Australian Talk.

[melking]

Here is what I did this past weekend. It is an antique gate made in Eygpt somewhere around 1900. I had to dig and pour footers for it to stand on. It weighs a ton but it is now set, and the queen is happy.

[melking]

Wow, Suzie. You better slow down or you will work yourself out of a job. Ken, the caming place looks very relaxing. I am sure you will enjoy it. The only secret to fresh water fishing that I know is that you have to figure out what they are eating. That requires a lot of lure/bait changing or in the case the the guy next to you multiple lines. Jilleroo, nice to have you back. I surely hope the bull calf makes it.

[jilleroo]

Melking the egyptian gate is spectacular. I think your whole property is going to be a real pearler when its finished - you really know what you want and you're making sure it happens!
Calfie is still alive and improving. His nose has peeled from the high temp he had...but we're not out of the woods yet, I'm sure it will be a case of one step forward, two steps back for quite a while yet until he stabilises. He's a lovely big calf and well worth perservering with.

[wbvs58]

I'm very sorry to hear about your Mum Jilleroo. It makes you mad when such a simple thing of the dog getting around her feet has such a devastating effect. My grandmother broke her leg trying to chase me when I was giving her cheek back in the early 60's. The femur was pinned, she had a long recovery and even though it was always a bit weak, it healed pretty well and she got around ok and could still garden. I am sure ortopaedic surgery has come a long way since then. I wish her all the best for a speedy recovery.
Gee your a busy person Jilleroo, you get in from chasing the cows around and then start cooking for a social event. Do you know what the circumstances are regarding the 100 years of that station. They were always dividing up the original holdings into smaller blocks, a lot of that was after the wars, 1912 would have been too early for after the 1st world war. It is all very interesting though.
Mel, you went a long way for a pair of gates. They look very spectacular though. It really does look like the King and Queen must live down the drive.
I'll start on my entrance tomorrow, dig out the footings for the grid to sit on.
Ken

[diana55]

Superb gate Melking-one would expect to find Tara (from Gone with the Wind) with such an entrance.
Sorry about your mother Jilleroo-my mother also has a smallish dog and we worry that he may trip her. Glad you received rain. We have only had 6mm since 10 March so can't get barley sown. Clover had shot but has now frizzled and died. Still have dry summer grasses and starting young bulls and ET dams on cracked barley. Sold 5 bulls in past fortnight, straight out of paddock. Had 2 semen tested for buyers and they passed with flying colours-always a relief even though I thought they would be OK.
My offsider flew to Rockie for Beef 2012 this morning. She is going as an Angus youth ambassador. Our second Canadian girl went with her-she will then fly home to Canada next Sunday after 7 months here in Oz. They broke in, washed and clipped 11 heifers last week-definitely much cuter when they are trimmed up.

Took cattle to Orange show yesterday and our cow won Supreme exhibit and we won Interbreed Breeders group as well as all the angus classes. The cow's 8 month old calf won Grand Champion angus bull which was a surprise but the judge just loved him. There 6 different breeds and about 75 catlle but its still nice to win.
We've hand mated 5 females to a 13 month old bull in past two weeks-he is a little beauty. I can't seem to get photo bucket to work..????.. can't retieve the photos I download.... as I would like to post a photo of him.Have to wait for the offsider to return.

Congrats Suzie-your weight loss is inspiring. Top effort-keep up the good work. And Ken, your tooth story was funny to read (not fun for you though). Caravan looks neat-maybe you "square" lines next time you go fishing.

[jilleroo]

Big congrats on your wins at the Orange Show, Diana - also on your paddock sale of bulls! We're not going to Beef 2012 - why, I don't know - we have friends nearby to stay with etc etc. The rain we had on Thursday didnt actually go very far at all but at least its freshened up the holding paddocks and the garden!

Ken, I saw Rob Duncombe today at the Hereward centenary and he remembers the two vets students who came to work for the summer, so long ago. There was about 150 ppl there today, a real trip down memory lane.

The calf was up and about and very hungry tonight so that's good. He will worsen though as the antibiotics wear off and will probably have to top him up tomorrow with meds.

Friend at Drumlion had another mini foal born this morning and she says its extra small and extra cute and I must go up and see it so we're going to tea tomorrow night.

[wbvs58]

We had a frost here this morning, only a light one, but the first genuine one of the year, a little late which has been good as we have been able to to milk the last of the growth out of everything that should not be growing at this time of the year.
It sounds a bit dry Diana, we were a bit like that in March but then April was terrific. I still think there may be a bit more coming as the ants are still very active on my kitchen bench.
Is it unusual for a 8mth old calf to get champion bull? Well done anyhow. What is he by?
I made a start on installing the grid this arvo, just marked out the setout, but a start.
Ken

[wbvs58]

Wow Jilleroo, does Rob live out that way?
Ken

[jilleroo]

Ken, I think Rob lives on the Tableland now and owns a couple of hardware stores up that way. He and his wife were out for the centenary.

[Suzie Q]

Heaps of healing hhhhmmmmmssss for your Mum Jilleroo. How old is she?

Such tranquil piccies Ken. aaahhhhhhhhhh.

We have fenced off our cattle grid at the fence gate now. It wasn't strong enough to take the truck, dipped and now the cattle outside the gate walk over it as if it isn't there.

I am at Mum's. I have been up since 5 am here and have sorted out the paperwork for Mum to get her new car and have typed up new things for the Agistment for her. I also updated her website advert. No laughing at a young Sue and that is Mum riding Peppy in her arena after she was 60 years of age, or maybe even 70!!! My brother will be moving in here and Mum is moving into the Resort on the 15 th May.

LOL Mum gave me a a lot of her dresses. I didn't really have any dresses and now I do. I fitted into a size 16 dress. It looks better on me as I have not had 3 children!!!! She also gave me the dress that I wore to my formal. We can both put it on but are nowhere near doing the zip up. So I said I will keep it and see if I fit into it when I stop losing weight. I might get into my wedding dress before I get into that dress.

My brother has given her a whole heap of cardboard boxes and she has started to pack.

A much better ride on Winslow yesterday. We worked him in long and low in walk and trot and his canter was so much more improved that it felt normal and I could sit to it. I have some video of me riding him.

[diana55]

Ken, I think its unusual for an 8 month bull to win but as I said the judge just loved him. We showed him in under 12 months class and he was also with his mother when she won Supreme (its allowable at most country shows for calf at foot to be shown individually in under 12 month class). We thought it would be good experience for him (deyG38 is his ID) to be paraded on his own and couldn't imagine him then beating older bulls for Grand Champion. He is very masculine, well muscled and as long as a train.. His sire is Hyline Right Way 781 (USA). Four years ago we won Interbreed Champion bull with another 781 (11 months age) who was out of G38's granddam. It seems a very good cross.

[wbvs58]

You really like those 781's Diana. The bigger of the two bull calves that I kept this year, I really like, but he does not look like a bull yet, just a big oversize calf. Your bloke must really look like a bull. B/R Future Direction 4268 (USA14675477) is the bull that Lock reckons I should use on my new cow, he is a bit high on birth weight but I will give him a go. I should get a couple of calves by Stimulus this year, he is by 338 but birth weight only around the 5 mark. I might give 781 a go too this year.
Jilleroo, it does not surprise me that Rob still takes an interest in the district. He seemed to really love the country and the sheep. I think it really knocked him about when his parents were forced off their property, as were many others at the time.
Suzie, I am putting my grid on top of the ground and building up the approaches to it. Hopefully it won't get silted up. It is only of light construction but the supporting beams are where they should be, supposedly rated at 25tonne. My truck will be the heaviest vehicle over it.
Today I got the footing pads dug out for the grid, I hope to get them concreted tomorrow.
Ken

[jilleroo]

Mum is doing okay and begins physio tomorrow - it was delayed because of the weekend and then the public holiday.
She reminded me today of a painting that the P.A. Hospital commissioned me to do a few years ago in memory of a staff member who passed away. My brother is going to cruise around and see if he can find it tomorrow when he visits mum, give him something to do - it was in the emergency dept but may have been binned by now. I've also received some painting jobs through the recent exhibition. I always cringe as I wait to hear what they are and what sort of reference material they have, but these all seem very interesting. One especially, a grey arab endurance horse, should be good to do. Another is a feature painting of a recently deceased local bloke with his kelpie. The others are horses. Goodness knows when I'll get them done. Once I get started I'm right, it's just making that initial mark on the clean board!

Went for a run around the place this afternoon on the bike. It takes me four hours to have a good look, two hours for a quick whizz around the main waters if we're in a hurry. Took three hours today, will go to a couple of other places tomorrow. The calves we branded have grown hugely, there's some blockbusters there - shouldve taken the camera. Some bad buffalo fly sores on the cows but not much fly to be actually seen.

We're going to re-do our entrance grid too when we get around to it - its in the too hard basket at the moment - we're working on altering some holding paddocks near the house at present. I don't think we'll be having the "pearly gates" like Melking though!!
Our entrance is a bit tight for roadtrains, the drivers find it hard to turn towing six decks, so we're going to make a V shape so they can get off the highway easier.

We're going to be grandparents again Nov or Dec. We're hanging out for a girl!!

[jilleroo]

Suzie, Mum is 84 later this year.
Have been arguing with the Tax Office recently - they reckoned we owed them $30,000 GST and took a bit of convincing otherwise even though they'd spoken to our accountant. Finally won the battle with them and got a kind-of apology.
Have lots to do so better go do it!

[wbvs58]

You did very well winning the argument with the ATO Jilleroo. Keep pushing your Mum, If they get out of the habit of walking at that age, the ability to do it soon disappears. All the best to her, she sounds like she has a bit of ticker to her.
I got the concrete pads done for the grid today.
When checking the cows in the tin mine today, I was topping up the supplement in the feeder, I heard Bo starting to bark, grabbed the rifle and found her about 100m up in the scrub and sure enough she had a pig baled up. She stands off about 5metres, then when I fire the shot she flies straight in to it. She knows exactly what she is doing, the barking is to call me and we work as a team, she lets me fire the shot then moves in. If there are pigs anywhere around she will find them.

Ken