12th December, 2023

Today was a Tasmanian "scorcher". About 26C or 27C I think. It was plenty warm enough.

I picked up chook grain, calf pellets and chaff from Stronach and returned a shirt to Ag Warehouse. On the way into Scottsdale Squirty rang back and said that Daviesway retail the Skellerups at Ag Warehouse. So I traded the shirt for the gumboots and I am a happy stomper.

I watered the passionfruit and hops, and some of the pots, because although rain is forecast for tomorrow they were starting to look a little sad. I also fixed Belle's water trough by cutting the perished hose and putting on a newer section. And did a second coat on the back of the rear door to the craft room.

While I was pottering around outside Robyn came up to my boundary on her irrigation rounds. We often have a chat over the fenceline. Today she invited me to the Fonterra Christmas party tomorrow night. Fonterra is the milk processor that receives her milk.

Geoff was called in to Woolies for an extra shift, he ended up doing online picking, that's putting together the orders for click and collects. I did my normal 4pm to 9pm shift and he'd made pad thai for dinner when I got home. He's really getting into making curries and asian meals.

11th December, 2023

A warm day, 26C in mid afternoon. The grass is taking right off and if we do really get 20 - 40mm on Wed it will get back to a reasonable length.

I put a coat of paint on the outside of the rear door of the craft room, I am good for one door coat per day according to my sore muscles. I have a few things to relocate and then once the doors are done I am good to give the room a sweep and arrange the furniture and start using it. Yay !

The calves hooked right into the muesli and it did indeed keep them quiet for a while. I think the "peace and quiet" of the countryside is largely a myth. Even unhandled paddock cows have opinions and don't mind telling you.

Belle's water trough is leaking, the hose itself is perished around the fitting so tomorrow I will cut a new hose and refit that. I cleaned the poops out of the hay shed where Sorcha had a little break in yesterday. 

I also took a load of recycling to the tip, picked up Coopex for treating the chook house for mites and lice, and investigated getting new Skellerup Redbands (the best gumboots) and will need to get them from elsewhere. Daviesway Online carry them at a comparable price, but I might ask Squirty Harper (who is the local Daviesway rep) what price he can do them for.

I took Sorcha, Jaffa, Freya and Zipper across the road because it's been three months since the girls calved and to calve back at yearly intervals it's time to visit the bull. I thought about borrowing Robyn's new young speckle park, but she is running two young bulls together and they would need to both come, and the fences are probably not up to two young bulls right now. So it's Leigh's angus this time. Boring black calves, but an easier option.

10th December, 2023

A cloudy day but warm, for those periods without a breeze it was quite sticky. The northwest was going to be in heatwave conditions according to the forecast, but over our way it got quite cool once the breeze picked up.

I sorted out a new system for calf muesli, they'll be getting it in tubs in the yards while they wait for their milk. At the very least it might quiet the chorus of mooing while I milk.

I also moved Sorcha, Jaffa and their calves into the sheep shelter paddock and did a full farm thistle spray. While checking Calab's cottage garden for thistles I found the raspberry bushes are bearing, so a nice handful of those for a snack and a memo to self to check those daily.

I visited with all the herd across the road and brought Belle, Moose and Beanie back over. I put them into the cottage paddock to eat it down. The moves into the paddocks next to the houses are to help reduce fire risk over summer.

Apparently I failed to latch the gate across the road properly and Leigh's pig went for a walk, narrowly avoiding getting squashed on the highway. She's back in now and I will make sure to double check the latch in future.

I did get three loads of washing done, but forgot to feed the chickens. They are free ranging and have a feeder full of pellets so no harm done except to their expectations. I also put the first coats of a nice blue paint on one side each of the doors to the craft room.

Charlie dropped by in the afternoon and we made some plans for hay stowing on Wednesday arvo, hopefully the rain won't hit until the evening. The only weekday in three weeks that we have planned to move hay and also the only weekday now getting a rain forecast. It's uncanny. He'll take four bales of silage in return for the tractor driving.

I used the liraglutide pen for the first time tonight. Once I walked through the instructions it was fairly straightforward. And the needle is ultra fine and hurt less than I expected. I am a bit of a wuss when it comes to anticipated pain. I'd better start weighing myself too.

Here is a forget me not that has seeded out in the driveway.

9th December, 2023

And down it comes. 14mm overnight and some huge thunderclaps. Getting the washing done will be interesting, as will the thistle spraying. And of course moving that hay. While the rain is great for the pasture, I'd like one weekend clear to stow the hay, then it can have at it.

The cleaner came and we hit the cleaning and got it out of the way. I took some pea pods out to the sheep and collected the eggs, did the calf muesli and topped up the maize in in the feed storage tubs. I was wondering whether I should roll the two 25 acre herds into one, but how to keep Freya and Zipper from eating the muesli ? I will have to come up with something clever.

I spent the rest of the day folding washing and doing admin, it's cold enough to have the heater on. Winter is back. Early dinner, early night.

8th December, 2023

A few days of summer, followed by rain starting Friday evening and looking to go all night. The grass will be thrilled, but it looks like my hay won't be going into the shed yet again this weekend.

It's been a few days, one of which was a terrible day, more on that later.

I picked up my first prescription of liraglutide, an injectible weight loss drug along the lines of Ozempic (which is a seragludite but same mechanism). It helps turn off hunger signals that PCOS and perimenopause have set at permanent snack mode. It's a daily injection, whereas Ozempic is once a week.

I have to address habitual eating (like wanting something to chew on when typing or looking for something when having a cuppa) myself, but this will assist in slow weight loss. If you lose weight too fast the body's set point doesn't move and you are likely to put the weight back on. But if you lose it slowly enough the set point is tricked into lowering along with the weight and it helps avoid bouncing back.

I had to go back the next day to get needles, as I didn't realise the pens didn't come with needles. But those are only $16 per hundred. I have a sharps container for livestock needles, and I can use that apparently. It does seem like a terrible waste to discard a needle every day. 

Also on the health side of things, Charles Heart Clinic confirmed by phone that they have received my referral and will be booking me in the new year and I will get a letter with the date soon. So progress on that front. I also booked in for my follow up menopause appointment in Jan.

The broody hen seems to be ready to get about her business and can come out tomorrow. The calves are into the routine of waiting for Annie to be milked and then getting on the feeder really well. The new ones aren't quite into the habit of coming when called to the pellets and muesli, however, that will take a few more days I think.

I had an interview with Dorset Employment Connect, they will be keeping an eye out for interesting jobs for me. And I sent my resume and reference to NRM North and Biosecurity Tasmania. Next will be Sheep Connect Tas.

Ashleigh, the vet student who recently did a placement here, came back through on her travels with her Mum. It was lovely to meet her and Ash and I gave her a farm tour. Joey sucked on her fingers and Annie gave her a good licking, people are always delighted to get to pat cows and calves. On most farms they are much more flighty. They have enjoyed Tassie and are planning to come back and really tour.

So, the terrible day. Back in July Leigh's old ram got in with a couple of my ewes. Or they got in with him, not sure who did what. But Suzie got pregnant and I was expecting her to lamb late in Dec. However, it appears the lamb or lambs have died in utero and went toxic. Sheep, as prey animals, are very stoic and a sick sheep sitting down chewing her cud will look like every other sheep sitting down chewing her cud right up until things go pear shaped.

I found her off on her own sitting under the pines in a bad way. The vet came very quickly, she was here within 15 mins of me finding Suzie and realising things were going wrong. The benefit of being close to town and that town having a good sized clinic with lots of large animal vets. Anyway, Rosie the vet quickly realised things weren't going to be getting any better for Suzie and we euthanaised her immediately.

Suzie was, of course, my favourite. The grumpy old bags that hate you never get sick and outlive everyone else. Suz was always the first to come over for a scratch, and if I called I could rely on her to come and bring everyone else. I will miss her on all levels, and it was such a sad loss of both her and her lambs. The price of loving animals (or people) is grieving their loss.

Jules Witek, Saltwater River, Tasmania.

5th December, 2023

Yay ! A summer day and a good breeze dried off the hay and the ground so I can move it ... wait, except that today I am working (even called in an hour early) so I can't. And for the weekend when I am off ? More rain forecast.

Moved the broody hen into the pen today, no sign of lice so I think the avitrol has worked.

The last cider tree has finally started to show leaves, I was wondering if it was dead. I guess it will be the last one for the fruit to ripen too.

I built a locking mechanism for the peach teat calf feeder station, to stop the calves from butting the feeders up and spilling the milk. That will work for the next lot of calves, the big feeder is still the go-to for this lot. But pretty chuffed with myself.

I drilled some drainage holes into the plastic container holding all the washing liquids in the dairy. It lives over the sink and often ends up with water getting yucky in the bottom. A small but long awaited problem fix.

I was given the small shrub with the red bell flowers on the right as a stick with two leaves. Anyone know what it is ? You can click on the picture to see a larger version.

Also in the pic (from back to front) are a reddish daisy with purple highlights, a pink and white carnation that isn't flowering in the pic, some orange calendula, forget me nots and a daphne. Largely hidden but on either side of the red flowered shrub are lemon thyme and normal thyme. And a yellow calendula growing out of a crack in the path over by the wall.

The forget me nots and calendula seem to self seed here, as the california poppies and nasturtiums do in the front garden. I am happy for them both to thrive and spread as they both bloom all year round and add some colour in winter.

4th December, 2023

The day started off sunny and then went to cloudy again. And just enough of a fall to stop me spraying weeds or moving hay. But not enough to water the pasture. That's getting old.

The little gas heater in the dairy ran out of gas this morning. I had a spare cylinder under the bench and changed it out in short order. Yay me. I took the empty one around to Stronach and refilled and I think that will be good for about a year.

I dropped into the supermarket to get a few odds and ends and found out that somehow two of the registers had been damaged, no-one seems to know how. I guess if they are really interested the cc tv cameras will show what happened. Then down to the Amish to buy some more fresh green peas, yum !

Here's a pic from the visit to Siobhan's the other day, with my new friend.

The ABC generally does community programming really well. Shows like "Old Folks Home for 4 Year Olds" and "Employable Me" for example. Another one of my favourites is "You Can't Ask That". All the things most (some) people are too polite to ask but are dying to know about people from all walks of life. It's an incredibly eye opening and humanising series and I never walk away from an episode without an assumption challenged or something to give further thought to.

Here's a link to the Wikipedia entry.

You Can't Ask That

"You Can't Ask That won the Rose d'Or for Best Reality or Factual Entertainment in 2017. It also won 3 UN Media Awards for Promotion of Disability Rights and Issues, Promotion of Social Cohesion and Promotion of Empowerment of Older People. In 2018 it was nominated for a Logie for Most Outstanding Factual or Documentary Program.^"

3rd December, 2023

Just enough rain to make all the grass slippery and rule out tractoring, and wet the washing, without really wetting the soil. Hmmm. 

As at the end of November the annual average is 910mm and the actual total is 823mm. That's 90% of the annual year to date average, but most of it fell in winter and a surplus at the end of winter turned into a deficit by the end of spring.

I planted the two tomato plants and topped up snail bait on all the veges and the hops and passionfruit. The small trees I planted are thriving at least.

I gave all the nest boxes and perches a spray of avitrol and did the broody hen again, tomorrow she can go into the broody pen and not spread lice into the main coop.

The four calves are getting onto the milk feeder nicely, and are eating the muesli and pellets well. I think little Star is starting to fill out again.

2nd December, 2023

An extra half hour sleep in and then down to milk. All good for the second day of the new calves on the feeder. It seems that the pellets Robyn brought over are a hit too. Unless it's Flora that has cleaned them out. I'll have to keep an eye out for that.

It threatened to storm all day again today. It finally rained for about half an hour just before midnight. Just enough to stop me putting hay away tomorrow on my day off, and get the washing soaked through. The pastures and plants will love it though.

Jaffa and Sorcha and their calves finally found the gap and were socialising with Annie's mob by mid afternoon. I took the sheep some surplus cos lettuces, expecting them to hoe in. They couldn't have been less interested, so I put them out by the water trough for the cows to find later.

I had a phone consultation with a Dr from the local clinic who, finally after two other doctors said they would over the last nine years, sent a referral to the Charles Heart Clinic for a heart stress test. She also wrote me a script for Saxenda, a weight loss drug also used for diabetes. Unfortunately it's not covered by medicare for weight loss, despite the fact that people over a certain BMI would probably save the govt a heap in future care by losing some weight. 

The govt just isn't into preventative medicine, or they'd probably fund dental care too. Anyway, for me it will be about $80 a week for the next year. Unless I get diabetes and then it's about $6 a week. It would work out better to fund me to prevent diabetes than treat once I get it, but hey. That's an extra shift a week to pay for that, I'll have to give it some thought.

Here's some photos from the woolies Christmas party.

Formal group shot at Little Rivers Brewery

The feeding and drinking, Geoff at right in back

Pete, Shane, Juliet and Geoff over the back, and Mitchell.

Mitchell, Shane and Juliet

1st December, 2023

Still steamy and close but no rain. The sort of thunderstormy day that gives headaches.

The first feed for all four calves at the big feeder went well. Annie is a little hostile to the new calves because Abe is curious about them and she is worried they will lead him astray. They will start to smell like her soon, being on her milk, and she will accept them as part of the herd.

I opened the fence to let Jaffa and Sorcha and their calves back into the main paddock to clean up after the hay cutting. As at dark they had still not realised the gap was there.

I sprayed the broody hen and implement shed nest boxes with avitrol. A second spray on Sunday and then I'll put the hen into the broody pen. Hens who go broody don't dust bath and end up with lice because they just sit on the nest, only going for food and water, for three weeks or more. The best way to prevent lice buildup in the boxes is to put any broodies in the pen immediately. This gets them back on eating properly again too. A broody hen can lose alot of weight.

I gave the sheep the pods from the peas I had bought at the Amish vege stall. I need to get another batch this weekend. One of life's simple pleasures is eating peas from the pod.

The Woolies christmas party was on tonight. I was closing so didn't get to go. I went over and had a drink with Juliet and Shane and Geoff (who wasn't working and did attend) after I closed up.