Back to work

Bo,s old cat has finally died, a sad loss for us all.

8.12.2023

 

I was lucky.  The bone I broke had mended by the end of the sixth week and I have been able to use two hands again. The trouble is that my arm is very week and stiff and there is an awful lot of jobs that have I have not kept up with.  I am working my way through the back log.  I have weeded, refreshed and replanted the vegie garden so that we have tomatoes and pumpkins growing. We are eating the cabbages and zucchinis and even the runner beans have begun to climb.

 

Today I got the last of the grass back under control with the ride on mower.   It has been so wet that the grass is thick and green under the dried off bent grass that the sheep won’t eat. The mower was struggling to get through.  Perhaps we just need more sheep. We have moved them off the roof and into the next area. (Edd and Sev fixed the fence to keep them out of the hay paddock after we got the fence posts rammed in).

 

Our artificial Xmas tree is still fit for another year. It survived the fires that burnt our house because it was in the cellar, and is probably over 20 years old by now.  I hate the thought of killing a living tree and watching its dead body slowly determinate.  This old fake tree has earned a place even if it does not have the right smell. Perhaps I should buy some pine essence to compensate.

 

The gifts for the grand children are now all purchased and wrapped and Bo is hosting the family party at her house so most of that work is all done.  There are some jobs that are too hard for me that I would love done.  The old swimming pool needs taking down and so does the small donga whose roof has collapsed. 

CB, our big donga tenant, brought down a bottle of champagne this week  so we could all celebrate her buying her own unit in Yarra Glen. She plans to move house next September. Plans for 2024 are forming already. 

 

Things improve

3.11.2023

 

Three weeks ago, I was extremely silly.  I had been up to the goat shed and fed the new boy goat his milk, and on the way back to the house I decided to check the new bamboos we had planted at the ruins.  On the way I noticed that the paths round the vegetable beds were flooded, so I decided to take a short cut down the bank where the old steps used to be.

The grass surrounding the remain of the steps was wet and slippy, and one step down my feet slipped forward and I was falling backwards fast.  Instinctively I flung my arms behind my back to break the. Fall, which worked, but I took all my weight violently on my right arm, which broke just below the shoulder joint.

 

I tied my arm up in a sling and Josh took me to hospital. After x-rays etc I was sent home with my arm in a less supportive sling because the weight of my arm was meant to pull the joint strait. A week later I was told to let my arm hang and swing it round in circles a hundred times, ten times a day. None of this has been much fun but the worst bit was not being able to do most of the usual house and farm work.

 

Bad luck was not done with us yet.  Edd got grit in his eye after feeding the hay that also needed a hospital visit and follow up. Fortunately, Josh had little work on so he drove Edd around who was in no fit state to drive anywhere. I could not drive with my right arm out of action either! 

 

Just when things could not get worse the hot water tank mal functioned and started pouring water down the chimney and out of the head tank onto the roof.  The plumber has decided we need a new tank. We will need to organise a replacement and take a non- structural wall down to do this. Right now, we have the leak stopped and the cold tap working but no hot showers. Edd heats water in large pans and I can wash in the bath. Luckily it is a good shape for getting in an out of with one arm.

trouble comes in threes

3.11.2023

 

Three weeks ago, I was extremely silly.  I had been up to the goat shed and fed the new boy goat his milk, and on the way back to the house I decided to check the new bamboos we had planted at the ruins.  On the way I noticed that the paths round the vegetable beds were flooded, so I decided to take a short cut down the bank where the old steps used to be.

The grass surrounding the remain of the steps was wet and slippy, and one step down my feet slipped forward and I was falling backwards fast.  Instinctively I flung my arms behind my back to break the. Fall, which worked, but I took all my weight violently on my right arm, which broke just below the shoulder joint.

 

I tied my arm up in a sling and Josh took me to hospital. After x-rays etc I was sent home with my arm in a less supportive sling because the weight of my arm was meant to pull the joint strait. A week later I was told to let my arm hang and swing it round in circles a hundred times, ten times a day. None of this has been much fun but the worst bit was not being able to do most of the usual house and farm work.

 

Bad luck was not done with us yet.  Edd got grit in his eye after feeding the hay that also needed a hospital visit and follow up. Fortunately, Josh had little work on so he drove Edd around who was in no fit state to drive anywhere. I could not drive with my right arm out of action either! 

 

Just when things could not get worse the hot water tank mal functioned and started pouring water down the chimney and out of the head tank onto the roof.  The plumber has decided we need a new tank. We will need to organise a replacement and take a non- structural wall down to do this. Right now, we have the leak stopped and the cold tap working but no hot showers. Edd heats water in large pans and I can wash in the bath. Luckily it is a good shape for getting in an out of with one arm. 

Pelican and other visitors

wombat damage

20.9.2023

 

An unusual visitor turned up this week.  We woke to find a large pelican peacefully floating on the dam. You forget how big these birds are.  He stayed around for two days and then was off again.  The swallows are more persistent. A young couple have worked so fast to build their nest in our porch that we missed the opportunity to dislodge them, and will now have to put up with the mess till the chicks are old enough to cope. 

 

Spring is really here. Already we have had weather well above the seasonal average, and everything is growing almost visibly.   We are eating the broccoli as the heads ripen but the cauliflowers are disappointing, opening whilst they are still small.  We have a thicket of lettuce and mizuna, and I have harvested the first swedes.  We need swedes to make Cornish pasties at the end of the month, so I am hoping they will hang on an extra couple of weeks. Yesterday I planted out sweet corn and the first zucchinis it will be time for tomatoes next.

 

5.10.23

 

Pastie and grand final weekend have been duly celebrated. We found enough swedes for Edd to make Cornish pasties and had a very full weekend with Alvyn and his friends camping and everyone else arriving for Saturday Party time.  On Friday evening the weather was perfect so we had a BBQ with the campers and watched the full moon rise big and bright over the hills. It reminded us of our first Xmas here when we watched the moon rise from under the shed roof where we lived before we built our first house.

 

Since then, we have had heavy rain fall and there are areas now flooded that were fighting bush fires a couple of days ago! The sheep are on our house roof but still have not made much of an impression on the grass. This rain will stimulate everything to grow faster too.

 

vindictive wombat troubles

Puppy wondering if she can get away with pinching the pots from my bromeliads

The daffodils before they were flattened.

10.9.2023

 

The last few days have been wet and cold but next week predictions are for 25c days.     I hope this is right.  Today I have lit the wood stove to heat the water as there is no solar.

Despite the weather we have made some progress.  Stevo and Josh have put a veranda on his cabin to protect it from direct sunlight and Sev helped gather up lots of the leftover bits of iron and old fencing wire so that we could take them for recycling.  We sold three goats, but I need to sell two more before we move last years’ kids in with the main herd.  It is good if this happens before they are full grown (and heavy) because some years we have to lift them onto the bale until they know to jump up.

 

Sev and Edd have put up a fence along the drive so that the sheep can graze on the roof but still let us drive out with out opening gates. This all went well except that it has really annoyed a wombat. We found this out by seeing the massive digging effort it had put into trying to make a passage under the fence. The hole is huge but with the rain it filled up with water, which was not what the wombat wanted.  I think this wombat is vindictive because it has now flattened all my daffodils by trundling right up the daffodil bed.  I may be wrong about this because we get kangaroos there too.  The new fence has acted like a sort of kangaroo filter and we now only get the very large ones by the house.  I think they are tall enough to leap over the new fence with ease.

 

Luckily, we have also been getting war sunny days and I have loved working in the ruins garden.  The vegetables are doing well and we have eaten most of the turnips. I am hoping the swedes will mature at the start of next month when we need them for our pastie/ grand finals day.  The snow peas have started to climb and the mizuna is growing well. We have cauliflowers and broccoli eat as well as lots of lettuce. We still have stored pumpkins, beans and tomatoes from last year so the freezer is still half full.  Soon it will be time to germinate tomatoes and zucchinis.  There was a huge amount of waste biomass from the gardens and I am wondering if we could by a chipper mulcher and recycle it as mulch.  Usually, we take it all to a burning pile and have a bonfire but it would be better to use it to help build up top soil.  It seems that there is a bewildering choice when it comes to these machines and we are still researching the options.

 

The puppy Sarah is at a very bouncy teen-age stage and has spent the last week trying to test for weaknesses in our house site fence system.  Edd and Sev have put wire netting onto the base of the fence to stop her squeezing out of the fence holes but she has all day and night to try and work out other methods of escape.  We have now released the lambs and their mothers from the sheep shed and the last thing we want is for Sarah to start chasing them. I am sure she would, given half of a chance.

 

Bo has two extra teenagers, her brother in laws daughter and a friend.  She seems to be collecting teenagers at an ever-increasing rate, but she is happy to have them around and safe.  We will worry until Ollie gets home.  He has flown off with his mates for a holiday in Bali.  Bali is a bit of a party place for young Aussies. I have never been there but some Aussies have found themselves in terrible situations over drug laws which are draconian compared to here. 

Persian lambs and my winter weaving space

 

At last , a social like returns

 8.8.2023

 

I feel rather outdone. Whilst I have been complaining about the difficulty of getting a new printer my Girlfriend, Merrie, has returned from Queensland which involved selling a house packing up all her stuff and getting it transported south to a new rented unit and buying a property with her son to move into later!  Then she drove all the way down here with her sister and has been unpacking and relocating her furniture and stuff in the unit.  She was exhausted when I visited her this morning but she had still managed to prepare us a soup for lunch and look after her dog and pot plants.  I am full of admiration and am so glad it was not me who had to get all this organised and done.

 

20.8.2023

 

Graeme had a party at his place yesterday and we walked round his property and saw all his daffodils in bloom.  He knew all the names of the different varieties, though I can’t remember any!   Afterwards we had all brought food and could socialise in his big lounge by the open fire.  His place was once an old guest house so was built to accommodate parties. It was a really lovely social get together.  It does seem that the social drought that resulted from the pandemic has finally relented and we are starting to make up for lost time.

 

Things are quiet on the farm.  We are getting broccoli and cauliflowers large enough to eat and the snow peas I planted have so far not been eaten by the slugs.  The two old ewes lambed last week, which ends our lambing season for this year. It has been good. The purebred Persian sheep had one ewe lamb each and the two older sheep had two lambs each. A female and a male each. I have all four mothers and their lambs shut into the shed where they are safe from fox and eagle attack.  Having the shed and the repaired yard has been a god send for handling them. Even the roof gutter fills a bath behind the shed that I can use to fill the water buckets.  Everything is so much easier if the set-up is right.

 

We have put wire netting on the house site fence and so far, the puppy has stayed inside the fence. She is now old enough to spend all day outside romping and playing.  We take her to visit her sister when we go to Bo’s place. At first, she was really frightened at being lifted into the car but last week she suddenly changed her attitude and leapt into the back of the car when we asked her to. We were most surprised, but she does it all the time now, so something has clicked in her understanding.  She likes playing with her sister and obviously knows that the car is necessary to achieve this.

 

 

pictures from last weeks party

 

Winter sun

30.7.2023

 

We are getting lovely sunny days this winter and the sun floods the house from early morning to night fall.  We have not needed any additional day time heating this winter. There is not enough sun light to heat the water, but a wood fire in the stove after the evening milking, every third day is enough to keep us going.  Traditionally this time in July is the coldest stage of the year.  We have had a few frosts, but they have been mostly really light.  Winters like this can be very pleasant. Yesterday we had lots of family here for a joint birthday celebration. There are lots of birthdays this month so we thought it best to have one main party and with the good weather the farm was ideal as a venue.  I was hoping to save Bo from the work by having the party here, but there is no stopping her.   She came and did the milking for us whilst I cooked and prepared and did heaps of work anyway.

 

I am very grateful for the help. Edd got knocked over by a goat last week and we think he may have a broken rib. I have a sore knee and hip so a rest from the bulk of farm work has been good.  Al, Pip and there three kids came up from Ocean grove and Pip’s parents came from the city.  Indi came with Alice and Wayne and Danni brought their girls. All the children played happily together, and Edd took them out for a ride on the carry all of the tractor.  This is the big treat they can only have on the farm.  It was a lovely gentle party and Edd and I felt really privileged to have so many of the family here.

 

In the week Stevo has been working here with Josh repairing the veranda on the donga.  The gutter from the big shed roof emptied onto the donga roof before draining to the small tank near the old dog run. They redid the roof drainage so that the pipe went across the front of the big shed and into the concrete tank between the goat shed and the dairy. This is the tank we all get our drinking water from so extra water in summer will be good. The veranda roof had collapsed due to the water pressure so it dropped rain onto the floor and rotted away the wood work which had to be repaired.  We hope everything will work better now, and CB does not have to worry about falling through the rotten floor.  Stevo says the roof needs repair work too so there is more to do before restoration is complete.

 

The multi coloured Persian sheep has had a little black and white ewe lamb.  Edd helped me get them into the shed with the other sheep and lamb so they are safe from predators. The black lamb has grown a lot but she will still be safest inside for a bit longer. We now have 4 Persian female sheep all very different colours and markings, so it is easy to tell them apart.  Sev has cut the fencing for the drive up into sections and the next job is to put them up.  Once this is done, we can let the sheep graze over the roof area which will save an awful lot of mowing and still allow us to drive off the property without opening and shutting gates.  The Persian sheep have hair instead of wool so they never need shearing, they are also not too big and heavy and are really easy to handle.  Both our lawn mowers are out of action at the moment.   Morgen, Josh and Edd have all been struggling trying to get them repaired but not with any success yet.   Grass is going to be a problem if they don’t get the mowers working soon.

 

The puppy has finally grown large enough that she can’t get through the house fence.  I have been taking her for a walk most mornings through the creek area. Sara runs round and I walk slowly, or scramble is a better description, because there are lots of large fallen gum trees to navigate over.  I take tools so I can cut down blackberries and dig out thistles as I go.  It is a lot of fun and the puppy gets exercise.  At least once a week we take her to visit her sister at Bo’s house. The two puppies row for hours and really enjoy playing together. This is another way we can get her the running time she needs when Edd and I are disabled with injuries.

 

The horrors of new things

22.7.2023

 

We seem to have become owners of the puppy Josh got from Bo.  She is a good puppy but over the last three nights she has had diarrhea and my first job in the morning is washing the floor in the mud room where she spends the night.  She has been very careful not to mess inside up till now, but some stomach upset has made life hard for her and us. I am not surprised, she eats every bit of wombat, kangaroo and duck shit that she can find.   I walk her through the creek forest every morning and I cut out any blackberries I find whilst she runs around.  We had to miss one day last week because there was a heavy wind and gum trees with their shallow roots are prone to fall over.  When we could go in the forest again yesterday several trees and branches had come down so I am glad we stayed clear.

 

Last week end Bo did the animals and Edd and I drove up to Bendigo to the sheep show.  Thank goodness this is still a traditional agricultural show with plenty of sheep competitions and useful stores. We brought socks (for our feet) and copper sulphate for treating the sheep. There were lots of wool and craft halls. I was very tempted by all the glorious coloured yarns dragged myself past them until I found the people, I brought my loom from.  They looked after me and I brought a loom stand and more shuttles for my weaving.  The only negative event was that although   Edd was well able to walk round the huge show grounds he fell whilst standing up from a stool and sprained his wrist.  Next day it was still very swollen and I thought he might have broken a bone.   It was not possible to get a doctor appointment and next day it began to come right, but he still had an excuse to avoid milking.

 

Our next battle was one concerning new equipment. Our old printer had finally failed after 13 years of service and we brought a new one but getting it working was far from easy. Edd tried hard but we were forced to call in Josh who is a bit of a wizz at this sort of thing. Our next issue was to assemble the weaving loom stand. It was all beautifully packed up the Ikea style instructions were Ok but it still took two of us most of a morning to set it up.  The terrible fact is that new equipment is now a horror rather than a delight, an age thing, I guess.  I did manage to complete my rug weaving. When I began it, I could not even achieve a straight vertical line in the pattern but by the end I got my lines straight and even did a pretty impressive diagonal!  I have a lot to learn but the project was fun.   For my next experiment I am now weaving a woollen cloth that I plan to shrink and over dye. 

 

Edd has been doing leather work. He has mended family shoes, made a collar for the dog and is now working on sandals for me. The last pair he made me lasted for years but I lost them when our house burnt down.  Edd taught himself to make these shoes when we worked in the desert because they were essential equipment and not easy to get. That was long before we ordered stuff from the internet.  The nearest shop was 4-5 hours drive away, so a broken shoe was a major problem.  We have spent our time over the last decade rebuilding and doing school camps, but now we have to move to a new life pattern.  Our first step was deciding not to buy new point of lay chooks to provide the market with winter eggs.  We have still had plenty for us and friends but with only 2 chook houses instead of 4.

 

The next stage will probably be reducing goat numbers.  I hate this bit; it is a bit like selling family members.  I am worried that animal feed is going to get more expensive with drier seasons and world grain shortages. Fewer goats would mean less hay and are needed.  We are getting news about extreme temperatures in the northern hemisphere and El Nino could bring back those conditions here. 

 9.7.2023

 

It is now mid-winter and we have had a week of damp cold days.  Still, it is better than last year as we still get warm sunny days most weeks. It is now over 5 weeks since Edd had the knee replacement and he is slowly recovering.   Bo has been really sick this week and the week before she was helping Pip with the kids down at Al’s home whilst he was overseas at a conference.  This has meant we have not seen much of her, but she is now back on her feet and we are having an evening meal with her family tonight.  Yesterday Indi and Alice visited and on Friday we had Al and Graeme for dinner, so our social life has had some action.  I still miss my friend Bennie terribly but the good thing is that another long-term friend has decided to return after 3 years living in QLD. She has rented a unit and is planning to buy a new home back in the Yarra Valley.  I am thrilled.  Lots if our friends have died, which has been hard.

 

The ginger sheep and her lamb are still undercover in the shed we built in the yards.  The lamb is growing and healthy but still at a size that she could be easily taken by a fox or eagle.  I have to take a bucket of food for the ewe twice a day and one of the older sheep comes and taps on my legs with her foot until I give her a bit of feed too. I have no idea where she got the idea for this behaviour.   So far, we have only got one goat mated. I have not wanted to risk injury by taking the does to the buck whilst Edd and Beth have been unable to do farm work.  Sev has been a great help but he only comes once a week and no one has been in season on Fridays!  

 

I have kept up with the garden work.  The fruit trees are now pruned and the vegetable gardens are either planted out or prepared for spring crops.  The camelia has started to flower and the wattles and jonquils are in full bloom.  I was too late with the quince tree and it started to flower before I got round to the pruning. I had the same issue last year but I just went ahead and did a late pruning.  This was a mistake because I removed most of the fruit baring branches and we had a very reduced crop.   We have now eaten all the oranges but we have plenty of pumpkins, and tomatoes and beans in the freezer so lots of lovely winter soups at lunch time.

 

In my spare time I have been experimenting with my simple weaving loom.  I have mastered the art of tablet weaving (warp faced) and am now working on a piece of weft faced cloth like a Navajo blanket.  I have used up lots of old hand spun wool left over from other projects. The moths had got into some of the wools so it all went into the freezer for a bit and then wound into smaller balls which are ideal for some weaving projects.  I have had most pleasure from taking the puppy for runs on the hill and along the creek in our own property.  It is such a privilege to own a private little forest park that I can visit by just walking out from my front door.  The feral deer have done a lot of damage but they have also cleaned out all the black berries and under growth so that I can walk on endless different tracks. Since Indi took the horses to her house, we have had no stock in this area so nature has just taken its own path.  The ti-tree thickets that sprang up after the 2009 fires are gradually being replaced by wattle and gum trees and the ferns and other understory plants have come back in places the deer have not been able to reach.  

 

16.6.2023

 

I have been too busy to blog over the last few weeks. Edd was in hospital for three days after his knee replaced, and then came home to recuperate.  He can walk slowly with two crutches but his whole leg has been very swollen and stiff so he is not doing much yet.   Luckily, we have a physio who visits once a week and keeps an eye on things.  It is a good job we got the sheep shed built because today we have the first lamb from the ginger, coloured Persian sheep.  I have shut all the sheep in the yard so that I can get the ewe and lamb enclosed and safe from foxes.  The foxes even hunt during the day so I think it is best to play safe.

 

It is very mild today and sunny so it was a good day to be born on.  All sorts of things are flowering. We have jonquils, and lots of bushy things with small purple flowers that I can’t even guess how to spell.  They look very pretty.  We are now eating the oranges from the old tree below the water tank.  They look as if they are too dry but once opened, they are sweet and juicy and altogether much nicer than the ones in the shops.  

 

 

27.5.2023

 

I think we are ready for next week when Edd goes into hospital for his second knee replacement.   We are hoping for the best with a speedy recovery, and preparing for a harder out come at least in the short term.  Last week Stevo and josh helped build a shelter shed for the sheep and Sev re-enforced the fences with recycled netting. This gives us a yard where the sheep come up each day for a feed and the means to shut them up in a sheltered place where the lambs can be protected from foxes.  I have dried off as many of the milking goats that I can and Edd and Sev have moved the round bales into the shed and up to the old drive where they are protected from the worst of the weather.    Last year’s lambs are now ready to eat but I rather like them and am dithering over their fate.  Luckily, we are still under stocked so I am not under pressure from lack if paddock feed.

 

The puppy, Sarah, is growing fast. She is a lot heavier than she was when she came and is learning to respond to several commands. The rest of Bo’s puppies are now rehomed and she is just keeping one for Morg.  Over the last couple of weeks, the puppies have rampaged endlessly round Bo’s Garden and have created a sea of mud. Today she has washed the mud off the house floors and is out looking for pavers to try and control the situation.  Sarah has no mates to play with so I brought her a special dog ball. When I rolled it past her, she grabbed it and returned it to me and we played this game several times until she decided it was no longer amusing and now, she just ignores the ball.  

 

The pumpkins are all in a pile waiting to be carried back to the house now they have hardened off. We have already started using them for soup and as a roast vegetable.  The freezer was almost at full capacity and I had to buy extra pots for food storage. Now we have started to use up the stored food and I can reclaim the pots again.  For fresh, greens, the rocket and pac choi are making a nice change from the silver beat, and I have harvested the quinces and taken them to Bo’s place for making quince paste.  The kangaroos are getting very bold and I think they are damaging some of the vegetables.  I also counted 30 wood ducks in the house site yesterday and they don’t help. They just ignore the puppy, which is surprising.

 

We celebrated Bo’s eldest sons 21^st with a couple of parties. The first was a family do on Tuesday evening where we shared stories and laughter. Simon and Bo were persuaded to perform so Simon played the piano and Bo sang which we all enjoyed. I feel absolutely blessed to be part of all this.  The second party was more about friends and was very noisy. People and dogs all milling around everywhere. Al came up with his two young sons and helped with the cooking. It was another very happy occasion.

Parties and puppies

  

27.5.2023

 

I think we are ready for next week when Edd goes into hospital for his second knee replacement.   We are hoping for the best with a speedy recovery, and preparing for a harder out come at least in the short term.  Last week Stevo and josh helped build a shelter shed for the sheep and Sev re-enforced the fences with recycled netting. This gives us a yard where the sheep come up each day for a feed and the means to shut them up in a sheltered place where the lambs can be protected from foxes.  I have dried off as many of the milking goats that I can and Edd and Sev have moved the round bales into the shed and up to the old drive where they are protected from the worst of the weather.    Last year’s lambs are now ready to eat but I rather like them and am dithering over their fate.  Luckily, we are still under stocked so I am not under pressure from lack if paddock feed.

 

The puppy, Sarah, is growing fast. She is a lot heavier than she was when she came and is learning to respond to several commands. The rest of Bo’s puppies are now rehomed and she is just keeping one for Morg.  Over the last couple of weeks, the puppies have rampaged endlessly round Bo’s Garden and have created a sea of mud. Today she has washed the mud off the house floors and is out looking for pavers to try and control the situation.  Sarah has no mates to play with so I brought her a special dog ball. When I rolled it past her, she grabbed it and returned it to me and we played this game several times until she decided it was no longer amusing and now, she just ignores the ball.  

 

The pumpkins are all in a pile waiting to be carried back to the house now they have hardened off. We have already started using them for soup and as a roast vegetable.  The freezer was almost at full capacity and I had to buy extra pots for food storage. Now we have started to use up the stored food and I can reclaim the pots again.  For fresh, greens, the rocket and pac choi are making a nice change from the silver beat, and I have harvested the quinces and taken them to Bo’s place for making quince paste.  The kangaroos are getting very bold and I think they are damaging some of the vegetables.  I also counted 30 wood ducks in the house site yesterday and they don’t help. They just ignore the puppy, which is surprising.

 

We celebrated Bo’s eldest sons 21^st with a couple of parties. The first was a family do on Tuesday evening where we shared stories and laughter. Simon and Bo were persuaded to perform so Simon played the piano and Bo sang which we all enjoyed. I feel absolutely blessed to be part of all this.  The second party was more about friends and was very noisy. People and dogs all milling around everywhere. Al came up with his two young sons and helped with the cooking. It was another very happy occasion.

Difficult days

  

11.5.2023

 

The news has been full of pictures of the southern aurora, but sadly we have not seen it this time.  It has continued to get colder and we have just suffered three cold wet dark days. Thank goodness the sun is back today.  Josh brought his new puppy home but from that time on he has had lots of work.  I have spent days house training and lead training, tasks I had deliberately decided not to do when I refused the offer of one of Bo’s puppies for myself!    Sarah, the border collie puppy is very cute and a quick learner, which has been helpful.  Bo still has two puppies at her house and no-one has had time to train them so we are deliberately keeping Sarah away from their influence.

 

Edd is due to have surgery on his knee in just over a couple of weeks’ time.  We are rushing to get things organised so I can do all the farm work on my own.  Today we are trying to work out the easiest way to put up a shelter shed for the sheep so that they can be protected from foxes when they have their lambs.  We think we have a plan that will use up stuff we have lying around.  On Monday we had a visit from the Montessori school that used to camp here.  It was on a friendship rather than a financial arrangement.  The insurance for the stuff we used to do has gone up so much it is no longer possible to have paid visits and camps.  Still, it was fun meeting up with teachers that used to camp here, and it gave us the incentive to get everything cleared up and ship shape.  Josh moved all his junk in the ruins to one small area and it all looks much better now. 

 

 Sev and I got all the grass under control and I pulled out the remains of the summer vegetables and dug over the beds so that we could plant our winter crops.  The broad beans seedlings that Edd grew are now shooting up in their new home and I have planted out things like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflowers.  I am still slowly dealing with our harvest.  Last night I got the last of the pears cooked and frozen and we have started eating the pumpkins.  The freezer is now almost too full.  I don’t think we have ever had this amount of stored food before.  I hope it will make quick winter meals easier.  I am really missing our local Indian restaurant.  It closed a few weeks ago due to lack of customers. Edd used to pick up a take away meal every Friday when he took eggs over to Healesville and it was the one meal a week I did not cook.  We have tried other take aways but they are all a pale imitation.  I do cook curry but sadly not like the Indians did. Now that everything costs more we have not gone out for meals and probably everyone else is in the same boat.

 

We did have a day out and drove down to Ocean Grove to visit our new Granddaughter.  Bo did the morning milking and we got up at 5am and left in the dark in order to avoid traffic and have a few hours with our son’s family.  The baby and Pip both looked fit but since our visit Pip has been in and out of hospital, and things are not totally resolved even now.  Yesterday, Al picked up the boys from Pip’s parents where they had been staying. They were due to go home earlier but Al had a visitor who had covid and they had to wait until they were sure they would not fall ill themselves.  Meanwhile the boys and Pip’s parents all got flue and so Al had to take two sick boys home.  With Edd booked I n to hospital so soon I don’t want to risk us getting sick so there is not much we can do to help. 

Birth and death

  

30.4.2023

 

We have two new family members.  Pip had an emergency caesarean and produced a healthy little girl (Bay), and Josh is adopting one of Bo’s dog’s puppies. She is a border collie called Sarah, and very cute.  I cannot comment on Baby Bay, who we have not met yet.   But Pip and baby are now home and we plan to visit them next week.   Luckily, Pip’s parents have been able to stay over the last week and helping with the boys.   Bo planned to be there but the baby was early and arrived before her puppies were rehomed so that did not work out as planned.  

 

The weather has stayed fairly good, though we had a frost last night. Josh tells us that his car had ice on the windows and we believe him but the sun pours into our house every day and even with no additional heating our house was 23 degrees C this morning.  It is sunny again today and I have been digging and fertilising in the vegetable garden. I have planted out garlic, lettuce seedlings and parsley. I dug out the last of the cucumbers and egg plants as they do not cope well with frost. The zucchinis will be next to go and then the pumpkins.  Once the frosts start everything has to change.

 

The goats are looking fabulous in their glossy summer coats.  Nine of them are continuing to milk well so I can make cheese twice a week at least. I have made the first two hard cheeses as well as the feta and cream cheese.  I even made yoghurt as I had spare milk now Bo’s puppies no longer need it. The goats have started to cycle but we have not mated any yet.

 

Yesterday, we had a send-off for an elderly couple of locals who had passed away. They had no children so Keith our neighbour organised a do in the old steel’s creek school that is now our community building.  The lady had been an artist and many of her paintings were hung round the room and were given away to any one who wanted one.  A lot of community people, past and present turned up and we all helped bury a box of their ashes and plant a tree by them.  Speeches were kept to a minimum and mostly everyone talked together, catching up after the long covid break.  Wine and lunch were served and I noticed that the catering quality was much better than what we were presented with at Government house when I went there a few weeks ago.  I told the caterers this and we all had a good laugh. I came home with a couple of paintings and the firm conviction that this sort of ceremony is much better than the standardised stuff funeral services provide. 

 

waiting and worrying

  

25.4.2023

 

It is Anzac Day and we have a bank holiday. The weather is actually hot! This week we have had clear skies and sunshine every day. It feels as if the weather is returning to previous patterns.  We hope so anyway.  I have planted out brassica seedlings and broad beans, and actually have to water them every day. The lettuces and other things are returning naturally and I will move the seedlings to new beds when they are large enough.  We are still getting tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries and I have picked the apples.  The fig tree is super productive as usual and I have been giving away buckets of fruit. Some returns to me as preserves and I get out of that stage of work.

 

We should be super happy but at present we are too worried about Al and family to totally relax. Pip is in the last weeks of pregnancy and is in hospital probably needing a caesarean.  She is having a terrible time. Luckily her parents are able to stay down with them and help care for the young boys. I had them here last Friday and they are mostly really good, but they are also active and need constant supervision.  Bo was planning to be there for the birth, and her puppies would have been at there new homes by Pip’s due date, but with this set back the planned dates are all wrong.  Josh and CB are hoping they can bring their puppy for trips out to the farm so that it she gets used to the separation gradually, but although all the puppies have people wanting them no-one seems in a hurry to take on the responsibility. 

 

There has been a lot of work involved in preparing and freezing all the fruit for winter. To fill the time gaps, I get with this sort of work, I have got out my weaving loom and have been working out how to use it with tablets.  My experiments are improving but my tablet weaving is still at a very novice stage.  The work like most weaving is in the warping not the weaving. Sorting out 40 plus lengths of fibre and getting the right colours into the right holes on each tablet can be challenging.  Bo is still working on her art and producing lovely, large, landscape pictures. I am over awed with the way she has been teaching herself how to do this.

 

A sad death, a lucky find and a day out

 22.3.2023

 

Our dear friend Benie has passed away.  She has fought so hard to stay alive for ages, but there was no happy ending. I am over awed by her courage. She kept working for her university students and her community till the end, and never complained about the disease or the treatments.  Several times a day I hear something and catch myself thinking” I must discuss this with Benie”.  We must have known her ever since we came to the area over 40 years ago.  We met when we joined the local after Xmas trail ride, and she became an important part of our large trail riding tribe.  When she left her husband, she lived with us in the donga until she brought herself a mud brick home up the mountain, but she would come down and join us for curry super on Friday nights where we would discuss everything.  We will miss her so much.

 

Whilst we were phoning the other members of the trail-ride tribe we discovered that another friend had also died that week.   Aunty was a small lady with a wicked sense of humour and a surprising amount of energy.  Perhaps our memories will be ghosts that find our ghostly horses and trek over the mountains for the rest of our lives. 

 

13.4.2023

 

The last stages of summer have past, and the hour has changed.  We finish outdoor activities earlier and we have started to light  fires in the evenings.   I was really worried that there would be no tomato crop as the fruit refused to ripen.  I usually manage to freeze loads of tomato puree for making winter soups and sauces and I began to think that we would need to change our diet this year.  Much to my surprise we got last minute fruit and as it had stayed green so long the tomatoes were huge, so my winter stocks are fine.  We have had wonderful a wonderful pear and nashi harvest, and now we are getting abundant figs and apples. The oldest chestnut tree has also produced an unexpectedly good crop, too.  I need to get in the next season vegetables and have begun digging over the beds ready for planting.

 

We have had a big bed swap session. Our tenant, CB, has started to furnish the donga to her own taste. She has brought shelves, a couch and inherited a new bed from Beth’s house.  We then needed to put the old stuff away somewhere.    Most of it went up to the loft floor that Stevo built above Edd’s shed, but the bed was too heavy to get up the stairs.  It was nothing special but Edd did not want to burn it so we drove round all the local charity shops to see if they could rehome it.  No-one wanted it so we reluctantly decided to take it to the tip where there is a recycling area.  This shop is run by an amazing lady who dedicates her time to saving anything she thinks is still useful.  Whilst we were there, we saw a great wooded bed and brought it for $25.  I have been looking for a bed for Edd for two years and found nothing I liked so this was a great find.  We put it up at home and it looked very much as if it belonged.  Since we moved in here Edd’s pillows have lent up against the lime plaster which tends to shed sand so the bed head has an important function.  

 

The goats have started to come into season and the bucks are smelling dreadful.  We are now milking by hand once a day, but there is still enough milk to make cheese twice a week.  I have not started making hard cheese but I probably should.  There is a lot of extra work at this time of year as we deal with all the fruit and vegetables but I got a break from routine last week when I was invited by my friend P to an award ceremony at Government house.   I shared a lift to town with an artist friend and borrowed some formal clothes and foot wear from Beth.  It turned out to be a nice sunny day and after the ceremony we were all sent out to the garden and served food and drink accompanied by live music. It was very like attending my kids’ university degree ceremonies except some recipients were dead so someone else had collect the award.  The best bit was getting together with new people and old friends.

Heavenly autumn weather

                                            Our ruins with the Virginia creeper turning red

                                                                     Making feta in our dairy.

13.3.2023

 

The sun is not climbing so high as we approach Easter, and rainbows can be seen again inside our house where the louvered glass on the window deflects the light.

The weather is perfect, calm, warm, clear and sunny.  Yesterday Bo and I walked round the farm and gathered blackberries, pears and nashi pears to eat and process. It is nearly time for the apples too. I have harvested the sweet corn and bush beans, so already the freezer is filling up with food for winter. I am trying to organise a family get together for the equinox but it is difficult to find a date convenient for everyone.

 

I have had some good news.   One of my dear friends who moved to Queensland tells me she hopes to be able to move back here.  She is finding the heat and humidity of her present location near Brisbane too much.  I am really happy because I have missed her company.   I also heard today that another friend who moved down to Phillip Island has lost her house and stuff due to an electrical fault.   This is quite a common occurrence in Australia where houses are built largely of timber.  Luckily, she has a lovely daughter who she can stay with, but I would not wish this experience on any one.  Actually, getting the insurance money and being able to build our present house has been wonderful as we downsized without leaving our land. I love living in a house dug into the ground too.  This summer we have used it in “cave” mode with the doors open day and night and it has stayed a comfortable temperature (low 20 C’s).

 

Last night we all gathered at Bo’s house for the evening meal. We started with a nibble plate.  Bo’s home-made zucchini pickle goes really well with our soft goat’s cheese. Bo had been given trout by their friends who caught them but did not want to eat them.  Simon smoked them and Bo used the flesh to make a great salad dish that we all enjoyed. The puppies are now a week old and there was lots of puppy cuddling going on.  They are taking some goats milk to make sure they are all getting enough to eat.  Luckily, we have plenty of milk spare.  We sold two of the young goats with horns this weekend as well. They had started to dominate all the hornless goats and one even injured an older goat’s udder, so I was glad for them to be rehomed.  Now there are 18 goats to feed day and night but as our bale takes 6 at a time this is now exactly three runs. Very convenient.

 

Edd is struggling with the water supply to the donga. A bit ago Edd had to change which tank our water came from and the system has not worked right since then. This has been a long weekend and a very difficult time to get advice or spare fittings. It always seems to work out like that.  Even with out pressure pumps the water flows down to our house but the route to the donga is an uphill journey so even though we share a water system CB who lives there is affected worse. Josh has water from a different tank and his supply is managed by gravity.  We are totally dependent on rain water tanks and dams for all our water supply and keeping everything in working order is a constant pressure. We are told that La Nina is finally over and that the climate will return to being much dryer, so water and fires will be next year’s concerns. There are still massive floods in Northern Australia with large areas of land underwater and towns still being evacuated.

 

15.3.2023.  Edd solved the problem with the water pump. He found information on the internet that made it possible.  How did we ever manage with out google? The weather has continues sunny and mild with cool nights and it is quite heavenly here.   Today I am making more feta and saving stuff from the small old demountable. The roof has given way and is in danger of collapse. It is too old and too far gone to try and save. Luckily, Stevo put the upper floor and stairs into Edd’s shed so we have a place to store the unused beds and mattresses.   

  

Life and death

                                                    Josh's stuff in the ruins

                                                                        Tommy            

                                                                    Tommy's grave
 5.3.2023

 

This week has been eventful. On Monday Bo’s family dog, Tommy, was put down and buried on the farm.  He lived to an old old age but has been deteriorating fast over the last few weeks. He was a large golden retriever and has been a great comfort to everyone when troubles arrived. Simon brought all the kids over to help prepare his grave and I found a young oak tree to plant on top.  He is now close to Amy, Al’s Great Dane and Flynn who are all laid to rest in that area. 

 

On Saturday Bo’s other dog, Luca, gave birth to six puppies so their house is still full of canine family members.  Josh and Bo have been working hard looking after them as Luca has not demonstrated a great commitment to puppy welfare just yet.  We are also sad for one of our dearest friends, who has not much longer to live.  We have shared so much over the years. We trekked on horse-back together through the mountains in the 80’s, lived together on the farm and worked in remote Aboriginal communities. So many things we shared over the years. Recently we have all shared Indian food on Fridays and struggled to understand the USA electoral system. 

 

On a brighter side, Summer finally arrived and the grass has burnt off.  The trees are suffering but still hanging onto their fruit and one tomato ripened! It has been a very odd year for our food crops.  The old above ground pool is now empty of water and I am hoping to get some male help to take down the frame.  I have most of the old gardens round the ruins of our old house under control, But Josh has taken over the ruins themselves as a place for storing a growing collection of possibly useful stuff.

 

In our house I have been decluttering and have taken loads of our excess stuff to the opp shop. I stored a lot of gear to use on school camps and as we no longer do them I really though it was time to clear a lot out.  The junk may be going down but the stuff in the freezer is going up as I process and stored vegetables and fruit for use over winter. Bo and Josh have been making chutneys and pickles, and I still supply family and the local community with cheese.  It will soon be time to make the hard cheeses for the year. They make better in the cool months when the goats have settled down their lactation after giving birth.