Blossoming

Still on the spring theme; the blossoms on the apricot tree are out and hopefully we can produce a good crop. After the head gardener gave it a sever pruning in autumn we weren’t expecting to see so many bubs on it this year.

Big soccer day this weekend, Cooma has its Gala Day where all the teams play a round robin accumulating goals, the team with the most goals at the end of the day wins – Go Strikers!!!!

On the farm I think it’s planting this weekend with Potatoes and pumpkins being the first things to go into the ploughed field. I’ll take some photos of how that progresses. I need to take a look at the irrigator and make sure it's OK for the season as well.

Piglets are doing fine, James went out and took photos before he leaves this afternoon, of course they thought that he was going to feed them, so there was a lot of squealing and snorting – and the pigs made a little bit of noise as well!!! The little chicks are looking good too, they have acclimated to the outside well and are growing well.

Good weather for Ducks

Rain!!!! Not a lot – 3mm in fact, but enough to make the green come through. The African Love Grass is sprouting green as well. All good signs that spring is here. People have been telling us that it’s been a cold winter, we didn’t think so – no where near as cold as last year. Or maybe we’re just getting tougher.

Piglets are doing well, they have the two runties from the last litter we had living with them, hopefully they don’t learn to many bad manners.

We have four Indian Runner ducks I bought from Stan the Turkey Man. I thought they were two pairs, unless one is gay, I didn’t get two pairs. But the remarkable thing about these is, that one – my luck it’ll be a gay one – has a pom pom on his head. This is rare and only occurs in 1 in 10, 000 or so I’m told. I‘ve stuck his picture up so you can see him. The other two are Janes Ducks, their called Rouens.

The NSW DPI say about the Rouen; originally from France, is the least popular of all table breeds because it is the slowest to mature and has dark flesh. Its most outstanding feature is its magnificent colour and markings, a throwback to the Mallard duck from which it originated. The female differs in colour from the male.

Chips off the old block

You know how they say “let sleeping dog’s lye” It goes for pigs as well. I went to take a photo of Snappy this morning, after I fed them, to show off her piglets. Luckily I didn’t latch the gate after me and was able to escape before she took of a leg. She’s very protective, which is good – and very different to the last litter.

James and Harry cleaned up the old pig sty, which was great. The NSW High School Teachers had a snap strike, which is why Harry had the day off. They also collected a nice mound of fire wood and kindling from around the front.

Anyway, I took a photo of Snappy whilst I stood on a bucket on the other side of the pen – in safety. BTW, Rosie appears top have had another couple of piglets (?????????) because I’m sure there was only eight on Sunday – now there is ten, Snappy still has eight.

Everyones fine

First day of Spring! The piglets are doing well; luckily we have a few days of warmth and sun for little critters to get a toe hold on life in. Our visitor is also doing well – he likes a sleep in, in fact he’s hard to get up in the morning. He’s eating well and yesterday really impressed the cook by defrosting the freezer – now why didn’t I think of that.

We’re getting low on wood, it’s always a dilemma this time of year, will I need more or not? Cook says get some, Medical Staff says get some, Midwife says get some and the Head Gardener says get some – so I’d better, I’m out voted again.

The baby chickens have been evicted out into the wide wide world, they seem to be coping well with their new surrounds. Janes ducks and chickens are settling in and appear to be doing well also.

Goats are still giving me a hard time. The other night, Bendy got her self stuck in the gully, I went out to get Archer back in and I heard her bleating. It must have been about minus 6, there I was running around the yard – no pants on, trying to untangle the goat from the rose thorn bushes in the middle of the night. She’s luck not ot be mentally scared for life!!!!!

Monday and more piglets arrive

Well it's Monday and I'm welcomed by a litter of eight piglets by Rose. She's a lovely pig and is no trouble when it comes to having a litter. We now, offically, have a stack of pigs.

One of the things that happened on Saturday that I didn't mention before, was the annual 'Valley View - all the animals in the chook pen Party'. I didn't get an invite - but apparently every body else did!!! I did take a photo however.

Sunday - piglets arrive

Sunday - Well, Snappy decided it was finally time to deliver the goods - ten piglets - almost. We didn't see her having them and by the time we got out to feed them it was all over, unfortunately one of the litter wasn't very well. We took it inside and our on site medical staff tried to revive it, but it wasn't strong enough. (WARNING - THIS ISN'T NICE!!) Later a second one must have been laid on and died. By the time we got back to see what had happened Snappy had half eaten it, so we needed to get it out - that's the reality of farming life. Snappy is a really bad tempered pig, she had a go at the Midwife when we first went out to inspect the litter. Then, when we moved her into the mothering pen I had to use a garden hoe to keep her from biting me. She had a go at the kids a couple of times as well.

We got a bit of fencing done thanks to Jimmy, and fixed the pig paddock so the Little ones can't escape anymore. The electric fence is a shocker however; No matter what you do it goes on the blink at 5:00pm Sunday rain, hail or shine - this week it was rain. I spent two hours walking around, in the fading light and rain, trying to figure out what had happened - finally I found the problem and the fence was back on.

I also took a quick tip to the dump, always a highlite of any weekend!!! The Cook had pulled an all nighter on the Saturday as well so she slept through most of Sunday. Lucky her!!! Since we've been feeding the goats a little bit of bread every night every time I go out side they come running to see if I have any, which makes achange from the running for hills that used to greet me. - Speaking of the goats, the Gardener asked me to fix her vegie garden fence on the weekend so she could plant her spuds, so like the good endentured man I am I fixed the fence, strained it up and put in some new droppers. Not ten minutes later, after we'd packed up and gone inside, Bendy the goat, jumps the fence and starts munching on the Cooks' garlic. Thsy never give in!!!!

Todays photo is of Snappy as I left her this morning - the piglets are onthe other side - but I wasn't going in there!!!

Duck!

Ok – what a weekend that was. Where do you start!! Saturday; Jane, a friend of ours from Murrumbateman, dropped off some ducks for us to look after while she is in hospital – rather nice looking ducks, not like ours at all. Youngest son had gone for a sleep over and soccer at a mates place. I went to pick him up in the afternoon, when I got to the front gate it was blocked by a Police car and a white ute, I had to wait whilst they finished what ever it was they were doing before I could go.

Bredbo Ute muster was on, went and had a quick look; there were a few nice looking utes down there. Saturday night we had some rain, about 2mm, which was nice. I had to go into Canberra and pick up one of the guy’s from The West – got home just before midnight.