Bredbo Valley View farm - providing quality education in Permaculture and sustainable living practices.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Too close for my liking.


Sorry for another break – things are hot and dry, very dry. Yesterday we had our first fire scare; a blaze broke out on the western side of Cosgrove Hill, just behind us (800m South). I’d just returned from picking up feed when we saw the smoke. The Cook got the pump running whilst the kids and I unloaded the feed and filled the fire tank. Luckily this time the wind was in our favour and the fire was to far south be any direct threat on the house. In the time it took us to start getting organised the aircraft from the Michelago arrived and spent about an hour bombing the fire. The aircraft had been over flying the farm all day between Michelago and Bunyan Airfield and they probably spotted the fire even before we did.

I had a talk to one of the firies this morning, I was told they had trouble getting a crew together due to the effort on the other fires.

The last two months we’ve had less then 10mm of rain, our average for this period is over 140mm and the rain we were expecting over the Christmas week has disappeared. So with little outlook for a break in the weather we will be constantly watching for smoke over the next few weeks – or until it does rain.

This also means that a lot of the jobs I wanted to do in the back paddocks are off as well. We can’t afford to have the vehicle start a fire and as I have to drive through thick beds of tinder dry grass to get anywhere - it’s just not safe.

One of neighbours was badly injured in the Michelago fires; he made front page news of the Canberra Times on Saturday. Hopefully, he makes a swift and full recovery.

In the middle of all this however, the Cook has managed to keep her garden going and we are currently enjoying a bountiful harvest of Zucchini. The three new ducks are growing and now have full feathers – they are just beautiful, and we think they are all girls too.

I saw on the Sister-in-Laws Blog that she took a fall off a quad bike (I hope your okay) – Don’t worry F, doesn’t matter what you do to your face you’ll always be prettier then Maverick…. And I haven’t started my Christmas Shopping yet either, I figure I’ve got until Thursday. Is it too late for Amazon????

I’ll post more soon, lot’s of stories stored up, like being bitten by a snake, selling lots of pigs and George’s latest indiscretions.

3 comments:

Old Nev said...

WE HAD A FIRE TOO. STAIGHT ACROSS THE RAILWAY LINE. LUCKILY FOR US THE WIND WAS BLOWING FROM THE NORTH WEST SO THE FIRE JUMPED DENNISON LANE AND HEADED AWAY FROM US. lITTLE ELVIS WAS WATER BOMBING FOR MOST OF THE AFTERNOON, HE USED OUR FRONT GATE AS A REFUELLING POINT. THE HORSES WEREN'T HAPPY.
OLD NEV.coadistr

Lindsay said...

Sorry about all your dry weather. Come over here and sample snow and ice!

The Duck Herder said...

oops - that is a bit close.......

and perhaps the snake incident was even closer? more information please. (!)

and I am so pleased that the ducks are doing well. After having her nest destroyed just days before they were due to hatch, Ms Amelia has rebuilt and relaid and is sitting on another 11 eggs. See what good mothers they are? So hopefully if you need a drake you can have the pick of the bunch - you know, not counting our ducklings before they hatch and all that.....

hope you and the cook are OK and get to relax a little soon. Please let us know if you need any help out there ok? (I'll do anything for some of the cook's cooking....)

duckiexxxx