneaker on that occasion. They went overboard with the wearer. Guess who? There is now a Taniwha sporting one sneaker and a red hat!

Carl was often seen in the hat pictured in days of yore, but alas it is now all "tattered and torn' as in the famous limerick.

The gardening today was excellent and more broad beans were planted and many weeds lost the good fight.

Two young Taranaki friends

Thomas and Emma.

Taken July 2007 by Jo. Don't they grow up fast!

Sammo reading, reading, reading in her library at Greystone

This is Sammo the teacher. Taken at Greystone 7 September 2007.

The aroma of freshly baked bread is wafting up from downstairs, time for a crust, some cheese and wine!

"The bread for Sammo smells fine,

Just the thing with some wine.

It took four hours to bake

Food now Sadie must make

Or elso her job's on the line!"

Notice of official retirement - Greystone male inhabitant

This was spotted by 'She Who Must Be Obeyed' in St Maarten December 2007. It is now on the Greystone Master Bedroom door!

"Knock three times on the 'whatever' if you want me!!"

Personal attention guaranteed, loans negotiable, deposits welcome, moderate to low interest.

From the Bard!

"There was a old man from Ghent

Whose brain was all buckled and bent

To keep out of trouble

And not cause a muddle

A brass farthing never he lent!

All charitable donations welcome."

Something for Jo

This is a picture of Thomas and Isaac in January 2006 at Greystone. Both have grown so much since then and some new up to date pictures will be posted during the next few weeks. Evan and Sally are going up to see Thomas mid-September when Jo and Steve are in KL and Singapore. They have conned Steve's Mum and Dad to 'little boy sit' whilst they are away.

Greystone Spring 2007

Yes! The Magnolia and Kaponga the Rhodo are out! Mt Fuji the cherry is only days away and will join the daffodils. The plum is also out and the Kowhai are close behind. The Tui are eying them up for a good nectar feed.

Evan and Sally have their own special nectars. Rum, gin, Greystone 05 red wine and strawberry liqueur! They don't wait till spring either!

Sue and Mike's blog is very good especially the whimsical entries by Frodo and Forrest. Where did they learn to type? Talk about the cold water treatment. Evan's been getting it for years. reduces the friskiness apparently.

Greetings from the Greystone (fat) Cats

Greetings from Picasso and Cleopatra (the Greystone Cats) to Thor in New Plymouth and Forrest and Frodo in Brussels. We are sunning ourselves at 0930 hours 5 September 2007 and dreaming of our next feed! We hang out here most of the day and watch kereru and tui poncing around. They look like they want to play chasing but we just can't stir our stumps since a feed may come into the garage when we were chasing, and that would not be good for our figures. Evan says we are fat but we call it winter condition.

We like talking to visitors especially that courier man that brought Sue's package that is being sent on to Brussels. We asked Evan what was in it and he said, "Never you mind. You can't eat it!" He seems to thinks thats all we think about!

Au revoir Thor, Frodo and Forrest, eat well.

Sammo at Greystone - early Spring 2007

This is Sally Ann Morch (nee Robertson) at Greystone 2 September 2007 . We (Sammo and Sadie) had just walked 2 miles to get some decaffeinated coffee. It should be noted that a recent birthday had been celebrated by Sammo on 20 August and she was inundated with presents and well wishers from all points of the Wairarapa, Taranaki, BrisVegas in the West Island of Oz and Belgium. Sammo now has an interesting life since her husband of 41 years 3 months, 5 days and 2 hours 15 minutes (who's counting?!) otherwise known as Sadie who these days, rises early each morning and prepares breakfast, irons, cleans, washes the dishes, does the gardening and prepares an evening meal (avec 'Greystone boozies) before crashing into bed. Sadie is the remnant of husband Evan who retired (Ha! bloody Ha!) on 6 July 2007 at 5:01pm).

Greystone Spring 2007 and Heidi and Chip

These daffoddils were a gift from neighbours Jill and Gerald Baker and planted in 2005. They are by the greystone alongside which Heidi the cat (little brat) lies. Heidi came from New Plymouth having stayed with Carl and Jo separately whilst she made up her mind to be transported. Heidi gave us much pleasure from 1991 through to 8 December 2005. She was the immediate successor to 'Chip' (1977 through 1991). Chip was much travelled also and had many tales to tell even though he was a cat of 'short tail.'

Sammo's Ruby Wedding Present = May 2006

This is Sammo's 40th wedding anniversary present from Evan - the bike that is!

Note the sparkling fetaures and the modern appearance. Also the bike looks good too!

Two fat cats - Picasso and Evan - January 2006

When Kris was celebrating an important birthday!

For Kristina Anna-Marie Martin (nee Morch) from Evan the Dad

Kristina, once you were 7 and now you are 40!


Once upon a time when you were little you would ask Daddy – “Tell me a story Daddy, then I can go to sleep.” And many stories were told, many forgotten but one not only remembered but often told to other little children since the Rastus story became very famous. Well famous to those who heard it. How many? Who knows? I heard only the other day that two real, grown up ladies had heard the Rastus story and they were living in Belgium. So there, it is world famous, at least in Brisbane, New Plymouth, Greytown and Brussels.

Rastus the little Eskimo mouse
Lived together with his Mummy in a house.
The house was BIG
Mummy wore a wig
They kept a cow and a little round Pig called “Pig”

One day Rastus said to his Mummy
Mummy I ‘m feeling funny in my tummy
Mummy said, “Now why is that?”
Rastus said, “I was chased by a cat.”

I walking down past Clark’s Beach Store
When all of a sudden guess what I saw
Three mad women in a holiday camp
One was in the Post Office licking a stamp.

So I started to run and just for fun
Told the cat to, “Kick my bum!”
“You naughty mouse,” said Mum with a grin
Then what happened, did they let you in?

Oh yes they did, and guess what I saw?
Horse and Scoobey and another two more!
They were all eating ice creams, two at a time
Then Tina saw me at the end of the line.

Tina the biggest, was scooping them out
And when they were HUGE she would shout
Here’s yours Jo, Scoob and Horse
She looked at me and said, of course
One for the mouse, and what’s your name?

Well I couldn’t tell a fib so I told them Sid
And I blushed and held my hand out too
Well what a feed, more than a mouse did need.
But we hung in there and soon they were gone.

So I had a quiet snore, didn’t need any more
And talked with Tina cos’ she knew the score
She could talk in ‘mouse’ and it was her house
So we talked and talked some more.

It was time to go and I said, so
Whenever you have to go from here
I have lots of friends like me, here and there
So you never need to be alone.

And so it was they moved away
But even then I could see
That Tina would talk to mouses like me
Cos’ I still get calls from my mates o’er the sea.

So why was I feeling funny in my tummy
33 years ago?
Well large ice creams might be the score, but
A very real friend is so much more.



Greystone, New Zealand 5 November 2006

Carl and Isaac at Greystone January 2006

These two boys had just been to Masterton to see the Hurricanes beat the brumbies from Canberra by 40 points in the Super 12 warm up game for 2006.

They are posing in the lounge of Greystone. Isaac earned $A15 for riding around Memorial Park without falling off on Bestemor's (Sally) bicycle.

Kris Martin and Sue Vennik (both nee Morch) 1973

On seeing the Team Duvel posted on Sue and Mike's blog 31 August 2007 I was reminded of this photo of the same two ladies but taken 34 years earlier with their Dad who was not even in his 30's! Perhaps they were hatching up plans even then to marry two handsome Kiwi boys and live in Brussels.

Posted by Evan 63 years 7 months 4 days young at Greystone

Host Home - "Greystone"

Greystone is found in the town of Greytown in the Wairarapa (glistening waters) district of New Zealand. It is the home of Evan and Sally Morch.

Our brand is 'Greystoned.' This originated last century for the range of fine, home distilled alcoholic beverages and liqueurs made in Greystone from local fruits and berries. Now the brand has come to mean that to be 'Greystoned' is to have been very well fed, watered and introduced to the coutryside highlights of the Wairarapa.

Greystone is an equal opportunity host home where everyone who is a guest has an equal opportunity to enjoy the 'Greystoned' "quaff mixtures." These are always 'koha' which means that they are gifts or recognition of the pleasure of a guest's company.