It’s been a little while between posts and I do hope you’re keeping safe and well. Things are fine here on the farm. I have been trying to sleep when Elsie sleeps and between one thing or another, my days keep disappearing the way they inevitably seem to do with a small baby in your arms!
The world continues to feel a little strange with the Coronavirus pandemic looking like it’s not going to end any time soon. I have been anxiously awaiting the South Australian border to open and a little while back it looked like it was going too. I excitedly booked tickets for Elsie and I so she could finally meet our families and friends, but the second wave of coronavirus hit Melbourne and South Australia opted to keep its borders closed.
Often these kinds of home duties get a bad wrap with media and commercial advertising pushing us to look for enjoyment and entertainment outside of our homes. But it seems during this pandemic the nation as a whole has leaned into homemaking more deeply. I hope others find it to be a comfort like I do during this challenging time, and that the trend continues far beyond this pandemic.
In other news, things have been ticking along nicely on the farm. The goats are looking fat and healthy. Hagrid the guardian dog has settled in well and the home paddock is neatly grazed.
I think I have mentioned recently that everything had broken all at once which had delayed some of the bigger farm projects. The hydraulics on the tractor had broken, the ride on mower was broken, the chainsaw was broken, Grant crashed the Landcruiser on the farm by accident. But bit by bit Grant ordered all the parts and has been fixing things himself, giving everything a thorough service as he goes. Though the Landcruiser is in with the mechanics, that was a bit beyond his skill set.
He’s however been busy on some of the smaller jobs. He’s built a chicken tractor on skids which will go in with the goats and Hagrid. It just needs the door popped on. We will be getting australorps eventually when we can find some at a good price. It seems people are asking up to$50/chook which is a bit steep for us. So we will wait until the right deal comes up.
Chicken tractor with nesting boxes inside it. Just waiting for its front door and chickens of course. Made from recycled materials of course!
With the tractor up and running again Grant has been prepping the area for the first stage of the market garden. It’s been a comparatively warm, wet winter and the cold seems to be mostly behind us according to at the long-range forecast. So, we are tentatively planting a few seeds making the most of the warm days hoping for a few early crops. We will see if it pays off or not!
In the garden, we have lettuce, rocket, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbages, radishes, pakchoi and herbs ready to harvest as we need them. With carrots, spuds, broad beans, dwarf beans, leeks, spring onions on the way.
Well, the boys are all home from school and I have got to sort dinner. Roasted chicken marylands with diced roast potato cubes and greens from the garden. Hopefully, it won't be quite so long between posts!
Much love,
Emma
xx
