Down on the farm gumboots are essential equipment. At a pinch, in summer, one might substitute crocs in the area close to the house, but any time you are striding across paddocks the added protection of gummies is most desirable.
All sorts of sizes and colours. Mud splatter denotes recent use.
In winter there is mud and wet grass to contend with. During summer those of you who insist on skimpier footwear will get biddy-bids and seeds get caught between your toes and stuck in your socks. Our paddocks are resplendent with good manure all year round, and the girls who create that manure are heavy if they happen to stand on your foot. No surprises that once you live on a farm you develop that unmistakable marker of rural living: the gumboot tan line.
We like to ensure no guest suffers misfortune, so we keep a variety of gumboot styles and sizes handy to the back door. The abundance is partly due to a goodly range of boots that travelled with us from West Auckland (once renowned for it’s wonderful clay resource, and now for the mud that same clay creates), partly to boots left by our townie visitors. I’m always thrilled when people say ‘I think I might just leave these here for next time I come up’. It’s a promise to return.
Nurse Jenny picks oranges in her beautiful spotted boots on her last visit to the farmlet (photo by Jenny).
Awesomely, if you pop into Whangarei for a bit of shopping you can continue to wear your gumboots. Today I walked around Mitre 10 in stretched out fleece pants, a far-too-big brushed cotton shirt smelling strongly of horse, and my blue gummies. There was no fear of looking out of place. A chap in the next aisle over was sporting white gumboots and stubbies. Just try that at Sylvia Park Shopping Centre, people.
Formal wear.
Oh, and for really formal occasions, such as visiting Auckland, us rural folk have cowboy boots. Bloody oath!
crikey, stubbies — what century is Northland in?
With the current popularity of all things 80’s retro one can only assume that stubbies are soon to be back in fashion. Northland is just ahead of the designer crowd.
Was that you I saw in Mitre 10?
I feel the urge coming on to donate a pair!!
Trouble at Kawau is they keep becoming too small for the resident sprogletts
Seems I have to up size for them 3 monthly!!!
When I was young and rural I lived in my little red gummies
Please do donate. We have grown up sized red gummies here for those wanting to re-live their puddle splashing days.:)
I am sure the pink and polka-dot boots improved the flavour of the oranges!
Well of course, almost anything is improved by polka-dots. Oh, and I must add a photo credit. x
Thank you for adding the photo credit … I was feeling rather slighted … but am happy now I am world famous on your blog … 🙂
Yes, what an oversight on my part. Good to have that fixed.
Making me wish Id left my natty zebra stripe numbers? but on second thoughts I need them sometimes in da Bay oif Plenty with great grass growth in da grove. Will definitely bring dem wen next coming up to Paradise North.
We love to see you and UnklEd and your zebra boots any time. xx