General Chat

So, its end of the month, 5 days until shopping day which means stretch the food and make it last. Yet, we are having a kick arse dinner. Bottom of the freezer meat (sausages and steak - score!), sweet potato rosti (courtesy of the garden and the hens), fried tomato and onion (homegrown) and raw salad (all home grown except the carrot).

Today was house cleaning day (bleurgh) but tomorrow is clear the tracks, mow and brush cut day as my littlest mate is at preschool

What have you been up to?

Oh wow. You are one very busy woman. I guess all the mowing will subside a little soon with Winter coming. But that will be overtaken by WOOD CHOPPING!

I cannot wait until we have a proper acreage/small farm to work on. For now I will learn from you, Jo.

On our urban lot, we have been sick today and yesterday (just the adults), but tomorrow I am going to scrape all the poo out of the chook house (yay) and throw it into my tumbleweed, with all the kitchen scraps and grass that has been thrown in there over the past couple of weeks.

I put compost through the vegetable patch about two weeks ago but I can tell it needs some more. Every time I feed the vegetable patch with compost, I end up with random vegetables growing. I have three healthy cucumber vines doing well and some assorted tomato bushes. So in a month all the chook poo should have lost some acidity and I can throw it all over the earth of the vegetable patch and see what pops up again.

Hey Jo I think Jove put a link to a different Jeep for you in the recreation section. It's a bit cheaper and is the bigger cherokee model.

On the weekend we are off to Koreelah (again) to chop down some more dead trees for firewood, that should keep the holidaymakers going until mid May (fingers crossed - Easter is looking busy). We are putting Koreelah on the market this week so we can fulfill our dream of a farmlet close to a GOOD school, where we can live as self-sufficiently and as sustainably as possible. I don't feel there is much we would change about the setup next time. Koreelah is pretty awesome. The only thing we have to bring in to Koreelah is gas, which is something I would change next time by getting solar hot water.....and a wood fired oven! I love the look of the solar heated ovens over a Wake Up World.

Yes, I spotted that Jeep have passed it on to the car buyer in the family, although its a bit big for what we want (we're after a cheaper commuter/farm car for Mr B.

The garden sounds great. I'm resting the chook run at the moment and we have cucumber, rockmelon and tomato plants coming up

Today - I'm exhausted lol. Didn't get to the brush cutting but all the mowing is done. Tomorrow I'm adding matter to the top bed the chooks are currently scratching over and doing weeding around all the garden beds.

The wood chopping for winter has already begun I'm trying to stockpile as much chopped wood as soon as possible to make winter much easier, particularly if its as cold as all the oldies in the district are predicting.

How did your poo scraping go?

Baby my poo scrapin has been stalled by rain. I find it too hard lugging a baby around on my back, in the rain, with all the slippery mud and stairs. Plus the poo weighs much more when it's wet.

I have been researching researching and researching about goats. Which goats to get for milk and the logistics. I am still undecided. There is so much to take into account. They hate wet feet and rain so most of SEQ would be pretty miserable for them right now. Oh and alpaca's. I still want a giant herd of alpacas. They are so cool. But they don't do much more than make fleece, but at least they poo in the one spot.

Geez you have been busy. I was tired just reading your post. So the oldies are saying it will be cold huh? Are you worried for your crop?

I'm in awe that you manage to shop once a month Jo, something I really want to aspire to

Koreelah looks amazing Tallulah, how long did it take to set up? It must be a good feeling that you did so well with the setup this time that you won't need to change much next time, a great learning experience.

Well I'm waiting for the building report to come through on this villa I'm supposed to be buying, the verbal report says there is some work to do on the roof, and a couple of the piles need re-doing. I have about $15k up my sleeve for such things, and I expected as much for a 90yr old house, so it's still trucking along quite well I think.

Can't wait until it is all over though...

How exciting BlueSkyBee Hope you get the all clear soon.

I'm still getting the hang of the monthly shop - we spent the last three days with no butter and I ran out of bread flour last week which meant I had to buy bread this week We still buy fresh stuff from the market on saturdays when we are in town for Mr 3 and Miss 6's dance classes. Thankfully its all locally grown at Bangalow. I also get fresh milk through one of the local dairies whenever I need it, which is great.

So, today was monthly shop - ugh! Thank goodness thats over!!! I bit the bullet this month and bought a whole 20kg bag of bread flour from the bulk store. I'm sure we'll use it though - just scary buying that much all at once. I also decided that we are going to make a 'pretty' garden this weekend, something we haven't done here. Should be fun and the kids are all excited to help Will also be giving more organic stuff to the chooks all weekend. As soon as the zucchini and squash finish I will be moving them on to that bed and planting in the one in they are on now. I have to thin my carrot seedlings too. I hate thinning, it seems so wasteful....

Also, I love Bunnings! We went there today - I could have spent millions

I hate thinning seedlings too for the same reason. Me and my boys are waiting on a package of organic seeds

I hate thinning seedlings too for the same reason. Me and my boys are waiting on a package of organic seeds

Ahhh back in my little homestead after a week in the big smoke with sick family. Nothing serious, just three grandkids and one daughter with the flu and it's granma to the rescue.

I shop once a month too when it comes to everything but meat and veg. I don't eat much meat so that makes it easier. Most of my fruit and vegetables come from my garden. I just pop into town for a few things that I am not growing at the time if the craving or recipe calls for something I don't have. I have had cravings for asian style meals lately and I don't grow ginger for example.

While I was in town I looked at some chickens for sale on the way down the mountain. I am going back tomorrow to pick up four australorps. I am very excited. Will talk more about it in the chicken area.

I love Bunnings too!

Geez Susie, your family are lucky to have you. I wish I had a fairy grandmother around for my kids (and me) when we are sick. xo And yay to you getting your chickens. I have always wanted a australorp/s.

Well we went down to Koreelah on the weekend and as I was opening up the gate to the (completely fenced off) house compound area, I noticed cow poo EVERYWHERE!!! Puzzled, I looked up towards the top gate where there is an alternate driveway to the road (bush fire safely protocol ) and the gate was open. So our last holiday makers through there must have opened it and not closed it OR someone has been snooping around. At least the grass is going to be nice and fertilised seeing Steve decided to mow over all the cow poos, spraying crazy cow poo all over the place. They nibbled on a couple of our plants, but it looks as though they behaved themselves while they were in there.

A mama cow lost her life birthing her baby across the road. The calf was taken by the woman down the road who stores cow colostrum (bless her), and she says that the little fella will have a good chance of survival. We saw a dingo (sitting watching campers nearby - they didn't know!), so it's a good thing that the calf was found quickly. The mama cow died from a paralysis that can occur after birth. Apparently they just cant stand up again and die sometimes. So sad.

Oh That's so sad about the mumma cow. How wonderful is your neighbour though for having the means to take on the calf.

I hope you love your chickens Susie. My girls are hard workers when directed but they also provide lots of comical entertainment. Its also amazing what I will do for my girls. I got up at midnight on saturday as we had a huge rain and wind storm come through and I was worried about them in their make shift run. Sure enough, the tarp over the roosting area had come away (eyelet had ripped out - grrrr) and they were all sitting there sleepy and bedraggled. So I moved them all into the shed for the night, then went back to bed LOL.

Its been fire day here (great day for it - wet and cold), we only have a combustion stove for baking and it also provides our hot water. Anyways, today was bake, bake, bake for the week. Got lots done though and the pantry is full again now

Tomorrow - I'm not sure, no mowing as its too wet and I'm over whipper snipping LOL. Plenty of other bits and pieces to do though

Oh aren't you a lovely chooken owner, Jo. It would have taken me a few attempts to get out of bed in a storm to tend to my flock, but you feel better knowing they are fine. I need to ask how on earth did you get them from a run and into the shed? Do they just follow your direction?

I bought 6 australorps, but 2 have gone missing. I think they may have joined another flock a few doors up but I haven't gone up there yet to ask them if they have seen my black beauties. I am trying to get a nice space built for them to roost at night as it will get very cold up here soon. I have a separate dog kennel with cardboard boxes in it full of straw that they lay in. I have so many eggs to eat, but their is a girl at work who I am giving eggs to and she is very appreciative. I am loving my chickens. I think they are growing on me. There may be a time in the near future that I can forsee myself getting out of bed for them in the middle of the night too.

I feel sorry for the little calf at your place Tallulah. Do you know if it is a boy or girl? If it turns out to be a boy, he will be an expensive steak one day, assuming they are beef cattle. If it's a girl, I wonder if that is a genetic problem. Maybe it will just be a farm pet.

Did you find your chicken escapees Susie?
No, my chickens definitely do not follow my direction I wish they did! At that time of night they are all pretty sleepy, so I just picked them up and plonked them in the shed.

I've moved them all back to the proper chicken run as the garden they were on was looking ready to plant. They were all excited to see lots of green stuff to peck at again - love happy chookies!

I'm trying to get organised to net my mandarin trees at the moment, they are all colouring nicely and I know its only a matter of weeks before the crows and cockatoos start in on them.

So, Jo, do you get your chooks to prep a garden bed for you before you sow? Do you leave the bed for a few weeks for the poo to 'calm down' so the plants don't burn, or do you just give the soil a good turn and go for it?

Yummy mandarins just in time for Winter. How cool is nature? We will have to pop down and see you soon. Sadly we are too busy with family stuff these holidays, but a weekend in May, might be good. And then I can eat your mandies!

Yes, I use the chooks to prepare the bed. They do a good job of scratching over the top layer of soil, adding nutrients and getting rid of any unwanted pests. I turn the soil as soon as I move them off the bed and then mulch it heavily (I used sugar chain mulch this time as I found some cheap bales in Beaudesert) and leave it for two weeks - this way I can weed anything that pops up like errant pumpkins and bloody cherry tomatoes which grow like weeds here!

I managed to net one of the mandarin trees yesterday...finally..... So much to do, so little time...

I found a nice little quote this morning and wanted to share:

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant."

Have a lovely week, all.

Yes, what a lovely quote!!

YAY!!! Moving into our house on the 28th... so much packing to do, so little time!!!!!! I'm NOT moving again for at least 10 years....

My brain is in overdrive with all the possibilities..... Can't wait to sink my teeth into it all...

Nice quote

Huge congrats on the move BSB. I hear you on the not moving again for ten years, I'm over it too!

Let us know how you are going and what your new place is like.

Congratulations again, Angie.

Do you have a linkie to the RE ad from when it was online? Can you PM it to me so I can have a lookie?

xo

Oh no, sorry, the ads have been taken down now, but I'll have some pics soon I'll share with y'all

Bummer! Looking forward to seeing photos

I have some really really sad news.....

4 x platypus found dead in one of the lagoon-like parts of the creek that runs down one of the borders of our land. I want to nail the bastards who contaminated the water.

I am SO ANGRY and SO UPSET. I couldn't sleep at all last night.

Oh dear that is terrible news. Platypus are so sensitive to that kind of thing. It must have been beautiful clean water for them to live there. To lose what sounds like a whole family is very heartbreaking. Are there any more billabongs on the creek?

Me? I have been slack my friends. I was sick with a cold for weeks and have been okay for a week now but I am still a little weak. The cough makes my chest ache and Winter onset here in the mountains isn't helping.

I found out that the platypus died in fishing nets. Really upsetting. I hope they weren't leaving fishing nets further down the creek where there are more platypus in several other billabongs.

I am sorry you have been so sick and sick for so long, Susie. I was sick for weeks and weeks with a flu after Poppi was born (8 months ago) and I'd start to get better then it would come back in force if I didn't look after myself REALLY REALLY WELL!!!! We were all sick.

So we have decided to rent out our cottage in the bush, permanently, to leave me time to grow more, research more, work more and most importantly, enjoy my girls. Hopefully it will create a better lifestyle for us so we are only going down there to enjoy the place, instead of rushing around fixing, cleaning and stocking up the wood pile.

I'd like to get some crops going down there that are reasonably self sufficient. I'd have to fence it off because of the cows and kanga's etc that will eat it. Anyone have any suggestions as to something that is okay to leave to it's own devices to grow?

Pumpkins! Potatoes, carrots - most root veg i reckon. Fruit trees would be good too

I've been busy busy and should really be in bed right now. Garden is ticking along nicely, got another bed ready on the weekend so I should be able to start planting in there next week. Have started another garden in a third of the chicken run too which is all starting to sprout. I could honestly just sit and watch my garden for hours on end LOL

We've also been doing lots of lantana/crofton weed/ wild raspberry/ stinking johnson removal. I have the scratches to prove it! All in preparation for our dexters sometime later this year hopefully - yippee!

Yeah I was going to say root vegetables too or a fruit orchard. Does it get very cold there in Winter?

Wow Bugboy are you getting Dexter COWS??? Are they going to be for meat or milk?

Plodding along here trying to adjust to the new seasons.