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.