Lola

Acquired another mouth to feed a few weeks back. This female Magpie started feeding out of a food dish we keep topped up for the two fowls who reside in the house yard. Gradually over time we improved her diet with some fresh mince. Now she rocks up at first light for her first feed and then a few more times during the day. Oddly she is a lone bird and is chased off by a family of three who live in this area. Still she persists and returns. I'm not sure why she allows them to chase her away because she is twice their size. For some reason she has been named Lola. Naturally feeding has to take place to the sounds of Eric Clapton's fine song “Layla”.

Lola at 7.30 am waiting for her first feed

Warm Weather, Rain, Magpie, Bread Making, Casual Work, Asparagus Weed, Bicycles and Buying Chicken Food

Warm Weather and more water from sky

Regular rainfall at this time of year is welcome as it boosts the growth of the young vegetable seedlings. However, the downside are the lawns and weeds jump out of the ground with more and more time becoming devoted to mowing and weeding. The main reason for mowing is to get a clear view of the snakes before they get under foot. No more venturing out without the appropriate footwear and long pants.

The local public swimming pool is in full swing with Learn to Swim classes and swimming squad training morning and afternoon, interspersed with children cooling off after school and individuals with their own exercise regimes like ourselves. Fortunately, there is a monthly day by day programme on the whiteboard allowing us to insert ourselves in between classes and visiting schools. The water temperature is higher and more comfortable although there is something to be said for the cooler temperatures of a month ago encouraging more vigorous activity as well as cooling down the limbs.

Magpie

Bathing the Magpie

The young magpie has settled down but not without some downside. The cats are still trying to kill it meaning, only one species is allowed in the house at a time; although the 20 year old cat looked completely surprised when the magpie splashed down beside him and cuddled up. There is also the issue of what goes in must come out - in a different form! There seems to be this tube starting at the top in which we add various goodies such as moistened cat and dog food, mince, greenery and worms. These additions move down the tube by gravity and drop out in a more liquid form like little oysters with a dark centre surrounded by a white milky substance. Unless wiped up immediately, they dry into difficult to remove solids. These appear at random down the back of chairs, down open doors, down the back of your clean top and in various other inaccessible areas. Miggie, as she is called, has also discovered play. This involves everything on the kitchen benches being carried to another location. The dried chillies, garlic, notes, pencils etc relocate at random. More interesting was the water filled platter being used to rehydrate rice paper which became a bird bath after the first sheet was removed.

She is just over 4 weeks old, hopefully soon self feeding and flying skills will evolve and more time will be spent outside. Not that it isn’t cute but it is wearing after a time. We will miss her when she decides to leave us.

Bread Making

Bread and Machinery

Many people write wonderfully about the joy and relaxation that bread making brings; the kneading and tactility as the dough changes texture is inspiring. Neither of us has that thought! Bread must be made. It is better made than bought. This way the ingredients can be controlled. Usually this task is required to be performed two or more times each week.

Our approach uses a bread machine as the labour saving device to allow other tasks to be paralleled. Over time a manual setting has been developed to suite the style of bread we make. Our problem is that our flour is stone ground not long before we use it. Just enough is ground for one or two loaves and/or some fresh pasta. We have an old stone grinder driven by an electric motor that was passed on from the previous owners. It needed some refurbishment and it doesn’t grind really fine flour but it works well enough. Good quality Bio-Dynamic whole wheat grains which we buy in bulk and store in a vacuum is our preferred ingredient. Of late we have been using milk instead of water in the dough. This seems to provide a better result. In addition a little extra liquid is added to give a much sloppier dough which gives us a better rising and texture.

Today also involved cinnamon bread or simply the standard loaf with three spoons of powdered cinnamon and a third of a cup of sultanas. A nice little treat at breakfast, particularly with our homemade cultured butter.

Casual work

Some years ago we both decided that fulltime work was detracting from our desired lifestyle. With the mortgage within relatively easy reach of final payment it seemed a good time to move to casual work. It was surprising to me how easy it was to find work locally which would only occupy 2-3 days each week. The pay rates were not as high as city work, but then travel was greatly reduced as were the costs associated with it. The work environment was also more conducive and the hours more flexible.

With a last big effort we not only paid off the last of the mortgage but also put aside enough to live off for a several months should there be a downturn in demand for labour. This additional free time opened up the opportunity to do more things for ourselves and to also revisit our cost structure and prune any waste.

Waste did not involve good food or good wine. We don’t indulge in all the goodies associated with a large cash flow such as new 4WDs or large TVs in every room or any toys to be thrown away after a few uses. There is nothing we cannot afford, the issue is do we really need it to provide a brief pleasure before that pleasure dulls and we are looking for the next big thing.

Once established in our area a reputation for honesty, work ethic and loyalty resulted in more offers of work than we could accept. In a small community the recommendation of other locals is a gold pass.

Asparagus Weed

Invasive Weed Sample

It didn't take long to uncover the cause of the problem with the Mary Washingtons ie why they were late to shoot. What appeared to be an innocuous ground cover which easily pulled away turns out to be a very nasty weed. This nameless invader has an extensive matted root system  going down 200 mm below the surface smothering everything. Over a couple of days we managed to remove a substantial quantity but not without some damage to the asparagus roots. Then every day or two we go over the entire bed with a small hand fork plucking out any shoots that were missed or any green leaves that pop above the surface. The hope is that with long term diligence and preventing any remaining roots from gaining access to the sun, it will eventually fail to thrive. An additional job but better than having to start the bed again.

Bicycles

Recycled Bicycle

Our first two bikes were second hand picked up at an auction sale - $2.50 each! A couple of working spares were added from friends and relatives’ rejects. Since then, we have accumulated spare brakes, tyres, rims, tubes and accessories which have proved very handy. Every year the local council conducts a bulky goods pickup. This is an ideal time to grab a few discarded bikes, strip off any reusable components and place the remainder out for recycling.

The council very cleverly ensures the announced pickup date is a couple of weeks before the actual pickup. This ensures that people such as us can rummage through the goodies on display and select any reusable pieces before the big truck takes them away. We mustn't be the only ones with a sharp eye for reuse as over a period of days large quantities of discards disappear overnight. Wisely the council reduces its work load by about 75%.

Buying Chicken Food

Feed Bins

Buying bulk supplies of grain for the chickens provides significant cost savings. Careful storage of grain is critical as in warmer weather weevils can decimate the storage bin in a short time. Non-organic grain is usually treated to protect it against weevils but Organic and Bio-Dynamic grain requires mechanical protection.

We store our grain in 200 litre plastic drums with screw top lids. These can be cheaply purchased from food importers who repackage products such as olives and capers. They are happy to sell the empty drums for a few dollars to all comers.

Once the drum is cleaned and dried, it is filled with grain until about 250-300 mm from the top. A piece of aluminium foil is placed in the drum and a small candle sits upright on the foil. Light the candle then curl the foil over so that the flame is below the turned foil. This stops the heat from melting the plastic lid. Ensure the screw top lid has its rubber seal intact and screw the lid on tightly. The candle will eventually extinguish leaving a slight vacuum and carbon dioxide. This is an environment which is not conducive to weevils. In the warmer months we relight the candle every month or so to ensure conditions for weevils don’t improve.

Over the years we have tracked down a number of organic or Bio-Dynamic grain farmers who store their grain on farm when the market is depressed and sell when the market is more attractive. They are happy to sell any quantity for cash and the price is very competitive compared to normal retail. These buying trips involve a long day. An early start followed by a long drive to grain country, filling bags from the silo and then weighed down with a slow return trip. This is a good job done with a solid trailer.

If morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea are packed, this can be a pleasant sightseeing country trip. The country hospitality is always there so don’t be surprised to be offered a cup of tea and spread of homemade goodies.

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.