November 11 2017
We have had a warm
sunny week with cool nights and the vegetables have thrived. The snow peas are
delicious, and lettuce of all sorts abound. We have broccoli kale, rocket,
spinach, and the first squash are starting to form. Better still; berries are back on our breakfast menu,
strawberries and mulberries at present, and maybe a few raspberries later. We
dug out all the old raspberry canes because they got an infection and we have
planted new ones in a different location, so sadly we will not get many this
season. The old bed is now growing
garlic and broad beans that show no signs of ill health.
The goats are moulting
but summer shiny coats are starting to emerge. With the better weather they are now going right up bone
hill to graze. I am enjoying the feta cheese as it goes really well with spelt
pasta and wild rocket. My basil is
off to a slow start and being chewed by everything. I will start a second crop in a pot by the house to make
sure we do get a crop. The taste of basil is one of my summer favourites.
The grass is growing
too and the signs point to an early hay season. We had such a good lot last year and still have bales left
but we will need new hay when it is cut. Hay making is always stressful and you
end up with a shed full of hay just when we are at the peak of fire danger,
rather a snag. This year we
have no cattle so our needs will be less, which is one thing in our favour.
On the minus side, Ben
and his brothers have moved on. Indi, now living in her new place, is putting
in more hours at work and spending her free time trail riding on her new horse,
so we have lost all the young energy that was so helpful last year. I miss having them all around too, but
I can now clean up the donga and have a spare room for guests and a classroom
for wet weather activities. We are
going to hire a cleaner to recover the carpets but I have also ordered a rug in
riotous colours to jazz the place up a bit. I can use the donga as an art studio too. There is room
there to set up a Navajo loom for rug making and that sort of thing.
The next area we need
to deal with is the tractor shed. It has been invaded by swallows and other
birds that are making the most terrible mess. Steve and Edd fixed the tool shed by putting in a ceiling
but the rest of the shed is now worse.
I don’t think we will ever run out of work here! I must finish the dairy floor before
starting anything else but we have another camp here next week so it won’t be
done then. At least the forecast is better for this camp and Edd has done
miracles with the pool that he has converted from a dark mess of algae to blue
and clear.
Edd is also collecting
the things he needs to grow fungal food crops. He is also helping me assemble
all the parts I got to try and make an olive oil extractor so we have plenty of
new ventures to work on.
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