ending up 2017

New Years Eve 2017

For the last few days’ weather from the storm up in Broome has been blowing across Victoria creating muggy, overcast but hot weather with thunderstorms.  Today it has moved on and we have blue skies again after a cold night.   Josh and I got up at daybreak but he took time to look over his car with Edd before he left on the long drive back to Brisbane.  We are sad to see him go but he is going to look for a new unit to rent and needs to get organised as the next year starts.

He has been most helpful whilst he was here.  He has sorted out electrical problems and killed and boiled up all the spare roosters.  I have separated the results into stock, meat and dog food to fill up all the air space in the freezer.   It is much quieter around the donga and milking shed now there is less crowing.

The chicks we are raising are settled down in the small chook house with just a light at night.  They are growing fast and will need moving soon but at least the rooster pen under the maple tree is now vacant.   It is hard to raise them at this time of year when there is a danger that they could die of over heating, though the trees keep the houses and pens in the shade.    We need to have them now in order to get point of lay chooks at the start of winter that will keep up the egg supplies as the older chooks slow their production.

Today I put away the Xmas decorations.  The bobbles and lights fitted back into their boxes OK but it is always a battle to get my artificial tree folded and packed up.  It breaks down into three stages that need sitting on and tying up before they can be controlled.  I have got fond of this tree because we have had it for years now.  It was in the cellar and survived the fires, which gives it a sort of status in the family.   I do not really like artificial trees, but I don’t like killing trees either, and this farm has as many x Christmas trees growing as it can handle.

We all feel we can give New Year celebrations a miss.  Like Edd’s birthday it all comes too close to Xmas.  Indi has gone to work and we are completing the post party sort out ready to get back into regular work in the New Year.  When we start talking about what to do next it is quiet scary.  There is so much that needs immediate attention.  Firstly we need to get hay in and complete the accounts and then we have to get the sheep shorn. Edd is half way through fencing the gravel pit paddock and we have still not completed the milk room floor.  So it goes on.  We are unlikely to get bored.