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Thursday, January 16, 2020

Bits and pieces

Hello Friends,
I think I am finally free from the pain and lethargy brought on by the case of shingles that floored me before Christmas. I am back to my version of normal at any rate. So I thought a little garden and farm update might be a good idea. 


The heat has been bad but the garden can handle that. It's this drought that has really been the killer. Even the two reliable creeks we have on our property have run dry. We still have water in our house tanks but you just never know when it will rain and people and pets come before plants so I have very little growing in the kitchen garden right now. I am building the soil with manure and compost so all is not lost and perhaps the rest from growing will be good in the long run. I will keep telling myself that.



Before we flew off to the UK, I sowed a zucchini seed and a pumpkin too and got them watered every so often when my parents visited in our absence. They were still alive after the month though struggling, not thriving. Now they are growing well and hopefully their will be some zucchini and pumpkins to show for it.


I'm not sure how these strawberries have kept going but they have so I will do my best to help them along. The self-sown parsley in there  too.



The orchard is suffering terribly. The citrus which were doing so well, have lost a lot of leaves and look sad. They just need a good soaking and a break from the drying winds that have added insult to injury.


And what do crazy ducks do when the weather is hot and dry and horrible? They lay a clutch of eggs and sit on them for a month of course. I do hope there are some little ducklings at the end of this to reward Amanda for her diligence and patience. She's a lovely duck and talks to her eggs so sweetly.

smoke haze 

As for the fires nearby. They are contained or extinguished. There was a bit of stress a few times but that came to nothing. Thank goodness. We had learnt to live with the constant haze of smoke and happily even that has gone now.


Not much pick for the cows and sheep. They are all healthy and in good condition. Some of the paddocks I've seen on my travels into town don't look like they have anything to offer for grazing besides rocks and dirt. These guys have grass albeit very short grass and they are hand fed as well. No picture of the cows today, they tend to spend a lot of the day down by the creek which although is not flowing, still has some spots which are wet and cool. Living the life 😎.

Well best get to it.
Tracy xo

11 comments:

Kaisievic said...

Oh Tracy, I do so hope and pray that you get the rain that you need very soon and good luck with the ducklings - I hope that they hatch.

kiwikid said...

The drought is hitting hard everywhere Tracy, I hope you are get some rain soon. Those must be determined plants to keep growing despite the lack of water. Looking forward to seeing the ducklings.

River said...

I'm still praying for rain and hope you soon get a good supply, at least enough to get the creeks running again and the paddocks greened up.

Fiona said...

Glad your shingles has cleared up... it's horrible. Hoping some of this rain that is around comes your way...
Hugz

Janice said...

Thanks for the update. It certainly is a dismal season. We have a little few veges in - just a couple of tomatoes in pots, a zuchinni, button squash, egg plant and a few beans. We are allowed to water for half an hour twice a week and save as much water from inside the house as we can. Mick has also put in some tanks, which thankfully have some water. We are keeping our raspberries alive, but they won't have much of a crop this year. It is so sad seeing so many gardens dying. Your sheep look nice and healthy, which is a blessing. We have had some rain today - about half an inch. Were you lucky enough to get under any of the storms? If so, I hope they weren't too destructive.

Maria said...

It's surprising you can still have a bit of a garden with the drought.. I put my washing machine water on my garden.
Amanda is a dedicated Mum.. be nice to see her little ducklings..
Good you were saved from the fires and that the smoke is clearing..

Tania said...

Hope you got some rain Tracy.

We didn't get any here, but other areas on the eastern side of Oz did, so that would have helped out a great deal with the fires.

This drought is awful. Our tanks are getting low, so it had better rain soon as I don't like watering the garden with mains water.

I love baby ducklings, they are so cute. Hope Amanda hatches them out successfully.

xTania

mamasmercantile said...

Glad to read you are feeling a little better and thrilled that you are safe. The news about your beloved Country has been heart breaking, my heart goes out to all those affected by these terrible fires.

Lisa said...

I'm so sorry you had the shingles, Tracy. I'm also glad some of the fires are out. It's a horrible situation.

Raewyn said...

It is such a tough time for you all over there. I do hope some decent rains come soon. I am impressed though that you have got some things growing and your animals sound happy and fed :-)

Cheryll said...

We just need soaking rain don't we... so fingers crossed it happens before all our plants are lost... xox