Harvesting Pumpkins, Water Trough and Exercise

Today we went through the vine patch on our hill and harvested any pumpkins that were ready. About a dozen had either animal damage or sun damage. These we chopped up for the cattle who were very appreciative.

We now have good Winter supply of Muscat de Provence and an exceptional supply of local Dry Pumpkin.

We moved our three cattle into a new paddock this morning after their feed of sprouted oats and a biscuit of Lucerne. It didn't take long for them to demolish what little green feed was about. There is still quite a bit of rough feed in that paddock to keep them occupied for a couple of weeks. The supplementary feeding is keeping them in good shape.

The 28 day rain forecast is not promising. The only rain expected is in the next 2-3 days. After that it is a dry March. We are in a good position with feed for our three. The oats we are sprouting are in plentiful supply and we have enough Lucerne for about 180 days.

The new paddock they entered is serviced by a small dam. Well it isn't really a dam just a depression in the ground where some road base was harvested. It has about 50 mm of muddy water covering the base. Rather than force them to drink that we installed a small trough connected to our extensive network of piping.

The trough was on hand left over from another project and there were plenty of spare connectors and pipework. It wasn't long before the trough was working nicely in a shady spot.

This morning we popped down to the pool for aerobic, anaerobic and some muscle strengthening exercises.

Because we were late the Learn to Swim classes had started tying up one end of the pool. Skipping the laps we did the Aquarobic exercises for lower and upper back, legs and finally arms. Some of these we increased the times from 30 seconds to 60 seconds to make up for laps.

Finally we performed our HIT. The High Intensity Training we follow is normal 20 seconds  of jogging on the spot while punching under water. Jean does her punching with a closed fist while I increase resistance with open palms. We rest for a couple of minutes just jogging slowly then repeat the sequence three more times. There is a lot of material on the web about HIT and there are numerous forms of it.

Anyway the point of this mention was we decided to both increase the time from 20 seconds to 30 seconds as well as add a fourth repetition. All well so far.

Later that morning after watering our newly planted seedlings and feeding the cattle across the river we both felt knackered. A repose on the bed was the outcome and it was mid afternoon before we had enough stamina to carry on.

So was it the Aquarobics or the HIT. It certainly wasn't the laps. We have felt a little this way in the  past after particularly big sessions at the pool and just assumed it was the combination of all three and the build up over several days. A rest day tomorrow and then the plan is to drop the HIT and only perform Aquarobics and laps on that day and monitor the outcome.

One thing we did notice was our bodies felt hot all day as if the metabolic rate was working over time.

Aquarobics

Who's idea was it to go to the pool this morning?

Yesterday was overcast, then there was a slight drizzle of rain, a brief hail storm and some more drizzling. Temperatures remained low all day unlike the 32 C of the previous day. The result is a swimming pool with water at 20 C.

The pool manager looked surprised we were there at 8 am and bemused. Jean didn't hear the manager's comment about it being only 20 C and proceeded to go in. I stood at the deep end preparing to dive in but hesitating in case Jean showed some sense and called it off. She didn't. Just a firm statement about how cold it was and in she went.

I reminded myself that in previous Winter's when doing laps in Newcastle's ocean baths the temperatures had been between 14 C and 17 C most days. When you dive in the shock is horrendous but if the heart doesn't stop it is only a matter of doing a few very fast laps and all is almost fine. At 20 C it is one quick lap. At lower temperatures it is a few more and a head cap is required to stem the loss of body heat (and stop the ears hurting).

So in it was and a very fast lap (heart still working).

On Tuesday we did 12 warm up laps and then worked our way through the various Aqua exercises at 30 second intervals. As the season progresses it will change to 60 seconds. Arm strengthening movements. Then the leg strengthening and finally the lower back. By the time we finished the fingers were tingling as the body loses heat. Today it was too cold to stay in the water that long and there was agreement to do the 12 laps then the HIT and some stretches.

We have incorporated HIT i.e. High Intensity Training where we punch out in the water as fast as we can for 20 seconds then rest and recover for a minute or so then repeat twice more. This is also known as interval training. It is supposed to be very good for reducing the risk of diabetes and there is some but not fully confirmed evidence that it may lower blood pressure and improve lipids.

So HIT it was and then the various stretches and out of the water. I find the long slow stretches really beneficial in loosening up after exercise.

The Women's change room has hot showers but the men's does not. I shared Jean's shower today.

Then home to a normal day of waxing the Parmesan made earlier in the week and starting another Roquefort. A little gardening and a little paid work Finishing off the day with drinks and cheese outside in the last of the sun. Dinner was crispy skin fish, salad and potatoes in Rosemary and Garlic and a bottle of our own Chambourcin.

Blood Bank. Sourdough Pasta Success, Chickabator Working

Blood Bank

First up I forgot to mention the Blood Bank truck was in Clarence Town yesterday as they are every four months. Having booked an appointment four months ago there have been two reminders, an email two weeks ago and then a telephone call last week. The entire process is very efficient with very little waiting. All you have to do is make sure you have eaten well and drunk lots of water. Both those boxes ticked. The only real problem is afterwards. No heavy exercise after giving blood but we did manage a very good morning session of a few laps and aquarobics.

This is the first aquarobics session of the new season and I have to say it seemed easy going during the session in which we only did 30 second durations on each exercise. Something about doing all this in water makes a difference. For several hours after the session our bodies generated heat as if the metabolism was in runaway mode. I haven't noticed this after a plain old swimming session even when its been intensive. And the next day the body felt as if it had really been used (in a pleasant way).

And of course the day after giving blood it usually a good idea to take it reasonably easy as well - well that's what they recommend. No vigorous swimming.

Sourdough Pasta

Mixed this yesterday. 2 cups of starter and topped up with wholemeal flour and Semolina (only because there wasn't enough ground wholemeal at the ready) until the texture seemed right. It sat until the next morning and because it looked bit soft and sticky a little more flour was added. A final mix that evening and then the roll out. No good. The dough breaks up when rolled through the pasta maker. Not a disaster yet but we may be having Marinara without the pasta. Halved the dough batch and beat two eggs and mixed again with more flour. Finally the texture is about right and it rolls beautifully. So that seems to be the secret i.e. you need the eggs. But not until it has gone through the souring process.

And the taste was spectacular. The pasta was almost sweet in flavour and stood out even in a heavily Tomatoed Marinara sauce. Lots of Parsley and parmesan over the top.

Chickabator

Success. Three little chickens hatched with a little assistance from the grandparents. The shells seemed particularly tough and some prising was needed to allow them easier exits.

Rather than raise them in a brooder we bunged them under a broody hen (her timing was impeccable). She took to them immediately and they have now been transferred to small chicken tractor until they are big enough to roost with mum. When they were first hatched they were very fragile but a day under mum changed all that.

Now the program can get serious. Jean wants to breed from particular pairs. These will shortly be put together in some small chicken tractors and the eggs can be harvested as they occur.

Photographs

No photographs of the Aquarobics as the camera is not water proof.

No photographs of the chickens hatching - just plain forgot- too much excitement.

No photographs of the sourdough pasta because there was a panic in the kitchen at 6 pm when it all looked like a big disaster. And too relieved at having recovered from near disaster to think of it afterwards.

Fox Proof Fences, Magpie, Ported Prunes, Newspapers, Aquarobics, Planning, Mosquitos

Fox Proof Fencing

Some years ago, after a savage Fox attack in which 20 chooks were killed, it was decided to make a serious attempt at replacing the fencing around the orchard with a long lasting Fox proof solution. By dividing the Orchard and house yard into a number of logical sections, it was easier to erect the fencing in stages. The first stage was the immediate area around the chook pen, followed by the main part of the orchard, then the house yard and finally the last piece was the internal fence between the house yard and the Orchard.

Fox Proof Fence

Over the last few weeks that last section of fence has gone up, along with a number of extra access gates for convenient entry at different points. The project is slow as each gateway requires additional strainers and stays. Additionally, the gates are handmade as are some of the fittings. Because the ground is so rocky each strainer and stay is cemented into place.

Everything is done in steel. The netting is extra heavy duty and should last more than 20 years. The top wire is designed to be electrified to stop cattle leaning over and to prevent anything climbing over. A 300mm sacrificial strip of netting is laid on the ground and attached to the vertical netting with clips. Once the grass has grown through it prevents anything digging under the fence.



300mm sacrificial Panel

There is evidence that Foxes have been on the outside. But so far it has worked well with no Fox penetration.

Redoing the fences was a good opportunity to also attend to the water distribution system. The garden pressure system distributes water to all parts of the Orchard and house yard via 25 mm poly pipes. Under the old system, all the pipes were tied to the fence above ground. This was a good opportunity to bury the pipe and install risers and additional taps to simplify watering. One of the problems with exposed black poly in Summer is the extremely hot water that first comes out. At least now it is shaded to a large extent.



Water Riser

Progressively we have been simplifying everything to make as many tasks easy. Although all the trees in the orchard are on an irrigation system, sometimes only one or two trees need a drink. Taps are at regular intervals with dedicated hoses, no more wasting time dragging hoses to another tap. As hoses wear out we invest in better quality kink free hoses to reduce frustration and increase longevity. Although experience has shown that kink free is a bit of a dream. Less kinky might be a better description.

Magpie

Found a juvenile magpie recently wandering around the paddock. It is too young to assess gender. The first week was hard work as it was very shitty. Feeding involved poking food down its throat. Finally the struggle is over and it feeds as per normal and often. Having settled down it now preens and has commenced practising its traditional magpie chorusing. Hopefully it will grow quickly before we run out of curl grubs and worms. It has adapted to soaked dry cat food but the cats have not adapted to it. Heavy supervision and a strong cage have kept it alive.


Young Magpie

They have wonderful personalities, forever interested in everything that is going on and a curious streak, pecking and lifting things to see what they are. They are amazingly quick learners as well. When the sun hits them they splay out in a tangle of wings and feathers looking as if someone has chucked them on the ground. The chooks don’t like it at all. They come roaring out of nowhere on the attack. All it does is fall on its back in defeat. Just as well we don’t have carpets in the house as it continually leaves small gifts in various places when on the loose. The only mistake we made was feeding it some Mulberries one day. The gifts left behind can stain some things badly.

Hopefully one day soon it will be able to feed itself and fly well enough to make its own way in the world. We’ll miss it when it’s gone.

Ported Prunes

A very simple recipe is to fill a jar with pitted prunes and top up with port. Leave for a month to allow the prunes to swell. Our favourite way of serving is with plain yoghurt.


Ported Prunes

The best port to use is the one you make yourself using a port barrel. This can be oak (which is a bit expensive) or pottery. Buy a number of different ports. The cheaper the better and mix into the barrel and forget about it for a while (the longer the better). Eventually it miraculously changes and becomes a delicious port. When it tastes good drain off what you need for immediate medium term use and top up the barrel. It won’t take as long to transform once you have a solid base material.

Newspapers

Local and national newspapers, their supplements and inserts and magazines can be interesting to peruse but not really worth the investment. A simple arrangement was made with different friends who do choose to invest in them. They keep the publications and pass them onto us. The articles that are of interest aren’t affected by the time delay. Anything time critical has already had adequate coverage on radio, television and the web.

In return we pass excess produce onto them. Eggs, vegetables, cheese and even wine find their way into the barter process.

The newspapers are finally put to good used as mulch under the tyres in which we grow potatoes. Growing potatoes in tyres is easy when you’re challenged for either garden space or in our case soil. However they are a good spot for snakes which make a plopping sound when the tyre is lifted and the snake falls on your foot. It is usually just as frightened as you are and slithers away as quickly as you are running in the opposite direction.

Aquarobics

There are lots of different forms of exercise but Aquarobics is great in Spring and Summer. We don’t have a pool and use the local council pool buying a season family ticket to economise. Two to four times each week for about 45 minutes is plenty. The best time is early in the morning to set you up for the day. It is also a good time to avoid the crowds

The three areas we concentrate on are the legs, back and upper body. Gradually building muscle tone and keeping the joints flexible. Starting the season with shorter periods for each exercise and gradually increasing the time spent on each as fitness improves.

It’s possible to include aerobic sequences into the session but we prefer to finish off by swimming laps. About an hour after finishing, the body gets a warm glowing feeling indicating it has been used. This is a very satisfying feeling. It also seems to fill us with renewed energy.

There are lots of books available in the market place as well as in the local library system. Over time, we have developed a series of routines which give us the maximum benefit. It is critical to start and finish the sessions with a balance of stretches.

Planning

Every so often we spend a little time looking at what we do and listing down all the tasks that we find frustrating, annoying, costly and time consuming. Gaining efficiency is important to provide more time for those other things we want to enjoy.

Each item is then re-sequenced from worst to least worst. And then possible solutions are listed. Finally, over time practical solutions are implemented. Sometimes it may mean waiting until something wears out before replacing it with a more efficient unit and in some cases there may not be a practical solution. Gradually we have been able to gain efficiencies which enable us to do many other things and still have time to relax.

Mosquitoes

Mosquito Trap

An old school friend recently visited. He provided an unusual tip for mosquito control. Find some open topped containers of preferably dark blue or black. Put water in them and position them in shady spots on the southern side of the house. Empty and refill them every two weeks. As the sun sets mosquitoes look for cool dark places containing water. Cool and dark so that they can be sure the water will not evaporate after they lay their eggs. Regular emptying ensures the wrigglers never mature. My friend swears by this solution. We have implemented it and will make an assessment at the end of Summer.