Hay Day

31.1.2024

 

Today is the day. Our hay is being baled and Edd is trying to round up grandsons and mates to do the carting.  If all goes well that is one of our big jobs taken care of. This week we have finally got dry weather, which has made hay making possible. The vegetables are in full production mode. I am swamped with zucchinis, beans and cucumbers and still have some cabbages left. The tomatoes have large fruit but they have not started to turn red yet. I have put nets on the pears and nashi pears now they are getting larger.

 

Sarah the dog is at the teen age stage but we are trying hard to keep up with her training.  She loves chasing her ball and going in the ute with Edd, but compared to the muster dogs we see on TV she is not doing brilliantly.  The goats are in magnificent condition now they have their shiny summer coats. The unusual green grass is helping keep up the milk supply but with all the medical tests I have not got round to much cheese making.

 

Josh is enjoying his new job, and seems much happier but CB has been laid low with co-vid and is not at work this week. There does seem a lot of covid still around, and everyone seems to get it time after time, so no sign of a developing community immunity.  More worrying is how fast the cost of living is rising. Rent, power and food are still rising in price and there are a lot of people who are homeless. We are still having floods in QLD and NSW, which makes the lack of affordable rental property worse. Al has just returned from a camping holiday and said that a freak storm one-night ripped tents and blew possessions into the river. Luckily not his stuff but he was involved in helping others.

 

I am working on the accounts and in the garden where everything is growing so fast it threatens to get out of control. I am very grateful that we no longer have school camps to worry about.  

Very unusual weather

 !5.1.2024

 

This year has not had a good start. I tripped in the house and smashed my teeth and face. Trying to restore as much as possible has involved numerous doctor and dentist visits and it is not over yet!   Also, our wonderful Sev has full time work at least for half a year so we have lost our farm worker.  Josh has just tested clear of covid which has laid him low but luckily Bo has been able to support us through this period.

 

Basically, it is a year that none of us expected. We were told it would by dryness and fires to contest with but instead it has been storms and floods.   The grass is still green and growing and so far, it has been too wet to get our hay cut.  The fruit and vegetables are loving it.  We have trees covered in fruit and massive growth in the gardens every day.  This has added to the above problems because we are still cutting grass every week instead of leaving everything to stray dead and dry as usual.

 

The rain flooded and closed the roads out of Yarra Glen and even swept over the bridge on our road.  It has been worse in QLD and NSW.  There is absolute devastation in some areas with lives and houses lost. Everyone is talking about climate change now but there is still little being actually done.  

 

There have been several power cuts but with our new system and batteries we have not been affected which does make life easier. It is hot and humid and Bo’s family are enjoying their pool.  Edd has done a brilliant job dismantling our above ground pool. It was badly damaged in the 2009 fires so every part was melted together making the task hard.  I miss having somewhere to swim and I just don’t fancy the mud and fish in the big dam.

Recovering from parties

                        Xmas family celebration, Dani and daughters with one of the border collies.

Beth Simon and all her household

!.1.2024

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my friends reading this.  We have enjoyed a wonderful time this year with lots of parties and amazing food.  I don’t think I can take any more rich delights!  I certainly need an alcohol-free time to recover.

 

Edd and I have started a big clear up around the ruins. Edd is dismantling the old swimming pool and I am trimming back all the overgrown plants. It is quite tough work but we are making progress.

I have harvested the garlic and my first crop of cherries.  We are still getting enough raspberries and strawberries for our breakfast fruit and there are far too many zucchinis.

 

12.12.2023

 

Tomorrow, we have our family party at Bo’s place.  The younger family members like the party there so that they can use the pool, spa and snooker table.  The older family members are glad not to drive as far as our place, but it does mean that Bo has most of the work to do.  Edd went over to her house yesterday and mowed all the grass at the edges so we have contributed some help.

 

Today Sev has cleaned the difficult bits of grass on the roof and helped me prepare beds in the vegetable garden.  I need to plant out beans and sweet corn. We are getting plenty of zucchinis and cabbages and the cucumbers have flowers.  The kale has been eaten by caterpillars which is unusual.  Edd tells me that he has been offered full time work next year.  We will really miss the help he has given us but he has been so good that I realised we would not keep him for long.  More changes we need to adapt to in 2024!!

 

Graeme, our permaculture friend has got covid but he says he is not too sick.  There has been lots of covid amongst our neighbours this wave.