hot and deadly dry

I have been too busy to blog for the last two weeks.    Firstly it has now got deadly dry and there is lots of extra work giving plants and trees water to try and keep them alive.    It is extremely dry for this time of year and the hay has been cut already.   At least it should have been but one paddock down at Judy’s got left because the men we asked to cut it have let us down.   Their bailer broke down and now the grass is burnt off.

I collected my cousin’s grandson and his friend from the airport and they have been staying with us, well, actually they are sharing the donga with Indi, but the eat with us.  It was useful having extra hands to help us get the first lot of hay in but we have a problem because the water is fast running out.   We spent $100 buying water for the dairy tank and we only have a tiny bit of drinking water left.  We have not had to buy water for years, so we have not really budgeted for this.

The dryness also means that the grass has stopped growing and the paddocks are turning to dust.   Luckily we sold Donna and the calf Max to some people in Gippsland where the conditions are better.    I was sad to see her go but we really have nothing left here for her to eat.   We think that we should sell the horses next.

The goats are managing OK.   They are eating their way through the blackberries in the gulleys and mopping up dead leaves.  They are still giving enormous amounts of milk and I have to make cheese most days.   Luckily the guests enjoy the cheese and are eating lots of it.  In the garden we have snow peas and lots of zucchinis.    We have strawberries and raspberries for breakfast and salad for lunch.   The runner beans are dashing up their poles and the cucumbers have flowers.