18th November, 2024

We had a bit more rain over the week, about 8mm, and a few nice days and another windy day. So, the usual mixed bag.

Today Craig, the shearer, came and put Pickle down. It was also the first day she hasn't hoed right into her treat bucket, so it was just in time. I will really miss her, first Suzie and now Pickle, and Toot is probably next. It's always the sweetest ones that go first, a manky temperament seems to be the key to a long life. Perhaps there is a message in that ?

I've laid out the line for the ciders, but haven't tested it yet because of the rain. The cabbage palm is in full flower and the wonderful scent drifts in the back door and pleases me no end. Hopefully Beefy will come and give the front yard a good cut back this week and I will begin by spraying down the grass in a corner of the yard that matches the needs of the wildflower seeds I have on hand. 

I never use the lawn for lawn uses as we have the circle in the driveway for picnic tables etc, and a self maintaining wildflower meadow has appeal. It will supply cut flowers, feed the bees, be lower maintenance and look pretty out all of the windows. I'll keep throwing seeds at any bare spots and I should end up with a set of plants that are happy with the conditions and keep coming back. Sweet peas, carnations, californian poppies, nasturtiums, mint-type herbs, calendula and forget me nots seem to do well. I will also add cornflowers and mixed natives like paper daisies.

No word on the May Shaw job yet. There is a receptionist job at Ochre Health and another casual admin job up at the hospital open now, and I am trying to decide if I should go for either of those. I'll probably skip the Ochre Health one as that is pretty thankless, I know they cop alot of flack from people who want appointments right now.

Jason has been keeping an eye on my paddocks that are locked up for hay, and called this morning to let me know he'd be cutting one of them today as it was on the turn. I love that I have neigbours that look out for me. We'll put it into 4 1/2 foot or 4 foot bales for ease of handling. I came home from lunch with Juliet, Robyn and Brit to find it done and I could see him cutting his own hay fields up on the ridge opposite me. After doing the sums the cattle I sold him covered the last two years haymaking and should do this years as well.

I also tidied the craft room after the last round of improvements and shifted down some craft supplies and some paints, brushes and working surfaces that I got on clearance from Temu. Next jobs are to connect the internet and get the second power point working. I've found someone who makes custom garden shed sink shelves and I'll get one made up for my sink with some shelves and hanging rails.

This photo shows the paddock next to the house, the Sheep Shelter Paddock. You can see alot of longer patches of grass, which are also darker than the surrounding grass. Each of those spots has a cow poop or pee, and the grass is responding to the nitrogen.

13th November, 2024

We've had a couple of warm days, a brief one minute rain today, but I've started watering for the summer.

On Monday I planted out the seed potatoes, dutch cream, and cleared the weeds out of the jerusalem artichokes. They come back every year because you can never get every tuber.

I also walked Star up to where Robyn has her heifers in with the bulls. I was worried she'd jump a fence and try to come home, but she seems to have settled in well.

Today I set out the irrigation for the hops, silver birch, orchard, fig, bottlebrushes and olives. There are a few repairs needed, and tomorrow I will try and do the lines for the cider apples. The lines for the side garden and vege garden are working. 

I need to find a simple design for the front yard, the trees in the centre of each square make a single sprinkler set up impossible. Pragmatically I should remove those two rhododendrons, but they are so beautiful in flower and the shade is great.

10th November, 2024

SUNDAY MORNING 

A quick zigzag between driving rain, high winds, lovely sunny days and gentle breezes. Random weather as usual in Tasmania in spring. Today is one of the nice ones. 

I was going to spray on Saturday because I had the whole day off, having declined any more office shifts, but the weather was foul. Despite liking the office work the turnaround of an early shift after a long late one that is often tough going was too hard. So I will try to spray the thistles this arvo, and maybe walk Star up to Robyn's yearling herd to go in with the bulls that are in that herd, as they are bulls that are good for heifers. Hopefully barley grass spraying on Monday. Perhaps. So much to do.

Finn dealt with the possum that had been trashing the dairy. Not the end I wanted, but I had given up on trapping as there had been no sign of the possum for a week or more. I guess that means I can open the windows in the dairy room again and get some good drying and fresh air.

I opened up access to the hay shed for the sheep on the rainy day, and found a new nest in the top of their round bale. We seem to have three or four chickens laying, and the three that have just come out of broody jail will probably have been laying before going broody (though hens can go broody after no longer laying and they are all up there in age) so we probably have a 50% free loader rate.

The sheep spent Saturday night in the loafing shed and I got up early and moved them to the shearing shed to clean out before the shearer comes to shear and do feet and deal with Pickle. 

After the vet's hail mary shot of high potency antibiotics she did seem to improve, but it's become clear that the mess is progressing and it won't be long with the warmer weather before it becomes fly blown. She's cheerful, mobile and has good appetite right now, so it feels sad to take this step, but that could change any day and at least she won't have suffered.

The washing machine is overflowing if I run a second wash too soon after the first. It overflows on the rinse fill. Based on when and how the overflowing occurs, we suspect the air pressure tube that signals the machine to turn off when the rising water pressurises the air in the tube enough to set off the switch. To look at it we'll have to move some freezers out of the laundry and set up the washing machine outside and take the back off it to run it. Until we have the time to drag everything out I am just doing one wash per day on woolies days and one in the morning and one in the afternoon on non woolies days.

The dishwasher is suffering from the reduced water pressure in the laundry, it takes several goes to fill its tank enough to set up the cycle. I think the old water pipes are slowly filling with corrosion and with the lower mains water pressure due to irrigation starting is enough to step over that threshold. Water pressure is higher at night so I put it on when I get home from work and it usually finishes in time to open the door for drying by the time I go to bed.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Well, that was a wipeout. The shearer arrived late, 11am instead of 9am. He sheared Jonesy, after I took a blow to my knee moving the sheep into the pen. Then we went to trim Jonesy's hoofs and he kicked out and knocked the shearer's hand and he cut his left hand open with the trimmers. Off to Accident & Emergency where it took 30 mins for the doctor to arrive, 15 good stitches and alot of local anaesthetic that I reckon hurt more going in than the wound. The Dr did a good job though, was thorough and careful. Ah well, it's slow but at least it's free.

He will get the stitches out in a week and should be able to shear again in two weeks. Missed everything critical luckily. I paid him for the visit so he has some money to eat with and he will come back and do Pickle asap and shear the rest when he gets the clearance.

I sprayed the whole place for thistles, which demonstrates how far I have come. Once upon a time I spent several days in any one paddock, now I can get all the thistles in one hour. The blackberries are putting out new leaves so I can do a pass on them too now.

7th November, 2024

We've had a couple of warm days, circa 25C. Clouds coming and going, wind coming and going. We are now ready for another fall of rain to keep the grass growing.

The critters are on their second strip of grazing. They were on the first strip for two days and really did have another day, so I will give them three days on the second strip to allow 2 1/2 days on each before moving to the next one.

I had an interview for the casual admin job at May Shaw today. I think it went well. Right now they are looking for someone from 8am to 4pm Wednesdays, with more days starting in 2025. I know they contacted Pauline to get a reference, not sure about Sharon or Dr Deb. Three days a week would be good, 21 hours over and done with in three days at casual pay rates.

We've been spending hard over the last month getting stuff done around the farm, time to duck down and take some time paying that off before the next round. The cost for the fertiliser for the hay pastures was alarming, but it was needed and it actually did make quite a difference in grass growth.

I had to bring Finn in from outside tonight. Normally he spends the days inside due to his loss of pigment on his nose (sunburn risk) and Poppy spends the nights inside because she is old and likes to sleep by our bed. But he was barking his fool head off and when I went out with a torch to see why I found the target was a very small quoll hiding under the red ute. 

Quolls are chicken killers, but they are native animals and I would rather this one live to fight another day. Hopefully it will decide this place is too doggy and move on. If it doesn't and decides to go for a chicken dinner I will have to trap and relocate it. At least it has had a chance to learn about the dogs in a non-fatal contact.

4th November, 2024

The wind continued today, I have a very low tolerance for wind by now. Over it. 

I set up three strips of grazing into the main paddock ready for when the withhold ends tomorrow. The herd is still in the hops paddock but I will bring them back tomorrow and give them the new grazing.

I need to get a thistle spray in this weekend and spray the grass on the fencelines and the barley grass patches as well. I have a three day weekend this week and should be able to hook right in. It's probably not far off having to do the next slice of blackberry battle too.

This photo shows the line between the grazed and ungrazed grass and the knoll paddock over the fence which will be cut for hay.

This photo is facing the other way, each slice will be about eight feet wide. The green blobs in the distance are wrapped silage bales at Robyn's that Jason cut and baled yesterday.

3rd November, 2024

A windy day but not too cold, it's clouding over now. We've had a mix of cold and warm, even close to a frost. I think they just spin a wheel and whatever it lands on is our weather for the next 8 hours.

Jason sent me the weights for the four weaners he bought from me yesterday, the two younger ones were about 340kg and the two older about 440kg. All in all they were worth about $4500 and that will be offset against the haying Jason did for me in 2021 and 2023. Depending on how he costs it, I might even have some towards this year's.

I moved the herd to the hops paddock for the next 24 hours to give me time to set up the first slice into the grass in the main paddock. That's about knee high now and I will give them 4 metre wide slices while the far end, sheep shelter paddock and barnyard grow back. Hopefully we won't need to take too much of it, because it would be nice to have some as hay. This area was fertilised back in October and the withhold period ends on Tuesday.

Jaffa was looking a bit cagey on Wednesday so I figured she'd calve on Thursday. No calf, maybe it was just moving around. Lunchtime Friday she appears with a heifer calf that's clean, dry, drinking easily and hopping around. Clearly not a newborn ! I suspect she calved on Wednesday night or Thursday morning and hid her. I have named the calf Eloise.

The bank manager rang me on Thursday and asked for some more recent pay slips. Sigh. I wonder if we'll get approval for the mower before Christmas ?

No movement on the job front, other than to find out Lynda at Woolies also applied for the Council job and also didn't get an interview and they are also dodging her. Which made both of us feel a little bit better.

30th October, 2024

The weather has become gradually more pleasant. Days are warm, nights still cold, but the wind often loses that nasty edge. If we can stay with this I will be happy...

Robyn let me put the cattle into her dam paddock, which is just through the gate at the far end of the main paddock. They've about eaten that out now. Jason will be taking the four weaners on Saturday, and I have some small square bales left that I can stretch out until Tuesday. That's when the withhold period for the fertiliser that I put on the pastures expires and I can start feeding that. 

I will keep the hay paddock locked up, and also lock up as many of the other small paddocks as I can. Hopefully they will grow back before I feed off too much of the main paddock, as the more hay I can put up the better I will feel about this coming winter.

On the job front I have active applications in with Muirs and May Shaw and I am about to drop off a resume and cover letter to BWS. I called the council and asked for a quick feedback chat but they have been dodging me. On a whim I called Cyberlutions to do the same and ended up with the managing director and he said he'd send a note to their HR bod. I think I will also contact the post office and ask for some feedback there.

Pickle is eating and looking cheerful and snarfs up calf muesli with great gusto, but her face is still weeping pus and blood and smells bad. I think it must be a cancer and I have arranged with the shearer to put her to sleep in November. I will miss her, it's always the sweet ones. My common sense bone tells me to do Toot at the same time, who is having trouble with his shoulders and getting very bow legged, but my soft side is putting that off as he is still quite cheerful.

We had a lovely drinks and nibbles with Pete, Juliet and Shane on Sunday. Pete's headed back to Sydney for another operation to repair the damage the last one did. Hopefully that will go well and he can come back here to recover.

Robyn and I attended a Legendairy Ladies lunch at House Paddock today. The presentation was about nutrition (for cows) and how to balance fiber and energy and protein for different stages of a cow's year. It was very interesting. Lunch is supplied and the lady next to me had eggs benedict on sourdough with bacon. That looked amazing so I might drag Geoff down there for breakfast one day.

I found this interesting gate online when looking for pictures of stiles. I think I would like to work one into my cattle yards. Getting in and out quickly can be an exercise because I am a bit shorter than the average farming bloke that the yards are designed for.

23rd October, 2024

The warm days ended with a crash today, some parts of Tassie are getting snow and the rest is getting the wind off the snow.

I called Elders about the job, and they confirmed that for "business reasons", which in most places means "trying to make our budget look better", they will be holding all the applications until February and then progress as normal. So nothing will be happening there until next year.

I had an email from the Dorset Council saying I wasn't successful in that application process. I didn't get an interview this time. I will call them and ask for a quick chat about why I am not being successful, as this is the third job I have applied for with them and they keep telling me how well I interviewed and they want to keep my application to hand for more positions, but not giving me any of those positions when they are advertised. If there is a logical reason fair enough, but I'd like to stop wasting my time if they are just trying to be politically correct.

The vet came back out to check on swelling on Pickle's face, the sheep that had a tooth removed. He feels that she either has a bad bone infection in her jaw, or bone cancer. He's given her a shot of exceed, a strong antibiotic, which will make a difference if it's an infection. If there's no change in a week it's probably time to put her to sleep. It's always the favourites...

The dogs were groomed again today, Poppy jacked up at standing for so long so the groomer finished her off laying on the floor. The carprofen helps with the joint pain but can't cure the back weakness. Her time is approaching too, she struggles more and more with getting up and down. Old age sucks.

Here is the back of the chook house, the left side was done a few years ago and is now weathered. The right side is now weather and wind proof and will last for another few decades. It's a very sturdy chook house.

The two eight foot gates to replace the bent ones in the automatic gateway have arrived at the ag shop. I will pick those up tomorrow probably, and buy the posts when I have paid for the timber used in the chook house and the silo stairs.

19th October, 2024

We've had an interesting week. Mostly cloudy, but Friday saw 70mm of rain and today was 23 degrees and clear, cloudless skies with a perfect breeze. I went to a baby shower at Bridport and the weather couldn't have been more perfect for the seaside.

The chook shed and the silo stairs have been finished. I have put a barrier of sheep panels around the stairs so the cows get used to them being there without being able to "explore" them. By the time I remove the panels it will be old hat. I think I will paint the stairs "Scottsdale cottage roof red", a nice deep red that will blend in with the sheds.

While I was down the far end of the farm checking on feed conditions, I saw a black cat in the brush around the soak. This may be a relative of the tom that Finn killed. I thought it was Shadow at first, but it ran instead of coming over to say hi.

The feed situation is still balanced ready to go either way. The rain yesterday followed by the sun today has done the grass the world of good. The fertiliser I ordered went on on Thursday, and there was enough grass to hold it despite the heavy rain so it all dissolved and went into the ground. Robyn has said I can use her little dam paddock to put the cows in to rest the main paddock if the pasture is slow to recover. With any luck that will let me hay both the knoll paddock and the main paddock and put away a good amount of hay.

Here are the photos from the recent aurora event, I tested all the phones in search of a decent picture. I think most of the problem was operator error, but the best pics were on my drone phone. This one was the aurora over Robyn's farm.

And this one I think is a related phenomenon known as a STEVE. It is caused by the same solar wind as the aurora but the light comes from heating in the upper atmosphere.

On the jobs front, I received an email from Elders HR telling me that "Due to changes in the business this role will not be available until early 2025. We would still like to keep your application on file as it is still under consideration for this role, however we wanted to let you know that we may not have any movement for some time."

This is unusual, so I will call them on Monday to find out what is going on. I think there have been 34 applicants for the job at Muirs, so I won't hold my breath there. No word on the Council job or the work from home one. I found out that was advertised Australia wide so I've pretty much written that off.

Arfur at Ringarooma gave Geoff another duck in return for electrical work. I think we might start declining the ducks. Arfur is getting very old and his plucking skills are not improving. Plus we are not very skilled at cooking them and while I love well cooked duck meat, what we are producing tends to be dry and chewy. Might as well not waste them.

13th October, 2024

Another sunny day with a mild breeze. By the late evening it was as still as anything, and felt quite comfortable, though when I breathed out I could see my breath, which suggests it's cold. The weather thingy says it's 8 degrees, but it feels nice.

Today I sprayed the driveway to try and reclaim some of the gravel back from the grass. Gray did some more on the silo steps and then we hooked in and did the back of the chook house. We pulled off all the old timber and replaced noggins where they had rotted out.

Charlie dropped by and returned the Waybill book and the three ear tags he was going to use for his steers as he's decided to keep them for a while longer. We did get most of his application for a PIC done, so he will be able to order his own Waybill book and ear tags soon. 

Another day on the hops paddock for the cows, they are very keen to go in and not keen to come out at the end of the day. There is maybe one or two more days grazing there, then I will have to look closely at what grass is available and perhaps open up some of the main paddock again, pending fertiliser delivery.

I cleaned the silo out for storage, but getting into it has been a matter of climbing a folding step ladder while balancing a storage tub and trying to climb under the band of steel that crosses the doorway to hold the round silo together. This will solve at least the climbing part and once we can access the silo properly we might be able to move the band to a better position. The first section of the silo steps.

The left hand side of the chook house was done a few years ago. The two halves are the same size, so I was able to count the palings and battens on that side to know how many to order for this round. There's enough to do the southern end as well, but that's been protected from the sun and the weather so we may not do that this time and do something else more urgent. This is after we've stripped the old timber off the back.

I found a dead feral cat in the driveway this morning, a big black tomcat. While I feel sad for the cat, he would have caused a few problems if he'd settled in, not least of them being that Sarge can't defend himself with no teeth and would have been a target for being bashed up. I think Finn must have killed him and it shows that he differentiates between the resident cats that he knows should be here, and strangers.

Tomorrow I will ring around the ag warehouse places to see who has 8 foot gates at what price, Gray may be able to dig the holes and set the new gate posts in ready if I can have the gates there to measure from. Geoff should then be able to hang the gates and program them. But I think it's going to be a special order and the work will be on the list for the next visit.