Categories: From the Farm This Week
      Date: Jun 14, 2011
     Title: 23 June 2011
With the shortest day the light goes up from here, a bit more each day, but its all downhill for most of the farm, more mud, more rain, this is a bleak time for about 12 weeks at least so we all get grumpy with each other, well when we have time, as now we start to feed out hay and shift stock onto the fallow each day.  This is a great grass year so far so the stock are fat so that helps not having to scrounge for a bite .
Julian has been on the phone, he has a Canterbury blue sow piglet for himself.  We intend to have a small breeding group each and swap to breed and save this unique breed.  I am a bit worried with Julian every time he phones there is another earthquake after.  Just shows how bad it is down there.
We had an AgNZ organic course out here on Saturday with Dee it went well even though we had Rain.  It did cut down the farm walk a bit but i made up for it by banging on about organics and rarebreed farming.  A good group of people, im sure we will see more of them.
The market the next day was wet and windy and the lack of public around was real apparent.  As i don't listen to the radio (its not working in the Ute) i had no idea that 4 twisters had wrecked the place.
I went in to get a load of pig cheese with the farm ute and trailer, on the way back called into Ross's to see how his photo essay is going.  It is looking fantastic the photos are of our day-to-day life and taken like a fly on the wall ( or a moth in the dark ) really this is art work not a photo album.  It has told me one thing I must lose weight ( my gut cant be that big ) .  No worries winter will take care of that.  When i pulled out from Ross's the cell phone went - was Ruth - where are you i need the cheque book im going to town to pick up wire and the chainsaw.  No worries i will meet you on the road so at Crown Road we met and pulled over.  The farm ute and trailer loaded up, just slid on the wet grass and into the water table the ground was just so sodden.  So Ruth had to turn around and tow me out in 4wd but all i had in the ute was a chain wire strainer about 2 foot long.  But that did the trick and off we went.  How come that never happens on the T V pull over make the drop and drive off .....................No not us pull over get stuck stop the traffic pull me out and drive off with the cheque book ...........so Ruth had to drive home .....
Ruth has been sorting and setting up her hatching shed it all starts again in a few weeks.
Samuel has been spending nights working on the Honda  4 wheeler that's in dock still its looking good and may be on the road for feeding out next week.
Ila has been on the sewing machine and has made coats for the dogs and even one for Beatrice the pig.  Her dog now has a full wardrobe even one with side pockets to cart fencing staples as Ila is going to help fencing next week.
Justin and i have been fencing from morning to dark,  we have got heaps done but lots to do.  Today while im writing this Justin is in the workshop having a tidy up.  Justin is a very tidy person and well my workshop........ is not, so maybe a good mix Ha.
Lots more Dorset horn lambs maybe 60% of the ewes lambed and a few more Damara, some brown and white, no losses as yet, great since the monster rains we have had.
Yesterday I got the mail from the box and there was a large letter type parcel with a red tape hanging out the side.  I could not think who would send me a letter bomb so i carefully undid it and it was a book on Forest Gardening by Robert Hart a really good book.  Where did this come from a look at the packing slip told me Ross Nolly.  It made my day thanks mate im reading it each night now.
must Go as got to get fencing and Justin will be chucking all my good stuff away down in the workshop.
See ya Sunday.