frustrations and positives

17.5.2010
Janner is better. Today the vet removed his stitches and his hateful head bucket. He celebrated by removing the ducks from the dam bank where they have made a dreadful mess whilst he has been out of action. The next problem is the heifers. Today they managed to get into the house site. Luckily Josh was home and together we were able to chase them into the green road that the goats use to get to the old vineyard. This has electric fences on two sides so I am hoping they will stay there until Edd thinks of something better.

This week end Edd and Josh began putting up a fence so that we can move the sheep to the hay paddock for lambing. The sheep in Yarra Glen have already lambed and ours usually follow a few weeks after so there is not much time left to organise this. With Edd working full time and the early dark evenings it looks as if we need help with things. It is so frustrating because I before the business burnt down I used my income to pay people to do the work we did not have time for which saved us both from stress.

I would like to set about earning an income again but I know that as soon as we start to build I will be needed full time on that job. Even though I rarely build I do the pays, food and fetching and I have to be available for consultation at all times. If only I had some accommodation I could get wwoofers again and organise them to do the work. As I said I am finding it most frustrating.

Last week my wonderful dentist fixed my teeth. The false one at the front had fallen out and although I could sort of balance it in I was worried about swallowing or loosing it. Then another enormous filling fell out but the dentist fixed all and I am back feeling human again. The good thing was that as I had to drive afield to get to the dentist I could combine it with the months shopping trip and get that over too. I hate shopping.

This weekend I went to a lecture up in the Kinglake temporary village given by David Holmgren the permaculturalist and Peter Andrews who wrote “back from the brink” his theory of reclaiming land destroyed by our past agricultural systems. David gave his views about future scenarios; I think his best guess is a gradual decline in reliance on oil-based technology. Peter stressed the need to understand that the land here does not behave like land in Europe and treat it accordingly. Lastly a man called Gwen spoke about soils and had lists of weeds that occur at different stages of land health. That was pretty interesting as well.
The lectures continued on Sunday but unfortunately this clashed with family activity, as it was Morgen’s eighth birthday. We had lunch with Bo’s boys and Simon’s parents at her restaurant and then went to her house. India and a friend (looking more like Barbie dolls than ever) came by bus and spent some time at the farm. Luckily Wayne waited and drove them both home to Warburton, which saved me a job. We all agree they look too enticing to be left on public transport after dark.