13th August, 2024

Today was quite warm for the time of year, it will have perked the grass up no end. I sprayed the peach and nectarine with copper sulphate again yesterday to help head off leaf curl. The buds are about to burst and I think that will have been the last spray. I also did a thistle spray, I've got those pretty well under control.

Jason has been burning blackberries across the road at every opportunity. Yesterday was fine with a gentle breeze and he got a great slow burn on the neglected far end on the block. He's going to have the helicopter drop some grass seed into the ash bed and with some soft rain will get pasture going quickly.

The groomer came and did the dogs again, Poppy took 2 1/2 hours as she has started shedding for spring. But they do look more comfortable and lots cleaner and they smell better. Finn has some kind of skin condition so I'll book him for the vet next week.

I heard from Kevin the bank manager today, the appropriate staff member has been off sick and is still sick but the extension to the mortgage has been approved. Seems like an insufficiency of redundancy when having one staff member missing grinds everything to a halt, but that's cost cutting for you.

Belle is still slowly preparing for calving. She's getting quite smoochy, a sign that mothering hormones are kicking in. I hope she chooses the first fine morning of a run of fine days. I've organised two more bags of lucerne cubes from Launceston, as those are about to enter short supply.

I put out all of the dozen remaining old small squares of hay. These are four or five years old and not far off mulch. They were going to have to be fed out this year or not at all, so six out on Sunday and six on Monday and most of them got eaten. That's saved me a round.

I added alot more lime to the limewash mix and this time the application was more successful. All the trees in the orchard by the highway are done and I might as well do the cider apples and the nectarine in the cottage yard.

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