So much to think about

24.9.2012

The weather is improving and people are on the move again. David H came up last week and helped me clear dead trees from the camp sites and David P has phoned up to let us know that he is back from his UK summer, and is ready for the Australian half of his year. On the farm the first batch of goat kids has been sold and Edd has got the tomato plants growing in the polyhouse.

The school term ended last week and on Friday night we went to the Dixon’s Creek primary school concert in the Yarra Glen Hall. Bo has been working with the children and helping them write a musical that encompassed just about all the present paradigm. They started with the big bang and sang through Aboriginal creation mythology and evolution. The kids mostly wore white and James, who also has kids at the school, projected a slide show onto the performers and a back screen.

The kids had worked through the history of art and had made the images that were projected on to them. They then did a dance that romped through the history of music. Finally the kids came onto the stage to act going to sleep whilst the sound track played all their ideas about the future. Robots seemed to get a large rev, but I liked the kids who said “ in the future I’m going to get older”. He was pretty much on safe ground there. The great thing was how involved all the kids were as they sang and danced with out a break. They all obviously enjoyed it and so did the audience. Bo got a bunch of flowers at the end, which she obviously really deserved for all the hours she had put in.

This week India is off in the bush again. We have just come back from the campsite at Murrindindi where she is staying tonight. Today she packed up her camp and managed the two horses on her own by leading one and riding one. This is the new challenge she is tackling, so the ride was a short one. Al rode with her yesterday and we all had a campfire supper in the bush, which was fun. It had been a very long days ride so everyone was tired out. Today Alv has had to go back to work so we were on back up duties.

We have been pretty busy because the Grand designs team sent us tickets for the show in Melbourne and we went in and met up with Sha again. It seemed to me that she had done a huge amount of the work and everyone else took all the credit. Perhaps we don’t see all the other work that goes on in editing and sorting after the filming is all done. The show was good but I felt it would have been better if there had been more exhibits about alternative building materials and techniques. There was a lot of cooking ware and flash electrical gear but nothing I really was amazed by.

What I really enjoyed was going to see the Sapphires film with Merrie in the restored memorial hall in Healesville. In the past you had to more or less take in camping gear to watch a film because it was so windy and cold. Those in the know queued up with doonas and rugs but all that is in the past and the hall is now fit for anyone. The film was fantastic. It really hit a spot with me as the 60’s music was from my own youth and the Aboriginal attitudes were so familiar. I am so happy for all the young girls we worked with in the desert as I think they will get a lot from it.

mountain tracks

9.4.2012

Actually, we had a lovely weekend with India. On Saturday she came over with Al and he taught her how to lead one horse off another. On Sunday she came here again and it was a beautiful day so Edd suggested that we go up the forest, explore trail routes, and take photos for her VCE project. The forest has changed a lot since the bush fires. It was difficult to find some of the historical sites as the under growth had grown back thickly and new roads had been bulldozed.  We did find one old mill site fairly easily. I had never been down that track before and I was as amazed as India to see the massive pile of sawdust that still remained. Standing on the top we were level with the canopy of the tall gum trees in the valley below.

Big excitement came on the home trip down marginal road. We were driving in my little white Toyota hatch back and we came to a stretch in the track that was deep in mud with huge track marks dug through it. Luckily just as we approached it a four-wheel drive vehicle arrived from the opposite direction. They told us that the track was passable the rest of the way and agreed to pull us out if we got stuck in this bad bit. With that back up Edd set off and used his considerable driving skills to get us across the hazard with out a hitch. The blokes in the four-wheel drive were amazed!

It was fathers’ day so we all met up with two of our kids and the 6 grand kids at Bo’s home for an evening meal. Wayne was playing football and of course Josh is miles away in Perth but Bo once again arrived back from work at the last moment and conjured up a delicious meal from thin air. I was tired after a day in the bush and was very happy for someone else to cook because I knew that I would have to start at 6am in the morning to meet Al and get into town. I hope that what ever happens in the future my grand children will remember the happy times we had together as an extended family.

something wrong

30.8.2012

Something feels wrong but I can’t quite put my finger on it. On the surface we are carrying on more or less as normal, but it is a bit like standing in the calm bit between waves in heavy surf!  Yesterday was Wayne’s birthday so we all met for lunch in Bo’s restaurant. It was lovely to have so many family members there to celebrate with us.

I had spent the day before looking everywhere for an appropriate cake decoration and just when I was about to give up I found a large and gorgeous lady statue that with the aid of pompoms and suitable coloured paint could be transformed into a football cheer leader. The icing on the chocolate cake looked much like the local football grounds (after all the rain) and she gave us all a laugh. Wayne says he does not fancy her chances if his team looses in the finals this weekend!

The good thing about Bo’s restaurant is that it serves Simon’s beer and there is a drink there for all of us. I love a stout, Edd has ESB and Al and Wayne drank some yellower beer that I am not sure I can pronounce, let alone spell! There was sadness in our party. Simon is working far too hard again, Josh is a continent away in Perth and it seems that X has left our family forever. Pia was working so she could not fill the gap.

Al’s kids are growing up and swinging between independence adult and petulant teenage behaviour. India is really close to the end of her school years and Arden is not looking as if he will last to year twelve at the moment. Ti is due to start high school next year so he lags behind a bit. The more I see the gladder I am that those years are behind us. You try to build the best survival boat you can by your parenting but there comes a time when all boats get launched on the water and have to float or sink alone.

24.8.2012

The weather has plunged back into winter with a large electrical storm last night and icy winds today. The goat kids are getting better at bottle-feeding and now the milking machine is in use my hands are spared from all the tight, full, udders of the new mothers. The goats are very courteous to each other at this time of year. Quetta gave birth to her babies just by the gate the goats go through to get their morning feed. Usually there is a big push to get through the gate first but this time the goats all stood well back from Quetta and only came carefully through the gate one at a time when called!

Nola had her babies yesterday. Two bucks, and the first one was huge. It was lucky that I was around to help her because it needed extra pulling to get out. Nola and Quetta are both good mothers and good milkers too. I never know how the goatlings will turn out but this year we are getting some beauties. 

My plan is to breed larger yielding goats but keep less of them. Before the fires we had mostly Nubian goats because the host farm guests loved their fantastic colours and long ears. The snag was that they are not the best milkers but we are now breeding our way to the other style of goat and managing to keep the variety of colours.

New begginings

21.8.2012

More goat kids have arrived and I am now at that difficult time of year training the kids to bottle feed at regular intervals. It is hard work, but at least the sun is now shining and the mud has dried a bit. This winter must be a record for continual rain. We have even had a spring bubble up from the ground in the gravel pit paddock. I have enjoyed the spring, but the gully by the top gate is eroding fast and clambering down and up the other side is getting daily more challenging. There is a small bridge of soil left at a crossable level but the creek flows over it, and soon it will fall right in. I hope no one is standing on it when it goes!

We moved the last of Al’s things from his rented house at the weekend and he is now totally living in “The Crumble”. We had to clean out the old place in case Larry does not get round to demolishing it straight away and needs to rent it again. He plans to do a new building on the site but needs to sell all the units before he can start. Al is having a house warming party this weekend and luckily Maureen put the bowls I had made for him in the kiln last week to glaze, so I have a house-warming gift all prepared.

Another cycle has ended favourably in that we were awarded the community grants we have applied for. My next-door neighbour, Eva, did most of the application writing and the rest of us endured six months of meetings to get the information we needed sorted. I think the real gain is finding out the diversity of talent and skills in our community that we can tap on if we really get together. We have links to different political parties too, which all helps.

There is a visible sign of the earlier money the community got in the walking trail that is snaking it’s way towards us from Yarra Glen. It is an expensive undertaking but will provide long-term benefits. 

Our kids could ride horses or bikes to school but now the traffic is less educated and the road is much more dangerous. Gradually homeowners have taken possession of the road reserve outside their properties and planted trees or lawns. This has meant that it was getting hard to ride or walk off the road.  It will be a good thing to preserve the right to do walk in safety for the future.

We are all very grateful for these grants and structures, but we do keep reminding anyone who will listen that so far there has been no real progress to make our lives safer. We are once again going to start another fire season and very little has changed from the conditions that resulted in so many deaths in the last fire. We asked for effective warnings, shelters and that sort of thing but everyone seems afraid of being sued if things went wrong. It does not look too hard to me to set up the Yarra Glen racecourse as a fire haven and even large pipes buried carrying the path over creeks could save life in emergencies. Basically, we all have to plan our own survival methods and put in what ever we feel we need. We have done this by building a cave like house in front of a large dam and I am really glad that we put in this extra effort.

Kidding season again

15.8.2012

Spring must be coming. Our first goat kids have arrived. Opal had a brown doe and a black buck and Queenie had two bucks one fawn and one white. I am happy to have the buck kids, as I do not want to raise many does to keep this year. We sell the buck kids quite young and then have their mothers’ milk for our own use. The little brown doe had a weak leg after birth but I could find no breaks so I left her alone. She now seems to be walking fine. Her name has to start with an A and be short enough to fit on a label.

 I also glad that so far we have twins; quads and triplets are an added drain on resources. Erin and Ester are due to kid next and they look very full of babies so this happy state may not last the week! I am so glad that we removed the ram from the sheep and have not had lambs this year. We had to spend all our time building and have had no time to set up the structure we need to cope with lambs. Last year was a disaster with other peoples’ dogs running through the pregnant ewes and no proper fences. This wet winter has made it a real struggle to keep all the animals healthy even without lambs.

Our family gets together regularly to help each other through the winter blues. Ollie had his birthday yesterday and we had a family party at Bo’s house. Every one was happy as she cooked a delicious roast chicken meal and we could all feast and relax. Ollie got a new bike, so he was pretty happy too. India tells me she is now trying to organise her next trail ride. Arden has grown enormously and he is now the tallest in the family. He has not had any energy to do anything except lounge around and grow this year and of course eat.

Wayne is really thrilled that he has a proper house to live in again. From the time he and Delisa split up he has been living in a shed behind a friends house, which has got increasingly hard for him. He is still working all day, studying to be an arborist in the evenings and playing football at weekends. His team is in the local finals again too. Every year he tells us he is too old to keep playing but some how he gets involved again.

Edd and I are still helping Al move all his stuff. Our cellar now looks like an office with all his stored files. Pia and Edd did most of the heavy lifting. This week the washing machine and a slab of wood had to be man handled up to the new home. The track up to his steps has started to break away at the edge and is in danger of falling onto the main road. We just hope it will last long enough to move all his gear because the other option is to park across the road and carry every thing much further.

Yesterday Edd went down to see a therapist in the city who did some work on his leg muscles to try and ease some of his pain. He says it does feel a lot better today. Al saw the same man last week and his back is healing too. I have not had any treatment but my back is also a lot better and I am able to walk properly again. I keep hoping that our family has passed rock bottom and our fortunes are now turning back towards a more positive position.

11.8.2012

We have cleaned out the Esse stove again and so far we have had about four fires in it with out another blockage!  It burns best when there is a big wind outside and the chimney draws well. If we have a fire at night for a few hours it heats the water and radiators, which is helpful now we are back to cold wet cloudy days.

This week we have been moving more stuff from Al’s office back to the farm for storage. Unfortunately Al injured his back and has not been able to move much this week. Luckily, his girl friend is a very caring and unselfish person so at least now he gets help when things go wrong. He tells me that a treatment he had last week has done a lot of good and he can now drive again.

I am still sore after falling over backwards last week. I stepped off the ladder onto a round tube and my feet skidded out in front of me so that I crashed down hard on the brick floor. I am OK if I only take small steps on flat ground but walking up and down the rough slippy paddocks to feed animals really hurts. Recently I have been doing all the walking work because Edd has a bad leg but now we have to share the pain!

The trouble is that with fences, and bridges still missing, it is difficult to set up an easier system for animal feeding. The weather has been so bad too, that it seems silly to fight it and do major works until conditions improves. Today when I drove to the market in Healesville I saw that the flat lands were under water yet again. The ground is totally saturated and all dams filled, so more rain just causes problems.

All this usually changes very fast and we go straight from flood to drought some years. Our new head water tank arrived this week. We had a head tank on a metal stand that was destroyed in the fires but we plan to replace it this year. I like a head tank because then the water flows into the house by gravity and you can still flush the toilets and have a shower even if there is a power cut.

5.8.2012

This house is amazing. It is so easy to keep at a delightful even temperature. When the winter sun shines on a day like today just a small log fire for a few hours at night is all that is needed to keep above 22 degrees. I am still having Esse stove problems.

This week we brought a load of off cuts from kiln dried timber which were well and truly dry enough to meet any expected criteria. The fire burnt for two days and then blocked again. When it goes, it heats the water and the radiators really quickly but is hard to get hot enough to cook on. This week I got it as hot as possible as the book recommended but it still blocked up. It is very annoying.

AL'S LIVING ROOM 

On a happier note we had a great night on Friday when I cooked an evening meal for some friends here. Everyone had a good laugh and it was all very relaxing. I feel so happy now that I have a house again and can sit and talk to friends in a clean comfortable environment. This house is everything I dreamed it could be and much more and my friends seem happy to come here.

old friends

1.8.2012

Once again today the morning fog lifted and our valley was bathed in beautiful sunlight. It was a very welcome change from the continuous rain and grey skies we have had most of the time. To make the day even better my friends Merrie and Barbara came over for a visit and we all swapped news. We are all in our sixties but strangely we all seem so much happier and more at ease with our lives than we were thirty years ago. We all have children and grandkids who we spend time with but none of the dramas that we had when we were struggling with school children.

Barbara also had news of friends who used to trail ride with us long ago. She told me about Brad, who is still an activist on the Sea Shepherd, and of course I could tell about Beni and her new life in the northern territory. The problem is that we all had so many contacts to discuss that the time was not long enough. Barbara lives in Phillip Island so at least she is still near enough to visit. I have very little of interest to talk about because we have spent all the years since the fires rebuilding. Merrie’s family did a lot of the building work so none of this is news to her!

Al is still working on his house and Edd and I went over on Sunday to help render the walls in the kitchen. He has moved in but still needs to cook at the rented house. I seem to spend every week end mixing up lime render but there are worse things to do, and while the weather is so wet I can not get on with the garden and farm jobs I would like to do here.

The chickens are laying well now and we have only two weeks before kidding is due to start. I am looking hopefully at the first kidders and praying that they turn out to be good milkers. We had Anglo Nubian goats when we ran the host farm because the visitors liked their fantastic colours and long floppy ears. The down side was that they do not give as much milk or milk as long as the upright eared alpine style goats. Since the fires we have used alpine and brown bucks and I am hoping that we will soon have goats with colourful coats and lots of milk.

I always worry for the young goats as they have to give birth and establish a milk flow before they are safe. Erin and Ester are now very large and we have moved them to a private pen so they do not get so mithered by the younger animals. Opal and Queenie are also due to kid soon and I would like to separate them off to but we are fairly short of pens and lack materials to build new one.