Indi's bees getting active by the vineyard paddock
March 2 2017
Summer is officially
over but the hot dry weather continues.
Today we are waiting for the shearer who hopefully will de-fleece the 6 longhaired
sheep. The two, dorper ewes and
their three lambs have helpfully shed their own fleeces. The lambs have grown well and fast so I
think we have found a breed that will suit us and save us from the problems of
crutching and fly strike. Shearing
costs have gone up so much that the wool is worth less than it costs to get
it. I have many bags of
coloured and white wool saved for hand spinning but too little time to do it.
Ben, his brother, and
his friend are now helping us clear a path so that we can put back a fence to
keep the stock from out wilderness area. This area was wrecked by the fires in 2009, and sadly, the
big fern trees in the bottom of the gully died. New trees have grown but they
are not big enough yet to provide a shady rain forest environment. What is amazing is how much
debris has accumulated on the ground.
It has taken the 12-ton digger to move it aside so that we can get a new
fence in!
I was a bit worried
about how the boys would go driving such a large machine but they seem to be managing
wonderfully and taking great care to do the job safely. I am totally impressed and I rather think
that the guys are enjoying themselves too. Edd and I have loved having all the young people
around but we are running out of water fast. The gravel pit dam is almost totally empty and the digger
has had a go at cleaning out the sludge that has built up at the bottom. How
lucky we are to have a neighbour who lets us use his heavy machinery with such
freedom.
Bo has started her
music therapy training and has to drive into uni in Melbourne as well as run
the restaurant and look after three kids.
It is a lot to take on but she wants to be sure that she can have work
independently from the brewery in future years. I just hope she has the stamina
to keep up this level of work.
Perhaps she has inherited her energy from Edd. He also keeps up an amazing level
of work. This week he has been out
fixing fences during the heat of the day.
I am quite glad that
the freezer gives me an excuse to move into the cool of the house after the
mornings work and process food to be stored. This week a neighbour swapped goat manure compost for a box
of apples and I stewed them up with blackberries for winter breakfast
fruit. We are getting more and more tomatoes too. The school mob planted them very
close together but this actually has worked rather well as they are providing
their own shade for their roots and the ripe fruit is hidden from birds.
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