22nd September, 2023

Not a bad day today, but I'm not going to fall for it, there's more wind out there.

I had an early start at 1pm, so not alot done around the house except to vacuum up the cardboard confetti that Suzie (Shredder) produced last night out of the box that Geoff's new CPAP came in and the feathers left over from an unfortunate sparrow that Shadow brought in.

Sorcha is still holding onto her baby, it can't be long now. I don't know if she will have a large calf too, she's had good nutrition so it's a possibility. 

The local Council is advertising more admin positions. I might throw my hat in the ring again. Can't hurt to have a job that isn't so physically damaging.

21st September, 2023

Nicer day today, did a tour of the farm looking for eggs with the improved light to see deeper into sheds. No surprise nests, but it's only a matter of time. There's a broody hen in the dog kennel in front of the chook house, I'll set up the broody pen on Saturday and put her in.

I rang around looking for old toboggans to make a farm sled, without success. They do make purpose built quad sleds, but they aren't cheap. I was hoping for an old car bonnet, but I think I can actually do something a little better. 

We have some old metal piping I think I can make runners out of and some heavy mesh that might just make a good body. Something that will carry two bales of hay and maybe a calf with a cargo net over it to keep it in. It would be easier to roll a calf into that than try and drag it up onto the quad bike, especially a large and active calf.

20th September, 2024

OK, that'll teach me to think mother nature doesn't have another card up her sleeve. 5mm rain overnight and one of the biggest wind gusts we've had since we moved here. I spent a while picking up things that had blown from one end of the farm to the other and I don't think I got it all.

Belle will be pretty dark on me for moving her across the road where there isn't a lovely solid shelter. But she is in good condition and can fill up on hay to generate heat. The cattle didn't come up for the hay until later in the afternoon when the wind finally dropped, I think they were all hunkered down in a gully.

I did the training for the AEC job on referendum day. I worked at the polling booths at the last election, it was good money and quite interesting. So when the emails went around again I put my hand up for this poll. The training was pretty much a repeat of the procedures, but it was good to get a refresher.

I picked up calf starter muesli and milk powder to store in the chiller. I've now got a bag each of all of the feeds I use stored so that if I run out of the stuff in barrels on the weekend I am right to just pick up more the next business day. It's nice to be organised.

Geoff cut some mats from around Poppy's ears and collars, I passed her treats as he worked and she put up with it quite well.

The calves were hunkered down in the sheep shelter straw bed when I went out for their night feed. I was surprised they weren't with Jaffa and Annie and Freya in the loafing shed, but I suspect they went to bed earlier in the cold and wind and were sound asleep when the others moved out of the weather.

The wind blew my weather rooster off his perch, I'll have to climb up on the roof to reinstate him.

19th September, 2023

The wind ! Aaarrghhh .....

I checked on Jack and Gizmo over on the 75 acres. All the cattle were well down the slope, staying out of the wind. I debated whether to separate Belle and Moose and try and cut out one of Leigh's young bulls and put them into the end paddock to try and get her pregnant. In the end I decided it would be easier to lead her and Moose over the road and put her with the proven bull. Beanie went along too, just in case she wasn't already pregnant and to get three mouths off the grass on the 25 acre side.

Not long after I put Belle and co across the road Leigh put a round bale out for the weaners and one across the road for that herd. So at least she'll have hay to go along with the new grass. He parked his tractor next to the piggery, I think he means to butcher another one of the pigs.

Work was a slog, I think the front end manager is starting to get desperate for staff, and there's plenty to suggest other departments are too. 

One of the old original australorp chickens is heading downhill. She's getting thin and some sort of growth has appeared on her leg making it harder to get about. She's got seed put out every afternoon and a feeder always full of pellets, so if she's losing weight that suggests she's nearing the end. 

The Visitors - Sandra Henderson

18th September, 2023

Starting to get into a rhythm with feeding the calves, back inside for breakfast, washing and or dishwasher, then down to milk, then feed the chooks. Seems to have a good flow and I get some breaks in between rather than slog my way through the day. With animals the rhythm is everything, if they know what order things happen in they will go with the flow. Try mixing it up and you have everyone confused.

Went to a self care workshop this evening, got some new ideas and gave some thought to other ways I can use my craft room. For example, the hammock will hang from the old cutting rails, I could put on some music and scented candles and read for a while, or just nap. No phones allowed.

Freya seems to be a very relaxed calf, I have no trouble going up to her. Although her mum is still very defensive.

17th September, 2023

It's still ridiculously windy, but at least the rain has passed and the sun is out. Good drying weather so I gathered everything that could use a wash and got it out on the line.

All is good with the new calf, Freya. She is very pretty and is leading her mother a merry chase as she explores. Joey and Star are keen to meet her, but Jaffa isn't so sure about the riff raff.

On the way to take a load of recycling to the tip I stopped in at the art gallery to pick up a chai latte and look at their current exhibition. All the paintings are nice, but the ones that I think are something a bit above and beyond are by Sandra Henderson, from over at Penguin. I'll post some pics of them over the next few weeks, when I don't have a photo from the farm to put up.

Sandra Henderson "Bush Bouquet" www.sandra-henderson.com

16th September, 2023

Today was a classic Nasty Spring. Filthy weather, sleet, cold, wind fit to tear the roof off.

I fed the calves before work, which was crazy busy. What is it with bad weather bringing people out ? I can't think of anywhere better to be than home in bad weather. At least it was a short shift, 10am to 2pm. I milked when I got home, then had a cup of tea while I thought about what to do for the critters.

I figured the weather was going to keep the cattle and sheep under shelter and limit their time for grazing, which is fine for some of the fatties, they have enough blubber to hibernate. But the two heavily pregnant cows are under more pressure as the calf leaves little room for grass and they have to eat little and often. So I put out some hay for each of the groups closer to the house and then took two small bales up to the pregnant girls, only to find Jaffa wasn't with them. Which could only mean one thing.

Jaffa's water had broken when I got there, so I checked and the hoofs were huge, which was worrying because she is well overweight and nothing I do has ever dropped a kilo off her. Know the feeling ... Anyway, she was pushing so hard she was on her side with all four legs off the ground. I went to get the phone in case I had to call the vet and this is what I found when I got back.

Clearly sired by Jason's young speckle park bull, Rocky. The yellow colour is merconium, which is an indicator of a hard birth. The calf looked fine and alert though, and was keen to get up.

The calf was quite large, probably over 40kg. It took two of us to load it into a wheelbarrow to get it and Jaffa up to the sheep shelter, because the weather wasn't any good for a newborn on the exposed hillside that mum seemed to think might make a good birthplace.

Once settled in the shelter I checked underneath and was surprised to find the calf is a heifer ! Very large for a girl. She got right into looking for dinner and it wasn't long before she was filled up. It's always a good feeling when they latch on and you know things are probably going to be ok.

I had been going to feed out the hay, feed the chooks and collect eggs, then order pizza from the new place. As it was, after all the calf kerfuffle it was too late for that and we had chicken and prawn hotpots made up from leftovers. I thought briefly about going out to get icecream, but there comes a point when you need to batten the hatches and once the power started to flicker I just went and gave the calves their night feed and fed the dogs and hopped in for a lovely long hot shower.

15th September, 2023

It's been a long and busy couple of days. Woolies is short staffed, the front end alone up to three missing each day. It means those of us who are at work are pulling longer shifts and more shifts in a week. So I did a nine hour shift then had to take Geoff up to the hospital with a series of nose bleeds. They sorted him out but bed was 2am. I did the checks, milking, feeds and then went back to bed for a couple of hours until my next shift.

Last night was another big one, today was a long one. Big shifts (busy) and long shifts are a slog, but a big AND long one really knocks you over. And an extra shift this week on top, I am doing full time hours. Very much looking forward to Sunday and Monday off.

So, in summary, all the critters are well, made a new friend exchanging honey for milk to make yoghurt. Had a bloke come in and he and Geoff pulled down the old fence along the Sledge Track that was sliding down towards the road and looked like sooner or later it would take the wing mirror off a milk tanker. That was a good job done in the nick of time. He's going to come back when I have a slower week and help me clean out the dairy and loafing sheds.

Geoff needs a new CPAP mask and his machine is gradually fading away from old age, so I spent a bit of time on research and the next one will be the same make and model but with an autoset function that adjusts it's settings every three breaths. Hopefully it will be even better than the current one, which has done a sterling job.

12th September, 2023

I made a rice pudding last night. The old fashioned way. Rice, sugar, vanilla, milk and nutmeg. I used to make them so often that I didn't need to measure the ingredients. Same with scones. Once I've got my hand back in I'll start tweaking the recipe. A little coconut milk, maybe some turkish delight, perhaps egg. I love comfort food, bread and butter pudding is another one. 

Jaffa looks like she'll catch up with Sorcha now, they're both on daily close checks.

11th September, 2023

I took two dozen eggs to an egg customer and got $10 and a bottle of port in exchange. If the port is any good it will be nice to have some, I haven't bought any for ages and there's nothing like spaghetti bol made with port instead of red wine.

I topped up the calves' muesli, it seems to be at nibbling stage. Annie was keen to get in and eat it all up (very yummy !) but she is still stymied by the creep. She is annoyed at being separated from the rest of the herd, but I need to have her close to the dairy without opening and closing gates and having to go and get her, and the same with the calves for feeding. So she can socialise over the fence and get over it in return for a good feed every day.

I checked back ends and udders for all the girls, Beanie isn't doing anything and heifers start building an udder a way out so she's got plenty of time. Jaffa is slowly building an udder and is a bit poofy, maybe a few weeks there. Sorcha is looking like the calf could fall out and her udder is getting well defined, less than two weeks I think. See how the predictions go.

Finn didn't want any milk again, nor any breakfast. He did eat last night's dinner about lunchtime, so he's eating but not hungry like usual. I guess when all the pork bones are gnawed off he'll return to schedule.

I brushed Poppy again, a few dry days in a row and we're making real progress. I have extended the clean patches on her sides to meet up over her back, where the nasty matted stuff is. This means that I can start nibbling the mats around the edge and I think four or five more sessions will get her done with everything I can reach without a second pair of hands. She's weird about her tail and will need clipping there and under her collar and ears, but the risk of getting a hot spot or fly blown under those back mats will be gone.

I checked the tag on my dwarf mulberry and the expected height is 2 - 4 metres. I think I will find the biggest affordable pot at Bunnings and put it on the apron in front of the craft room. It will let the sun in in winter and leafy shade in summer. And hopefully berries, which I might have to fight the birds for.

I'd like to plant a full sized mulberry as a paddock tree, they are great shade trees and grow quickly. I have been surprised how many people haven't ever tried a mulberry !

Mum is back online after computer troubles, "HI MUM !" I hope you catch up here soon :-)