21.3.2010
Josh managed the long drive back from Perth arriving on Tuesday evening. We did not see much of him as he soon dashed out again to see long missed friends and then got up at 6.30am next day to work at Beni’s loading grapes for the pickers. How great it must be to be young with all that energy! It seems past even our imagination now!

Not that we have been idle all week. David H came on Monday and Tuesday and he and Edd achieved miracles. They made the temporary fence up to the old vineyard so that the goats can get plenty of fresh grazing and they put up the little tool shed the Lions club gave us so we can use it as a chook shed. This worked out really well because when the school kids came on Wednesday we enlisted their help to catch all the chooks, treat them for lice and sort them into two groups with a rooster in each group. There were twenty-one kids, which was about a chook each. Quite a few chook holders found their charges a bit much and dropped them. This was OK because we had lots of zealous chook casers bent on retrieving lost birds.

I was catching the chooks in the shed and handing them out but I left the last two roosters until we had dealt with the rest of the birds. Much to my surprise three girls volunteered and extracted the last roosters squawking and protesting from the shed. It is odd how it is the girls that tackle the difficult or big animals. I think the boys work by sizing up the aggressiveness of their opponent and backing off if they are not sure about winning. The girls just think that it is a job that has to be done and if an old lady like me can do it they should not find it too hard.

All this chook activity was very much enjoyed by the kids and it is an enormous relief to me to now have two small chook families suitably housed in separate pens. We caught all the chooks that survived the fire and put up the remains of an old shed in the top orchard for them. They have stayed there for the year but with four roosters and cramped housing they were looking a bit embarrassing.

Thursday was the only day we had no big commitments so Edd and I went off to buy things we needed. There has been a most pleasing development at Chirnside where Pete has set up a demolition yard and clearing centre. We found metal trusses for the roof of the new chook palace we are planning, a stainless steel corner bench, and shelf for the new dairy plus various tools and electric bits. Demolition yards are essential for cheap building projects and recycling and this one is an absolute beauty.
With all this new stuff I have been encouraged to keep painting in the dairy and I now only have the last topcoat to do before I can move in the gear and set up my washing machine! Edd has started to loosen the mould on the water tank so we get closer to being set up every day. I hate painting rooms but it just has to be done and everyone else is better at other jobs.

It was autumn fest at the organic market this Saturday and we were asked to take some goats along for a display. We pick two with very laidback attitudes but they had never been tethered before or taken off the property so I was not at all sure I could rely on their good behaviour. I was unnecessarily concerned. Both goats behaved as if they did this sort of thing all the time and were happy to be stroked and petted by piles of human kids. It just feels so good to be doing things for other people again instead of receiving all the help. The school kids loved their day here and it is very reassuring to be back working with them.