East side

Last post for today! I just wanted to share my favourite photo of the last trip.

It looks so dry, and hot! It wasn't too bad, though. We took off the barbed wire from the fence in the front there, and removed the wire that was just lying all over the place. That will make mowing and scything a lot safer. The grass is about knee height in places, and we don't want to encourage snakes around the house.

The trees in the picture are almonds, and surprisingly tasty!

You might see behind the trees a water tank. It's not in use, but has some water in it. Marty is standing near it, looking up at the tank stand and blue barrel that was once being used as a header tank.

I can already imagine a low cob fence in place of the wire - keeping the wood posts, of course, because they're so full of character. I'm sure there'll be plenty of nesting opportunities for the Blue Banded bees in the fence, too. It's a longer-term project though - not too high on the priority list!

Blue Banded Bees

These lovely little bees are making their home in our new home!

The mudbrick walls have plenty of holes in them and the bees are all excited. Since we could tell they weren't eurpoean wasps, so after that, we're quite happy to have them here.

Turns out they're Blue Banded bees and are useful pollinators and aren't likely to sting anyone.

I think this means we need to get re-mudding the walls either now (so they have time to make a nest in a new wall - perhaps one we make just for them), or we might have to wait until next spring, after the baby bees are all grown up and left home.

Judging by the number of other things on our to-do list, I'm thinking we will be mudding next spring!

From a bed to a loo

Researching options for toilet facilities, we came across the very informative "Lovable loo" YouTube video. We liked the idea so much we decided to build our own version.

By chance we found a single bed for sale at the tip shop in Stawell for only $5, and immediately saw the potential for a toilet.

Single bed

There was a fair amount of materials available, and we got to work right away.

The finished product.. in place.

The sawdust is in a burlap bag that was once used for chook food, along with a handy scoop. The bucket sits neatly under the seat, very snug indeed. We've colour coded the bucket (it's black!) to avoid any confusion as to what the bucket is to be used for. So far, so good. It's working out very nicely. The whole room smells of pine.

This last visit we found that just hooking up the water tank to the plumbing let enough water push through to wash our hands in the sink. No pump required, at least while the tank is full.

We're working on the water situation - we need a header tank for the tank stand (which is about 4.7 metres high) and a pump to get water up there. It's all new to us, so we'll be researching and asking advice before jumping in. We then need to get the water into the kitchen somehow! :)

We've already made a few mistakes. The first one was to only have 2 buckets for the loo to start with. We're going to need at least a few more, until we get the composting part of the system set up. Last time we visited, we had to use the old outhouse - which isn't nearly as nice.

Otherwise, we've got solar power and batteries to research. It's probably the next priority so we can get some refrigeration happening.

Lunatic farmers

Yesterday I said that we had a busy 4 days, and I only accounted for 3. Well, yesterday was busy too, because we attended the Lunatic farm tour at Taranaki Farm with Joel Salatin.

The farm is about an hour north of Ballarat, where the wind was blowing and it was certainly chilly in comparison to home, or even Pleasant Hills for that matter, where we've been in T-shirts during the day. Luckily we dressed warm!

Taranaki farm follows Joel Salatin's advice very closely, with pastured poultry, pork and beef cattle. I've been interested in following some of the advice given in Joel's book "You Can Farm" and this was a perfect way of seeing it all in action.

We were also hoping to get some idea about the types of livestock that might be right for us and the farm. Getting up close and personal with cows, and seeing how easy fencing could be with electric wire.. it just made that side of things much easier to understand.

Joel Salatin entertaining the crowd, farm staff entertaining the cows!

Photogenic cows

The poultry side of things was a little different to how we would do it. Marty and I both felt a little under-whelmed about the housing the poultry were in. I'm glad to say they were working on a better version of the poultry house / tractor, and I look forward to seeing that in action! We know that things on the farm (as well as in the backyard) are always in the process of being revised and improved.

Kids loved the chook tractor

Looking forward to seeing this version finished

But the general principle of having the poultry follow the cattle in rotation is something we can all agree on. The improvement in the pasture was very obvious, and the quality of the egg and the happiness of the chook is going to be a million times better than anything confined.

However, I don't see us choosing broiler chooks for our situation. Marty and I both feel that the breed has been too heavily selected for fattening up rather than the ability to walk well, grow feathers or enjoy normal chook behaviours. Oh, and there's the flavour of course! Sadly that means the cost to keep the chook is more, but it's a moral issue for us, rather than a pure monetary one.

Although, the tour did make us re-consider getting pigs. We weren't going to get any pigs because it's not something we can eat, but the benefits of pigs are so numerous, it's certainly worth seriously considering anyway.

2 strands of electric wire is all that is needed to keep them in!

It was a good experience, and a fun day. The food provided was gluten free even, and Marty and I enjoyed a sausage (or three!) for the first time in a very long time. The pastured chicken had more texture than shop-bought, but even so, it didn't taste anywhere as lovely as the Dorking boys we process ourselves. (Of course, I'm very biased in my absolute devotion to the Dorking!)

We took the opportunity to purchase a copy of Joel's latest book, had it signed and even got a picture with the famous farmer. :)

The trip gave us lots to talk about on the way home, and plenty of things to consider going forward.

Mostly relaxing and enjoying still

We've had a busy last 4 days, starting with the long drive up to Pleasant Hills. It's suppose to be a 6 hour trip, but add getting petrol, snacks, drinks and visiting Mum and family along the way, it becomes more like an 8 1/2 hour trip!

When we arrived the first thing to do was assemble the barbeque, since we needed to cook dinner with it. I'm embarrased to admit that I left the instructions at home, so we attempted to piece it together adlib. That didn't turn out so well, so I had the opportunity to try out the mobile phone coverage and download a PDF of the instructions. Thankfully it worked and we were able to try the barbie that night, which was delicious and very welcome!

I forgot to mention that on the way we came across a stray dog in the middle of the road - just before we got to the farm. Well, not long after we arrived, he made his way to the house and said hello.

He looked very very hungry and he was quite scared - but friendly enough. We didn't have any dog food or much to offer other than some cornflakes and water, which he took. He didn't hang around for too long, taking off towards town before dark.

We slept comfortably, and it wasn't too cold this time!

The next morning was relaxing, quiet and the dog came back as well! In fact, he made himself quite at home.

Marty and I enjoyed a relaxing day. We did a little work getting some of the grass and weeds around the house down with the old scythe, there was a short trip to the next town of Lockheart, and a little cleaning too. Marty and I installed a deadbolt in the door without using any electricity! We used a hand-powered drill, a hammer and chisel to get the job done.

But there were naps to be taken, and relaxing to be done. Just enjoying our first time there since before settlement. We got some food for dog, and he spent the whole day (after eating all he could) sleeping it off before leaving again. He didn't come to say goodbye to us the next day though.

After another good night sleep, we checked the solar set up (so Marty can get some more information and perhaps ask some questions about it), and found out the dimensions of the flue required in the kitchen. It's an old stove - IXL no. 4 (circa 1942) - with a 5 1/2 inch flue. It'll take a little hunting around for the right piece.

We came home yesterday and already have big plans for next time. We need to organise toilet facilities, and hopefully install the flue in the kitchen if we have it ready, and the roof needs some repairs - although there is only so much time.

I get home and feel a combination of excitement - thinking of all the things we'd like to do there - and being overwhelmed at the scale of the task. Marty reminds me that we'll just take it one day at a time.

We've done it!

Pleasant Hills farm October 2012

Marty and I have taken the plunge and tomorrow we should become the new owners of a small farm on the outskirts of a very small town in New South Wales.

We've been looking at property for over 2 years on and off, when 5 months ago, we saw the one property that ticks almost every box.

The old mudbrick cottage, June 2012

There is just over 20 acres of land plus an old mudbrick cottage. There is a dam and a few stands of native trees. The farm is about half way between two big population centres of Wagga Wagga and Albury. The price was about right, too!

There are a few solar panels, but no real batteries to speak of, so there is no power as yet. The cottage is in pretty good condition inside, needing a little renovation. A bathroom / laundry is needed, as is a kitchen fit-out, and running water into the house would be nice some day. Those are the major things, but I'm not going to list everything, because it wouldn't be a good read. It might just make us change our minds if I wrote down everything - and it's far too late for that! :)

So, we're in for a big learning curve.

We spent a couple of nights there this week, doing a final inspection before settlement / closing. It was basically like camping inside a house, but only slightly warmer than a tent!

The weeds and grasses have grown long, so we've got to do something about that soon. We're planning on going back in a week or two to try and make a start. We still have so much to do before we can even think about moving in - especially at the Old Miners Cottage - but eventually we will move there permanently.

In the meantime, we'll take the squeaky hinge approach. Most urgent things first, but we won't try and do everything all at once. Slowly and gently is the idea, with lots to learn as we go.