Summer Days

Ian calmly urges Mulga Bill into the race and onto our waiting trailer.

 An early start is always on the agenda during these hot summer days, especially if we need to move stock around.
It's time for Mulga Bill to return home after a two month working holiday at Kersbrook in the Adelaide Hills. This is his second time at Ian and Pam's beautiful property, as they requested him again after last year's nice crop of calves.
Today's temperature is rising up towards the forties, so we were on the road early this morning for the fifty minute drive to collect him, and were home and unloaded by 9am.
Mulga started roaring his arrival as we pulled into our gate, but he walked calmly off the trailer and down the ramp to greet Lavender and the two black Angus steers.

I had done all of my morning chores at sunrise; let the chooks and geese out of their sheds and fed them, fed the pigs, cleaned out and filled water containers for all the poultry and pigs.
I also brought Lavender into the dairy so I could seperate her calf into another yard for the day because I want to milk her tonight.
So when Brian got back from his early morning work at his paid job, I was ready to go.

It was still cool enough to pick some mulberries before retreating inside for the hottest part of the day. I've filled many containers over the past few weeks while the mulberry tree is producing a bumper crop, and am storing them in one of the freezers until I decide what to do with them.
When the peaches and apples are ready I'll make jams. Peach and Mulberry... Apple and Mulberry.
When I finish picking I grab a few unripe berries and head for the nearest tap or the water trough in the paddock near the old mulberry tree.
Squish the berries and rub into the stained skin, then rinse with water. Viola!!! All stains are gone!
Meg and Alan always love being with me when I'm in the paddocks, and today as I was busy avoiding stepping on any snakes whilst picking, Alan snuck off to have a lovely roll in the smelliest stuff he could find. But I didn't realise this until later.

Yesterday evening we processed two hogget sheep, presently hanging in the refrigerated cold room for a few days before we cut them into chops and roasts.
Where they were killed in the paddock is where Alan must have found a lovely smelly place to have his roll.
So when we all came inside to the cool house at late morning, the dogs went to their favourite sleeping places in the passage and bedroom. I was preparing lunch and kept getting a whiff of something not good.
I thought it was me, smelly from hosing off the trailer, until I stepped over Alan sprawled out in the passage.
"Oh my goodness Alan, what have you rolled in?"
Off we went outside to the hose, armed with a bottle of shampoo. A perfect day for a bath, I think I ended up just as wet as he did.

Look who watched our bathing shenanigans without moving a muscle.

Lizard watering station.

A damp smelling dog snoring next to me on the rug that he always has to scratch at to get it just so! He likes to be near me at all times when possible. A little bit of separation anxiety there perhaps.

Meg, on the other hand, is content sleeping under the table on her bed in the spare room.

Today is the first of four hot days forecast in the high 30's to low 40's here in South Australia. On the weekend we had more than 40mls of rain, so it feels quite steamy now! 

This is most unusual weather for us at this time of year, where we are used to it being hot and dry in February.

Our old house wears the heat staunchly, if we keep the doors and windows closed. So far this summer, the air conditioning hasn't been turned on, but oh it's lovely to know it's there if we need it. Perhaps after four days of extreme heat we may need to run it for a couple of hours. 

The ceiling fans do a great job, and I prefer them to air-con unless it's absolutely sweltering.

During the school holidays I had a visit from my blog buddy Emma who writes A Simple Living Journey.

I finally got to meet her three boys, and oh what fun we had together and.... to my complete joy, she wrote a blog post about their visit here.

 There might be a bit of this at some stage today!

Happy summer days to you my dear friends! 

Do whatever you have to do to cope, it's the only way, even if it is a bit unorthodox at times!