Saturday 30th April

End of the month, doesn’t time go quickly when you’re having fun. Or something.

I’m still managing the morning milking thing, around the other side of the shed now, taking the cups off, and spraying iodine on the teats. Once you get the rhythm going it is quite pleasant in a sort of mind numbingly manner. Although as usual the cows can be as obstinate and cantankerous as always.

There is one I’m getting to recognise as being a sly bitch, she starts to back out of the bail then looks down to see if I’m watching, then dives back in to get another feed of barley on another circuit of the shed. So it turns into a water spray and loud shouts, and most times, into stopping the rotary and almost physically forcing her out of the bail and along the race. I’ll get her number tomorrow morning and write up a citation.

We are well into Autumn now, the last week has had temperatures in the early mornings down to –2*C with frost everywhere. The hills are still clear of snow, but that is more the result of the weather pattern, no clouds or rain, than any form of management. It takes a while to warm up in the milking shed as well, about 15 – 20 minutes before I feel warm once the rotary is going around. Then it is 2 – 3 hours of constant movement followed by hosing water everywhere.

I haven’t done a lot this week, other than dig over more garden, get more seedlings underway, cabbage, broccoli and brussel sprouts for a winter crop.

I haven’t seen my weka all week, although they do still make a fair bit of noise at night. The little black coloured fantail is still outside, which is good, the others don’t seem to chase it away, as I would have expected, so there may be more of them around the area.

2 more weeks then I’ll be in Auckland for Damian and Tarshas wedding, for the weekend, fly up Friday, come back Sunday night. About time too, now Tarsha has her Pharmacuetical Degree. I get the impression it is going to be a large and chaotic crowd arriving.

I was in Takaka yesterday, a bit of grocery shopping, and took a few pics on the way home at Takaka Wharf, and the River Inn.