Rain!

It's been raining here for the last week which is fantastic! I've added a new gadget to the blog which is our rainfall tally for the year - it's under 'today's weather'. I researched the average weather for this area and we're well below our normal rainfall total for the first six months of the year.

Our average rainfall for the year is 569.2mm or almost 23 inches. So far we've only had 129mm or just over 5 inches. We should also have rain for 105 days of the year, whereas we've had rain for only 15 days so far this year.

I'll add the rainfall totals as the year progresses. Let's hope we get closer to our average!

Keep Calm and Carry On

This statement has always appealed to me, so I finally ordered a copy. Here is the story about the poster's beginning.

"In the Spring of 1939 and a looming war with Germany on everyone's mind, the British Government's Ministry of Information commissioned a series of propaganda posters to be distributed throughout the country upon the outbreak of war. The plan for the posters was to relay a soothing message from King George VI to reassure his people that all capable measures to defend the country were being taken.

Using the crown of George VI as the only graphic device, the stark red and white poster simply read 'Keep Calm and Carry On'. Over 2 million posters were printed, held in reserve, intended for use only in times of crisis or invasion. Some had found their way onto Ministry office walls but the poster was never officially issued and so remained virtually unseen by the public - unseen, that is, until a copy turned up more that fifty years later in a box of dusty old books bought in auction.

Unfortunately, there are no records of the original designers of the 'Keep Calm' poster. But it's a credit to the nameless artists that, long after the war was won, people everyone are still finding reassurance in their distinctive and clean design, and the very special 'attitude of mind' they manage to convey. These words hold true even in the world's current state of events."

Pillows

In between my tractor driving shifts, I managed to sew a few pillows with the scraps left over from Rachael and Jess' quilt, and some extra fat quarters I bought at the same time. It's gorgeous, bright fabric from Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party range. Farmer Phil thought they were a bit bright, but I just love them!

Woohoo - We're Finished!!!

Yes, finally the crop is all sown as of last night!! All 5000ac, or 2000Ha of it! We had a bit of a lull last week as last weekend was supposed to bring us some rain but all we got was 6mm. So we kept sowing until we were finished. The weather report now says that we are to get rain almost every day this week! We never know whether to believe the reports or not, so we'll just wait and see. I'll take some photos of what the crops look like now after being sown for 5 weeks. The canola is looking good at the four leaf stage.

Sowing Progress

I'm sorry for my lack of blogging over the last few weeks, but it gets a bit hectic around here at cropping time. We've sown about 4000ac (1600Ha) so far with another 1000ac (400Ha) to go. It's three weeks today since we started, so we're not going too bad! Farmer Phil serviced both tractors on Friday so we didn't get any sowing done, and then Saturday was blowing a gale so it was pointless to spray any chemical. Farmer Phil had an afternoon nap while I did some sewing and caught up on housework!

Farmer Phil wanted to average 200ac of sowing a day to get finished by the weekend. We're right on target and everything has gone smoothly so far, althought the moisture in the soil has now dried out and we're dry sowing.

In previous years, Farmer Phil has worked many long hours to get the crop in quickly, but we're a bit more laid back now and in no rush to get it finished. There's no point running yourself into the ground, when over the last few years with this terrible drought, there has been no reward for all the hard work! We can only hope that this year will be different!!

Our day starts with a 6am alarm clock alert, and we're out of the house by 7am. Farmer Phil starts spraying straight away and then I get sowing about an hour later. I'll drive the tractor all day until it gets dark and then I come home to have a meal. I deliver Farmer Phil's meal to the paddock and then he'll keep sowing until 10 or 12pm.

My mother in law Barb has been making all our meals for the day which we take in the tractors, and then she cooks our meal at night as well. I'm very spoilt, but cooking is the last thing I feel like doing when I get home late!

Finally Finished Graham's Quilt

Well, here's Graham's birthday quilt/wall hanging all finished as of last night - I got it done with three days to spare! All I've done in the last three weeks is drive the tractor sowing the crops and sewing this quilt! I'd get home after tea most nights and have a quick shower then get straight into sewing. Farmer Phil found me asleep on the lounge quite a few nights trying to get it finished! I know Graham will appreciate the quilt very much, so that's what kept me going!

Squirt

We have a standard silver birch tree growing outside our bedroom window which is about 6ft tall. Each morning Squirt climbs up it's trunk and sits on top to have his morning wash.

Sheep

We haven't had any sheep on our farm for about 4 years now and I miss seeing all the baby lambs at this time of year. These sheep are on our neighbours place and they would have to be the most content sheep in the world. Paul and Amanda look after them very well by hand feeding them - as you can see there's not a lot of grass growing on the paddock! Normally sheep will run and scatter as soon as you drive near them, but these ones are so happy and calm that they just ignore you!

Spraying

Farmer Phil is spraying each paddock with herbicide before I sow them. The chemical being used needs to be incorporated into the soil for it to be effective.

Cropping Wildlife

Farmer Phil and I have been putting the crop in for the last week or so. We've sown 600ac of canola and 1200ac of wheat so far. We're about a third of the way through, so we should be finished in about 3 weeks.

I thought I'd show you some of the wildlife I've seen while sitting on the tractor.

These crows followed me on the tractor every row I sowed. They must have been after the grubs and bugs which are brought to the surface after the tynes on the seeder have turned over the soil.

This is an emu egg I found along a fence line. It's a few years old as it was bleached almost white - they're dark grey when first laid.

Here are some of the emu's which have made this farm their home for quite a few years. There is a mob of about 20.

And finally, a mama kangaroo and her joey. They just laid in the straw and watched me as I drove up and back, not moving until I came a bit too close.