My wheelbarrow garden

I've recently discovered just how easy it is to grow most succulents and some cactus plants.   My dear friend Val, is a lady of many resources.  She is talented in many art forms.  The list goes on and on.  She's so good at cooking, baking, flower arranging, gardening, card making, arts and crafts.  She is just amazing and so full of energy.  Well, one day while visiting her I picked up the idea of a wheelbarrow garden.  She had one that was flourishing with these succulents.  They were so colourful with their tiny little yellow, orange and red flowers.  The best part was how easy they were to grow.   She taught me all I know about these tiny little treasures.  A few cuttings from her plant and all I had to do was regularly  break off an established piece and stick it back in the soil taking care not to replicate the same colour in the same area.   I continued to do this regularly over the next few weeks and before I knew it, I had a beautifully flowering barrow garden.   Obviously the tender loving care with daily watering makes a big different but just how easily is that and you have some lovely colour in your garden along with recycling an old wheel barrow that was just going to land in the tip otherwise.

A great find!

  Recently we discovered large fish in our dam quite by accident really.  We have been here three and half, almost four years and have never seen them before.  It was an exciting find here at Pine Haven.  The books were out, we googled all different types of fish to try and find the same one.   We think its a "tilapia".  A few weekends back Stuart came over with his casting net and just like a fisherman from the bible days, he cast his nets and caught the fish.  After we took about a gazillian photo's of this fellow, we released him back in the water.  The level of the dam has slowly gone down in the past few weeks and the colour of the water is incredibly murky and unclear.  I'm wondering if the rain  which I'm still wishing for would come and settle the mud down below again aswell as how much oxygen the fish have.  For the fish to grow to this size, there must be a thriving food chain down under which makes me smile.

Introducting Sammy!

Sammy is the newest arrival on Pine Haven.  She is a blue heeler which is a fancy name for a cattle dog I guess.  She belongs to Jonathan my son and is a gift for Christmas.  She has been visiting for a few hours to see how she settles in.  The family she was with had small children and couldn't keep her any longer.  Sammy is highly strung and very energetic.  Apparently she used to jump up and knock the children over.  I'm hesitant to get another animal and mouth to fed but Jonathan assures me he will take care of her.  I have agreed to accept her as long as he holds his side of the bargain.  I must admit though she is growing on me.  I never much liked the colouring of a cattle dog nor their nature but I think she might just fit here at our humble little home. I sat on the porch stairs early this morning watching the dogs interact and wishing for some cool weather.  We are in the middle of another heat wave and I'm drained and lethargic from the heat.  There was a promise of a storm yesterday but a rumble in the sky was all we got.  Hopefully today will bring some water from the sky.

A brief life!

Rosie our Swiss brown cow died  a week ago suddenly.  It was a shock to the system as we haven't yet had a cow die on Pine Haven.  It was a record I hoped would never change but the odds were against us I guess.  Of late I have heard many cows going down with "three day illness".   It's a illness in which the cows refuse feed, get a temperature and achy joints.   They don't move much but if they are strong enough they pull through the three days, mostly a little skinny but are back to their usual diet and put the weight back on.  In the cases of pregnant cows, usually they abort their calves but  in some cases they die.  Rosie, Daisy and Zulu our three dairy cows all looked a bit off colour the morning of Rosie's death.  Crystal the Dexter foster mom, was bellowing uncontrollably like she does when we part her from her calf.   Irritated, as I had a full day planned and was on my way out.  I thought it best to spare a couple of minutes and go check on them.   I walked down to the dam where they all stood grazing.   Rosie's head was down but I didn't pick up any signs from her.  Daisy the jersey cross worried me as she showed signs of distress but was still standing.   I made a mental note to come and check on them as soon as I got home.  I hoped they weren't coming down with something.  My outing took me away from home for most of the day.   A friend dropped by in the afternoon and we sat on the porch with a cuppa.  Crystal the Dexter cow was still bellowing constantly.   Silently I sighed, what could she be on about.  I glanced down into the paddock and did a count.  I didn't notice Rosie but guessed she was laying down.  Honestly I was more concerned about Daisy who had shown signs of illness that very morning more than Rosie.   The afternoon rolled past and I had planned to go buy some bales of hay for the girls.  We were running low on feed, its been so dry of late and the grass is not growing fast enough for the cattle.  On my return I could not bear Crystals bellows  any longer so while Jonathan unpacked the bales into the barn I walked down to Crystal.  She stood over Rosie and from a distance I saw she was down.   As I walked down I held my breath but honestly I did not expect what I found. Rigor mortis had set in already and her stomach was three sizes bigger.  It was not a pretty site for sure.  Poor Rosie.  I quickly rung Johnny who was on his way home already and then I rung Mary, my farm girl buddy from down the road.  She's had a fair few losses in this department and was much more experienced than I.   She advised me to burn the cow as we did not know what the diagnosis was.   What a loss.   We had such dreams and aspirations for Rosie.   We were going to learn how to make cheese with her milk.   We paid a large amount for her and travelled four and a half hours to collect her.   I racked my brain to understand why this had happened.   She came from a tick free zone so maybe she was bitten by a tick, maybe it was worms as it was a very hot summer this year.  Maybe it was "three day sickness".   All I could think of was, if only I could have saved Rosie!   I looked over to Daisy and Zulu the other two dairy cows.  They looked weak too.   The Dexter's were OK though which was a big relief.  Two of them are expecting calves in March.  After Rosie was gone, the bellowing stopped finally.  The remaining herd looked somber but life pretty much went back to normal the next day.  The remaining two dairy cows came right the following day and Johnny gave them all a dose of wormer just in case.  That night as I lay in bed thinking.   I was reminded how temporary and delicate farm animals lifes can be.  Illness can strike suddenly and they are gone.

The beauty of nature.

I found this butterfly early this morning.  Look at the colours and perfect design on her wings.  Isn't she stunning!  This morning we woke up to a nice cool start to the day.  It was a welcomed change from the previous weeks of heat waves. If you look carefully you will see the web she is caught in but don't worry this story has a happy ending.  I set madam butterfly free from Charlotte's web and she fluttered off as if she had just stopped off for a visit.

You win some you lose some.

Yet again it’s been a busy few days.  We got unexpected new that Johnny was made redundant at work two weeks back but God was gracious and he walked out of that job and into another one.  The salary is a drop but not nearly as much pressure and he’s at home a whole lot more which makes me over the moon.  Another set of hands, strong ones at that.  We have been hectically trying to tidy up the garage area and turn it into a studio.  Sad to say it’s still a way to go but we shall persevere none the less.  Our ride on is finally going again and is driving like a BMW.  The long grass stands no chance in its way.  It was good to get things under control again.  An unruly tree got the axe and my colourful ornamental section at the bottom of the garden was in full swing of creation.  At last the wishing well moved from in doors to outdoors. While cleaning up the garage we unearthed a treasure for sure.  Now to most people I guess this won’t be considered a treasure but to find a wooden ladder that was probably older than me in my barn was delightful.  The wheel barrow pot plant was in full bloom and is doing tremendously well.   After carrying all the potted plants I received from Val to the back, I stood back and smiled.  It was a creation in the making.  The little pink, yellow and red flowers in the barrow looked beautiful and I smiled. 

On the other hand a fox has been in the area and he found my address sadly.  We discovered the hole in the fence he was using.  He nabbed four of my laying chickens this past week.  Angry at myself for becoming complacent, we set about to mend the fence and block him out.  He would not be getting away with any more of my birds.  Annoyed intensely as my ordering customers are slowly starting to increase at last and right now I don’t need to be down four layers.  There was no more to be done but work on getting the numbers up again.   I collect the four eggs in the nesting boxes and went straight upstairs and put them in the incubator.  21 days away we will have more baby chooks to raise and look after for a while.   It will take a few months but we will be back to normal soon enough. 

Colours of nature

Hows this for colour contrast! The blue green of the dragon fly against the bright green water lily against the murky brown water.  Colours of nature.  What colours will you see through your lenses today?

Painting in the paddock

Our painting in the paddock day did not turn out as expected and rather disappointingly did not take off.  Not defeated and far from giving up, my friend and I proceeded to do a photo shoot of the vast array of subject matter waiting down in the paddock and beyond.  It was a fairly warm Spring day as we wandered around the farm taking photo's of this and that.  This time of year the farm paddocks are alive with Thistles.  I have always disliked them for the prickly leaves and the pain they cause when one walks into a unsuspecting plant. Today however I saw them in a different light.   I saw them as part of the very important Eco system that keeps this little hobby farm the way it is.   Bending down I noticed the beautiful bright purple colour of the flower and there perched on the top was a bee.  A very ordinary looking bee but the combination of the purple and the yellow was amazing.  The little bee was about bee business playing his part in the big concept of a Eco system.  As we wandered past the cows, they briefly lifted their head in acknowledgement and went back to grazing.  We wandered down to the forest and through the lane way where we connected with bush and scrub.  Thankfully the tractor had recently been through creating a semi walking track.  Constantly on guard for the threat of snakes we continued our journey snapping photo's of textures and shade colours and anything thereabout I guess.    There is so much to see if you choose to see it through the right lens.  This is nature at its best.

Another farmstay over

 Well this morning I said goodbye to another set of Farm stay visitors.  It was a great stay and once again I think I hit the objectives.   A new experience, a new cuisine,  and a new culture was all served up.  Our guests left with many memories from hayrides to understanding the full cycle of the egg.  It never ceases to amaze people how an egg journey can start in a nest and end in a scrumptious meal all within 24 hours. You can’t get fresher than that.  My plans for a field day in the paddock on the 13^Th November  are well underway and we are eagerly waiting for confirmation from our advertisement.  Eco tourist has become part and parcel of Pine Haven and I enjoy every minute of it.   I look forward to the future as this dream continues to grow and develop.

The other kind of day

Wednesday morning I started thinking about the farm stay students that were arriving on Sunday and all the chores waiting for me.  Johnny is back to working under pressure for the moment and so that left me in charge.  The grass, although not long had tons of leaves laying around which needed to be mulched.   I woke up with the resolve that Wednesday would be dedicated to garden work.  After saying goodbye to everyone for the day I grabbed a cap from the cupboard and headed outside.   I made my way over to the garage and was immediately confronted with a flat tyre on the ride on.  Now don’t get me wrong, while I’m very grateful for modern equipment and by no means would like to cut the grass around the house with a push mower, there are numerous parts of this modern equipment which need maintenance and seem to, well just complicate life.  So I turned around to go find the compressor and had to look for the pipe that is attached to it.  After a few minutes I located it lying curled up in the corner of the garage.  Okay so I was moving ahead but now the part that inserts into the tyre was missing.  Another hide and seek mission.  Finally I got everything together and pumped up the wheel.  I checked the petrol tank to see how much petrol I had.  It seemed sufficient.  I jumped on the ride on and swung the key eager to get started.  Nothing!  The battery was flat.     Everything today seems like an effort and I was tiring already.   I got off the ride on and pushed it to the fence where I brought my car to and hauled out the jumper cables.   Because there was a fence between the ride on and the car I had to make numerous trips back and forth through the gate to the left of the fence to attached the cables, start the vehicle, go back and start the ride-on then back to detach the jumpers, move the car and finally I was ready to cut the lawn.  It was a slow start but at least I was on my way now.  After the back garden was almost done, the worse thing happened!  I ran out of petrol on a downhill.   I just sat there ready to cry.  I remember checking the fuel canister before I started out this morning and there was none left so that meant a trip to the fuel station.  I left to go get fuel.  Glancing at my watch it was almost lunch time and yet I was still struggling to just get this job done.   Back at home the fuel was poured in and I silently prayed for it to start on the first swing.  Sadly it did not so I prayed for the strength to push the heavy ride on back up to the fence yet again.  It was around this time that my resolve to cut the grass became almost non-existent I must just add.  By the time I had her up at the fence again and the car back ready to jump start her, I felt like I was melting in the midday sun.  It was well past lunch time so huffing and puffing after the exertion I’d just been through I decided to go inside for a breather and lunch.  Refuelled a half an hour later I put my cap on my head determined to finish what I had started.  In the front garden I had to weave around all the cars parked all over.  Kicking myself for not reminding Jonathan to park his car plus his old Ute on the drive way this morning I left the motor running as I went back inside to look for the keys to move the vehicles out the way.  I couldn’t find them and even tried to ring him at work.  There was no reply.  Okay so I reasoned, I would cut around them for now.  Out I went to the idling ride on and carried on.  As I neared the end of the front garden I suddenly hit something really hard and I had dust swirling in the air around me like crazy.  Something was wrong.  It felt like the whole deck had dislodged.  There would be no more grass cutting today.  Defeated I parked the mower on the driveway and went inside to clean up.  I needed a shower as I was covered in dirt from top to bottom.  There are days that are good and then there are days like this.

Painting in the padock

 Yesterday I had a friend over.  We packed up our trundle bags loaded with pencils, paints and paintbrushes.  We put on our sunnies, donned the hats and walked deep down into the paddock.  This was a dream I’ve had since moving into Pine Haven.  Four years and a bit and it’s here finally.  Not bad going huh....   Oh and we had our trusty fold up chairs too.   We drew a fair bit of interest from the cattle and Oz who saunter over to see whether there was any food about - a humans only purpose to them.  After a few sniffs here and there they decided there was nothing and stood close by us posing ever so wonderfully for us.   Out came the sketch pad, and freshly sharpened pencil.  The race was on to get the outline of a cow before she moved.  A line this way and that.  Slowly a picture emerged.  It was by no means a masterpiece but it was fun regardless.  It was peaceful and serene down in the paddocks.   While the lead flowed on the pages, a wonderful idea was discussed.  We want to do a “painting in the paddock day”.  The audience will be fellow artists and for a small fee which will cover admission and a light lunch, it’s bound to be a success.  If it takes off perhaps we can do it on a regular basis, we will have to just wait and see what transpires.  In the mean time we will be working on a date and an advertisement. 

A sad time

Saturday I went to a funeral.  It was the first funeral I’ve attended since arriving in Australia.  In was held at a crematorium about 40 minutes from home.  The service hall we used was lovely in any sense of the word.  There were pews slanted on each side.  The wall on the right was glass and had water slowly running down it.  Outside there were beautifully manicured gardens, green and lush.  It wasn’t a very hot day but the cool air-conditioning that blew managed to keep the place fresh.  The coffin was placed in the front with a bouquet of multi-coloured roses on top.  To the left sat three musicians with guitars in their hands strumming beautiful melodies.   It was a sad occasion but the environment could not have been more tranquil.  I didn’t know Margaret well however we did cross paths a fair few times and I felt like I could help with the wake afterwards aswell as offer my support.  It was good to see the amount of people, friends and family who arrived.   Clearly this lady was dearly loved and will be painfully missed.  She touched every person she met. Story after story came.   As her son Jerome stood to give the final words and eulogy he broke down.  His pain was so raw and real.   I found myself remembering what seems like only a few months now the pain and heartache I went through when Dad passed.  It isn’t a few month though, more like going onto two years now.  Jerome put it wisely as he said “our departed loved ones leave a hole inside that nothing can fill.”  We learn to carry on but the void that the person left is always there.  Death always confronts us with many emotions and it is uncomfortable at each turn however I would like to think it brings about a good change and causes positive reflection. 

After the service we made our way back to the hall where the refreshments would be.  The family had been drawn from many different parts of the country and so this time was filled with conversations.  As it wound down a song came over the speaker loud and clear.   A song that described Margaret to a T.  The name of the song was “I did it my way”.  Margaret did things on her terms; she was a fiercely independent woman who raised six children on her own.  She lived a full and rich life and passed away at the fruitful stage of 81.   May you rest in peace Margaret.