24th October

Good lord, it’s been a month. Things have settled down finally milking, my ribs have healed, the lung infection I picked up from not breathing too deeply because of the broken ribs has gone, I’m almost on top of the garden finally, after feeling like death warmed up for the last few weeks.

I’m still doing the mornings milking, 4am – 8am, we’ve got all the herd going now, 1250 of them in 2 herds, herd 1 has all the small cows, Jersey crosses, half Freisan etc, and herd 2 has the larger more steady milkers, mostly Friesan and freisan X Holstein. We’re the first on the milk pick up run, so we have to be milked out by 7.30, so far it’s been possible, but not by a lot of leeway. I’m usually just starting to hose the yard down as the truck arrives.

We’ve had a few minor snow falls, nothing spectacular anymore, just dusting along the tops, and a few good heavy frosts in the Valley. My tomato plants in the polytunnel are looking healthy, beefsteak, potentate, roma and some old variety that Peter the Plumber passed on. I’ve got a dozen mixed chilli plants going, habanero, serrano, long red, cayenne and thai birdseye, with more started as seedlings. Hopefully the green/red/black and yellow capsicums sprout as well.

Cucumbers are sprouted, and the courgettes (zucchine) are through, I’ll put a few in the polytunnel, the rest I’ll plant out when the weather settles.
Destructo the Insane, otherwise known as Tuffy the Wonder Dog still keeps active, chewing holes in everything, and slowly demolishing anything wooden in the house. My good winter jacket now has a pocket shredded, I left some dog snacks in it after taking him for a walk, so he spent the night chewing his way through the fabric and lining to get to them. I was not impressed.

We’re in the whitebait season now, although the local fishermen aren’t having a lot of luck yet, another week or so they all seem to be saying, or hoping, or wishing. Still, the birdlife is collecting food along the river and estuary banks, spoonbills, herons, cormorants etc.

My pet wekas have successfully bred this year, I now have 2 families of about 4 in each, I say about 4 in each as they tend to mix up a lot, and I’m never sure just how many I’ve counted or missed. Tuffy has finally stopped chasing them, we have had several “discussions”over chasing fowls, and wekas.



Other than all the above it has been a quiet month, and I’ve not actually done a lot lately, other than snap the shaft on the lawnmower hitting another rock coming through the lawn, so the lawnmower is a writeoff, it is going to cost more than a new one same model. I had a word with Kevin at Hammer Hardware, and he can get me a demonstration model, used a few times for 50% discount, so I’ve gone for a larger mower with a bigger motor, cuts, mulches, side throw and collects. Marked down from $1,100 to $550. To repair the other one was going to be $868, and the same model retails for $589 new.

Rose Don and Tuffy at the Bainham Store