From Water to Wood Storage

Our old water tank has a new lease on life as a wood shed.

It's very comforting to know that we're all set for wood to keep us warm this winter. The first half of the water tank was filled up with wood, most recently from a $35 bid at a clearing sale, and now we're cleaning up the area around the house so we've got a bit more to store. On goes the second half of the old water tank!

It's held up by star-posts driven into the ground and some fencing wire to keep it all up. Amazing that it works so well, really! :)

Pallets keep the wood from rotting on the ground, everything is quite airy, and so far, no snakes are interested in calling it home.

High 4 on the A414

We worked on the tractor for over a week. By the end of it, I certainly didn't want to smell oil and grease again for at least a little while!

All of the oils were changed (that's almost 40 litres / 10.5 gallons of oil!!), the tacho (or tractormeter, as the old manual calls it) was replaced because the old one was smashed long ago.. Various filters, pumps and other bits and bobs were replaced as we needed to, breaks and clutch peddles adjusted, and finally we were able to try mowing for the first time. But first, Marty had to try her in full flight!!

Flail mowing is done in low gear, though, and not quite as exciting! haha.

We've been taking turns mowing around the house, around the orchard trees, and even mowed a strip down to the dam. The result is pretty nice, actually. It's basically mulching our entire ground. Since we've even been so lucky as to have a little rain lately, the green grass that was hiding below the brown stuff now has a chance to grow a little.

It also has meant we've been cleaning up a lot lately. There are a lot of logs, sticks and such that have been hiding in the long grass. It's also given us the incentive to finally clean up around the old shed. (Will show those pics off soon!)

Moved the chooks

The chooks are under the apricot tree and fig tree too. The funny thing is, we didn't know we even had an apricot tree until just this week, when the fruits started ripening and falling to the ground. YUM!

The chooks were under the eucalypt trees near the top of the property, but it wasn't a big deal to move them. Especially since we had only just flail mowed the area around the fruit trees. It was a simple case of setting up the fence, moving everything over, and by dusk we took the three (remaining) chooks and put them on the perch in their new area.

They awoke to the smell and taste of fresh apricots, and immediately started to work on cleaning them up for us. This is exactly why we got the electric fence in the first place. We direct the chooks to where they need to be. It's an excellent system.

Sadly we've lost most of our chooks to heat and/or old age. Victor, our lovely rooster, has also passed on. With only our 3 young chooks left, and no crowing, it's a little quiet out there right now. We're looking into getting some more, eventually. Thinking that Dorkings - a heavy English breed - may not be the most suited to their current environment. (I think they would have rather us all moved to Tasmania.) We will think carefully about the chooks tolerance for heat before getting any more. We'll see.

Thinking a little bigger

The last clearing sale we went to was the clearing sale to end all clearing sales. We are so overwhelmed with our latest purchase that we haven't been to any others!

Not only did we come home with a ute absolutely full of stuff (again..) but this big beauty was delivered to us the very next day.

Yes, Marty is on the phone. I think the conversation went something like "Help! We brought a tractor!"

This wasn't an impulse purchase at all. We've been considering the need for a tractor.. it's been a tough decision. We were offered to purchase a tractor locally, we also looked at an advertised tractor for sale, but we could see it'd had a hard life. Of course, we've seen them at clearing sales very frequently. This one, I think, was a hidden gem.

It's an International A414. It's not a "little grey fergie", so it's not collectable, and it's not fancy, but has enough horsepower to be able to run the few implements we would like to. We spoke to the man who was selling it (ok, yes, it was after we won the auction - but it still counts!) and he confirmed what we could see with our own observations. This was a well looked-after tractor.

Bidding was pretty conservative.. Marty didn't even join-in. He waited until the last bid was called ($1800) and simply added $50 to it. I was in knots inside as we waited for the auctioneer to call it. Marty must have been, too, because he said aloud, "Finish it!", which made the auctioneer and a few others laugh, and stalled things even longer. But thankfully no-one else bid again, and the tractor was ours.

The main thing we would like to do with it, initially, is flail-mow the very long dry grass. Since we don't have stock yet, but would like to improve the pasture, flail-mowing is one solution. It's a big mulching mower.
Another thing we would like to do is run a PTO driven chipper some day.
But for now, we have the new flail mower, and that should also help reduce the fuel load in case of fire.

 It took a bit of effort for two newbies at farming to get to this stage! We havn't even used it yet.

The desire to fix the old girl up (the tractor, that is!) is strong. This bolt was snapped off, and Marty got it out and we replaced it, so now the step up to the tractor is a bit more firm. There's a lot more that needs doing, but mostly cosmetic things. The tractor itself runs very nicely (unless we forget to turn on the fuel supply).

We're just waiting for the right weather to start mowing now. A nice day after some rain would be lovely, and keep the fire risk lower, as well as the moisture in the ground under the mulch.

Water gardening

Sometimes we need a kick in the *you know where* to get moving on a project. There are so many projects to choose from around here - occasionally a deadline really helps. The deadline for this project was that I ordered the water plants online, they arrived 3 days later, and now we've got to deal with them!

The concrete water troughs are a new use for an old item. They originally belong in a laundry, but one was outside next to the old kero fridge when we moved here, and the other was a bargain at a clearing sale.

Marty and I had recently been to a workshop hosted by the Albury seed savers group, which inspired us (in a roundabout way, since they were talking about wicking worm beds) to connect the tubs together with plumbing. The first two tubs overflow into the second two tubs, which will (eventually) overflow into a nearby swale.

The end result is a home for the three water plants. Ferny Azolla, Kang Kong (water spinach) and Chinese Water Chestnut. The Azolla was suppose to be for the dam (to help reduce evaporation), but I wanted to start it in here before moving some out onto the dam.. just in case something might like to eat it. Especially since there is no other water plants in there yet.

Behind the water garden is a small cut in half water tank that is keeping some garden straw and a bicycle dry, and one day will be raised-up a bit higher so we can walk in there. I want to attach some old gutters to the sides and collect the rain and channel it directly into the water garden - topping it up automatically.

These things take time, and since our rainfall isn't very regular, and the water situation isn't great just yet, I thought it only appropriate to start small.

Spring?

October is nearly over and generally it's considered Spring - at least everywhere else we've lived for quite some time. Here, it is feeling like instant Summer. Sure, there were a few days when we put the scarves and hats back on, but otherwise it's been around 30 degrees! Almost nothing in between. I'm not entirely sure if it's considered normal or not!

The last item to arrive from the Henty Machinery Field Days was the "jazz tank" from Clark tanks. Excellent colour! Not quite blue, not quite green. The shed that it's suppose to be collecting the rain from isn't ready, so the tank is waiting around for now.

Speaking of the shed.. got 2.. maybe 3 posts in the ground before our friendly neighbour in town had some advice to offer. We have spent a good few days pondering this advice.. thinking takes time! Made some changes to the design - but only in our heads at this stage.

We've been to a few "clearing sales" in the area lately too. Lots of fun, many bargains, much junk. Basically, when a farm is sold (or for a few other reasons too, I guess), the stuff the new buyers didn't want to pay for.. the stuff the farmer doesn't want or need.. and sometimes, stuff that other random people don't want too - all gets sold via auction. The junk, err, stuff.. is spread over a paddock (or bigger sometimes!) in "lots".. usually lying in a heap or on a pallet. As a group, you and everyone else follows the auctioneer around as he calls for the highest bids. Quite often the auctioneer starts the bidding at the price which he thinks it might be worth, and when no-one bids, he comes down in price until some cheeky so-and-so calls "Two dollars" (or a similar low number) and that's when the real bidding begins. Other times, the cheeky one walks away with the lot for two dollars after all! It's a fun game, but one has to be careful or you can end up either with loads and loads of junk (selling quite cheap, but it all adds up!), or spending far too much money for far too little goods to show for it.

Went to the Henty Machinary Field Days

.. and we did have a good time there!

The HMFD's was much bigger and more fun than I thought, actually. I admit, I wasn't sure if there would be much that would interest us.. Oh was I wrong!

The map, highlighted places we wanted to see.

When we first came to the area, it was quite difficult to shop for what we needed. The phone reception was spotty, the distances seemed great. Getting what we needed at a good price felt something akin to head banging a splintery wooden plank. At the HMFD's, everything was all in one place, multiple businesses all trying to get your money, and offering good prices! Not only that, but saying "We're 20 minutes thatterway" for delivery was a positive - unlike trying to explain where we are to people at our major centres only an hour away.

Marty signed us up for volunteer duty at the steakhouse, and we spent half the 2 days we went to the field days, in there. It was fun, although neither of us felt like eating steak for a few days afterwards!

Cooking steak

We came home with our little hatchback chock full. A Grandpa feeder, a beautiful ceramic water filter, and a stock trough big enough to water 4 mini cows some day. The 2,500 litre water tank arrived the next day, and the 10,000 litre one will arrive in a week or two.

Added to that, a most glorious 30mm of rain fell into our gutters! Every grass has burst into seed, all the trees have new growth, and we're no longer buying bottled drinking water. Hooray!

The shed

There's been one thing missing on the farm for a long while now - a shed. The old shed had almost completely disappeared - all that was remaining was a single wall with a window. The previous owners attempted to build some kind of structure directly off that one wall.. but it was a long way off being a shed!

The "view" from the house

Side of the old shed

Not exactly a useful structure

The wood had since rotted, and taking it down was not difficult at all. More surprising was the fact that it was standing at all! It was big, ugly and in the wrong place - disrupting an otherwise nice view. Well, it will be a nice view again once we clean it up!

What's left of the old shed - what a mess!

Initially, we wanted to simply take it down, re-use the materials, and put it up over by the peppercorn trees. When taking the shed down, we quickly realised that the wood was just hugelkultur in the wrong place. :)

Convinced by a friend in town, we have decided to try a more solid structure made of RHS and C purlins. He's going to show us how to weld it together and even lend us his welder and a neighbour's generator to boot! It all sounds pretty impressive and perhaps a bit scary too.. but we're in good hands.

So begins the task of digging holes for the square RHS posts.
This took quite a while. The soil is quite heavy clay all over the property, and behind the peppercorn trees is no exception.

The future shed

 The spot was chosen for a number of reasons. Ideally it will provide for some shade in the harsh summer heat. We've noticed that the blowflies don't like peppercorn trees at all, and tend to stay away. Plus, you might notice from the above photo, we tend to store junk under there anyway! May as well formalise it.

The shed will mean a great deal for us, having somewhere to work on things (everything from bat and bird boxes, to chook houses, to kitchen cupboards), and it will get the tools out of the house and into an organised space where they can be used at last. We can't wait!! I look forward to updating further on the progress. :)

Adventures in Electronet Poultry Fencing

Protected by Kencove

We've been using the electric chook fences for the last 3 months, and we're starting to get quite proficient in their use - even if we do say so ourselves. :)

Initially, there was plenty of frustration and anger, I can tell you! Hopefully our experience can help others avoid the same frustrations.

We have quite long grass due to the lack of herbivores grazing on the green winter pastures. The electric fence requires the grass to be short or the strands of wire woven into the nylon will short out and cause the battery in our solar energizer to go flat. To solve this, the grass needs to be very short under the fence, and we use our ride-on mower to achieve this. Initially, the trouble is figuring out where to mow exactly, just the once please!

The Kencove fences we purchased were infuriating, since you could not make them square because each side was a different length. The second one we sent back (due to major manufacturing errors) and we would have returned both if not for the fact that the chooks would have been left without any protection at all without one. So, we looked at how to make the Kencove work for us.

Firstly, the fences were shipped to us with feet that were manufactured incorrectly. The supplier kindly shipped us new feet and we replaced all the mis-shapen feet with the new ones. A tedious job.

Then, Marty came up with a brilliant idea how to make the fence a square. We set the fence up straight out in one line, measured the entire distance of the fence, and divided it by the number of posts it came with, which makes an even number of sections. Moving each post into the correct position, a square is now made possible by measuring out 12.17 metres each side. Oh the mathmatical bliss. :)

Now we can make a nice square in the field, mow, set up the fence and move the chooks in and we're done. Although, the Kencove fence still needs to be pegged down with tent-pegs around the posts as it has large gaps - we think we can solve this by cutting the posts a little shorter. We will give this a try in the near future.

Wanting a second fence to make moving the chooks easier, (we really didn't want another KenCove) Premier One had recently became available in Australia, so we jumped at the chance to get one and see what the differences were and if they are any better.

We feel the Premier One is a better quality product, especially the foot design and sturdiness. It just seems a more simple and practical. Oddly enough though it too came with vastly different side lengths and making a square out of it was impossible! So again, back to setting it up in a long line and moving the post to where they should be and even taking one out because there were too many! Bonus Post!

Now we have two working fences, but the bonus of the Premiere One is that no tent pegs are required to keep it on the ground - saving us quite a bit of time and effort when setting it up.

As for the chooks - they seem to love their new lifestyle. They are moved roughly once a week at this stage, since right now there are only 8 of them. One day they will be part of a leader-follower system where the chooks will follow the cows in rotation, but until then, they're happily scratching away at the grass and weeds.

So, we've moved in!!

My wife and I bought this place nearly 2 years ago and moved in about 3 months ago.

We bought our little farm with the intention of providing as nice a home as we could for our chickens! Nah, really we moved here to create an awesome permaculture oasis. Manda would like to call it our early retirement plan. I call it learning lots of new things and hoping it all works out for the best in the end. Ultimately we would like to not have to work, vastly reduce our expenses, become more self reliant and eat and produce our own organic, biodynamic and super good food. If we have enough extra we'll sell it, if we have too much money, we'll give it away! HHAHAHHAHAA!! and now for a cup of tea...

Edit by Manda: Marty and I may have just lost our minds, but it's a scary time right now!! :)