Amanda Giorgis's Blog, page 4

The Great Storm – Day 6

August 3rd 1867

In one small miracle, two ewes had taken shelter behind one of the rocks Samuel had pushed into place. Both were dead, but their bodies had fallen in such a way that it  provided a dry and warm space for their two tiny lambs. James tucked a shivering wee body under each arm and strode away back to the farmhouse before the other men could see his tears. Heather and Vicky would love to feed these hungry orphans, he was sure, and with the luck that had kept them alive, they deserved to be given the best chance.

That night James sat down after supper to take stock. The lake had been a disaster he could have avoided and he would never forgive himself for being the cause of so many unpleasant deaths. On the whole, though, things could have been worse. The barn and yard were crowded with all the survivors and he rather suspected it would be a noisy night as ewes sought out their offspring and lambs bleated for their mothers. The two little orphan lambs had been given a bed in a wooden crate by the fire tonight. Heather and Vicky had, as he suspected, jumped at the chance to nurse them. They girls had spent much of the afternoon coming up with names while they passed a feeding bottle backwards and forwards between their two patients. In the end they had chosen Snowflake and Raindrop for their new pets. He never ceased to be amazed at his children’s capacity for naming things. He chuckled to himself when he remembered Heather and Adey Rose once calling one of the new pups Stick. What kind of a name was that for a working dog?

“What are you laughing about?” asked Sophia as she came back into the kitchen having been to make sure the children were all in bed.

“I was wondering at the girls’ ability to name every living creature. Do you remember Bud and Blossom and Stick?” replied James. “Heather and Adey Rose are just like their mothers, who both wasted a good deal of time on choosing names for their children.”

“Well, you can talk,” said Sophia with a smile. “You are the one who named a dog after a day of the week, after all. Friday is not a dog’s name really.”

“Aye, but you must remember the old girl’s name meant ‘far sighted’, which made perfect sense in my mother tongue. It is only you English speaking folk who misunderstood it,” replied James. He loved reminding Sophia that she was not a true Scot, having been born in the north of England, even though she had been very young when her family had moved over the border.

[image error]Photo by Lone Jensen on Pexels.com

The Great Storm – Day 5

2nd August 1867

James and Freddie, along with most of the men who had seen out the storm in the barn, set about finding the sheep, who would now be in urgent need of food. It was no easy task. The snow was no longer soft enough to sink into, instead it had formed giant pieces of impenetrable ice requiring pickaxes and shovels to clear a way to the fields. The rain fell steadily, getting in everyone’s eyes and they were all soaked to the skin despite their oilskin coats. The sheep who had been taken to the barn were the lucky ones, warm and dry with a good supply of hay. James split the men into two teams and directed them to work their way around the edges of the closest fields where he suspected the sheep would have sought some shelter. This proved to be the case. There was a cheer from the first team to come across a huddle of three ewes and a single lamb protected by a bushy shrub where the snow had left them enough room to move about. How the poor ewe had managed to give birth to a healthy lamb in such conditions baffled James, but mother and baby appeared to be doing very well indeed. The little mob were led back along the path made by the men and headed straight for the freshly prepared hay. The other team were not so pleased with their first discovery. Two pregnant ewes had found some shelter to start with, but at some point water had washed into their icy room underneath the frozen snow. Both beasts had moved round and round until they had worked the ground into a muddy swamp, so deep their fleeces had become encrusted with it, weighing them down so much that they couldn’t move. Neither had survived the night and stood stone dead where they had succumbed to the cold. It was an unpleasant task to drag them out one by one. James cursed to himself as their sodden bodies were lain against the wall of the orchard. Two deaths turned into four, if you took account of the lambs they carried too.

Steadily the pile of corpses grew, although the majority of beasts made it back to the barn and to a welcome meal. It was exhausting work, but the men all kept going with barely a break. They were all keen to reach as many animals as they could. 

By mid-afternoon they became aware of the rain stopping and the wind dying down. What they couldn’t tell, because they were sweating from their labours, was that the temperature was falling fast. The storm had not quite done with them yet. Sophia noticed an odd snowflake falling gently when she went to call the men in for an early supper, and by the time they made their way back along the paths they had cut around the fields, snow was falling steadily.

[image error]Photo by Callum Hilton on Pexels.com

The Great Storm – Day 4

“It can’t go on much longer,” said Sophia to James. They were sitting together at the kitchen table, the children having long been in bed. They had both lost track of time and had no desire to sleep after being cooped up in the house for some days. Even Freddie had left them to it and gone to his room, shutting the door behind him so that James and Sophia could talk without disturbing him.

“No, I hope not,” replied James. “We have no way to know how widespread this snow has fallen. But I daresay there will be a great many losses of animals in the area, and livelihoods will be in danger if it goes on much longer.”

“Even if it stops snowing and things warm up. It is going to take many days for the frozen snow to melt,” said Sophia.

“I am growing a little concerned about the melt water too,” replied James. “Imagine all this snow melting into the rivers. There will be flooding, that’s for sure.”

Sophia stood to fetch the teapot and topped up both their mugs. She was worried for James. He wasn’t getting any younger and even though he had a good team of workers, she knew he would want to be out there helping to rescue his animals. They had both been through all sorts of ups and downs in the years since they moved into the basin, but she was beginning to feel like this could be one of their biggest tests.

“Hark,” said James suddenly. “The wind has come up. That means it will warm up and maybe start to rain again.”

He had hardly spoken those words when they could hear water coursing from every surface, and it wasn’t long before the increasingly heavy rain had started to shift huge chunks of snow off the roof. James ventured to open the front door and got a drenching for his action, but they could see by the dim light of the lantern that the snow was already being washed away in channels. 

“This will wake the children,” said Sophia as there came yet another crash of snow slithering down the roof and hitting the ground. 

It had indeed woken Freddie who came out of his bedroom rubbing his eyes and wearing only his pyjamas. “I can’t sleep for the sound of that stupid tree hitting the roof,” he complained.

Sophia pulled a knitted blanket from the back of her chair and wrapped it round her son’s shoulders. “Here, put this round you and I’ll pour you some tea,” she said.

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The Great Storm – Day 3

The third day began in much the same way. As far as they could tell, it was still snowing and James wondered if the whole house was now buried. He had no contact with his men, and no idea whether his animals were dead or alive. Sophia was concerned for James’ father, who was on his own in the cottage, and all the other families who depended on Applecross for a living. There was very little she could do but assume they were keeping as warm and dry as possible and sitting things out as best they could.

Over breakfast they all sensed a change in things. There was the sound of water running in trickles down the windows and when James opened the door he could see at the very top of the doorway that rain was falling instead of snow. Already the level had fallen, there was a six inch gap at the top of the door. So James and Freddie got their coats and boots on and began to shovel as much as they could away from the entrance. Sophia had already chipped a sizeable chunk of snow away to be warmed in a pot over the fire for water, so they began in that gap and made good progress. By lunchtime they could both stand on solid ground outside the door. The weather had warmed up, even though rain still fell. There was the sound of water running everywhere around them. When they reached a point where they could look back at the house James was astonished at how much snow lay over the place, but the warmer temperature and the rain had already begun to form cracks in the deep snow on the roof. They heard an occasional crack and slithering noises as sheets of snow slipped down a few inches at a time.

[image error]Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger on Pexels.com

The Great Storm – Day Two

30th July 1867

With the first light of dawn it was obvious to everyone that this was an unprecedented storm. Snow still fell, piling high against walls and building up on roofs. There was very little wind to push it into drifts, so it lay where it fell, covering everything in a thick blanket. Inside the house they could hear the roof rafters creaking and groaning under the extra weight, but apart from that there was an unusual silence about the place. Wild creatures sought places to hide in hollow trees or under the barn roof while the farm animals found themselves surrounded by deep white walls of snow, their body warmth melting just a little bit of space around them. 

The first challenge of the new day was to get out of the front door. Fortunately, it opened inwards, but James came face to face with a wall of sparkling white snow right up to the lintel. The shovel lay against the wall by the door, but it was going to be an impossible task to dig enough out to form a path. He was going to have to rely on the men in the barn to keep an eye on things until the snow began to melt, but it meant it was going to be a frustratingly long day. Sophia became more and more grumpy at having the family under her feet and the children were bored by lunchtime and desperate to get out in the snow.

[image error]Photo by Todd Trapani on Pexels.com

The Great Storm

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On 29th July 1867 – 153 years ago today – the greatest snowstorm in history hit the South Island of New Zealand. Snow fell for six days, with but a brief respite on the fourth day, when temperatures rose enough to briefly turn the snow to rain. Coming as it did at the start of the lambing season, losses of stock were high, leading many farmers to sell up and move away. Those sheep who had not suffocated under the weight of 5-6 feet of snow were often found up to their fleeces in mud where the rain had filtered under the snow, drowning as they stood because their fleeces had grown too heavy to move. It is thought that 90% of the year’s lambs were lost and 50% of the adult sheep.

The storm affected Applecross Station and the neighbouring Combe Station. As you will see in Book 4, The Cedar Trees (due for publication late 2020) the Mackenzies and Lawtons approached it in different ways. Over the next few days we will relive the snowstorm with extracts from The Cedar Trees. Here is Day 1 :-

With a start, Sophia realised that James had got out of bed and was standing at the window. She turned over, privately enjoying his handsome silhouette against the light outside.

“What is it?” she asked. “Is it still raining?”

“No, my dear, come and look,” replied James, pointing out through the window. 

She went to join him, shivering as her bare feet touched the stone cold floor. James wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm, and they stood together surveying the scene. The rain had turned to snow while she had been lying in bed thinking back over the last few years. Snow fell in huge clumps, like the snowballs the children would want to throw at each other later on. It was yet to stay long on the ground, falling onto the wet surface it melted almost immediately, but it wouldn’t take long for it to begin to build up at this rate. Though it looked pretty as a picture, James, with a farmer’s eye, saw it as nothing more than a curse.

“Come on, wife,” said James, reluctantly removing his arms from around Sophia’s familiar body and tapping her bottom as if he was issuing orders to a recalcitrant servant. “We all need a hot breakfast before we get to work today.” 

To read more about the families of Applecross, go to www.amandagiorgis.com

Wāhine – the things you stumble across when researching!

Wāhine (/wɑːˈhiːni/) is the Maori word for woman.

Today I have been looking for Maori women’s names appropriate to the late 1800s. My favourite so far is Ngahuia which means ‘a beautiful girl who can sing’. Perhaps it comes from the same root as my all time favourite New Zealand bird, the Huia, sadly now extinct. Like all wattlebirds, the Huia sang beautifully too.

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In the midst of my online searches I happened upon something really rather wonderful. I encourage you to follow the link to ‘Our Wāhine’ to see a wonderfully rich and diverse illustrated history of New Zealand’s extraordinary women, created by New Zealand artist Kate Hursthouse to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Women’s suffrage in New Zealand in 2018. I wonder how many other countries in the world with a similar population could display so many women doing such great things, and coming from so many different backgrounds. Go on, take a look and click on any image to find out more about that person.

Anyway, back to my search for names – Ngahuia, Ngaire, Kare, Miria, Whina, Rangi, Rihi, Meri, Hera, Pania, Ruia, Niniwa, Heni, Akenehi, Miriama, Te Paea …….. what to choose???

Distractions

Those of you who have made it to Book 2, ‘Shepherd’s Delight’ will know that birds feature in the story. Like most authors I write about things I like, and I have always loved birds in my garden. I inherited an enjoyment of birds from my parents, along with a love of photography from my father. He’s been gone many years, but would have taken to digital photography with great enthusiasm.

Anyway, I digress!

I should have been writing today. Cracking into the fourth book while we are in the middle of winter. But along came two precious wee visitors to the bird table to distract me from my laptop. I have been trying to encourage these little treasures to the table for a long time. Waxeyes (sometimes called silvereyes or tauhou in Maori), are such cuties, with their big eyes and cheeky personalities. Once they discover fruit is available, not much will stop them returning. Even the dogs and chickens were ignored, and they waded through two whole apples today! I spent much of the day with the long lens filling my camera with photos.

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Tomorrow I promise to get back to Book 4. In the meantime, pick up your copies of the first three books in the Applecross Saga at all major retailers – details at my website.

Sign up for my newsletter and claim your free copy of Book 1 here.

The ‘in-between’

I find myself between projects.

Book 3 of the Applecross Saga, ‘Guy Pender‘ is on sale on various platforms, the paperback version is ready to go to the printer and I haven’t quite got my ducks in a row  to start No.4. All I know at this stage is that the 4th book will be called ‘The Cedar Trees’ and it starts in the great snow storm of July 1867, keys into the end of Book 3 and follows the fortunes of the ‘boys of Applecross’ as they grow into manhood. I’ve dabbled with a bit of research so far, and I am still recovering from the gruesome discovery that, until the freezing process was invented, sheep were useless once they had been shorn for their wool. (No, I’m not going to tell you what happened to them – you will need to read Book 4).

To be honest, I have been quite idle for the last few days. A combination of post-publishing let down and the miserable, gloomy weather that has descended upon New Zealand for the last week. Unusual for us. Our wintery gloom only lasts a day or two before the next glorious crisp, sunny day comes along. Only last week, we sat outside for coffee, soaking up the warmth of the sun. Gloom has even reached the news here, which, if truth be told, makes a pleasant change from media-frenzied virus claptrap.

Oh, and then there’s the lack of Wimbledon. Since we emigrated in 2008, I have given myself up to ‘upside down’ living at this time of year. Tennis starts at midnight here, and the good matches will often continue into breakfast TV time. I take to my armchair, wrap myself in a blanket, turn the volume down on the tv, log in to the live stream on my laptop and wallow in Wimbledon-ness for a blessed fortnight. I am missing it a lot this year.

Today, however, we woke to the sun shining. Blue sky behind crystal clear, snow covered mountains. Still chilly. It is, after all, mid winter here. But it cheers the soul with its breathtaking beauty. Even now, at the tail end of the afternoon, and the prospect of snow tomorrow, there’s just enough sun to cast a watery shadow.

Maybe it is because we are past that halfway winter solstice and heading towards the longer days, maybe that’s why I have been spurred into action today. I spring cleaned the laundry, a room connected to the garage, meaning that mice can make it their winter haven and there’s not much you can do about it. I found one poor wee soul, squished behind a cupboard, frozen in time like Scrat, the sabre-toothed squirrel in Ice Age. 

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And I cleaned out the fridge. Don’t laugh – how did I still have a container of yoghurt dated February? It’s an author thing. When I’m writing I can so easily ignore such things.

The big question is, will I clean the whole house before the urge to write kicks in again? I doubt it very much. The fire is lit, the forecast is for a freezing southerly to blow through. Now, where’s my laptop…….!

The Applecross Saga so far……

 

 

Guy Pender

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In between all that baking, tackling the joys of sourdough, knitting socks, spending hours socialising with friends online and watching the daily bulletins on TV, I have been busy in my socially-distanced bubble writing the third book in The Applecross Saga. It is not quite ready for release yet, but I thought I would share a cover picture to get your taste buds tickled.

If you have read Book 2, Shepherd’s Delight, then you will have met the lovely Guy Pender, who took that photograph of Friday. Now, Guy Pender has his own story to tell in the third book. We are transported to Switzerland in 1867, where Guy finds love at last. But don’t panic, we get back to our friends in the Mackenzie Basin at the end of this book, and there will be more tales of James and Sophia and their family and friends coming soon to Book 4.