30th July, 2023

Wish I could say the weather was better today, but ... At least I can say it's better than tomorrow is likely to be ! This is the wind warning map.

Bruce went back today, I'll miss how handy he was. Poor old Bessie needs some parallel hay forks to be more capable, but she'll never have the sheer horsepower that made Bruce useful.

At least the wet weather made me stay inside and get some delayed housework out of the way. Most notably vacuuming and mopping. The endless mud makes the floors messy very quickly and it's a bit demoralising to get them clean only to have them dog and catted quickly, so I've been procrastinating. I am going into this week off with clean floors as a treat :-)

Along with a load of washing and some pile sorting I did the BAS for the partnership. So many hats. I'd like to think retiring will lead to a reduction in paperwork, but having lived through all the predictions of a "paperless office" I suspect the volume will remain and only the subject change. The design for my new house has a combination office and library, so hopefully having a dedicated space instead of a corner of the lounge room will make it easier to organise.

Bryce the builder has confirmed he will do the doors for the craft room as soon as he can fit me in, yay !

Robyn's dairy cows are calving, she asked if I wanted some bull calves to raise. I considered it, but with the sheds full of Leigh's hay and so many projects on the go I might skip it for this year. Next year when the stock numbers are lower and I've had a chance to prep an area I should be able to raise two or four and feed them with milk from Annie or Belle if the timing is right. Fresh milk is always better than powder, but in a pinch we can access good calf powder here in dairy country.

I was planning to winch the apple tree up a smidge today, but with the ground so wet I'm more likely to simply pull the roots out of the ground than bend the tree. I will wait and see, the combination of firmer ground and sap beginning to run so the tree will flex more will make for a safer bonsai.