AI Process & Fences
On Tuesday Dad helped put up two more electric netting fences in our neighbour's place to guide the cows up to their cattle yards. It was a bit wild and stormy but we managed. The AI girl checked Lady and said she seemed to have all the necessary reproductive bits. She also put our NLS tags on Brownie, Sandy and Star. Then injected Lady, Sandy and Brownie to bring on their cycles. This evening when I went out to check, Sandy's heat patch was red but after talking to the AI girl we think she may have rubbed her back on a branch of the only tree in the paddock. So without another heat patch we are only relying on observation to tell when she is ready. It's a bit hit and miss, but we'll see how we go.
The fence guys didn't come on Monday because it was raining and then they didn't turn up today when they had rescheduled. It's not looking good for these fences. I really want to move the cows to the Dam Paddock when this AI business is over and I don't want to do that without the fence in front of the sheep yards.

Moving Animals & Gardening
Yesterday Dad helped me move the cows down to the Veggie Paddock. I tried to move them by myself but they just looked at me and wouldn't move. Then we moved the sheep up to the top western paddock. Mum and I went up there this afternoon to collect pine cones and count the sheep, and they seemed to be enjoying their new grass, plus they have a large pine tree for shelter in the heat. Today Dad helped me put up the electric netting between the gate to the Veggie Paddock and the gate leading to the cattle yards in preparation for the AI process to start on Tuesday. Today Dad also mowed around the house and at the front near the road. The grass is starting to look neat again. The chickens also layed two eggs in the last few days!
I almost forgot, yesterday I planted lots of seedlings (tomatoes, pumpkins, corn, cucumbers, zucchini). Although today was quite warm and this afternoon they looked a bit wilted. I'll water them twice a day and hope that I don't loose them. Plus two of my potatoes are showing signs of life, sending up a few new leaves.

Mowing, Pruning & Planting
I brought the ride-on mower home today and mowed a path in the back paddock to the back gate and across the top of the hill. I also mowed around the outside of the veggie patch and at the side of the shed to reduce the risk of snake-surprise in the long grass when walking to the garden and feeding the chickens.
I connected a recently fixed energiser to the electric fence at the top of the veggie garden in readiness for bringing the cows in this area prior to their initial AI injection next Tuesday and the days following. We have to keep them close to monitor their cycles.
A week or so ago a very windy day dislodged some pine branches just above the area near our front gate, making it very difficult to drive in without scratching the car. This afternoon Steven and I went out there armed with a ladder and hacksaw and trimmed three branches the size of my wrist to clear a path. They really need to be cut off near the trunk but that's 15 feet up, so I don't know how that's going to happen. It won't be a problem until a truck needs to drive up our driveway.
Also this afternoon I planted two advanced tomato seedlings in the garden near the house tanks. These were given to me by a very generous neighbour who managed to save her tomatoes during the snow by putting sheets over her plants. The moral if this is to first listen to the weather forecasts and then be prepared. I was also reassured by the lady in the local hardware shop that my potatoes could possibly revive, so this afternoon I gave them a good drink of water and I will hope for the best.
All in all I've had a very productive day, together with herding the sheep back to their original paddock twice. This morning when I went out I had sheep in four different paddocks! They're worse than the cows. I'm going to have to give some thought to fixing those fences ... another day.

Thistles
This afternoon I decided to declare war on the thistles in the Dam Paddock. I went out about 6.30pm with the mattock and an empty chaff bag. I intended to bag all the thistles but when the bag became full I left it and continued on leaving the thistles upturned. They ranged from small one hit wonders to thistles so high I had to cut them down in stages (only about 50cm high really). At the end of an hour I was hot and sweaty and puffing. It was as good as any workout in the gym, plus I killed lots of thistles at the same time (and it didn't cost anything). I then went for a brisk walk to round up the escapee sheep and cool down. By this time I was starting to lose the light. It's the best time of the day to work, though. In my exhausted state I dragged the full bag of thistles up to the shed and left it where the sun can bake them dry over the next few weeks.
In other news I have lost another kilogram, so I have now lost 15kg for the year. Plus Paul is talking to me again, so the future may not be as bleak as it once seemed.

Ride-on Mower & Escapee Sheep
Today Steve and I managed to get the ride-on up into the trailer. I'm going to take it into town tomorrow to see if the mower guy can find out what's wrong with it. It won't start, basically. The battery has been fully charged, so that's not the problem. My brother thinks it's something to do with the starter motor but even from his description I don't know where that is. I even put petrol (and oil) in the normal push mower but couldn't start that either. The ride-on has been out of action for a while and the grass is getting very high, so I thought I had better take it somewhere. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be getting it into the trailer. Steve was pulling on a heavy rope and I was pushing up the metal car ramps. Anyway, we'll see what the mower guy says tomorrow.
After moving the sheep into the Triangle Paddock and Veggie Paddock I thought they would stay put, thinking that the fences of those paddocks are better than some. But if there is the smallest chance that the lambs can push through, they will. Plus Fluffy and Spotty Ram (last year's lambs) always manage as well, even though they are both quite big now. They are just the adventurous types.
Our chickens (or should I say 3yr old chooks) haven't layed an egg in over a week. We are down to five now from ten. I guess they're the five that don't lay.

Bloody Snow
While it was snowing yesterday it was sort of exciting, even though it was freezing. My main worry was getting the sheep, lambs and Bobby into a paddock from which they could access the shed because they had no shelter where they were. And then of course I had to go to work. I didn't have anything in place or even think about saving the vegetables. Well, I've lost the lot - 40 potato plants (about 30cm high), almost as many bean seedlings (about 15cm high), four tomato plants and three pumpkin seedlings. The few beans and lettuce I had planted around the house tank seem okay (they are still standing at the moment), maybe they were sheltered a bit. We had 6mm of snow, which doesn't sound like much because it certainly looked like more, but that's what was in the rain gauge this morning.
It's pretty upsetting really, about the veggies that is. The potatoes were coming along nicely. I'll wait a while to see if any come good before I rip everything out and start again. I'm glad I hadn't planted the corn seedlings out, and I do have some more pumpkin seedlings in the shed too, plus some very tiny tomato seedlings. But of course the shed doors are open now to let the sheep in and that also lets a draft in that might affect the seedlings.
Steve and I went to see "An Inconvenient Truth" on Tuesday. It was good but they were probably only preaching to the converted, judging by the audience in the theatre. But after having snow in November, I think in our area we could do with a bit of global warming.

Snow, Fences and AI
This photo was taken at 8am this morning. It had been snowing since just after 6.30am when I went out to feed the chickens. (By the way I buried another chicken two days ago.) I brought the sheep down from the paddock on the hill to the Triangle Paddock, so they could have access to the shed. It's still freezing but all the snow has gone now. I hope my poor vegetables recover. The beans look a bit sad.
Yesterday I accepted a quote for $650 for building two fences (100 metres and 20 metres, both with gates). The previous quote I received was for $990. At that price I would have been building it myself. I'll get these two fences built and then at Christmas when my brother and Dad come to visit, we'll attempt to replace the fence down the middle of the property - there are no gates involved, so we may be able to manage it outselves.
On 28 November we are starting the process of getting our cows pregnant. They have an injection to bring on their cycle and then we monitor them. When they cycle the AI girl comes back to give them the semen. We have ordered two Poll Herefords and one Murray Grey. At the same time she will be checking if Lady is able to get pregnant. Around the same time I plan to send one cow to the butchers. Originally this was going to be Star, but that depends upon the outcome of Lady's investigation.

Woven scarf
I have finally finished my first woven scarf. I wove a variety of patterns to see how the colours of the warp and weft came through, plus to find out how different patterns made the final fabric feel. I'm pretty pleased with the result.

Garbage Collection and New Trough
Today I bought a wheelie bin because we are going to get our garbage collected on Thursday! No more messy garbage bags in the boot on the way to the tip! We're going to get a collection once a week, so I'll have to take advantage of that and start cleaning out the shed, a little bit every week.
I also bought a new water trough today to go in the Veggie Paddock (called because it is the paddock next to the veggie garden). I bought all the fittings to connect the trough, with a short length of hose, to the tap. I wrapped plumbers tape around the threads as instructed and put it all together and it worked wonderfully. So now I have one less paddock to drag a trough to. Ultimately, I'd like to get a trough for each paddock.
I also cleaned out the cows trough today. I hadn't cleaned it for a while and it was filthy with thick algae on the bottom - the water was clean though. On McLeod's Daughters they're always talking about cleaning out troughs. Sometimes it seems overdone but believe me, troughs always need cleaning.
In the evening I weeded the garden and put down some sugar cane mulch around the potatoes and beans. I also planted two tomato plants that I had in pots in the shed. I'll try and plant the other three tomato plants tomorrow. These tomato plants are about 40cm high, so they're ready for the outdoors. My other tomato plants are only very small seedlings at the moment. The corn seedlings are about 20cm and should also be transplanted soon too - maybe tomorrow.
I was going to mow around the house today but the ride-on mower wouldn't start. It's on the charger overnight, although I don't think that's the problem. That's something else I need to do tomorrow - either mow or figure out what's wrong with the ride-on.

Thank you Mum & Dad
In the last couple of months Mum & Dad have been visiting for five days or so each month to help out with things around the farm. Mum has been helping with inside things such as ironing and cleaning and Dad has been helping with outside jobs I either can't do or never seem to get around to doing. On their last visit Dad put the shed door back on - it hadn't been up for the last few owners Dad thinks. He also set up a new gate for accessing the back of the shed. Now with both doors closed the end of the shed has a calm feeling because the wind doesn't whistle through and therefore my seedlings are more protected. Of course if there is ever an occasion, the sheep can now be closed in the back of the shed prior to shearing or if the weather is severe. On previous visits Dad has mended the chicken coop door, cleared areas of blackberry and helped with the continual tasks of mowing and collecting and chopping wood.
We've had quite a lot of rain in the last few days and the shed tank as well as the house tanks are full to overflowing. The dam still has a way to go though. I will wait until the mud settles before pumping up to the tank at the top of the hill.

Poor Polo
It's a year today since Polo died. That's when everything started going wrong. Poor Polo. I have included a picture of Bobby shorn. He survived shearing. He's been out in the rain for the last few days without his fleece, though.
The fence guy didn't come to give me a quote when he said he would. So tomorrow I'll ring a third fencing contractor and try again.
It's been raining practically all day today. The shed tank is full and the house tanks are full. I'll check the dam tomorrow. The grass is looking very green, it's nice to see.

Inquisitive Cows
This is just a short entry to practice uploading pictures. This is a picture of Lady, Star and Sandy (left to right). This picture was taken in September.
In the last few days we have had a bit of rain - enough to half fill the shed tank and make the grass fresh and green. We're lucky that we don't have too many animals, and so there is enough grass for them.
Hopefully someone is coming here tomorrow to give me a quote on building a fence (it's our third attempt). We also finally had our internet phone line fixed. It's now running smoothly and continuously.