The summer arrived on the Kaipara before Christmas all right, but that sure didn’t stop it raining. Buckets and stair-rods were just two of the analogies applied, but what was a lot clearer was how much water was going to waste.

The spillage from the end of one of the gutterings indicated no one had been on the roof to look at the contents. Luckily that bit of the roof was just reachable on tiptoes. What came out caused a huge gurgle and the gutter emptied instantly.

That’s the trouble with living among trees – leaves, muck, filth, twigs, branches – you name it – builds up very quickly when you aren’t watching.

The barn was built under some trees – “nice and cool for the horses in summer,” the missus said – but the number of times there’s been a waterfall down the inside of the barn in winter is beyond a joke.

You only got to look the other way and the gutters are chock-a-block full of black sludge. Ah well, that’s the advantage of smaller people – “up the ladder and don’t come down ‘till you can clean your teeth with the run-off....” she said to the teenager who caused all the horses in the first place.

Weeds might just be the wrong kind of plants in the wrong place, but they are still a menace. So, last week, the missus decided to do some strimming. Out came the strimmer, tidily stored next to the lawnmower, both lovingly draped in many months of cobwebs.

 A few pulls on the string, a few curses, and then she realised there was no fuel. So down to the petrol station for a five-litre tank and she’d only filled the car the day before.

Might have been an idea to check the machine first – whoever put it away last autumn may have noticed the thingy that lets the nylon string out was broken, but they sure as eggs are eggs didn’t do anything.

So off to the shop it was. But at least she was thinking by this stage, so she did try and give the mower a few pulls. Needless to say it must have seized up in June.

That’s the thing about these jobs around the property. You might know they need doing, but unless you do them, they don’t get done!

So there we were, in Christmas week, with not a strimmer or a mower this side of the New Year. It’s the kind of time of year when they look at you all funny when you come in with a broken tool.

You knew it as if they were saying, “Crikey, who sold you this mate?” But more on the lines of “you knew it was buggered back in June, ‘cos no doubt you buggered it, so why didn’t you bring it in then when you didn’t need it and we were sitting around twiddling our thumbs?”

How many times have ‘the older generation’ said to us – “You must look to the future.” Did we ever pay any attention? Did we hell! 

Well, the reality is if you don’t think ahead the property has a nasty habit of reminding you. Only it will be too late by the time you get the very clear signs, such as water pouring down the inside of the barn or flames from your chimney.

It’s human nature to forget things so think ahead. Plan for the future, read your diary and make notes. In short remember the Scouts’ motto: “Be Prepared.”