Too busy to post much

November 6, 2018

I have just heard that my cousin in the UK has died which has put rather a dampener on the day.  It was the Melbourne Cup today, and generally a day off for most people apart from farmers(  us ), and restaurant workers ( Bo).  The weather was typical Melbourne, hot and sunny one minute and torrential rain the next.  Streets in Melbourne flooded but the races still went well, considering. The rain was a bit more welcome up here in the valley where we have all been watching the water level fall in our tanks.

The friends who were going to watch the race with us did not come because a wall on the straw bale house they are building blew down and their water pump failed where they are living. The people who arranged to come and buy a goat did not turn up, either, so it has been a much quieter day than we expected. We have done well so far, finding homes for the baby male goats.  I think it is because it is a good time of year to sell them. Not too close to Xmas, but well into the time when everyone’s land is getting huge weed growth. The babies look pretty cute too.

Last week we had another school camp and we are getting ready for the last camp of the year which starts next Monday.  This time the weather stayed dry all week and the students were great.  The shearer came on the Monday and managed to get all the sheep shorn without a bad word.  Edd and I had a laugh yesterday when we heard a sheep calling out in distress. We found her looking at her reflection in the glass of our windows.  Maybe she was horror struck with the look of her haircut!

The cat used up another life when it accidently got shut up in a teacher’s car that was left in the sun. Luckily the car was opened in time for a very hot and angry cat to leap out.  He has been gradually learning to hunt and has got several small rabbits. Rabbits are definitely unwelcome pests, so we are pleased with his progress. 

Our vegetables are powering away.  The zucchinis are just starting to have flowers, but we have a massive crop of snow peas and several sorts of salad vegetables we are eating.  We have had a meal of parsnips and the broccoli are still growing heads.  I am worried that the caterpillars will eat the cabbages before we do. 

Now that some kids have been sold I have enough milk to start making hard cheeses again. The soap does not take much milk, but we still had enough for the students to make chocolate icy poles.  I was surprised that they preferred these to the fruit ones we made the day before