Sunday 28 January 2018

Summer 2018

After a mild start to summer, our part of Australia is really heating up now.  The split system air-con that we had installed during renovations fifteen years ago, but have rarely used, had a couple of runs last week.  This 106 year old house is solid stone and surrounded on three sides with wide verandas covered in Glory Vine (Ornamental Grape) so it retains its cool for a few days if we keep it closed up during the heat of the day and open it up when the outside air is cooler than inside.
The ceiling fans get a good workout, as do a couple of free standing fans to focus on the parts that the ceiling fans don't reach, and they cost only a pittance to run.  But when the temps are soaring between 36deg and 42deg for more than four days in a row the walls start to warm up. I'm so very thankful that the air-conditioning is there, when we really need to use it.

There's very little outside work happening, apart from my morning garden and animal care, which needs to be done very early on hot days. The evening garden and animal jobs are done after the worst heat of the day has passed.

 Brian keeps plodding along as he doesn't mind the heat, and his jobs list is always long. I draw the line at cutting chaff, mowing lawns, mending fences and digging the garden on hot days, but I admit I'm getting a bit lazy these last couple of years and have learned to prioritize tasks. However, when there are livestock involved, there are times when fence mending and animal maintenance has to be done in all weather.
 
  We hired a commercial size shredder over the New Year long weekend and removed a row of nine Flinders Range Wattles that were past their best. Planted in 2004 as a wind break for our main vegetable patch, the roots were beginning to invade the vegetable plots and we had plans for planting a double row of bee loving trees in their place.
A nice pile of firewood and lots of lovely mulch that I've spread along the paths throughout the gardens. In winter time the garden paths in the house yard become dangerously muddy and slippery, so wood mulch is the best material at hand for this.

Halfway there, just the stumps to go.

A double row of Leptospermum Scoparium (Manuka) for the bees to produce some Australian (Manuka) honey. This is a fenced lane that joins part of the poultry yards, so it has been temporarily fenced off until the little trees are tall enough to withstand chooks scratching around them.

Between naps on the front seat, (drivers side door is open) Meg is on the lookout for any geese or chickens that might cross the line and enter the work zone.

 
It was just too hot for the foreman.

The following weekend it was cool enough to process sixteen of the chickens from our last incubation hatching a few months ago. 
There are roughly twenty left to process, when time permits and the weather cools off a bit. 
Just in case you're thinking I'm some kind of marvelous farming woman, I might add that I'm not involved in this activity in any way except for packaging for the freezer, and later on, the cooking of said chicken after retrieving in a civilized fashion from the freezer.
Childhood memories of gagging at the smell of hot wet feathers while my father plucked a chicken for a special Sunday roast lunch, is still too off-putting, even after all these years. Well...that's my excuse anyway. ;-)

We attended three local livestock markets before surrendering to high market prices to buy this Murray Grey steer.  Cattle prices are staying high, which is great news for breeders.
We sold off our weaners at good prices last year, so that we could rest our home block for awhile. Now we need a few youngsters to grow on and ouch!!..it's a bit different being on the other side of the trade . Aiming to double our investment when we sell him again after eight months or so, is better than money in the bank.

At the same market this pen of twelve Merino ewe lambs looked so malnourished and poorly we just had to buy them (cheaply) and bring them home to be properly looked after. After worming, vaccinating and on good dry pasture with access to minerals they have improved beyond recognition in just three weeks. 
They will return our investment many times over with their lambs over the next few years. 

 Do you remember Trevor? The little lamb that was my biggest challenge last winter, is now just one of the flock and has caught up in size to the other Merinos. He wanders over to say hello to me, but he prefers the company of his friends. Brian remains under strict instructions that this little guy will never be loaded up for market or the butcher. Luckily his Merino wool is of value, so I have a fair and balanced reason to keep him. ;-)

 
These raspberries need picking, and then the dogs and I will be retiring to the cool of the house today as it's already 32c degrees at 9am.
There are zucchinis to be made into relish and then, as it's Sunday, perhaps I'll work at that pile of library books on my desk.
Have a wonderful day friends, wherever you may be.




20 comments:

  1. My goodness me, Sally...32C at 9am is really too hot. I am enjoying the first day we have had under 30C in quite a while as it is only 28C. Strange weather as it is forecast to go down to 20C here this week. I won't be complaining though.

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    1. Way too hot Chel, it was 42c degrees under our verandah at midday. I won't be complaining at all when the temp dips to low 20's on Tuesday.

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  2. So good of you to rescue those Merino sheep, even if they are to go to their maker in the end, at least they get the opportunity for a nice life with a full tummy in the meantime.

    I agree it is so hard to work in those temperatures. Take care and stay cool...and hydrated!!

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    1. Some sheep breeders need a big lesson, or punishment, for the way their animals are so malnourished and neglected. It's a small miracle to see their bellies filling out, eyes open and clear, and looking like proper sheep. No reason why they won't live long lives of breeding here with us. :)

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  3. the weekend i had my fall the temps were up in the 40s & today my sister is telling me Tassie is in the 30s! apparently the tassies don't like it hot!
    awww so nice of you to save those poor sheep! maybe that's why they were for sale, cos the owners couldn't keep the food up to them.
    what gorgeous looking raspberries! my mouth is watering!
    you house sounds lovely being all stone, seems a sensible material to build with out here in our harsh climate.
    great post
    thanx for sharing

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    1. Thank you Selina, I hope you're recovery is going well.

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  4. Horrible weather! It's 44 here. Like your old stone house, ours
    heats up after a few days. Everybody (human and feline) is
    hiding in the lounge room where the aircon is. Rest of the
    house is off limits. I'll be very glad to see the change
    tonight!

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    1. Yes Barbara, this heat is cruel on the critters. We got through without the aircon today, but if it was hot again for one more day it definitely would be in use tomorrow.

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  5. Hi Sally
    I despair that farmers who don't care properly for their stock, won't plant shelter belts to give shade and shelter to the poor animals. If it was 44 in the shade today what where stock in the shade less paddocks enduring? It would save the farmers in the longer term as they wouldn't lose condition and get better prices.
    It must be ale o'clock and here's to the cooler forecast!
    Kate

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    1. I shudder to think of any animals without shade today Kate. I too despair and get very angry with some people who call themselves farmers. It's ale (or wine) o'clock here too. Cheers!

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  6. 42C is so hot, Sally! We are expecting mid 30s on Wednesday but then a drop down to 26C on Thursday. I'm already looking forward to that cool change!! The sheep are very lucky you've taken them home with you, where they'll be able to fill their bellies and enjoy a decent life. Your raspberries are looking delicious, my Atherton raspberry bushes are growing but no fruit as yet. Meg:)

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    1. Our raspberries are not so good this year Meg. Maybe they have off years like the stone fruits do. I've still got loads in the freezer from last year, so I don't really mind, and it saves me spending an hour a day picking them, especially in this heat. Cool change coming here on Tuesday, woohoo...!!

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  7. It certainly has been hot Sally. It reached 47.2C here today! My garden has suffered some damage, but I am hoping for a bit of rain over the next few days to give the plants a boost. Whether that happens, we will have to wait and see.

    I feel for all the animals that have to be in those types of heat. I provide all I can for the wildlife around here. The birds congregate at our front door getting the cool breeze from the air conditioner. We have an evaporative air conditioner on the roof (swampy) and a heavy duty fan we use in the heat. We do have a split system that we installed last year for when it is super hot like today.

    Trevor seems happy with his mob. It is sweet that he still remembers you.

    I am the same when it comes to culling our roosters. I just bag them up and put them in the freezer, hubby does the other...

    Thank you for the update, I love the first picture of the shady area to sit. Looks lovely and cool...

    xTania

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    1. Oh Tania, I shouldn't complain about our 42C day when it's so much hotter up your way. Sounds like you're very well prepared for it though.

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  8. Oh it's nice to see a bit of sunshine, even if it is on the other side of the world.

    Here we are wallowing in mud and staring at bare trees, the good thing is the Snowdrops are out in force and this years display is wonderful. Alan is busy out stacking logs in the garage and I am thawing out with a hot coffee at the computer looking at your hot days and recovering sheep.

    I would have bought a poor looking flock too if I thought I had the room and the means to bring them back to health. We just did it with one, Ethel :-)

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    1. Sue we felt quite embarrassed having such a miserable mob in our trailer on the journey home, expecting at any minute to be pulled over by the Animal Welfare people. Whether we help one poor animal or a mob, it's making a difference.

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  9. Great pics. I especially love the table setup.

    It has been so hot day and night here in Ballarat. Rain is forecast this afternoon but we seem to miss much of the storms.

    And....Gooooo Trevor☺

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    1. I hope you got some rain Brigie, even just a cooling shower would be good. Who would have thought Trevor could grow into a proper sheep? Quite the miracle. X

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  10. How all very exciting for you! :) I Love the new livestock and plant stock, coming into your place. Especially how they will serve a valuable purpose in the landscape, and your lives. I too have memories of the smell of processing chickens. But it's the blood that makes me pass out, lol. I think I tend to hyperventilate. Just remember to breathe! ;)

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    1. That's my conundrum though Chris, I need to hold my breath because it stinks so bad. ;-) When poking my head into the shed to collect the processed birds for packing, I take a great gulp of air and hold onto it.

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