It was good to see the helicopter fly over this morning checking for spot fires. It was where the first Dog School we went to was heldThe people who hosted the first Dog School we went to have had Ninety percent of their farm burnt but the house and sheds were spared. The sheep were very hard hit and the remaining stock are without feed and fences; very difficult.
Had a very promising looking afternoon, big clouds building, thunder and lightning then fizz. Just a bit of hail and a few spots of rain; disappointing.
It was good to see the helicopter fly over this morning checking for spot fires. It was where the first Dog School we went to was heldThe people who hosted the first Dog School we went to have had Ninety percent of their farm burnt but the house and sheds were spared. The sheep were very hard hit and the remaining stock are without feed and fences; very difficult.
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I don't know how many of you suffer from the malaise of not being able to read anything without glasses, but only need magnifiers to see everything else. Then there is the twenty pairs of glasses that are never to be found, when needed and turn up in places like the feed bins, nesting boxes, washing machine etc. So enter the clip on pocket. I found it in the trade section of the hardware store and it is great. The glasses don't fall out, and I can carry a heap of other handy things that are always with me when outside. Pruners/foot shears, pocket knife, gloves, tiny torch, dog whistle and pen and paper. Best $15 I ever spent.
I think I need my head read, but today our fish fingerlings arrived, 50 silver perch, and 50 catfish (Tandanus tandanus). We intend to put them in our dams, and catch and eat them at some future date!
Apparently, Eileen's mother used to buy fish from a professional fisherman at Lake Cargellico, she claims that the catfish was the best eating of all the native fish! They have the added advantage, that they will breed if there is a gravel bottom in the dam, ( I though because of the cold here, it would take some time to reach that stage). Of course there are the natural predators to deal with, shags, cranes etc. And like our fruit trees (not to mention rabbits), the dream is the thing, reality another matter. The Wedgetail Eagles have dissappeared from our valley, they had a territory that covered both our blocks and we haven't seen them for months. Prior to that we often would see them on dead animals or soaring over the area, but they seem to be gone. The Wedgetail eagle is the largest bird of prey in Australia and can be identified by its size and the shape of the tail (wedge). They are protected by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and it is illegal to kill or interfer with them in any way, but something has happened to this pair. Extreme conditions such as drought increase the amount of predation from eagles and we have certainly heard stories of this when in Western Australia and around the sales. But here in a good season with plently of rabbits and road kill it seems unlikely that anyone would want to get rid of them. Let's hope another pair come and make their home here, the sky seems a little empty.
Fires to the south of us, and floods to the north, we were just dry and dusty. We have now had 3 inches (75mm ) of very gentle rain and the grass is already turning green. Time to get all our breeding ewes in, and give them the once over for the breeding season. We will be joining at the beginning of April and now is a good time to look at the condition of the ewes, the better their condition now the better the lambing. It is also time to see if they need drenching again, update the 6 in 1 injection, and check that their udders are sound. A little bit of time now, will help us to be organised when deciding which ewes should go to which ram, and who should be culled, and not again. It is a good time also to check the rams health. No good finding out that there is a problem when it is too late.
How fortunate we are to live here. We can feel safe in our daily lives, have shelter and enough to eat. Access to healthcare, social security if we need it, education and a thousand daily things to be thankful for. Sometimes life's randomizer gives us a lucky break.
We did our best, polished our sheep, advertised and the people came. But, it was a tough sale and we were not really happy with the prices but they reflect the sheep market in general. The very dry weather and the bushfires would have made people cautious which is very understandable. Let us hope for everyone involved in the sheep industry that things improve; prices at the moment are below the cost of production.
A big thank you to all our friends and customers who attended the sale, you made a huge difference to the day and your support gave us a lift. The fun part of the day was talking to people who followed our blog, nice to meet the readers. I suppose no one really realises how much preparation there is when having a sale. Today the three studs spent the day putting up panels in the Peden Pavilion, in preparation for "THE" sale. It takes some thought to establish the best way to layout the pens, which, are from a variety of other societies, and therefore don't fit together !( thank God for cable ties)
Well that done, tomorrow will be spent putting up signage, pedigrees, lot nos etc We just hope and pray that you, our clients and friends, will come and support us. Another day in the hot sun with Mr Cranky! These pictures are of the 10 sale ewes all "First Selection T3" , and can be registered.
They were classed in early December, and since have been shorn and have grown out to, perhaps, be better than that. Link is a |