A quiet weekend on the mountain

After a major shock to the system of having gone back to work after some months off for varying reasons, I made it through the working week to Friday afternoon.

My focus for the weekend was going to be my poor garden and animals, following several unwelcome visits from neighbours young dog who terrorises my chickens and cats and then proceeded to rip up my sprinkler systems and trash my vege garden, which was full of heritage seedlings that I had been lovingly nurturing into plants. All I will say here is Grrr! (but I've said quite a lot of other words - trust me.) So while my neighbour is on an international trip, I'm starting from scratch with a number of seedlings, hoping I'm not too late in the season to get them to grow. He, however will be paying for a man to come and fix the sprinkler system.

Anyway...

First things first, some fire brigade training on Saturday morning with a couple of neighbouring brigades. This was a great way to check out the setup of each others appliances, meet the crews and learn a few new things.

The donkeys had some special attention this weekend. Poor Guinness recently succumbed to an absess infection at the base of his ear from a tick. Then, when I fed them on Friday I noticed that Irwin had several ticks. So, drastic times call for drastic measures! I developed a 3 stage approach to trying to minimise my poor donkeys from these horrific little creatures (and the other animals by default). The boys walk through long grass and the bush every day, ticks latch on and then they come up to the house and I'm assuming that eventually ticks jump off, potentially into either the path of dogs and cats or... hungry chickens.

So, my cunning plan:
Step 1 - wash donkeys. (Note: Donkeys do not like cold water. This issue can be negated with pony pallets.)

Step 2 - Clip donkeys
Irwin started by just standing there shaking but, by the end, he wanted more and kept coming back while I was trying to clip Guinness. Guinness, however was ticklish around his flank and we had to have stern words about not kicking me. Lucky he's a quick learner.

His coat was nearly 2 inches long!

Step 3 - Tick collars for all

Handsome Irwin

Guinness didn't like it at all (and obviously camera shy).

Here's hoping this helps the poor guys out this summer.

Baillie helped me out today with my gardening chores. This is the only photo I had of her awake! Apparently, it's very hard work helping me in the garden...

I've been sowing heaps of heritage seedlings to try and replace those destroyed. Pumpkins of various sorts, gourd, artichoke, lettuce, bok choi, coriander and some more edible flowers to start.

I'd also planted a few things that, now that they're growing, I'm not sure what these are. Any suggestions on what this might be when it grows up? It's doubling in size every week and is now starting to grow flowers. [Note to self - label things.]

Some of my lavender is flowering - pretty - and I noticed that my wisteria has buds on it for the first time too. I have several colours of lavender but this one is stunning.

Last weekend I split my lemongrass and comfrey and have potted it out in the hope some/most of it will take.

MOTH has been playing super chef this weekend and treating me to all sorts of culinary delights. Last night it was home made ravioli that was obviously made in heaven and sent down especially. This evening it's homemade Arancini balls with a cold sauv blanc with the neighbours and then Pork Belly for dinner. Yum!

Back to to salt mines tomorrow...

Our deck

We obviously spend a lot of time out here.

Roman is such a photo bomber

On a clear day (not today) you can see out past Redcliffe to Bribie and Moreton Islands

Upsidownanimal Farm

Seriously, what is it with my animals...

The chooker moles will be in on it next...

Spring has sprung (and I nearly missed it)

Hi all y'all

Apologies and excuses once again for not having blogged for so long. But I was sick, then MOTH and I went to the UK and France for several weeks and we're back. Felt very missed by the animals and have little fury shadows still following me everywhere.

On a sad note, we lost Mia the Manx to a suspected snake bite while we were away.

With so much having happened since my last confession blog, I don't know what to include.

My garden has been going well, although most of the seedlings I planted before we went away didn't make it.

My artichokes were going gangbusters until disaster struck, well cockatoos actually. They completely destroyed the plants, not even eating any of them.

So, with a little thinking I went old school and decided to build a scarecrow with a little help from Lulebelle the chicken and Moet the cat.

So, please meet Russell (Crow).

So far, he's doing a great job.

I have been successful in growing something else a little different...

And Moet has also taken up crochet... she is such a princess.

Our local mummy wallaby seems to have another bun in the oven. This is her on the driveway, she is there most mornings near the dam.

And my ongoing problem with upside down animals is getting worse. I think we'll name the farm UpsideAnimal Farm. Guinness looks like he's taking a nap!

Take a look through some of my previous blogs to check out more upside down animals.

Well, that's a quick update. I'll look through my overseas photos and post a few in coming weeks.

It's been a while...

Hi all, firstly sorry for the lengthy time since my last blog. I've been working hard, had some surgery, got a super bug in hospital and it's taken a shitload longer than I imagined to bounce back. But HERE I AM!

First big bit of news since we last blogged is that (amazingly) I found Jeff's owner and they were happily reunited.

Jeff (aka Rocky) heading home with Sam, his dad. Is it just me or did he look really sad to be leaving?

Lots of animal things have been happening. Baillie continues to eat cat food, which I promise her will make her ears pointy.

Roman (God bless his simple headed soul) continues to "help" me around the place.

Roman helping me bag dog bones from a friends cattle kill (he's guarding them - growling included)

Roman helping me with a pile of excess donkey straw, which is full of donkey poo and probably the odd snake. It must have been warm.

Then, he's also had his moments, like last week's hydrobath - and every other hydrobath for that matter. Roman LOVES the concept and attention of having a hydrobath. It's just the actual bath bit he doesnt cope with. He goes to his "special place" every time.

Roman visiting his special place while having a hydrobath

And then this morning, I found him doing this...

Obviously trying to find out which came first - the chicken or the egg!

SirLoin has left us - but not what you think. I had bought a new freezer, booked the butcher and then he decided he wanted to go meet the neighbours. Long story short, one of the neighbours fell in love with my little fence crashing steak on legs and they bought him from me for a sizeable fee. He is now living the Clear Mountain Cow dream living in a huge paddock with Devon, the world's largest Fresian steer.

Next one will be called Westinghouse and there will be no photos on social media!

Donkeys are fine, happy and healthy. They spend a lot of time around the house paddock due to grass being in lack of supply (sans SirLoin). So, I'm in the process of opening up another 10 acres of mountain for them to graze and hopefully exercise on. It's soooo steep in areas that I have never seen the bottom of some ravines. In the interim they are being very well hand fed (not without the constant requests for more).

Irwin helping me trim the driveway for a bit of an outing

The farrier came a few weeks ago for a donkey pedicure.

Guinness sharing the love with Peter the barefoot farrier. Look how calm he is.

Red Rooster has grown some lovely tail feathers. He is very friendly and comes in the house if the front door is open. Last week I was working on the deck and, who popped in for a visit...

Red Rooster is such a friendly and lovely boy

And... I've traded in the SUV for a truck! A ute to be precise, a big black VW Amarok and I LOVE IT! It's only been a couple of weeks (I couldn't drive because of my surgery so MOTH got to break it in) and I can't fault it. The dogues had to get accessorised appropriately of course...

Dogues ready to ride in the back of their new ute

Finally, a new addition to the family. Meet Mia the Manx. She has been with us for just three days and is still spending most of her time in the bedroom taking in the rest of the zoo. She is coping really well.

Mia ready to break of of jail at the RSPCA

Mia the Manx is still getting used to the rest of the zoo here at Clear Mountain

I made my best ever batch of pate yesterday (highly sought after).

There has also been many jars of various chutneys (mainly by MOTH - I grow and harvest, he cooks) produced over the past weeks and this weekend it will be lime time.

So, if I make lime marmalade and add a splash of vodka, will it taste like a vodka lime and soda?

I've also taken up crochet again after many many years to make myself a granny blanket for in front of the fire. So far, so good. Being unwell has forced me to slow down and sit still a lot more than I'm used to.

Hopefully I'll be good to go in a few weeks when MOTH and I head off for a bit of a holiday. We have a zookeeper coming in to manage the animals.

Then it will be bushfire season and then summer. Gosh, 2014 - what happened to you?