3.8.2021
We got a lot done in February. We finally got the sheep shorn and then last week Edd and the shearer drove them to the nearest market which was hours of driving away. This was such a relief. We were over stocked all winter due to virus shutdowns and the sheep were getting through fences and causing all sorts of problems. The paddocks are in a terrible mess and the fences all need replacing. We sold 31 sheep and kept four here, two because they were too old to sell and two younger ones to keep them company. Rather to our surprise we got a good price at the sale and have actually made a profit!
Another good surprise was our friend, John, turning up sooner than we expected with his digger and truck to clean out the goat shed. He does this every second year, and we all get loads of goat manure mixed with straw that helps the soil grow vegetables. The deep litter was almost a metre deep in places so now the pen walls are again high enough to stop the goats jumping out. Edd has collected another ton of oats and we have a good stock of hay and straw, so we are all set for winter.
We are sad because Edd’s dog, Janner died last week. He has always had a fault that made him hop rather than run with his back legs but over the last month he got much worse. He was about 12 years old but really, he has done well to last that long. Our other dog, Flynn, is very sad. We are not sure how to help him at this stage. We try and keep him with us a s much as possible.
In the garden the tomatoes are turning red, at last, and we have the best crop of juicy capsicums we have ever grown. We grew far too many cucumbers. I was hoping to sell them but everyone else brought lots to market and ours were not early enough this year to beat the rush. I have discovered that goats will eat the zucchinis, so we avoid wastage there. I have not tried them on cucumber yet. The sweet corn is almost ready, and the beans have given a huge crop. I have stocked up the freezer with runner beans, round beans pears, apples and the first of the tomatoes.
My storeroom is looking more organised. Bo moved her furniture out and into her new house and stevo build me some shelves where I can store glasses and tother things. I scrubbed the floor and redid the floor surface and also painted the areas of floor and ceiling that had been hidden behind the furniture. It feels good to get things cleaned and organised. I have brought a small dish washer to go in the kitchen. It will fit in one of the cupboard spaces. We need it for days when the solar does not heat the water and it is too warm to light the wood stove which also supplies hot water. There is an electric booster on the tank, but we have never put it on because the water is almost always hot enough to shower.
The steeling of a cupboard for the dish washer made me clean out and re-organise the other cupboards so that everything we needed still fitted in. All in all, I feel very happy to be so well sorted.
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