Australian Talk.

[jilleroo]

Glad you're doing well Diana and poking about your cattle again.

We were out at the yards at daylight ready to start drafting, very cold. We got done, sprayed and branded fairly quickly and carted another 108 weaners home - hubby has gone back for the rest of them. A few cows with bung udders to come too, we might run them into the sale tomorrow. One charbray cow calved in the yard, she had her knickers in a bit of a knot, so we'll leave the cows all locked in the dam enclosure, about 20 acres, for a while until she's settled and taken the calf. The weaners have a large predominance of steers which is good.

We have to pull up now for a while with weaning here as we can't get the truck and trailer down to the next set of yards, a creek is still backed up over the road and no way around it. Not sure what we'll do next then, we might rustle up some more steers to sell over at the Winton place, we need to keep them moving out. Or start weaning over there - no doubt I'll get told in due course.

We were sat having a cuppa in the sun before hubby went back - he had his boots off, wiggled a big toe in his sock and the cat pounced on it and bit it! He was not amused but I was....

Suzie I've PM'd you if you can have a look, about the disc - thankyou!!

[wbvs58]

I ran the bulls through the yards this morning. I had to put the lot no. tags on the sale bulls and the yearling bulls had to have their 2nd Vibrio vacn. It is a bit of a problem where to put it. Last year I put it behind the ear as recommended and the older bulls still have a tennis ball size lump there. The injection is 5ml of a thick oily substance, this time I have tried in the loose skin low down in the flank.
I then went around and got the cows in at the other block. The cow that lost her calf has been lame on and off for about 12 months. I got her in the crush and tied her leg up and started work on it with the angle grinder. There is a large crack down the wall of one claw and is overgrown as she tries to keep the weight off it. I ground the wall down and then opened up the crack, I got a bit of a run of dirty fluid, she seemed to be pretty good on it after the pedicure. I did not use any drugs so decided to take her down to Warwick for tomorrows sale, she is in pretty good condition so best she goes sooner rather than later.
Ken

[Suzie Q]

Hi Jilleroo.

I didn't receive a PM from you. I went into my messages to double check and nothing there I am afraid.

Gotta go!!

[jilleroo]

Okay Suzie, I've msged you again - hopefully it will go through this time! Its sitting in my outbox waiting for you to collect it...

Your cow should sell well at Warwick today Ken. We won't be getting our few bung uddered ones into the sale this afternoon, hubby has had to go elsewhere in the truck. I'm having a nice hubby-free day! I only remembered during the night that the pest control man was coming this morning early.....couldnt go to sleep again then so got up and did some tidying up for an hour or so.
Up again at 5.30 and had it all spic n span by the time he got here at 7. Amazing what I can do when I have to - generally, I'm lazy and easily distracted so work better under pressure. Speaking of which, I had better stop idling away time and go do some painting while I have the chance.

[wbvs58]

My cow went for $1.47/kg, she wasn't big but ended up grossing $792.00. That was pretty good I thought, the other thing that was good, I was able to gee up the agent to have a good look at my two bulls on Friday if he had any clients that were buying. He sells my calves every year and knows how well they sell so should be able to recommend them these two bulls with confidence.
I did a bit of housework today as Pam is coming up tomorrow night.
Ken

[melking]

Okay, all my down under friends. I surrender, I guess all those roos would not be such a sight as more of a giant pain in the a$$. Diana, it sounds like you are doing well. Suzie congrats on the continued weight loss, I am envious. Jilleroo, it bears repeating, you are a far cry from lazy and I would love to see some of your paintings. Ken? What can I say, you are my hero and I want to be just like you when I grow up. Our A/C is being installed this week and we are looking forward to planning our move. I can hardly wait.

[wbvs58]

Mel we are not down on roos, but just like anything, they need their numbers kept under control. A couple of years ago the licensed roo shooters with their quotos were supplying the chilled boxes and a lot of the meat was going to Russia until they had some problem with the processing and that market disappeared overnight and it was then not worthwhile shooting. Now the numbers are blowing out and not enough shooters. The roo shooters (harvesters) are very professional, nothing is wasted and they provide good quality meat for the boxes. We just need a market for it. Have you eaten roo Mel? Those big reds in full flight are a magnificent site especially when running along beside your vehicle, especially with an emu or two.
I'm off in the morning taking the bulls down, probably won't hear from me for a day or two.
Ken

[melking]

I don't think I have ever eaten kangeroo but I would not be adverse to trying it. Good luck with the bulls Ken.

[Suzie Q]

If they are going alongside your vehicle Ken. STOP. They have no sense of traffic and will turn and T-Bone your vehicle. If you hit one head on they can come through the windscreen and it can be fatal for the driver.

I have been hit twice by a kangaroo and I mean hit by a kangaroo and not me hitting them. The first one I didn't see, just jumped out of nowhere. I hit the brakes but just managed to clip it. The second one I saw and slowed right down so I was hardly moving. It just suddenly turned and jumped straight into the side of my car causing damage.

Out to dinner last night with two cyberfriends. Hubby and I had T-Bone steaks and for the first time every creme brulee. YUM!!!!! lol

Also the other day I went into lunch with a friend after having lunch by myself at work. With him I had an apple and cinnamon muffin and a smoothie.

I just weighed myself and I am still down to what I was on Sunday, so if I can at least stay at that for this Sunday I will be happy.

[wbvs58]

Well, we have had a couple of big days down at the sale yard, running bulls through to paint numbers on, then ultrasound scanning, weighing. This morning started off with washing them all and then into individual sale pens.
It was all worth it, my first bull lot 13 made $5500 and the second bloke lot 33 made $6000. They were in the top half, the sale average was $4800.
Ken

[jilleroo]

Good on you Ken, that's great money for the bulls, you must be rapt! I bet it wouldve been chilly washing the poor fellas this morning....it wouldnt help them display off their "underpinnings" that's for sure, shrinkage factor and all!

We trucked the steer portion of the weaners to our northern place yesterday on a passing transport so they're son's problem now.
Tomorrow we will backline, dehorn (not many horned ones) and inject with lutalyze the heifer portion. Then we'll go out and get the next lot as soon as the road dries up. Much colder this afternoon - it was almost springlike there for a couple of days.

[melking]

Wow, Congrats Ken! Jilleroo, I could use a bit of that cold here, It is supposed to hit 99 degrees here today and I have to unload 2 tons of rock by hand and then pick up a trailer load of posts. Whew, I don't understand why I am not skinny like Suzie, maybe because I eat too much?

[Suzie Q]

Melking I figured out for me why I was getting so big - it was during winter when hubby makes too much porridge and made with milk. It didn't matter that I said I didn't want that much. That I wanted only half a bowl or whatever I said, if he gave it to me and I ate it then that is what I got again.

So I stopped eating it. I would eat half a bowl and put the rest in the fridge. This year I have stopped having it with milk and making it with water instead. I have splashed out and bought the Uncle Toby's sachets that are flavoured with berries, apple and cinnamon, raspberry, golden syrup and things like that. I didn't like them that much to start with, but now I do and can taste the different flavours.

I just rip off the sachet, put it in the bowl, fill the sachet to a line with water and put that in the bowl, stir and put in the microwave for 60 seconds. So easy and I am still going down.

I didn't go on a diet as such. We still eat a lot and we have dessert every night and twice a day on weekends, we have just changed what we eat.

Hubby has gone back to porridge made with milk again over winter, too big a bowl and overfilled to the top and his weight has gone up. Me telling him to have less or make it with water just lands on deaf ears. He says only a few weeks to go and he will stop having porridge so that is his way of controlling going up or down!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our dessert is fruit covered in flavoured yoghurt and we both really like it. It seems I can have as much as I like and not go up, so I think we just fell on the right thing for desert. It can be different every night. Bananas or apple or strawberries and so many different flavours of yoghurt now. Last week I had cheesecake flavoured yoghurt for a treat.

[Suzie Q]

Testing testing testing

It would cost a little more to send to America but I could still do it for you if you wanted. These are my own photos.

[Suzie Q]

Bless her. She is poor and pretty old. I was told she was a Gelbvieh when I bought her but she doesn't look like one. Her calves do have lighter around the eyes like the Gelbvieh bought with her that looks like a Gelbvieh. She is the boss of the herd when she feels like it and darn well lets them know when she wants to and hubby has his eye on sending her off, but she calves every year before 12 months and this year after 15 months even though our herd has been starved for so long. She has given me 3 heifers in a row and if I am lucky this one will be a heifer as well. This calf is much lighter than what she has given me before.