19th April 2009
I nearly caught the stray cat. It was such a close call again. Saturday afternoon as I was cutting the verge grass I spotted him hiding in the long grass along side the fence. He took one look at me and darted in front of the ride on down the drain which led under the road. I thought it would be rather easy to trap him now that he was in the drain – how mistaken was I! I yelled for Jonathan and got him to block the other side of the drain and sent Michaela to collect the cat cage while I guarded the first entry. Talk about strategy!
As I was setting the cage up and fiddling with the door, Jonathan who was on the other side of the road laying down in front of the opening making all these silly noises to scare the cat my way, happened to notice about two mm from his face a group of cane toads. He let out a blood curling scream as he jumped up and the cat darted out the drain spiked with adrenaline. I wasn’t quite ready yet with the cage open so he escaped by the hair of his chinny chin, chin… again! This cat is so agile. Never mind he should return to the hiding place sometime and perhaps next time will be more successful.
All of the chickens are laying eggs now, as of this morning and it is wonderful to collect four eggs each day. I asked them this morning if they couldn’t synchronize there deposits so as to save me a trip or two. I’m not asking so much am I?
Sunday morning we visited a nursery in the area. I’m looking to get some fruit trees in as soon as possible. I’m hoping in two or three years from now I should have an established orchid going. I found a great variety at the nursery we visited and am working on getting perhaps apples, plums, pears and peaches. I’ve done my research on ready made turf too and have almost settled on a place which happens to be just around the corner from home. Yay, for the convenience of the location. Coming home I saw the dreaded site – a brown snake on top of the verandah wall. Why did it have to be there of all the places? It was busy shedding its skin. It was very long! Nobody besides me seems to care much about the snake. I sure hope it stays outside and doesn’t show it’s face when I’m on my own.
Jonathan played his first rugby game this afternoon and I decided to stay home to baby-sit the pup. Boy he’s active and so noisy and busy at night when it’s supposed to be sleeping time! I have to watch him like a hawk during the day and he keeps us all up at night. I suppose he’s just being a pup. None the less I decided tonight his quarters will be moved to the other side of the house in the laundry where he can make as much noise as he likes and we can sleep as much as we like!
The clan got home rejoicing, as Johno’s team won. First game he’s played and its victory right up. This club is so much better that the previous one. I think they won only one game last season in the other club. It’s done wonders for Jonathan’s morale. Keep up the hard work boy!
Spot’s been placed in the laundry as I promised with the tumble dryer going. Hopefully the noise and warmth will lull him into a deep sleep. The house is so peaceful and quiet now.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Rain rain go away come back another day!
14th April 2009 - part two of chapter four.I have forgotten how intense having a puppy is! It is like having a baby all over again. Jonathan spoilt him the first night and so when we settled down for the second night, he didn’t take to kindly to being separated from human touch. I’m sure he just about cried the whole night. Johnny had to go back to work this morning and we all felt like a train had run over us. With little sleep, I’m a cranky lady! Not to mention the rest of the family. I moved slowly into the kitchen this morning to find the pouring rain had stopped at long last. It rained not stop from yesterday morning. I am going to rejoice when the sun eventually shows it wonderful face. It makes having a pup harder too. Oh, the day he sleeps and goes to the toilet outside on his own – bliss, this is the day we look forward too. Ah, the joys of puppies….
Yesterday we took the children to movies and spent a wonderful rainy afternoon watching “mall cop”. It was excellent. A real funny one to relax with. Unfortunately due to the rainy weather, we were very limited on the renovation front. Johnny did fix the front porch light though, which looks wonderful. I lifted the hems of some curtains and hung them at long last in the main bedroom. I haven’t seen my curtains hanging in almost two years and it looks and feels great.
16th April 2009
This morning was clear and beautiful. Not a rain cloud in sight. The suns’ permeating rays bringing a sense of peace and tranquillity. This morning I received three eggs, one was early this morning and almost double the size of the others. It came from one of the brown hens. At last the hens are fulfilling their purpose. Just one more hen to lay now. The ducks are able to move around freely now and are not being harassed by the hens any more. They have grown in size and are becoming very vocal. “me thinks” the hens are actually getting scared of the duck now.
The children and I got stuck into a section of soil around the back porch which was bugging the living daylights out of me. I had some paving stones lying around and so decided to lay them in this area to cover the bare soil. I have plans to fill in the spaces in-between with some of the white stone crush. It should be a good improvement. Perhaps a few colorful flowers too.
I have a contact for a Dexter breeder here on the south side at long last. I’m really hoping to get a heifer soon. It starting to look like a milking Dexter cow will not be an option to start with. We will have to get a heifer and she will have to have a calf first. We could find another breed of milking cow that might be ready to milk now but Johnny is against this option. He says the Dexter is a smaller cow and easier to handle when it comes to milking which is logical I suppose. I just want a milking cow yesterday and don’t care much for what breed.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
12th April 2009
We might not watch many soap operas, but we have plenty of drama right in our own backyard. This morning I was awaken to Michaela’s shriek of “Mom the toilets not flushing again”. Now you can just imagine what was going through my mind. Being Easter Sunday and I must add I was expecting some guests later on, I think I might have been jumping up and down by this point. Johnny resolved the blockage but it’s still not working 100%. We couldn’t do much about it today and will tackle the problem tomorrow. I busied myself with the cleaning chores of the day and preparing for my guests.
I have a wish list and on my wish list I would like some kind of vacuum for my husband and children to walk through before entering the house. It would suck out the dirt, dust, leaves and anything that is not meant to live indoors. This wet weather is not playing the game with my cleaning frenzy.
The day was filled with laughter and good conversation. After dinner we lit the fire in the lounge and sat eating left overs from lunch and toasting our toes. It’s not even winter yet but it was fun none the less.
The hen laid her egg in her box this morning which is such good news. No more hunting the whole garden for her nest. Hopefully she continues to lay there.
We might not watch many soap operas, but we have plenty of drama right in our own backyard. This morning I was awaken to Michaela’s shriek of “Mom the toilets not flushing again”. Now you can just imagine what was going through my mind. Being Easter Sunday and I must add I was expecting some guests later on, I think I might have been jumping up and down by this point. Johnny resolved the blockage but it’s still not working 100%. We couldn’t do much about it today and will tackle the problem tomorrow. I busied myself with the cleaning chores of the day and preparing for my guests.
I have a wish list and on my wish list I would like some kind of vacuum for my husband and children to walk through before entering the house. It would suck out the dirt, dust, leaves and anything that is not meant to live indoors. This wet weather is not playing the game with my cleaning frenzy.
The day was filled with laughter and good conversation. After dinner we lit the fire in the lounge and sat eating left overs from lunch and toasting our toes. It’s not even winter yet but it was fun none the less.
The hen laid her egg in her box this morning which is such good news. No more hunting the whole garden for her nest. Hopefully she continues to lay there.
11th April 2009
Today we welcomed our beautiful new beagle puppy home. He is just the most adorable pet yet. His ears are as long as his face and he has the saddest expression around.
With the excitement of the long awaited puppy arriving behind us, Johnny and I started with the high pressure water machine on the back porch. We moved onto the paving and I wapped away all the stains and discovered different colored tiles beneath the stains, pinks and oranges which had been covered over the years. The paving had been laid in a pattern which you couldn’t see before. It looks wonderfully clean now and almost new again. Johnny attacked the dying bougainvillea with the tractor and managed to clear a lot way. The hens nest was destroyed in the process which means now I have to hunt to find her new one tomorrow – fun and games…..
The ducks are changing. I hear the noises they make now are different. After doing a bit of research on the net the other day, I picked up some good tips on how to tell the sex of a duck. The most accurate tell sign is the sound of the quack as they differ from male to female and the second sign are curly tail feathers indicating a drake. I do hope we have one of each, but I guess time will tell. The ducks are such sociable creatures and they become quite frantic if they are separated. The morning and afternoon swims are rather entertaining. They splash and dive and love to swim under the water at a great speed. They are fast approaching the time when they will need their own water hole and so we must complete the proposed chicken and duck area soon. The hole as I think I previously mentioned has been dug but now needs to be sealed off and the edges concreted. I need to build a gate for the front of the run. The fences are all still in good condition and will be fine.
The house is quiet at last. The puppy is comfortably laying in Jonathan’s arms and the rest of the family’s in dream world. This was a good day. Every family needs a puppy at one stage or another I reckon. It makes me think that our family is complete again. It was such a terribly sad day when we said goodbye to Roxy and Treasure in SA. My heart felt like it would never heal. Today it feels like the last puzzle piece has been found and is now in place at long last.
Today we welcomed our beautiful new beagle puppy home. He is just the most adorable pet yet. His ears are as long as his face and he has the saddest expression around.
With the excitement of the long awaited puppy arriving behind us, Johnny and I started with the high pressure water machine on the back porch. We moved onto the paving and I wapped away all the stains and discovered different colored tiles beneath the stains, pinks and oranges which had been covered over the years. The paving had been laid in a pattern which you couldn’t see before. It looks wonderfully clean now and almost new again. Johnny attacked the dying bougainvillea with the tractor and managed to clear a lot way. The hens nest was destroyed in the process which means now I have to hunt to find her new one tomorrow – fun and games…..
The ducks are changing. I hear the noises they make now are different. After doing a bit of research on the net the other day, I picked up some good tips on how to tell the sex of a duck. The most accurate tell sign is the sound of the quack as they differ from male to female and the second sign are curly tail feathers indicating a drake. I do hope we have one of each, but I guess time will tell. The ducks are such sociable creatures and they become quite frantic if they are separated. The morning and afternoon swims are rather entertaining. They splash and dive and love to swim under the water at a great speed. They are fast approaching the time when they will need their own water hole and so we must complete the proposed chicken and duck area soon. The hole as I think I previously mentioned has been dug but now needs to be sealed off and the edges concreted. I need to build a gate for the front of the run. The fences are all still in good condition and will be fine.
The house is quiet at last. The puppy is comfortably laying in Jonathan’s arms and the rest of the family’s in dream world. This was a good day. Every family needs a puppy at one stage or another I reckon. It makes me think that our family is complete again. It was such a terribly sad day when we said goodbye to Roxy and Treasure in SA. My heart felt like it would never heal. Today it feels like the last puzzle piece has been found and is now in place at long last.
10th April 2009
Today was so nice to sleep in. Thinking about the true meaning of Easter, I lay in bed silently counting my blessings. No school for the children, no leaving early to get to work for Johnny. It was going to be a great day.
Finally the day had to start. Michaela and I hunted high and low for the missing egg. We found one but still don’t know where the other is. I saw evidence of a bird being killed while looking for the egg –it must be the cat!
Johnny and I have been sanding the back porch down for most of the day. It really looks lovely. A shimmer of its former glory, yet still a way to go. It’s sure dusty even though the machines both have bags on. It will be great once it’s done.
Okay I’m so done with this sanding! My nose is so itchy and I’m sneezing constantly. The dust is everywhere. I suppose the one blessing is that it’s outside though. I’ve decided this project is worse than the silicone job. It feels like we’ve been going forever, and there is still so much more to do. The hire sander must be returned tomorrow and the light of day is already starting to fade.
Johnny saw T-bone goes down to the dam and then disappear into the water. This could either mean he’s gone for a swim, or he’s fallen in. So we took a breather and walked over with a great deal of trepidation to see what had happened. There T-bone stood in the dam flicking his tail as if he was on holiday. Johnny poked him with a stick to see if he would move and sure as daylight he ambled out of the water like nothing was wrong depositing a big fat poo on the way out. Shame, the poor fish! Do cows usually do this? Go right into the dam to drink, I mean. Perhaps somebody can help me out. It seems real strange to me as it’s not even a hot day.
Coming back up to the house, we found a berry tree filled to the brim of these red cherry like fruit. I can’t remember the name but I do remember them growing in bushes on the side of the road back in South Africa. My friends and I used to enjoy picking the fruit walking home from school. I haven’t had one of these cherries in years. I picked a few and munched them. All the lovely memories of childhood days came flooding back. It’s incredible how association of certain things bring memories of long ago to the present. These cherries are sure to attract the birds to the garden, which is a wonderful thought. It has begun to rain again. Hopefully the rain will settle the dust in the air.
Okay it’s time to return to our labor…… My head is pounding. I think I need an industrial size bottle of pain killers to get rid of this headache!
We didn’t completely remove all the paint but decided to call it a day at last. I would say 98 % done. Enough was enough. The rest will have to be done another day.
Today was so nice to sleep in. Thinking about the true meaning of Easter, I lay in bed silently counting my blessings. No school for the children, no leaving early to get to work for Johnny. It was going to be a great day.
Finally the day had to start. Michaela and I hunted high and low for the missing egg. We found one but still don’t know where the other is. I saw evidence of a bird being killed while looking for the egg –it must be the cat!
Johnny and I have been sanding the back porch down for most of the day. It really looks lovely. A shimmer of its former glory, yet still a way to go. It’s sure dusty even though the machines both have bags on. It will be great once it’s done.
Okay I’m so done with this sanding! My nose is so itchy and I’m sneezing constantly. The dust is everywhere. I suppose the one blessing is that it’s outside though. I’ve decided this project is worse than the silicone job. It feels like we’ve been going forever, and there is still so much more to do. The hire sander must be returned tomorrow and the light of day is already starting to fade.
Johnny saw T-bone goes down to the dam and then disappear into the water. This could either mean he’s gone for a swim, or he’s fallen in. So we took a breather and walked over with a great deal of trepidation to see what had happened. There T-bone stood in the dam flicking his tail as if he was on holiday. Johnny poked him with a stick to see if he would move and sure as daylight he ambled out of the water like nothing was wrong depositing a big fat poo on the way out. Shame, the poor fish! Do cows usually do this? Go right into the dam to drink, I mean. Perhaps somebody can help me out. It seems real strange to me as it’s not even a hot day.
Coming back up to the house, we found a berry tree filled to the brim of these red cherry like fruit. I can’t remember the name but I do remember them growing in bushes on the side of the road back in South Africa. My friends and I used to enjoy picking the fruit walking home from school. I haven’t had one of these cherries in years. I picked a few and munched them. All the lovely memories of childhood days came flooding back. It’s incredible how association of certain things bring memories of long ago to the present. These cherries are sure to attract the birds to the garden, which is a wonderful thought. It has begun to rain again. Hopefully the rain will settle the dust in the air.
Okay it’s time to return to our labor…… My head is pounding. I think I need an industrial size bottle of pain killers to get rid of this headache!
We didn’t completely remove all the paint but decided to call it a day at last. I would say 98 % done. Enough was enough. The rest will have to be done another day.
At long last - my eggs!
6th April 2009
The rain continued to fall throughout the weekend, heavily at times, drizzling at other times. Our tanks can not contain all the water which is wonderful and sad both at the same time. I’ve decided that lots and lots of bubble baths are the order of the evening for awhile. Rather than allow it to fall to the ground wasted, we shall enjoy it instead. One of many good things resulted from this large amount of rain is that I was eventually forced out on Sunday afternoon to buy a tumble dryer to cope with the ever falling rain. Watching the forecast for this week, I saw rain expected for most of the days. This seals the deal for me and we went to buy one.
The ducks have been taken to the cow’s water trough for swimming lessons about three times a day and they love it! This afternoon we noticed the hole that was dug in the anticipated chicken run was fill of rainwater. We took the ducks there to try it out. This was a real treat for them. They kept pecking at the water eating the soggy leaves as they appeared. At one point we got a huge fright as the white/yellow duck dived under the water and got stuck in the reeds. She didn’t come up and Jonathan’s quick eye spotted her struggling under the water. He stomped through the reeds and rescued her quickly. She continued swimming around without a worry in the world – like hey girl, you just nearly drowned! While the ducks were being babysat by the kids we took the opportunity to do some cleaning. The sun had shown its wonderful face for a short while and it was time to muck out the stalls. We moved the ducks quarters to a small section (less to clean) and completed the roosting boxes for the hens. Now they had no excuse – I WANT MY EGGS!
When the sun does eventually come out again to dry everything up, I was thinking of using the mowed dry grass to lay at the bottom of the two stalls which will make it easier to clean. I need to learn quickly how to make use of natures produce. Why buy costly wood shavings when I have all this dry grass to use? It makes sense doesn’t it?
I put my secondhand/brand-new dishwasher in the kitchen over the weekend. It looks good and will help me heaps. I’ve gotten so dependant on this piece of kitchen equipment since being in Australia and have missed it terrible since arriving on the farm. There is certain equipment a girl can’t do without. This farm girl’s list of “can’t go without” is growing! I’ve decided, convenience = happy lady!!! Homesteading can be fun and convenient I say.
7th April 2009
This morning, my “hen of distinction” laid an egg for me – I am delighted! I heard her making extraordinary noises and looked out the window. She had of course escaped the coop again and the noise was coming from the centre garden. I tiptoed down there listening for her noises as I could not see her anywhere. There I saw her sitting down on the ground. I lifted her up to take her back to the coop and too my great surprise found nine eggs underneath her. She must have been laying for a few days unbeknown to me.
8th April 2009
Every day holds the potential to seeing beauty in the ordinary. You just have to open your eyes. The air this morning was crisp. I took the ducks for what seems to be their morning swim and as I stood watching them I saw the most exquisite bird in the tree behind me. They looked like huge budgies. Brightly colored and beautiful. I need to look in my bird book to identify them. They were collecting nectar or some of the brightly colored flower that the tree was supplying.
This afternoon I thought the ducks were finally ready to come out into the open air and get some exercise. They will have to be watched as they can still squeeze through the bars in the gate. Hey! This is sounding like preschool…..
I though I would put them in with the chickens for some other company. The brown hens didn’t seem to care one way or the other about who the newbie’s were, but the black hens marched over to the ducks. To me they seemed rather aggressive. Perhaps they were just curious but I wasn’t willing to see the ducks getting pecked. A little longer and they can fight their own battles. For now this momma will protect them. I swiped them up quickly and took them back to the safety of their cage.
9th April 2009
Today was filled with the normal chores of keeping a home afloat. Paying bills and shopping. I got back rather late and rushed to unpack groceries and then to pick Michaela up from the bus stop. The day to start horse riding lessons had finally arrived. She was so excited. After getting horribly lost, and a large downpour of rain we finally found the right address although half an hour late. None the less “madam” was over the moon with excitement and the lesson was very successful. Kristy the riding coach was wonderful and she was very pleased with Michaela’s abilities. She mentioned that there was a horse she had in mind for Michaela, but she wanted to see Michaela’s level first. Hopefully our horse will come soon! I thought getting a horse through a riding school would be safer seeing that we’re not very experienced in this area.
By the time we got home it was dark and I’d completely forgotten about collecting the egg. Maybe it will still be there tomorrow morning.
Monday, April 6, 2009
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