Just had the two nicest days in months. This followed snow falling on the Sideling and the Diddlums on Saturday afternoon. It was pretty spectacular, clouds rolling across the ridges with snowfall puffing out in front. It didn't last long though, all gone the next morning.
The two nice days have been really pleasant though, and quite productive.
Abe turned the tap on at the piggery and was drinking directly from it. 10 points for clever ways to get a fresh drink, zero points for potential damage to the tap. So I put a pallet in front of it and hope that out of sight is out of mind.
The rat activity in the dairy has escalated so I put out predator-safe bait. This stuff won't harm raptors or wildlife (or cats) that take baited rats. So far the bait has been gone each morning, I don't know how many feeds are needed or if there are alot of rats. There is still stuff being knocked over so something is still wandering around in there.
I am down to eight round bales, which is maybe a month left of feed. The grass is starting to grow, but I will have to lock the knoll paddock off on the weekend because it was seeded today. Scott Auton direct drilled an italian ryegrass, clover and chickory mix.
I also broadcast a pasture mix into the bare areas around the hay rings. The areas around where they've had hay will be full of seeds from the hay, but the areas around silage won't as the fermentation process kills seeds.
I've changed out the batteries in the solar fence chargers because the cloudy weather will be draining the batteries. Freshly charged ones will keep the fences hot. I picked up the remains of silage wrap and rolled up the electric fence around the silage storage area in the knoll paddock and Scott included that in the pasture planting.
I went to a "Paint and Sip" thing at the Little Rivers brewery on Saturday night. The picture to paint was a very basic highland cow. I think I did a passable imitation.
Speaking of highland cows, Sorcha is now making up an udder and showing goo. I think maybe a calf in the next two weeks.
I have been making all sorts of things with the extra milk, farmhouse cheese, yoghurt, junket and chicken cheese. Chicken cheese is a basic cheese just made with rennet, and you drain and press the curds and feed the block to the chooks for protein and calcium. I flavoured the junket with some of the strawberry syrup from Robyn, it was lovely. I am thinking caramel flavour for the next one.
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