18 May 2011

Yes yes i know sorry everyone I missed a newsletter and a market. At the weekend we had the Rarebreeds AGM and sale in Matangi, Hamilton. I've only missed 3 markets in 6 years !!

Anyway the week i missed i have spent 3 days sorting the GST and got the year finished. I just love doing the GST.

Samuels old foxy dog Molly has been coughing all the time. She is with Ruth all day and has been just sitting on her mule seat while Ruth does her feed rounds.

Molly was a really good hunter in her day, holding the record of 18 possums in an hour in the day time. Anyway Ruth took her to the vet and its her heart so she has pills to take for it. Won't fix it but she is more herself now.

Duck shooting all around us .... as the season starts our ponds fill up with displaced ducks, we even had 6 Canadian geese for a short time for the first time.

And yes she's been good weather for ducks alright. Sorry to "harp" on about it but what a strange run of weather.

Samuel has been working on the Honda four wheeler Honda. Its front diff has packed it and i'm so sick of paying out i'm going on foot more. I may even get a donkey into a cart again.

We ran the Chicken course and had a great group. Ila is the cook for that so the course goers get a good lunch, both Dee and Janine came out and helped. Ross took over 200 photos we have yet to see but i have no worries im sure he also got some for the photo essay. This essay he hopes will form an exhibition to promote organics, sustainability and much more.

The Rarebreeds AGM went well but the Auction did not work as well. I ended up buying more than i sold, a pair of African geese, some silky hens and a kunekune piglet. They are now in the quarantine pens.

We had the dinner in a restaurant bar and Jamie learned there is a first time for anything.... the bar would not give him another beer. Bit of a joke really if you know Jamie he has hollow legs and just lives on it. He was only warming up and could not believe it.

Beate is just besotted with the little Kune and i had to be real firm NO pigs in the sleep out. She is feeding her 7 times a day (at least) won't be long before its into her car with the seat belt on. I have put rings into the Wessex porkers noses and in between feeding the kune she runs them out under the trees to get the fallen apples and feijoas. The little pig has had rice pudding, weetbix and milk cooked by Beate but today she had vegetarian stew and really kicked up ..... what the hell is this stuff, give me some real food .........HA

Took Beate to the saleyards today as some Gotland sheep were dropped off for me. I was so taken with them at the Rarebreeds sale i chased some up - fine boned, small and good wool. It was very heartening to have the local farmers look at them and say i have never seen anything like them, they would look good at YOUR place. Must be worth at least double normal sheep for a rarebreed like that (the marketing has started.)

Both Ruth and Ila like them but Samuel's first words "i could eat one in one sitting what are you going to do with them". We will see.

Going to the saleyards gave Beate a chance to see a livestock auction as she has never been to one before. A good chance to see the supermarket food chain.