Hay making

 13.1.2023

 

I have picked two beautiful red tomatoes from the garden.  Very exciting. Snow peas and zucchinis are the main crops right now but the beans are growing fast and are almost large enough to eat. I still have some sweet corn in the freezer from last season so we are eating it now before the new cobs form. It has been hot so getting new lettuce seedlings going has been challenging.

 

We have about half the hay we need in the shed. Wayne, Stevo, Graeme, Bo, Morg and his friends helped load trailers and stack it for us.  With such a large group of helpers everything got done without too much stress, in fact it was a jolly occasion.  Not so good is that Edd had arranged for the hay near us to be made into large round bales that he could fetch with the tractor but the hay contractor’s baler has broken down and so the grass has not been mowed yet.

 

Another problem is that Sev failed to put the break on hard enough, and Edd’s Ute rolled down hill and hit a tree.  One corner of the aluminium try deck was badly crumpled but it was possible to fix up the lights and use it to get hay. Now Josh has started on repairs and already it all looks much better. Josh is a bit of a genius at fixing things when the get broken.  He should know how things work because he spent most of his childhood taking everything to bit so he could see what was inside!

 

My problem is that we are under stocked and the grass is still growing. I mowed the house roof yesterday. If I had waited any longer the mower would not have coped and we would have had to whipper snip the lot!  As it was, I needed Edd to use the tractor and slasher for one corner.   We do not like to take heavy machinery onto the house roof or let the goats up there in case they damage the solar panels or sat dish.  Sheep are OK, except that we need lots more on years like this.

 

At least we are spared the floods. All over Australia people are still flooded. Fitzroy crossing up near Darwin is in terrible trouble and south Australia and up near Mildura are still in difficulties.  Fires have started in Queensland. Soon the whole of Australia will be a disaster zone if things keep going this way.  I felt very sorry for one dairy farming family who have lost all their land and have 700 cows to try and milk in. a neighbour’s rotary parlour. They think they will have to sell out and all find other work.