Categories: From the Farm This Week
      Date: Aug 16, 2013
     Title: 16 August 2013
Well it looks like an early spring with more leaves on the rose on the verandah, the wattle trees yellow with flowers and the plum trees are in blossom ... those spring smells are here. Ila put a vase of daffodils on the table. The grass is still ticking away and the scotch thistles are starting in rosettes. But Saturday in New Plymouth i saw and heard a fly........ yes a fly.... NO..... small as this may sound flies start with warm weather and ground temp lift. So we need to get into the gardens....

The Dorset Horn hoggets are lambing and the Damara and Wiltshire lambs are doing real well.. The main mob of Dorset horn lambs and ewes are doing well and now the pigs are shifted from the woolshed we can get the lambs in for docking ( well some of the lambs are ready to eat ). The Gotlands are still looking like they are about to lamb but have looked like that for weeks and weeks as are some of the cobb mares so we wait.

With all the Woofers etc on site i have needed to hang up more house meat - lambs and pigs and some of those roosters won't wake me up in the morning anymore. While i had the killer sheep in i tipped up most of them and crutched them. And loaded a load of pigs to the abattoir. With my neck and arm still giving me trouble from that small fall at the market i have found this hard, so today i had another visit to Thom at Top Town Chiropractic and you know how i hate to go to anywhere like a doctor or dentist, but i have found this great and a help.

Is a good job I have all the Woofers on site to lighten the load. Augie and Jess have been busy with firewood and helping with the Studio that's slowly taking shape with most of the framing done and half the windows in. O yes while working I was talking to Augie as to where else he had Woofed And among many he worked with an older woman of 75 very fit fencing hill country. He asked what her secret was as Augie is a hard worker and could only just keep up and she said   " Secret that's easy, Eat your Veg and never go to the Doctor " saying if you don't eat your veg you won't get your vitamins and minerals ....

We have two new female Woofers staying in the house truck, one from Hong Kong the other from Taiwan. Both city girls who spend an hour in the shower. So i have them carting wood and keeping the fire going as no fire no hot water for anyone. Both work in offices and this is the first time woofing and they are in the deep end. Both have never cooked or planted anything. They are 28 and 25 live in high rise and eat out for everything. They are loving the food here and unfortunately only staying 10 days because I'm sure they would get into the outside work after a few months or so.

Ruth has a new goat kidded so we may be getting milk again as the pet lambs and goats have been getting everything. We are also getting a few eggs now slowly but have cut back on hens. But the market will be covered with a new vendor Richard and i visited - Sharon. I am sure this stall is a true Farmers Market stall.

I am still working on the new season courses and open day list keep ya posted on that.

The market was winter slow as usual. It seems people don't have to eat in the winter.

But folk house at the decanta was great in the evening with FANTASTIC LOCAL NZ MUSIC.

Anyway i will be there Sunday again..

While my thoughts go out to Adam Cleggs family  (who we all know as Windsong the Avocado stall ). Words just fail me, 16 years...