22.1.2023
Today I am in the process of pickling some shallots from the garden and making feta cheese. I am getting better at energy management and I found by waiting a bit I could heat the urn that pasteurises the milk without having to buy power from the grid. It is not too hot today and a suitable temperature for cheese making. As well as the shallots I was able to pick round and runner beans but still no cucumbers.
Some pumpkins are forming, already I have a large, round, yellow pumpkin but I am not sure why. The seedlings I grew and brought where not meant to look like that at all. Oh well, we all know pumpkins are notoriously promiscuous. I have a thicket of tomatoes but very few fruit as yet. It looks as if we will have very few plums this year but the apples and pears are doing well. I will need to put nets on them soon, or the parrots will get them.
Yesterday we went to Whittlesea show. The weather was perfect and parking was easy but once inside it was disappointing. Most country shows have exhibitions of farm machinery, country clothing and tools for sale as well as life stock penned where one can talk to their breeders. This show had heaps of stall selling showbags and other plastic rubbish for kids. They had plenty of kids rides and activities but nothing was happening in the main arena, there was hardly an animal to see and no farm equipment, clothes or other country needs. I took cash with me hoping to get stuff we needed but the only thing I found worth buying was a pack of garlic salt. I don’t think we will bother with this show again.
Josh has finished repairing the Ute and has done an amazing job. The contractor has started to mow the rest of the hay too. We had arranged with Bo to have a day out last Wednesday. She did the morning milking and found that the goat Hellen had developed mastitis. We ended up having to bundle Hellen in the car and sit outside the vets till she could be seen. Vets can not give out antibiotics without seeing the animal any more. Even after all this the vet did not have the right medicine to hand and we had to go back next day for the rest. So far, she has not responded well, but I still have two more injections to give her. We have not had mastitis very often and always isolated cases, so it is hard to work out what caused this sudden onset.
Life was much simpler when we could keep the medicine, we needed in the farm fridge and treat animals properly as soon as something went wrong.
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