Lambs.

With the dry start to the year we weren't thinking about a planned lambing. We had to divide the sheep up as to which would stay and which we would sell. Those that stayed went in with our ram. These were old thin ewes, some small lambs and a few nice ewes. Usually lambing at our place starts at the end of July but this year we had no idea when any or if any lambs would be born. So it was a nice surprise to go up to the flock and find a couple of lambs. Over the last three days we've had 4. The ewes won't let us get close and are very protective. We may get a few more.

Dams.

August has been a good month for rain. We can face the coming summer knowing the dams are full of water and the grasses should grow nicely now. The front dam has come a long way from back in May when it was dry and just been dug out.

Amazing what a trickle of water can do!

It's been a few days but wow look how the dam's water level looks like! Long may it continue.

At last!

We've been hoping and had our fingers crossed that this would happen, particularly when the long term forecast has constantly stated there would be below average rain, but at last the creek has  started to flow! Well it's more a trickle, but the last two days of showery weather has been enough for it to start. Amazingly the dam has risen by a foot with only a trickle! If this continues the dam should fill which will be relief to us.

  

The equines were on their best behaviour!

The farrier visited this morning and for once the horse behaved himself! Maybe the hay helped? So their hooves are all tidy and cleared of muck.

To be a blogger!

To blog or not to blog? It seems the radical animal rights people try to read all the blogs written so to target farmers and those in primary production. So should I continue? We aren't serious farmers keeping our few sheep to eat the grass and provide a bit of meat. I enjoy thinking up topics and posting the photos but also don't want the hassle if the above happens. What should I do? 

Water.

Water! How important it is. Water and it's component parts basically brought life to the earth. After a few days of showers suddenly there's new growth and green everywhere. Areas which looked bare have tiny leaves reappearing. Now many of these are weeds but it's refreshing to see green again. So why is it so hard to realize the importance of water, why we should protect it, respect it's role in life and remember we wouldn't be here without it.

Our spring.

We only got 24mm with the first rains of the year but the recharge of our spring is amazing. Tomas can swim again although it is still muddy under the water! We're due more rain in a few days so it will be interesting to see how the springs levels react.

Some rain at last.

After three days of constant showery weather we've recorded 24mm and found there was a puddle in our freshly dug out dam. Now for lots of follow up rain !

It's dry.

Well the weather bureau have told us something we already knew, it's been a dry start to the year. They've told us in fact the driest four months since 1888! The senior locals have said they've never seen it so dry. Our rain gauge is gathering dust and spiders. So far our totals have been: January 0, February 7, March 6 and April 0.5. See we're down to recording halves!

Down sizing.

It was a cold morning when the truck arrived for the lambs. There was the usual chaos as the lambs were loaded, they aren't the brightest! We finally got them loaded and of to the market they went. In the end we got $70 a head. It's always sad to send stock away but we're getting short of water. The ewes we can't keep will go next. It's not just water, the paddocks are turning into dust so we're hand feeding and we only have three round bales left. So the next time you think 'what a beautiful day' just remember that farmers really need rain!

The front dam.

 It's only taken 19 years but the front dam has finally been dug out. It took two days and there was lots of silt to remove. The eroded overflow creek was also filled in and it all looks so different! Pippa's dam will be much deeper when she can next swim in it. Hopefully it fills this winter.

Sorting the sheep.

Our water is getting low and feed short, so we've made the sad decision to reduce our stock numbers. We brought the flock in to sort out which to keep, a few healthy ewes for the ram and those to skinny to go. One positive from today was Tomas began to show greater interest in the sheep. Even wanting to help. He puzzles me that he's quite keen to confront a single sheep but wary of a flock. One sheep is harder and more likely to stand up to him than a flock!

The spring.

I went to check our spring. I was pleased to see there was still water in it. I did the stone test, listening to the depth of the plop as the stone hit the water. Feeling pleased I was brought to earth when Tomas decided to go for a swim. He sunk into half a metre of green mud and struggled to free himself. I thought I may need to help him out but he pulled himself out. Now I'm glad we don't have any sheep in the spring's field as they'd just get stuck going for a drink. Tomas had a spray to clean the stinking mud out of his fur.

Botanic Gardens.

After travelling a lot to Victoria I've noticed that most of the towns there have a Botanic Garden. From the small cities (Geelong) to the larger towns like Hamilton, Daylesford (beautiful rhododendrons) and down to small towns like Koroit, there's a Botanic Garden of varying sizes.  That got me thinking why did they plant these. Was it civic pride? Was it due to the town coming into money? Was the natural vegetation to alien so they needed plants they recognized? Most of the plants tend to be from North America, Asia and Europe. Cedars are popular. Of the Australian trees Moreton Bay Figs and Queensland gums can be found. Most of the trees would have been small when they were planted which we enjoy in their full adult glory, so some fore thought for future generations did occur. Having seen some photos from the 1800's the settlers did clear most of the natural vegetation so a Botanic Garden provided a shaded, green area for the community. My next thought was why did Victorian towns regularly plant these gardens compared to South Australia. Was the climate better for planting such a garden. Whatever the reason these Gardens provide a quiet and beautiful location for us all.

Top Garden in Koroit. Rhododendrons in Daylesford. Colac.

Dusty work.

It's dusty work hand feeding the sheep at the moment. We're waiting for another round bale to be moved so are giving the sheep a mixture of lucerne chaff, sheep nuts, barley and lupines. I've tried doing this without a dog but the sheep mill around the troughs getting in the way, so a dog is a necessity. Maggie is still the best. Zak and Pippa run barking at them then go of doing anything, while Tomas doesn't like the way the sheep look at him and goes back to the ute!

It's happened!

The state of the dam.

The front dam is a puddle. The extreme heat of January and the other hot days have reduce it to basically nothing. 2018's winter was dry and this dam never fully filled. To combat this my nephew has put a 1000 litre container on the ute so we can fill a trough that we've placed near this dam. The sheep quickly found the trough so each morning I drive out and fill it for that day. Actually everything appreciates the clean water, magpies, galahs and sulphur crested cockatoos. 

RIP Clover.

This week one of our original lambs died, he must have been 15 or 16 years old. He died at the dam and it seems to have been quick. In the photo above he's the regal looking sheep standing behind the front woolly one. He'd been looking thin and unwell for a few weeks so we didn't expect him to see out the summer. It's still sad though when it happens. Our first Wiltipol ram came with a hotch potch group of six sheep. That spring there was no way these could eat all the grass that was growing, so our neighbour agisted a flock of Border Leicester crosses on our property. We'd just had our first lamb. We knew it was a ewe as Gyp had chased her till she dropped to the ground and refused to move. I had to carry this heavy lamb back to the others! When the time came to remove their flock our ewe lamb was swept away with the neighbours and this Border Leicester boy lamb was left with ours. It took quite awhile before we realized this and by then it was to late. We named him Clover. Clover was useful as he loved going up ramps which helped load sheep onto trailers when they needed shearing. He always produced a think fleece. Clover was never any bother and loved his food. He'll be missed. We have only one remaining ewe from those first lambs, Blackie and so far she seems reasonably well.

Summer

The extreme hot weather isn't good for the older sheep. Luckily we only had one of the oldies die over this time. We found her resting behind an old stump. We had gathered the few oldies so we could give them extra food and keep an eye on them. Unfortunately we couldn't see her due to the stump. It's always sad when we find them but as part of the new bio-security plan we have to move the body.

Water and fencing, those are the most time consuming jobs on a property. With the dry conditions we are experiencing at the moment we decided it was time to check on the houses's water supply. We're not on mains water and rely on rainfall, which wasn't the best last year. Both of us had started collecting water in a bucket in the shower, but really had no idea if we should be worried or not. Our big concrete tank has character and is hidden by gum trees. We staggered up with the ladder but in the end were pleasant surprised. The water levels were fine but we'll keep the buckets in the shower.

My fencing buddy.

There's two constants when you own a property, broken fences and water problems. This time it was broken fence lines. Now these could have been made by Kangaroos or falling branches, however on this occasion it may have been our emu. She turned up with the horse and donkey so we think something frightened her and she jumped the fence pulling the wire out of it's gripples. I had to hammer in new staples to the posts, reattach the wire through new gripples and tighten these. I did all this but not the tightening. I couldn't make out how to thread the wires through the gadget that you use to tighten everything. The wires are all up though. Even my fencing buddy wasn't any use! 

Abandoned lamb update.

I've tried my best. This lamb wasn't to become a pet. I have managed to have to return the lamb to a small flock of sheep, however failed in not naming her. She has a name: Daisy. Tomas doesn't know what to make of her!