Harvest Home

January 7 2019

We are very relieved, we have got the first paddock of hay bales stacked in the shed without too much stress.   It was cut and baled on Thursday and we got enough help to cart it from Healesville to our shed.  I drove the ute to pick up the first load and Indi drove for the last one which included the hay she needed for her horses. Edd, Graeme and his helper managed the rest with some very welcome help from my friend's son and a back pack worker.

On Friday the temperature soared into the high 40’s. None of us could have worked hay in that heat so we were very glad the job was done.  The plants suffered but as the temperature cooled next day most survived. The big, and very unexpected loss was the cat.  He was fine in the morning, but he staggered down to the house in the evening, collapsed and then died.  There was no time to even think about getting him to a vet.  We can only assume that he must have been bitten by a snake. 

January17

We have been very busy. A week ago, we hosted a Montessori International conference that  wanted the participants to understand what their students did on farms.  We were asked to organize a program to do this. Over 30 people where directly involved plus there was a Chinese interpreter, and staff . We had also asked for some of the camp students to help. Indi took a group to do horses and Lyn took round an observation group, so that everyone could see everything. At least that was the idea.

Edd took people down the paddock with the tractor and trailer to fetch fire wood, and we gave Steve all he needed to run an art activity painting designs on the wall by the pool.  The camp students and I did the milking and other animals with our group and the other teacher Steve had brought along took a gardening group.  I prepared activity sheets , so everyone had written instructions and the morning passed very quickly.  The final group had the job of preparing lunch and lit the pizza oven to cook in.  We had not expected them to do this and they showed great  initiative in  finding  wood and getting it going in time!

I think the painting group had most fun because it was difficult to get them to stop. One young lady who did the horses said it was an amazing experience because she had only seen horses in books and had no idea of the scale or what it would be like to touch one. I got the impression that the people from China and Taiwan had never been anywhere near a farm before.   Luckily the weather was perfect , not too hot but sunny and by the end of the day everyone was relaxed and looked as if they had enjoyed themselves.

We were very lucky. After this the weather has heated up and work outside during the day has got impossible. We have some “workaway” travellers staying, and they have helped get the rest of the hay in. The shed is now very full. Al came last week and passed a nasty bug to me, so I have been sick for three days. I am nearly better but one of our travellers is now sick. At least Edd has had help when I have been out of action.