A Fortune in Fence Posts
I have included a frosty morning photograph of $1,000 worth of star pickets (the wooden posts are probably worth a bit too). I heard that the price of metal was going to rise in July and I intended to get some fences built soon, so I needed more star pickets and hinge joint. The first quote I received was $6.38 per post. The last time I bought star pickets they were $4 each. But I was given a tip that another supplier had old stock and that I might be able to get a better price. Sure enough the other supplier was selling them at $5 per post, so I bought 200. I may never need to buy a star picket again!
Tomorrow I'm going to buy some hinge joint and gates to go with the star pickets. I have booked a fence builder for next month but haven't confirmed the dates yet. Soon we will have even more paddocks to move the sheep between. I also have a frosty morning photograph of where I have mown paths to one section where I want to build the fence around the original wind break where we planted some of our hundreds of ill fated tree seedlings. Once the fence is up I will buy some more trees, maybe not so many and not so small. (In the photograph you can also see our neighbour's vineyard and newly erected shed.)

In other news I wanted to tell you about a scary thing that happened the other night while on my way to close the chickens in at night. My torch was getting dim but it didn't worry me because it was dim the night before and I still managed to get through my regular nightly ritual. However this night I got as far as the 'vegetable garden', just past the gate at the side of the shed, when the torch faded completely, leaving me in pitch black darkness (the moon wasn't even there to help). I decided to retreat with little baby steps to feel my way. I made it back to the house, found another torch and completed the task. (I can hear some of you saying that wouldn't have happened if I was using my wind up lamp - well I wasn't, lesson learned.)