Categories: From the Farm This Week
      Date: Dec 26, 2013
     Title: 26 December 2013
I'm sitting here Christmas Eve thinking it will be an easy day for me in the morning.Ruth and Beate are going out for the day meeting the woofers Heather and Rick (who are Beate's friends from England) for a night meal at the club.  Ila, Hanaoka and Myself are going to my mothers for a cold lunch and then I'm off to Samuels with a ladder to look at his roof.  It may well be raining so the roof may have to wait.
Peter has emailed me to say the English winter is mild so I'm hoping Fiona is coping with it as she hates the cold.

Rain on Christmas day Ummm well that could be good for the Hemp as its up about an inch or so at the four leaf stage.

We had a rarebreed phone meeting lots to do ..what a great group. As National Committee members we get sent this paper DAD-IS or Dad net Domestic Animal Diversity Information System. And the New Zealand government are sent a census to fill out on Diversity in livestock.  In all other countries this job is allotted to a person. But in NZ it not even gets a look in. In this beautiful green country the land of Plenty no one in power is worried about Diversity in livestock and food. On the rarebreed front we have had quite a few sales of rarebreed sheep, mostly ewe lambs this season of all breeds.

So Ila got the call ....Pick up your ute give it a try ....And it seems to be fine ....Next thing ..The bill ..Ha

Biddy won a medal in a world cheese making competition – Yes you have all heard of Biddy who milked two cows made it into fantastic cheese, sold it to the public at the farmers market and got busted by the Bureaucrats and the ridiculous bits of paper. Well she stood her ground, worked around the problem and now is a world class cheese maker .....AND can sell Legal .....Just needs some sensible thinking.

Talking of Sensible thinking I have got through the Avonstour food safety plan after a number of meetings and we are good to go again. Took a bit of firmness from both sides but we got there. Umm not too happy with more paper work ...shut up john.... leave it ...Blaa

Ila's Kelpie bitch has been on heat and is now mated to a good looking stud Kelpie dog. Ila is unsure if its going to be a hold as her dog is still showing signs of heat .. It would just have to be that way with Ila's dog .....Keep ya posted.

So i hope you all had a Fantastic Christmas Day. Catch you locals at the market ....for all the rest of you in NZ and overseas please try to buy local.