I told him how nice it was to see him drinking orange juice when he goes out - and two at once too - what a good boy he is!!!!!!
Monday, July 29, 2013
College Ball
Drew is back at College but it seems there's been scant time for study! Champagne, prawns, snow party, Xmas in July, old boys party....culminating in Ball and Recovery. I heard a little voice say, "I'm never drinking again" - but I've heard that before!
I told him how nice it was to see him drinking orange juice when he goes out - and two at once too - what a good boy he is!!!!!!
I told him how nice it was to see him drinking orange juice when he goes out - and two at once too - what a good boy he is!!!!!!
Doing It Tough
Meg spent the weekend in Sydney - a sunset harbour cruise, a tepanyaki bar and a zoo visit.
What a view! Beautiful.
What a view! Beautiful.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
WPP Laid Out
Priorities!
Using one of these certainly saves time and energy.....except,
after a while I could hardly lift it up onto the top of the next steel post! We were fencing the sheep paddock (at last).
My 3-bay composter.
The centrepiece in The Permy - a teracotta pond that Mum hasn't used for years and didn't want. I may have to re-think the rocks around it's edge, depending on how many snakes end up making it their summertime resort.
Scratching out the edge.
Marking out the edge.
After a fair bit of discussion and deliberation the plan has gone from the paper on to the ground. The gap in the front will be the entry gateway. My offsider was quickly bored and a little frustrated with my attention to detail in getting it all right. It looks quite small when it's just a few lines on the ground but once I get some structure and bricks and plants in it, all will be fine.
Using one of these certainly saves time and energy.....except,
after a while I could hardly lift it up onto the top of the next steel post! We were fencing the sheep paddock (at last).
My 3-bay composter.
The centrepiece in The Permy - a teracotta pond that Mum hasn't used for years and didn't want. I may have to re-think the rocks around it's edge, depending on how many snakes end up making it their summertime resort.
Scratching out the edge.
Marking out the edge.
After a fair bit of discussion and deliberation the plan has gone from the paper on to the ground. The gap in the front will be the entry gateway. My offsider was quickly bored and a little frustrated with my attention to detail in getting it all right. It looks quite small when it's just a few lines on the ground but once I get some structure and bricks and plants in it, all will be fine.
A No Cricket No Chook Show Weekend
Having a cricket and chook show free weekend has meant that we can get a few jobs done around the farm at last (and there's a long list). G cut wood Friday afternoon then went and picked it up this morning. We had a discussion about how to store the wood and, true to form, we both had a different opinion (why would I have thought it would be any other way). He just wanted to throw it all in and let it look after itself; I wanted to stack it so that there was form and order. This is a classic example of how we approach most things in life, both at work and home. He is the bull in the china shop; I am the calm that comes along after and cleans up, smoothing out the wrinkles. It's been like this for 26 years and somehow, it all works. Sometimes I wonder how it all works - but it does.
Pepper and The Marauders love to help us mix feed.
Perhaps this guy would be more helpful if we were stomping grapes.
Sooky La-la got rolled again by Pepper. It doesn't help that she just stands there cowering and yelping; a bit of evasive running would help.
Henry/Billy (I can't remember what the neighbours called him) spends all day showing off. It must be exhausting.
King of the Castle.
I visited Peter to see how the girls we bought him last weekend were travelling. Very nicely. We did a dump run; I gave the vege garden it's regular tonic spray. We split the silkies into their breeding pens - 1 x black, 1 x white, 1 x special white and 2 x lavender. We spent a long time trimming bums and heads. We cleaned out the garage. G picked up some hot feedlot manure for the compost heap and we banged in a few more steel posts for the walls. There was further on-site discussion about the permaculture garden. I went back to Peter's to pick up lamb scraps and bones for the dogs; we swapped mini quiches and a container of lamb curry. We photographed how to start the pump so that even if we're not here, anyone can do it. I got the thousands of photos that were in four different boxes into one storage container; not sorted but at least all together in the one place. No housework got done.
We went out for dinner, to a restaurant at the Bunyas. They were having a Christmas in July menu which was a nice surprise. It only takes half an hour to drive up there. The restaurant has a big open fire in the middle of the room with an enormous flue hanging over the fire grate. The room is hexagonal with lots of windows and is filled with rustic furniture and wall hangings. It was a very nice way to end a productive day.
WPP 26/07/13
(Started this post on Friday night; it's now Sunday morning).
The Woodlawn Permaculture Project kicked off today. I spent a while this morning sitting at the table with a cup of tea and my permaculture book as the winter sunshine streamed in through the window and warmed my back. It was quiet and peaceful and I felt very content. I read and re-read the guild planting and fruit tree sections and decided to go with the plan to put a pond in the middle of my garden to attract frogs and lizards. I don't have a chook dome - I use a round pen that works exactly the same as the one in the book - just on a smaller scale. The chook dome in the book measures 3.8m across - my pen is 1.4m; it's not a huge area but does make the garden easy to work with - I can easily reach into the little garden from any edge without having to stretch or walk into it. Having six gardens plus the existing one should produce more than enough veges just for the two of us.
This is the site. It's in between the chook pens and existing vege garden and the compost bays. There is a slight slope which the book suggests is acceptable. G had to remove a small tree first. This is where the pond will sit.
Tools of the trade.
The Forest chook run; the chooks spend most of their days here, scratching in the bark chip and hay bale. A fence will run down the outside of the row of trees on the right.
The left hand side of The Forest.
The Woodlawn Permaculture Project kicked off today. I spent a while this morning sitting at the table with a cup of tea and my permaculture book as the winter sunshine streamed in through the window and warmed my back. It was quiet and peaceful and I felt very content. I read and re-read the guild planting and fruit tree sections and decided to go with the plan to put a pond in the middle of my garden to attract frogs and lizards. I don't have a chook dome - I use a round pen that works exactly the same as the one in the book - just on a smaller scale. The chook dome in the book measures 3.8m across - my pen is 1.4m; it's not a huge area but does make the garden easy to work with - I can easily reach into the little garden from any edge without having to stretch or walk into it. Having six gardens plus the existing one should produce more than enough veges just for the two of us.
This is the site. It's in between the chook pens and existing vege garden and the compost bays. There is a slight slope which the book suggests is acceptable. G had to remove a small tree first. This is where the pond will sit.
Tools of the trade.
The Forest chook run; the chooks spend most of their days here, scratching in the bark chip and hay bale. A fence will run down the outside of the row of trees on the right.
The left hand side of The Forest.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
In No Particular Order....
In no particular order, this is what's been happening around here. I took this photo....
minutes later, there was this!
Calendula.
Afternoon Tea Time at Camp Crazy - yes, they all come back for a feed and drink before bed. They all sleep together in a little pen; it's a very warm and cozy arrangement. I managed to capture them all at once - 5 x OEG, 4 x white silkie and 6 x black silkie. One day soon the silkies will have to act like adults and go into the big pen but for now, they spend all day free range; they're delightful to watch.
I made the first compost pile and it warmed up for a couple of days but has now gone cold. An injection of very fresh screened feedlot manure is required I think. That'll sort it out.
I finally have a couple of days off. This morning I did some more cleaning up of the Tank Garden; amazing what half an hour of raking can achieve. I went to lunch with a friend then came home and did another round of spraying of winter weeds. I managed to do an hour of sorting box contents in the little lounge room and ended up making a bigger mess than what I started with. Much to my surprise it appears that the person with the most "memorabilia" that needs sorting/packing away is actually ME, not the children. There's some old, old stuff in there!
More poppy love.
A funny shaped beetroot - but that's ok.
Henry and his 6 wives; hopefully none of them will be beheaded.
Tonight I drew the plan of the permaculture project. Tomorrow I will take pencil and paper to the area and make any necessary adjustments. I'm looking forward to the weekend when the mapping out begins.
minutes later, there was this!
Calendula.
Afternoon Tea Time at Camp Crazy - yes, they all come back for a feed and drink before bed. They all sleep together in a little pen; it's a very warm and cozy arrangement. I managed to capture them all at once - 5 x OEG, 4 x white silkie and 6 x black silkie. One day soon the silkies will have to act like adults and go into the big pen but for now, they spend all day free range; they're delightful to watch.
I made the first compost pile and it warmed up for a couple of days but has now gone cold. An injection of very fresh screened feedlot manure is required I think. That'll sort it out.
I finally have a couple of days off. This morning I did some more cleaning up of the Tank Garden; amazing what half an hour of raking can achieve. I went to lunch with a friend then came home and did another round of spraying of winter weeds. I managed to do an hour of sorting box contents in the little lounge room and ended up making a bigger mess than what I started with. Much to my surprise it appears that the person with the most "memorabilia" that needs sorting/packing away is actually ME, not the children. There's some old, old stuff in there!
More poppy love.
A funny shaped beetroot - but that's ok.
Henry and his 6 wives; hopefully none of them will be beheaded.
Tonight I drew the plan of the permaculture project. Tomorrow I will take pencil and paper to the area and make any necessary adjustments. I'm looking forward to the weekend when the mapping out begins.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
It's Raining
Meg spent the weekend in Brisbane, living it up yuppie style on the riverside. Drew has gone back to Uni and is already deeply ensconced in College life (and shenanigans). We spent the entire weekend "chooking". The ducks have started laying and we've got our first turkey egg. Brother A spent the night at a remote roadhouse in WA along with 200 other stranded travellers; a terrible truck accident on a single lane bridge prevented forward travel. The band that had played at the Derby races set up and everyone settled in for a long night. The roadhouse was out of diesel but not out of alcohol. Priorities. Brother P is enjoying watching his 5 new OEG get to know each other and the 2 he already had. He came out to see us this afternoon and stayed until the rain chased him home.
We went to town this morning to get the pull cord on the pump motor fixed and to pick up my car. I bought some large plastic storage boxes - my goal over the next week is to clear out the numerous cardboard boxes in the middle lounge room, divide the contents into Meg, Drew and Family labelled plastic boxes and then store all in the back room. After that, we need to decide which of the 25 or so pictures/paintings/wall adornments that we want to keep and sell/give away the rest. Then I will feel like we've really unpacked.
It's raining. It's cold out but it's toasty warm inside. The two smallest four leggers are curled up in their beds in front of the wood fire. I'm about to revisit one of my favourite books - The Permaculture Home Garden by Linda Woodrow. Construction/layout of the Woodlawn Permaculture Project begins this weekend - because I have taken control and declared this weekend to be both cricket and chook show FREE. The WPP will incorporate fruit trees - something I didn't include in the garden at the feedlot because it was never going to be a permanent thing.
The vege garden is doing well. I cover it every night. Today in the rain I planted some more cauli, broccoli, beetroot and carrots to ensure a continued supply. There's not much room for anything else now. I watered with a seaweed tonic earlier in the week and the rain will be a boost too.
This guy thinks it's Christmas....put into a pen with 6 PR hens, ready to start the breeding program
We went to town this morning to get the pull cord on the pump motor fixed and to pick up my car. I bought some large plastic storage boxes - my goal over the next week is to clear out the numerous cardboard boxes in the middle lounge room, divide the contents into Meg, Drew and Family labelled plastic boxes and then store all in the back room. After that, we need to decide which of the 25 or so pictures/paintings/wall adornments that we want to keep and sell/give away the rest. Then I will feel like we've really unpacked.
It's raining. It's cold out but it's toasty warm inside. The two smallest four leggers are curled up in their beds in front of the wood fire. I'm about to revisit one of my favourite books - The Permaculture Home Garden by Linda Woodrow. Construction/layout of the Woodlawn Permaculture Project begins this weekend - because I have taken control and declared this weekend to be both cricket and chook show FREE. The WPP will incorporate fruit trees - something I didn't include in the garden at the feedlot because it was never going to be a permanent thing.
The vege garden is doing well. I cover it every night. Today in the rain I planted some more cauli, broccoli, beetroot and carrots to ensure a continued supply. There's not much room for anything else now. I watered with a seaweed tonic earlier in the week and the rain will be a boost too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)