Categories: From the Farm This Week
      Date: Mar 29, 2012
     Title: 29 March 2012
First, sorry to everyone i missed the farmers market. I slipped and had a fall onto the concrete in the wet and damaged my neck and back, freshened up an old injury. No way could i load up so had to stay home. Its been a long while since i missed a market. Thanks for all your calls and emails, I will be back this week.

Never a dull moment with us. Ross and I went down the line on a delivery so Ross could look at the storm damage and he's good to travel with. Coming back from Bulls we came upon a house fire. The curtains in the kitchen were well alight. We nearly drove off as there was a fire ute in the drive way and the engines would not be far away but the next minute a frail old woman of about 75 came out the front door with her hair on fire. So, Ross in the lead we rushed to help getting Ethelwin into the fire ute and away from the fire. With Ross consoling her i went and climbed up and looked in the large water tanks, both were empty, so i went back and talked to Ross and Ethelwin and talked about her farm that was 150 acres and she lost her husband many years ago and she kept living in the house and leased the farm to help her 4 girls. It was about eleven in the morning and she lit a candle for extra light, this caught the curtain and onto the room and her hair. While we were talking less than ten minutes and the whole house was on fire and gone. Then the fire engines turned up but all was gone. The Fire Ute was on the road as we were and was not responding to a call out. It was really hard to see a person's home gone in front of you in less than 1/4 of an hour. So with Ethelwin in the ambulance we got on our way meeting the Whanganui fire engines on the road. The others must have come from Bulls. All too late for the house but could have been far worse.

So back to the farm the Artichokes are in flower later than normal by about a week, the usual time is about 25th March in full flower, an important date for me but they are yet to be in full flower so maybe its a later winter, lets hope.

Looking well this year, plenty of grass but its a funny time of year - trying to get your stock as fat as possible for winter and yet trying to hold feed to get you through but its looking good for this year.

Have got the draw bar just about done on the Shepherd wagon and may get it out of the workshop this week. I hope so as i really need to get other things done in the workshop.

Had a rarebreed meeting and lots will come from that, keep ya posted.

Another two new donkey foals  this week.

We have Rachel Rose staying for a few days to help with some forward planning and where-to-now with the farm, etc.  As well as helping with other work.

So all being well i will see ya Sunday.