"We must achieve the character and acquire the skills to live much poorer than we do. We must waste less. We must do more for ourselves and for each other. It is either that or continue merely to think and talk about changes that we are inviting catastrophe to make. The great obstacle is simply this: the conviction that we cannot change because we are dependant on what is wrong. But that is the addict's excuse, and we know that it will not do."
—Wendell Berry

Wednesday 6 March 2013

Back again

Well it has been over a month since I last posted. Sorry about that.
There were no particular calamities -my computer simply broke down. The replacement part, of course, took weeks to order in.

Life here has continued in its usual cloudy way. Both the trees in the orchard and the littlest cloud farmer have grown. The chook pen is pretty much complete but not much else has advanced and the wet season is finally making a late appearance. The hen duck sat a nest behind the feed trough in the stock yard and managed to make a complete mess of it. The turkey hen is sitting seven eggs behind the compost bin- so far so good. The other turkey "hen" proved to be a gobbler the other day when it put on quite a display and so will be going into the fattening pen along with the excess ducks. The rain and warm weather has given us a good lush crop of grass in both fields and the cows are waxing fat and healthy. Soon I will bring one of our steers back from a neighbours place where he has been keeping the grass under control. The stocks are getting low in the freezer. I really should tan the hide this time as I need a new workshop apron. Last time I did a goat for the freezer I tanned the hide and it worked out well.
Needless to say, I did it in the traditional manner. Salted and dried before getting scraped and bark tanned for a month. Good durable leather was the result. Thin though, won't make a workshop apron but good for drum skins or gloves. I am told cat is the best drum skin though.
The weather has been giving us about an inch of rain per day lately which is about normal for the wet season. Thank god I remembered to replace the weather side roof before the rain hit. Above is a typical Cloud farm day during the wet season. I like it.
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2 comments:

  1. Dani9 March 2013 at 22:26

    I'm glad you're back! I missed the blog :)

    The rain here has been crazy! We've had a noth Qld style wet season so far. I've even gotten a bit of cabin fever :)

    Love lots xx

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  2. Ulf10 March 2013 at 13:31

    The Northern solution for cabin fever is to go out and get wet or else drink heavily. Often both at the same time.
    It has been an odd wet, you have copped most of the rain and we have had very little overall. Mind you, this makes up for the *six* month wet season we had two years ago...Serious cabin fever indeed!

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