wet weather and war on rabbits

26.5.2020

Edd and Stevo have raised the sides of the vegetable beds by adding planks of timber above the corrugated iron.  This became essential because rabbits worked out how to get into the raised beds and then eat all our seedlings. Since this work was done the replacement seedlings that we put in are doing better, though the cabbage white butterflies are still causing problems with their hungry caterpillars.

We are having the wettest year we have had for years. The mud is horrible and torturous to walk on. I have spent a lot of time spinning and knitting indoors out of the damp. I have lots of grandkids who need winter woollies, especial the ones that do lots of windy beach walks. I should really be working on the accounts but that is not half as much fun.

Like me the goats prefer to be indoors when it rains. We still have plenty of hay so they can feed without walking anywhere if they choose.  The sheep are not so lucky and are having a pretty rough time.  We are feeding them barley, but we will have to do more. Normally we would have sent them off to market by now, but all the sheep markets are closed due to virus worries.  We need to get them salt licks with extra selenium. They need extra selenium in wet years, or the lambs get white muscle disease which kills them.

First frosts of winter

17.5.2020

This weekend we have had glorious clear skies and warm sunshine.  With no aeroplanes flying and reduced traffic the air quality is the best it has been for years. For the last three nights there has been frost so our window of growing for summer crops has ended. We are still eating the last of the tomatoes, but the plants have died.  I dug up the capsicum and brought it into the sunroom.  It did not enjoy being dug up and I thought it would die but it has got over the shock now and accepted indoor living with the chilli plants.

Milk production is gradually slowing but I still get enough to make cheese several times each week.  Today I am making a hard cheese and last Thursday we made feta.  Edd’s young pullets have started to lay. He is guarding them because we have a fox that sits up by the fence on the road looking as if it has evil plans.

We harvested the pumpkins but only the Queensland blues had a good crop. Even some of them have woody patches. Our friends in Healesville have the same problems and none of us know why.  The olives got picked too but I stored them in the fridge as I picked them so that I had a big batch to process and this did not work at all. Obviously not a good idea but at least my new press worked well. I like the idea of producing as many of our needs as possible on the property and we would need a fat or oil source for cooking and soap.  The trees are still small, so this is a very long-term project.

Our house has stayed really warm and is full of winter sun light and rainbows.  We have not had to put up with much in the way of difficulties during this virus lock down period.  I always keep my cellar well stocked and we have not run out of anything we really need.  We have a lady from town staying here in the dong because she was so stressed by being shut in her house with the same people day after day.

6.5.2020

It is so wet! Last week it rained and rained and rained. The slippery mud is horrible, and the goats have stuck firmly to shed living.   It is lucky that Edd was able to get out and bring home extra straw for their bedding.  We sold Gwen so that we could put all last year’s kids with the herd and put the two oldest goats in a separate croft for winter.  The young goats are now all grained to jump onto the bale at feeding time and their elders are teaching them manners.

The chook panic buying made it difficult for us to get our usual supply of point of lay birds, but this problem faded, and we now have sixteen new birds that should lay soon.

New kids on the block

14.4.2020

Our friend from the next valley collected the goats he brought from us this weekend.  I will miss them, but I am relieved to have reduced the number we have to feed.  With five now at their new home we have empty spaces in the last group of six at feeding time, so we have put the largest of last years kids in with the main herd.  Edd has replaced their baby collars with adult sized ones in their team colour.  This age group will be the ‘turquoise terrors’ as they are pretty pushy.

This is their second day with the herd, and they are already pushing out older goats to get into the dairy faster. This morning we even got them all up onto the platform with their heads in the bale. There are still four in a separate pen who will have to wait until later. It is always an interesting time as we get to know the youngster better.  Some are the offspring of our new American buck Barak and they do look a bit different.  The older goats have started to teach them the required behaviour they have to adopt to fit into the herd. I think the ‘blue collar worker’ group from last year are a bit put out.

Our milking machine is playing up again and sound decidedly sick.  Luckily the goats are giving much less milk now that the season is changing so we will soon be able to go back to hand milking.  We think that taking the milking machine to be repaired would count as a legitimate trip out, and at least get us a change of scenery.  We go right down to Warragul for this which is a long trip.

Tomorrow Edd heads back to Ballarat to pick up the rest of the straw and the borrowed trailer that collapsed on his last trip and had to be repaired. The good thing is that he now has room in the ute for more bales as he did manage to get a ton of oats back on the last trip.  With these supplies we should be able to manage for months.

Today we had an early start because Ben was trying to get his demountable home to the new owners.  Indi and Ben have split up and Indi now lives in a rented house with baby Alice.  It is all very sad. The removal was meant to start early and Edd had to be ready at 7am to cut the fence.  Very sensibly the truck decided it was too wet to get into the paddock and everything was cancelled.  We all got out of bed early for nothing.

life under lockdown

4.9.2020

At last the sun has returned and the world looks lovely.  I sat on the roof whilst the dogs ran around and enjoyed the view down the valley.  The two poplar trees are just starting to turn gold. I am so glad they have survived the drought, fires and changes of ownership.  Bambi was in season today and was very co-operative when I had to lead her to the buck’s pen. We have moved Barak into the yards now because when he lived next to the ram. Rombald kept bashing into the fence between them and shorting out all the electric fences.  So much for my thought that they might become friends!

Bambi is the last of the goats that we want pregnant and she came in season today, so five months from now kidding for 2020 will be about ended.  Edd was not here to help move Bambi because he has gone up to Ballarat to pick up a ton of oats, and straw for the winter bedding, but she was very co-operative.  We are pretty sure that this is OK under our lock down rules.  It is getting essential supplies as well as being work related.  I am very much missing having our usual camps and visits. In fact, I miss the part of my day that I had contact with the broader community. There seems more point in doing the work when it is for other people. 

The last week has been wet and wintery.  There is no one delivering concrete, so the car port never got built and the land is eroding fast.  All Edd and Steve’s carefully placed hurdles have been knocked down by falling earth. It is very disheartening.  When it was too wet to work outside, I have been concentrating on cheese and soap making. I think I have about a year’s supply now. 

The summer vegetables are over except for tomatoes.  We have eaten the last egg plants and beans are few and far between.  The pumpkin leaves have started to die so we will have to harvest them next. We still have an occasional zucchini, but lettuce is the most abundant vegetable now.  We get a few snow peas and there is always silver beat and parsley, so all is not lost.  Edd has planted seeds for winter vegetables but they are not ready to go out yet. 

The most annoying thing is that the sheep market at Packenham has closed.   We had hoped that the spare lambs would have been sold in the first week of April, but this could not happen.  Luckily, we still have a lot of grass but the brewery is not selling so much beer now venues have closed and so there is less brewers grain left over for us to use.

dramatic arrival

6.4.2020

Baby Y, a little boy, has now arrived safely but there was no escape from the drama.  Pip and Al did not get off to hospital in time and the baby had to be delivered at home.  Once again this was followed by an ambulance trip for emergency surgery. It all sounds very much like what happened two years ago when P was born. P was very impressed by the fact they had three ambulances outside their house.

This time it was complicated because the hospital had to manage covid19. There is tight security about who was allowed in hospital so only Al could visit Pip and baby.  Bo has been staying down there and helping, mostly looking after p who is now recovering from chicken pox. Al got his roof back on, but Bo says the electric points are still hanging loose and the kitchen units have no doors, so she has been taking P for lots of walks in between rainstorms.

We have had storms and rain here too.  Cold, winter weather has arrived, and I have started to light fires again for hot water and warmth.  Almost all the goats we want to get pregnant are now mated and the kids fully weaned.  This has meant lots of spare milk. so I have been busy most days making cheese and soap.  I am also preparing the tomatoes for freezing and making soup for lunch instead of salads.  I am missing our regular Indian take away on Fridays with our friend Bernie. In fact, I am missing all my friends and relatives.  We have regular phone contact, but it is not as good as actually being with people.

It is very disappointing not to be able to drive down to Ocean Grove to see the new baby.  I am missing all the grandkids, especially the babies who change so quickly. It is P’s second birthday today and I am reduced to singing happy birthday over the phone.  It was my birthday on Saturday, so I cooked us a special lunch and did not clear up until the next day.  Edd brought me some chocolates and Simon called in with a bottle of wine which we all drank sitting apart at suitable spacing.  I don’t suppose he really should have come but I was glad he did.

chook rationing

4.2.2020

The big news today is that Pip has gone into labour.  Bo has driven down to Ocean Grove to look after Pele when they have to go to hospital.  We are all just holding our breath and praying that everything goes OK. None of us could stand another drama like the one we had when P was born. We are also hoping that by the time they get home with the new baby P will no longer be infectious with chicken pox.  There is no way he could be in contact with Pip or the new baby until he is in the clear.

I think that this is the time when Bo takes over as lead woman in our family.  I have had this role since we arrived in Australia as migrants when I was just 30 years old. I have spent the last 42 years trying to keep a strong family ethic where there was always support for everyone and regular get togethers to maintain bonds.  Now we are basically on home detention due to the virus rules.  Bo is picking up post and shopping for us. This is the second week of lock down for us and so far, it is OK. I think that the experience of living in the central desert where there were no shops, banks, cafes or anything was good training.

I did get one trio out this week to picked up my ration of four young chooks.  It has been a huge effort just to get these girls. Chooks have been selling out so fast that there is a shortage!  To get my girls I had to get up really early and drive to the chook farm. The drive out was bliss. The sun was just beginning to shine through the morning mist and the pinnacles were like floating islands in the clouds. Despite my early start there was a queue of people at the chook farm already in line at suitable spacing when I arrived.  Everyone looked deadly intent and there was no conversation.  This was serious business!   

When I got to the front of the queue, I was met at the shop door, my money taken, and a receipt paper handed over.  Next I had to cross the yard to the chook shed where the owner was very busy stuffing cardboard boxes with two chooks each. II did not even get to look at them. It was bizarre, but very efficient. Two boxes were rapidly passed out of the door over a make-shift counter. And I left as soon as possible to let the next person collect his order.

 Apparently, there will be no more available until the end of April, so I am glad I got up at the crack of dawn and get the four that I did.  We usually buy more than a dozen at this time of year if we have not raised our own day-olds, but I do not resent the ration system.  Four chooks would provide enough winter eggs for a family, so It is only fair to share them in this way.

We usually provide eggs for several families but this winter we may have to cut down on this service.  At least we will have eggs for our own family members.  I am told that the local shop only has intensively produced eggs now, but I am relying on second-hand information about shops now.

Other farm work goes on as usual. We borrowed a star picket driver and put in a temporary fence so the goats can come and go from the top paddock and I have been busy making soap and cheese from the goats’ milk.  Our beans are finally stopped producing but a lovely lot of frilly yellow lettuce has germinated and is growing well. 

The big chook chase

4.1.2020

Yesterday I picked up my ration of four young chooks.  It has been a huge effort just to get these girls. Chooks have been selling out so fast that there is a shortage!  To get my girls I had to get up really early and drive to the chook farm.  There was a queue of people already in line at suitable spacing.  Everyone looked deadly serious and there was no conversation.  This was serious business!   

When I got to the front of the queue, I was met at the shop door, my money taken, and a receipt paper handed over.  Next I had to cross the yard to the chook shed where the owner was very busy stuffing cardboard boxes with two chooks each. II did not even get to look at them. It was bizarre, but very efficient. Two boxes were rapidly passed out of the door over a make-shift counter. And I left as soon as possible to let the next person collect his order.

 Apparently, there will be no more available until the end of April, so I am glad I got up at the crack of dawn and get the four that I did.  We usually buy more than a dozen at this time of year if we have not raised our own day-olds, but I do not resent the ration system.  Four chooks would provide enough winter eggs for a family, so It is only fair to share them in this way.

We usually provide eggs for several families but this winter we may have to cut down on this service.  At least we will have eggs for our own family members.  I am told that the local shop only has intensively produced eggs now, but I am relying on second hand information about shops now.