Categories: From the Farm This Week
Date: Apr 25, 2014
Title: 25 April 2014
What a week, just so busy the rain came and the grass is growing flat out and we are sorting stock as fast as we can to get them off the flats and onto the hills so we can let it grow on the flats before winter. It's all 6 weeks over due so we are keeping our fingers crossed we can build up feed before the main frosts come. We may get a small one tonight but don't want lots in a row as this will lower the ground temp and stop the grass and burn off the soft new growth.
The Dorset Horn flock is growing by about two lambs a day and the ewes are very fat and slick. I have shorn some but the rain has beaten me and now the lambs so it will be another job for latter.
The wind came as told by the met office from the east ..It never blows from the east NEVER ..but it did and blew trees over though fences and up the road over the main power line cutting power for a day. Thank goodness we have the Pyro classic fire that heats the water and we cook on top, with the gas cooker we would be fine for weeks.
(as long as every one can put up with my singing to cover for the radio)
Hanaka left for home in Canada yesterday. We are really going to miss her. She has fixed lots of things including the brakes on the Austin Gipsy. We have had garages and mechanics work on it and they are fixed better than ever before. She fitted in so well feeding stock making compost and much more. I do hope she will be back.
We still have Charlotte and Fabian, but they are leaving Tuesday and we are going to miss them as well. As they are near part of the farm now.
We have other Woofers starting next week and we need to get some sheep hanging up and some chickens plucked as we use over a sheep a week at the moment for the house.
With no Farmers market on Sunday due to Easter, left us free to go to Margaret Smith and family's land and home as she was having a like minded camp out over the weekend to discuss the future after oil, permaculture, etc.
It was a fantastic group and great to give a talk to, on forestry and island farming (your land/home is an island).
The best thing for me on the visit was to see how well the land had done since the consultancy I did about 4 years ago,
coupled with the courses the family had attended. It was just fantastic to see all put in place and working well with sabbatical fallowing, food forest, food gardens planted. Sure made my week.
It did come over with rain and we all had to run for cover and wait for a heavy shower that left us running late for Michelle's party at Icon Sports at Tariki. But we did make it before the meal started and that was made up of many wild caught foods guests brought on plates. I brought 6 smoked pigeons, Ila made a large salad with wild mushrooms and all home grown greens and Fiona made a gluten free cake. It was a great Party, a great venue with great people.