14 Oct 2017
The excitement following the first Farm Soil Workshop has eased, with only the arrival of my first snake to add a highlight. I watched it from the porch, as it came up the dam bank, and I held onto Rexs' collar very tight. A Red Belly Black snake, at about 4 foot long, aptly named of course, as they are black with a red belly. Where did it go? No bloody idea, and I was not going to go looking either. So will have to check chickens more regularly as my newest arrival (first baby chick) would make a nice little 'snake snack'.
The wildlife here is booming, literally, with my morning chorus starting from 4:30 am. So I am lying in bed and this racket just starts up like an orchestra. First its John Wayne, (I think chicken soup is on menu soon), followed by at least 3 different frog species and then the dawn finale of a Kookaburra soprano, a dozen or so at least, just as the room light starts to turn grey. It was so loud I just lay there and started laughing! Must be that Spring is in the air. Oh well, I suppose its the price one pays for the country life.
And where would country life be without weather events. Finally rain has arrived again, cool, long soaking, beautiful RAIN. Yesterday morning the humidity was thick and oppressive; with the clouds gathering in the SE but the town was buzzing with expectation. It seemed everyone was rushing to get their business finished before the heavens opened, me included. Then it started - purple choking thunder and afternoon lightening with raindrops like marbles, exploding onto the roadside. And that beautiful cool change swept across the farm.
As I squelched out in my wellies to empty the rain gauge this morning, it was sitting on 87mm, which across 40 acres adds up to quite a few swimming pools. And then this afternoon it started again. So marooned we are on farm for as long as the rain keeps up. Why so? Well the tractor will drive uphill in wet, but my car just slides around in mud, churning up ground, so reckon I'll have to stay put for a few more days. This rain event is set to last till mid next week. At least I wont need to irrigate for over a month now. But its still not enough to refill the dams. I reckon we need another cyclone of rain to do that.
Rex apparently likes macadamia nuts. But he likes the oil from them even more; (such expensive tastes he has). And as I have been experimenting in my little kitchenette here, due to the wet weather upon us, I was hand pressing out my first cup of organic macadamia oil today. It is just gorgeous, and can be used as a cosmetic or for cooking - such is its versatility. It was supposed to be macadamia butter, but instead I ended up with fresh oil, so fresh it was from nuts on trees only yesterday. Apparently you can make macadamia butter from just blending up nuts. And they are full of fibre as well, just ask Rex....his farts smell divine.
The excitement following the first Farm Soil Workshop has eased, with only the arrival of my first snake to add a highlight. I watched it from the porch, as it came up the dam bank, and I held onto Rexs' collar very tight. A Red Belly Black snake, at about 4 foot long, aptly named of course, as they are black with a red belly. Where did it go? No bloody idea, and I was not going to go looking either. So will have to check chickens more regularly as my newest arrival (first baby chick) would make a nice little 'snake snack'.
The wildlife here is booming, literally, with my morning chorus starting from 4:30 am. So I am lying in bed and this racket just starts up like an orchestra. First its John Wayne, (I think chicken soup is on menu soon), followed by at least 3 different frog species and then the dawn finale of a Kookaburra soprano, a dozen or so at least, just as the room light starts to turn grey. It was so loud I just lay there and started laughing! Must be that Spring is in the air. Oh well, I suppose its the price one pays for the country life.
And where would country life be without weather events. Finally rain has arrived again, cool, long soaking, beautiful RAIN. Yesterday morning the humidity was thick and oppressive; with the clouds gathering in the SE but the town was buzzing with expectation. It seemed everyone was rushing to get their business finished before the heavens opened, me included. Then it started - purple choking thunder and afternoon lightening with raindrops like marbles, exploding onto the roadside. And that beautiful cool change swept across the farm.
As I squelched out in my wellies to empty the rain gauge this morning, it was sitting on 87mm, which across 40 acres adds up to quite a few swimming pools. And then this afternoon it started again. So marooned we are on farm for as long as the rain keeps up. Why so? Well the tractor will drive uphill in wet, but my car just slides around in mud, churning up ground, so reckon I'll have to stay put for a few more days. This rain event is set to last till mid next week. At least I wont need to irrigate for over a month now. But its still not enough to refill the dams. I reckon we need another cyclone of rain to do that.
Rex apparently likes macadamia nuts. But he likes the oil from them even more; (such expensive tastes he has). And as I have been experimenting in my little kitchenette here, due to the wet weather upon us, I was hand pressing out my first cup of organic macadamia oil today. It is just gorgeous, and can be used as a cosmetic or for cooking - such is its versatility. It was supposed to be macadamia butter, but instead I ended up with fresh oil, so fresh it was from nuts on trees only yesterday. Apparently you can make macadamia butter from just blending up nuts. And they are full of fibre as well, just ask Rex....his farts smell divine.
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