Categories: From the Farm This Week
      Date: Oct 13, 2011
     Title: 13 October 2011
Well there i was lying in bed Ruth had just got up.  A hot cup of coffee was steaming by the bed that Samuel had brought in.  A stream of sunlight was coming through the gap in the curtains, i can hear the lambs softly calling.  I get up open the curtains to a beautiful day the roosters are crowing.  I can faintly hear the baby pigs.  Thinking well i had a sleep in, i may go fishing after bacon and fresh eggs for breakfast.  You know im so lucky ................... ARRRR John Wake Up come on its thunder and lightning, the cattle have broken out, the water pump has stopped working, a stoat has been into my ducks, the bull has jumped the fence into Harvey's heifers, and you have to get Ila into town for her Ag course.  So dragging myself up, finding we had no coffee as Samuel had used it all for his flask for work.  I got the little car going and Ila drove me in and I drove home.
But i had missed something on this eventful morning. The barberry had burst buds. Yes this is the day we have been waiting for... the day we start to have more grass than we need..... Fantastic.
Spent all morning getting the bull out.  Mr Harvey was not to happy as they were not his heifers and they were not to go to the bull for another 4 weeks.  I spent the afternoon fixing the pump that had not been working for a week probably as all the tanks were dry and we had no water at all for the house, the sleep out and farm.  So the pump filled the tanks after 4 hours of pumping but do you think i could get the water through to the house and sleepout - there was an airlock.  Now it was dark no one had a shower nothing had water, the dishes were unwashed and we had no toilet (there are just some things you can't ask woofers to do, like do it under a tree) so i got the plunger onto the outlet of the header tank and plunged for ages and pushed the air through - at last we had water.
The following day was sunny.  We got the Wiltshire's in for docking and the Dorset Horns in for docking (the late ones) and i worked until midnight dagging and crutching so they are clean for fly time that can't be far away.
Our volunteers Sara and Genola have been working well, doing weeding, planting spuds, helping with the sheep, looking after pigs.
O yes the welsh mare Ebony has foaled to the gypsy stallion - a painted filly foal - Yes that's right a filly YAAA
I trapped the blooming stoat hope its only one.
Samuel shot a few wild goats - some for dog tucker others just right for the house so the woofers will try goat for the first time.
So that us for this week see ya SATURDAY ..............yes Saturday at the New Plymouth Clock Tower 12 o clock.  Join the Hoi Polloi (masses of normal people).

DON'T FORGET NOW this is Very important - the food safety act as worded will take all your food rights away.  Be at the New Plymouth Clock Tower at 12 on Saturday.
Every day you are losing more rights DON'T lose this one.