Journey to farmlife

MY HEART, MY HOME. – yes I’ve found a title for this diary.

1 March 2009

This weekend has been productive. Today was very hot, 35 degrees at one point. I must be acclimatizing as it doesn’t seem to bother me that much. Apart from having no energy, it’s not that bad. This area is much hotter than Brisbane but the evenings are cool which is nice. People say if you have a wet summer, which we did, you have a very cold winter. Hmm…. I’m not ready for winter yet, but I heard someone say today that today is the first day of autumn????

I finally got around to spraying those ghastly toads with the dettol on Iris’s advice and she is so right. They run a mile. Let’s hope they will stay away too.

Johnny put up my mirror today; it is so nice to have some familiar things around again. We still have heaps to unpack but are well on the way.

Saturday afternoon we got a very disappointing phone call from the lady who was going to sell us the puppy. Well, apparently her niece came around that day and fell in love with both of the puppies left and took them. So we slipped up as we hadn’t put a deposit down. It just happened so quickly and I had spoken to her on Friday and we were planning on going up there today. Sad luck so they say. Perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise. Personally, I’m not really ready for another responsibility yet and a puppy is very demanding. With the children away for most of the day, it will be me left to comfort and play with the pup. The plan now goes back to the previous lady whom I must now phone and find out if her dog’s litter has arrived. They were due to arrive at the end of February.

We pruned more trees today and carted the branches to the mould that is growing at the back. Will these branches ever come to an end……We are trying to make a decision about buying a tractor, but it’s proving to be quite a challenge. Do you go new or second hand???? I think going new is the better choice but it obviously means more dollars at the end of the day. A good investment, no doubt. Decisions, decisions.

Yesterday I saw our first Kookaburra sitting in the Christmas tree. I’ve heard him lots of times but never seen him come so close. I hope he comes back to visit again. He is so beautiful.

2 March 2009

We had a very interesting day today. Johnny decided that we should visit the Beaudesert cattle and pig auction to see what the going prices are for these creatures, and hence decided to take the day off from work. It was lovely having him at home and we had a slow start to the morning. During my morning ritual of making beds I found a huge huntsman spider right in the middle of my pillow! I flipped out, not because I’m afraid of these creatures but because of its location. It could have crawled over us during the night and I wouldn’t have even known. In the rental I grew quite accustomed to these spiders as they were plentiful, being close to a part of bush, however they stayed downstairs and were nowhere by my bedding. They are harmless to humans but they look ominous enough. Oh, I still get cold shivers down my spine when I think about it. Needless to say we squashed him quickly.

As I was contemplating where the spider’s family might be, I saw my new dirt bin arriving on my driveway. This took my mind off the spider for awhile and I forgot about him and his family members.

Johnny took the fly screens off on the sliding doors today which was wonderful. I could finally get behind them and clean the windows. I don’t understand how these people who use to stay here thought. Did they not ever clean the windows????? The fly screens were pop riveted onto the doorframe. There was no way on God’s green earth that anyone could get behind them without taking them off, and clearly they haven’t been in a long while. Johnny changed all the light switch fitting in the kitchen which is so nice. He also started filling sealer into all the tiny gaps that bugs could creep into and use as hideouts. He got quite far.

About 10.30 we left to go to the auction at Beau desert and boy, was it interesting. I think the locals noticed us right off as the new kids on the block. I happened to be the only lady in a skirt too. So feeling like we were sticking out like sore thumbs, we quickly made our way to the pens where the calves were kept. We studied each animal and tried to look like we knew what we were doing but in fact we were clueless. LOL. Glancing around at the attire of farm folk, I made a mental note never to arrive in a skirt to this event again. I mean what was I thinking??? I overheard one of the fellows ask another one how he was and he point blankly replied. “Bloody hot”. It made me smile because it was a stinker today at 32 degrees and it reminded me of the movie recently showing in the cinema’s called Australia. In the movie there was a harsh reminder of the cruel outback and the hardness of the land and how the men drove the cattle under these conditions. I saw a sticker on a car too, which read, “Thank a farmer for your next meal”. These folk are hardy people and they know just what to look for in cattle breeding. It was a stark reminder of how much we need to learn. I need to do a lot of toughing up aswell. I’m afraid I still have a lot of “princess mentality”. LOL.

The auctioneer began and the bidding started. I listened and watched as he sold off each calf, his rambling, his almost trance-like voice urging higher bids while his practiced eye roved the crowd for any new bidders entering in. He rattled off at sixty to the dozen that I wondered if his throat ever got sore. For a calf, a person could pay anything from $4 to $140, depending on what grade they were. He then moved onto the older ones (grass fed ones) and they ranged up to $260 and then the oldest cows went up to 600, 700. There weren’t too many bidders but all the livestock was sold at the end of the auction which is good news. Nobody went home with what they brought. It was sweltering under the roof of the stalls and I couldn’t wait to move on.

So… that was our first official auction and I think we learnt quite a lot. We headed home, visions of cows roaming the empty paddocks in our heads. I still had lots of questions flying around in my brain. Whether to get calves or grass fed older ones is the question??? The younger ones need to be hand fed for awhile thus costing more, not to mention that they need heaps more attention so the older grass fed ones would be a better option I think. Weighing up both sides I guess it equals out in the end but the younger ones are more work.

Coming home Johnny took me to the tractor shop to show me a similar tractor to the one he’s thinking about getting. We are close to sealing this deal now. I’ll be glad once the machine’s in on our property and we don’t have to weigh up the options any more. The new tractor is more appealing by far and definitely the safer route to go. We stopped off at the vet to get some spray for Michaela’s bugsie. He has picked up one or two flea’s which is so frustrating! The vet gave us some shampoo to use and was very helpful with some tips to catching the stray cat. Apparently I can hire a trap from the council, for a fee of course. I was glad to get some direction on this matter and left the vet with the guinea pig’s shampoo. The cat has been eating all the food I’ve left out for him so that is good that he keeps coming back. He is however coming onto the verandah late at night so we don’t see him.

Bug’s the guinea pig was ever the gentlemen and allowed me to bath him. He looks so ruffled when the bathing was all over. The poor creature. He didn’t sulk this time but shivered for awhile until he warmed up. I used warm water but his little body is not used to the bathing. I’m happy to report he is flea free again. Hallelujah! It will have to be a weekly thing for awhile though so hopefully he doesn’t mind too much.

Tonight Johnny continued working in the kitchen and I made another delicious meal on the gas stove. Hey, I might just like this gas cooking after all. I didn’t take to long to finish the meal which is due to the gas I suppose. It’s much faster. The gas smell isn’t bothering me so much any more.

After supper the last pile of tree prunings was moved to the back and the front garden is clear once again. Tonight I finally found Johnny’s elusive cowboy hat. I went looking in the boxes for a pot lid and there it was staring at me. If it had teeth it would have bitten me. LOL.

3rd March 2009

Today I took some time out to go scrap booking with some friends which was a welcomed change. I’m at long last ready to start my Australian Album. Only 20 months behind now.

Johnny had asked me to stop off at the hardware for some more filler. At Bunning’s I was helped by a very friendly Scottish man who lived in South African for awhile but originates from Glasgow. He was all too happy to chat to me about the beautiful South African landscape and it was nice to talk to him aswell.

The afternoon proved to be quiet and relaxing. Johnny finally put the order through for the tractor and it should be here on Thursday morning sometime. No going back now. 27 hp with a rake, slasher and 4 in 1 bucket, which is used to clamp things and move them around. To think a few months ago this description of a farm machine would have been totally foreign to me but now it’s like I’m an old hat at it. LOL. I know the difference between the horse power and which hp handles what ground. I know all about the slasher and the difference sizes and all the other different attachments one could get. Hmm…. I’m thinking, “I’m not so green anymore, at least with this part”….

Tonight we used the blower to clean up around the paving of the house and Johnny cut down two more trees. These trees are everywhere. We worked in the kitchen for a little while too filling in gaps again and did a little preparation for painting.



5th march 2009

This day was filled with ordinary chores. Cleaning years of neglect was getting me down today, so I decided to have a break from the monotony and read a book instead for awhile. A few days ago I had taken a book from the library on how to buy a horse. I thought I’d do some learning until my mood improved. I was expecting the tractor today as well as the water man. Neither showed and I waited at home all day for them, which frustrated me. Apparently the tractor has arrived but needs a pre- inspection before it get’s delivered, as for the water man, I actually think I got the days mixed up and he might have said Friday. So hopefully tomorrow is the day. On a lighter note I saw or should I say heard a very noisy cookertoo fly out one of the trees this morning while hanging up the washing. They are majestic and I still can’t get over how they fly wild and free in Aussie land. I know people who would pay a pocket for one of them. I will always remember the funny NBS ad on the telly in South Africa.

Even though my mood was dark, I achieved a heap of cleaning and organizing today, but only after my reading session was over, which I thoroughly enjoyed and it definitely helped the cloud to lift. The passage walls and door was attacked with my even growing muscles. I also sorted out a box of paperwork, got some filing done and did some more change of addresses. I phoned the lady with the expectant beagle. The pups were born 10 days ago. I asked if we could come and see them but she said she doesn’t allow anybody to see them until the injections are over with. She told me that she would email me a photo as soon as she could. I hope she doesn’t let me down. I’ve decided that if this deal falls through, it’s puppy world over in Underwood, here we come. We won’t be able to get a beagle but a jack Russell is second choice. I’m also contemplating a sheepdog, but we will see what comes. Jonathan has already decided on the name. It is to be “Rusty”, hopefully it is a male. I also unpacked two more boxes of shoes today. I am running out of space to put the shoes, boy, I have a lot. I need to get ruthless and chuck out the ones we haven’t used in a year. They just take up space anyway. De- cluttering is much easier nowadays. I guess I feel life must be simpler and de-cluttering is therapy in a way.

Johnny got stuck into the pruning again around the kennels and checked out the water tanks down there. It shouldn’t be too hard to convert the building into a guest cottage seeing the electricity and water is all set up. I can’t wait for the day it is complete. It is looking much better down at the kennel now that the trees are all cut back and the sunlight is getting in.

Today I noticed the beautiful roses were all blooming. I have a red, yellow, white and a forth that hasn’t a rose open yet. Somebody lovingly planted these roses and paid a lot of attention to them once upon a time. The stems are thick and the roses all smell wonderful. I really got a chance to “smell the roses” this afternoon.

7th March 2009

What a busy time we had today. Johnny went off to work and I was finally expecting the water man to arrive aswell as the tractor. True to his word this time the water man arrived at 7.30 with an apology for not pitching the other day. He “forgot”. How can you run a business and forget an appointment? I was suspicious immediately. Anyway he proceeded to do the job of cleaning the water tanks which I was grateful for. This should be a yearly occurrence according to him however the council recommends every two to three year. As he was finishing up, the all important tractor arrived at last. What excitement all over a tractor! LOL. Jonathan was longing to ride it but I was a bit nervous so told him to wait until his father was home. Johnny, of course, was leaving work immediately.

The following hours were passed with major landscaping taking place. My, the only word I have in my mind to describe this machine is “brutal”. It knocks everything out of its way with ease. When I think how many back breaking hours Johnny has spent with the wiper sniper only to achieve a fraction of what the tractor has in mere minutes. Oh, what an exhilarating afternoon it was. Iris was so interested in our tractor that she sent her two young grandchildren over to come and look. I’m sure the whole neighborhood knows about our new tractor now. The remaining bush in the chook pen was erased so quickly and we can see the chicken hutch now at last. Jonathan is very comfortable on top of the tractor and loves it. The seat is soft and spongy and to me it’s a real BMW.

Yesterday Johnny replaced the mesh on the fly screen in our bedroom with a new metal type of mesh. This choice is much safer and more durable. I was worried that it would not turn out right (seeing that this was the first time Johnny had attempting this feat); it seemed extremely bumpy and not stretched enough when it was being fitted. Johnny did a fantastic job and it’s up and looking good without any flaws at all. The ripples all came out. I gave the tracks around the sliding glass door a thorough clean and the whole door materialized into its full function at last. No more boxes full with books to block up holes and as the Aussies say “no more worries”.

I’m still hunting for a tree to hang a tyre swing on. Although there are lots of trees, they are not suitable for a swing. I’ll have to take another walk around and another look – there has to be one. Johnny opened up the pathway to the top dam today and it looks just about at deep as the bottom one. I need to get some boats so the children can enjoy floating around on them. We saw some ducks on the top dam, but unfortunately scared them off as we approached. With Johnny, cutting down all the grass the birds think its heaven. To them it’s a smorgasbord of delight. They swoop down behind the tractor and collect the juicy morsels that the machine has revealed. I finally laid my lounge rug down and the house feels more homely today.

9th March 2009

Monday mornings are great. They always fill me with new energy to do what must be done. The children were eating breakfast this morning and the guinea pig was too, I must add. He is adorable – Johnny says Bugsy’s forgotten he’s a guinea pig and thinks he’s human. Looking at this lot this morning, I think the same. When you call his name he cocks his head to the side like he’s listening to you.

The news this morning reported some expected high winds to this area. There is a warning out for the tropical Cyclone Hamish which has developed up north and may threaten a few coastal towns up there. I would really love to know who gets the job of naming Mother Nature’s wrath. Hamish is such an unusual name. We have had some strong winds here but nothing to worry about. Hanging up the washing this morning was great. My wind chimes were finally getting some action and the best part is the washing was dry in two ticks. The sky looks over cast and we possible might get some rain later on. The one water tank is only a third full so this is good news. Johnny replaced the gutters and filters to each water tank this weekend, so everything is good to go. Hopefully we get enough rain to make a difference to the level of the water.

10th March 2009

The wind howled all through the night. I heard a few small branches fall onto the roof, which was a bit hair raising. We had some heavy bouts of rain so the tanks are filling up fast. The weather is really strange though. It can be howling one minute and then all of a sudden stop and then its dead quiet and then the next second the heavens open for two minutes and then its over, and then the whole cycle starts again. When I got up this morning I saw the cat stalking outside my bedroom window, I do hope he’s not eating the birds. I really wish I could trap him. The cage is not working and although he is coming back each day to eat the food I don’t get a chance to trap him. I will have to enquire about the trap from the council.

Last night due to the rainy weather we couldn’t go out into the garden so we got stuck into the kitchen instead. Painting and cleaning out cupboards. Johnny stripped all the hinges on the big grocery cupboard and I scrubbed them good and solid. We used silicone around all the joins too.

The evening brought more light rain and it’s due to stick around for a few days. No washing to be done I’m afraid. The good news is that the cyclone Hamish has been down grading from a category 4 to a category 2 and is moving away from coastal villages out to sea. Goodbye Hamish!

11th March 2009

This morning was raining cats and dogs. My water tanks must be filling nicely. After taking the kids to the bus stop, I came back to discover the ride on had been left out in the front garden. This surely can’t be good for the mower. Jonathan had been using it last night and had hooked up the trailer on it too.

I grabbed an old raincoat and went out in the pouring rain to see if I could move it under cover. The seat was sopping wet and my behind got drenched! I started it up and for a few second tried to decide on the quickest, safest route to take. This decision turned out to be a wrong one as I was to find out. I needed to make a u-turn and go along side the house to the garage. So, I proceeded to putt along and realized at the last possible moment that it was going to be a very sharp turn and I would probable not be able to turn fully without going into the garden bed with all the very soft soil, I must add. You can imagine the next part of this story…. The trailer jack knifed and the back wheels of the ride on sunk into the garden bed soil and we were going nowhere fast. I was spinning up the sand like nobody’s business! Frustrated and with a wet behind I stomped into the house to call Johnny with my sad case of affairs. He told me to release the trailer or maybe find some plastic to cover it until he and his muscle came home later on tonight. Well, I had already thought of those ideas but it is easier said than done. The trailer was not budging. I gave up after two or three attempts and decided the dam thing can just stay there. I went inside to change my clothes instead. A little while later the sun decided to show it lovely face at last, for a while at least, so hopefully the ride on will not get another soaking.

We seem to be very good at getting stuck in the mud on this farm. Thank goodness, Andrew wasn’t around to see this one. I’m sure he would laugh his head off just like the kookaburra did which was sitting in the tree above watching me.

This evening brought lots and lots of progress in the kitchen and far paddock and the events of the morning were forgotten. Johnny started cutting the grass with the tractor. This would be the first cut with our tractor. The grass was wet and lay in clumps as it was cut. The smell of freshly cut grass is wonderful! The window sill in the kitchen was sanded down and the there was sawdust everywhere. Not a very nice job for sure. I looked out the door just now and saw the most amazing sky. The clouds are cascaded across the sky and a very full moon is sitting in the centre. It is beautiful. There seem to be amazing cloud formations after a bout of extreme weather conditions.

12th March 2009

Today I ran some errands and did some shopping for a dinner party I am planning tomorrow night. I entered a plumbing supplies shop looking for a strainer which sits on top of the entry hole in the water tank. It looks like our tanks size isn’t standard as this was the third place I had tried. They told me I’d have to come back tomorrow as they don’t have stock. With the shopping over I quickly made some lunch and made my way to a memorial service of a dear friend’s father. It’s been some time since I’ve attended a funeral and it was very heart sore. The minister spoke well and the chapel was full of family and friends. I found my thoughts going back to my Mom’s funeral and how difficult those first few weeks after the funeral were. Nothing and nobody can prepare you for dealing with death. It’s a hard, cold fact of life. Life is so short, how important it is to live your dreams make a difference in somebody’s/anybody’s life, love life and follow your heart desires. There is no time like the present and you only get one chance at it. So many times we put off that thing for a better day only to realize that day is elusive and we never reach it. Pondering on these thoughts I drove home in a slight drizzle. The rain is wonderful. It has cooled down the temperatures so nicely. By the time I reached home it had stopped. The children arrived home from school and were ravenous as per usual. I put supper on and then convinced Jonathan to go out and finish the paddock slashing that Johnny had started the previous day, only to discover a flat tyre not too long after he started. How irritating this was! A brand new tractor. I could only think he had ridden over a piece of metal I’d see lying in the paddock yesterday. I could kick myself now for not picking it up there and then. I didn’t understand how this could be the reason though. The tires are large and tough. So being Mrs. Relentless did not want to give up yet and decided to use the ride on and go and cut the front garden – at least we could get that done. Hooking up the trailer, we started clearing more cutting lying around. Jonathan had to get off and so switch the ride on off, only to find it wouldn’t start again when he climbed back on. It truly felt like everything was working against us today. Johnny returned from the garage with the tyre sorted out. There wasn’t a puncture which was great news but still an unexplained leak. It was unfortunately too dark by that time to go out into the paddocks again, so we headed on inside to finish working on the kitchen cupboards. I’m very happy to report one big cupboard is finally complete. I unpacked four boxes and finally have my computer table back for the correct use.

13th March 2009

My dinner party was an awesome celebration and went off beautifully made complete with my very own flowers in the table centre pieces. There were 10 people in total, so in order to cater for everyone, I brought in a second dinning room table for us all to sit around. One of the wonderful facts about living in an old farm house is the space. We were all very comfortable and the food was plentiful.

While there are a few things about living on a farm that I really would prefer to live without (one being the incredible humidity and definitely the flies), I realize that no place is ever going to be perfect, and I wouldn't change a single thing. Alright that is not completely true, I would have liked the pests a distant memory by the time we arrived but I survived didn’t I? Some days have been challenging to say the least but all in the name of growth. Sitting around a full table along with beautiful friends and family last night, my heart was full to the brim with happiness. Our dream was finally being fullfilled. It seems like our whole life we have wanted to get away from the traffic and smog, try and slow down the pace of life, grow our own veggies and just generally improve the quality of life and now the time is here at last. What more could I ask for but to share this amazing experience with friends along the way and have more than enough space to do it on too.

14th March 2009

We woke this morning bright and early, everybody a bit bleary eyes from the late night before. Jonathan and his friend went grass ski-ing. They had found a box and rope and tied it behind the ride-on. Up and down they raced, laughing and having the greatest fun. The heavens decided to open, but this didn’t deter them in the least. I served a full farmhouse breakfast made up of leftovers from last night with all the rest. A real bubble and squeak meal. We ate on the verandah and enjoyed watching a kookaburra who had come to see if there were a few morsels to spare.

Mid morning our calf’s arrived. There was excitement galore. One is black and one is white. T-bone and mince, as Johnny has so apt’ly named them. The old bath was dragged into the paddock and filled up with water. The calfs were dropped off and I mean really dropped off. The delivery man told them to jump off the back of the ute. I actually thought they would injure themselves in the process but all was well and after a few failed attempts at getting off they made it safely to the ground in one piece. We said our “thank you” and “goodbyes” to Tom the delivery man and went to watch the cow’s settle in. They seem quite comfortable but still need to to get accustomed to us.


This afternoon, we went off to buy some grains for the cows and ended up coming home with four chooks too, Annebelle, Angel, Roxy and Lulu (thanks to Michaela) two austrolops – these are black chickens, and the other two are laying hens (brown ones- don’t know the breed). Needless to say, the chook pen isn’t complete yet but I suppose there’s no better inspiration to finish a job that when you look at them each day. In the mean time they can live in one of the fenced off areas. We had great plans to get stuck into the garden again this afternoon, but at last check Johnny was on the couch cutting down a forest. I can do with a little afternoon siesta myself right now as my eyelids are feeling rather heavy too. Johnny and Jonathan are off to watch the Durban shark’s (super 14) play the Brisbane reds tonight. I think Jonathan has been waiting for this game since we arrived in Australia. As for me and Micky, well it’s an appointment with a long over due bubble bath, DVD and a big bowl of popcorn. Nothing like a girl’s night in!

15th March 2009

06/12/08 – 15/03/09

Today was a very sad day for us. We said goodbye to Bug’s. My suspicions that he wasn’t 100% a few days ago proved to be correct.

Johnny dug a grave out by one of the pine trees and after we buried him we said a short prayer of thanks for the short time we had with Bug’s and asked Jesus to take care of him for Michaela. Tears flowed fast and free from Michaela’s eyes and even I battled to hold back. Jonathan was somber and Johnny quickly went out to dig a small grave. Why does death of loved pets have to be so heart wrenching. It almost wants to make you say – it just too painful and I will never have another! But then you do, don’t you because life goes on. Birth and death are part of life and try as we might we can’t stop it.

Farewell Bugs, rest in peace.

The day progressed with Michaela moping around. She was inconsolable to say the least and every now and then would burst into tears. At one point she told me she feels like digging him up just to hold him one more time. So I thought let’s try and do something positive and asked her to help me make a wooden sign to put over Bugsy’s grave. I thought this would give her a focus and in turn offer a means of saying another… goodbye. We made a very primitive, but successful cross to plant above our dearly loved and departed guinea pig. Since then she seems to be more peaceful about the whole situation and the tears have subsided finally.

Johnny’s having another siesta on the couch. These naps are becoming a comfortable habit.

Late afternoon brought more work, but in between we found a suitable tree for the tyre swing at long last. I don’t understand how I didn’t see it before. The swing was assembled in a few minutes and the kids tried it out with big smiles all over their faces. What a weekend this was.