Another hot day but this time with the wind

The weather report says it will be 36 C today and very windy. I get up early to make sure the vegetable gardens get a water before the winds pick up. In the garden on top of the hill which is in the majority unprotected from wild life there has been a little activity with some shoots eaten on some of the melons and pumpkins. We are hoping this will cease as things green up elsewhere from last weeks rain. There is not much else we can do but hope.

While I'm out there it's a short walk to the hayshed with the dogs to put out some Lucerne for our three cattle who have not come up from the gully yet. They will get a pleasant surprise when they do. Usually they beat me to it and Warren the whinging one bellows until he is fed.

It's 7.30 and time to drive to the dairy farm to collect some milk. They usually start at this time but today they have finished early because the football is on TV. The Rugby League World Cup with Australia playing Fiji. I've fortuitously arrived at half time and they give me a hand bucketing the milk out of the vat.

Driving back via the back road which takes me to our work farm across the river. Put out some juicy Rye grass silage for the cows and calves in an adjoining paddock and let them in. They attack it with gusto. The weaners get a few bales of the newly purchased Lucerne which they enjoy immensely.

Back home to bottle a little of the 20 litres of milk and put the rest aside for a Havarti. It's still before 10 am and I manage a short nap before we head off to the pool for a few laps and some Aqua. In a past life travel was a regular part of the work and catching up on sleep in aircraft or taxi seats became the norm. Falling asleep on the lounge for 20 minutes is even easier.

We really enjoy our coffee and chocolate fudge slice after the pool. Jean leaves for some paid work across the river. She has a paddock to harrow. Today its Bill's turn to keep her company on the RTV. The two girls take turns going with Jean leaving the other one to keep Nikki company. With Nikki's dodgy neck it;s not a good idea for him to travel to much. Bill spreads herself across the bench seat of the RTV in comfort. As it happens the paddock they are harrowing is steep to undulating and Bill spends a lot of time sliding backwards and forwards but doesn't seem to mind. An outing is an outing no matter how uncomfortable.

I get the Havarti started and go down to our back paddock where the cattle were last week and collect cow pats into old feed bags. Lisa and Nikki come with me. They love going down the back of the property with its myriad of night life smells and plenty of rabbit holes to sniff. And of course the dam to wade into. Every bag taken down is used and no pat left untouched.

Jean is already back watering a few pots and feeding the chickens when I return. She frequently goes into the bathroom where we have set up a warm light for the newly born chickens in the bathtub and makes mother hen noises to get the babies to eat. With the one born this morning we have four. I think that will be it for this batch.

Since I'm stuck in the kitchen with the Havarti I volunteer to make dinner. We have been getting Tomatoes for some time from a self sown plant in the Sweet Potato bed. Just those little yellow ones but they are prolific and great in a salad. The Cucumber vines are still quite small but there is some fruit from them. Throw in some onion, Fetta, various seeds, a little red wine vinegar and various lettuce and herb leaves and you have a delicious salad. Plenty of Cabbage available which is sliced into shreds and lightly fried in a sealed saucepan with Fish Sauce and chilli. A couple of freshly harvested Potatoes are sliced thinly and fried. Steak for Jean and a little left over seafood compot for me. A HHF 2010 Malbec with all that.