Australian Talk.

[Suzie Q]

I'm bbaaaacccckkkkkk!!! Howdy Melking and thank your for missing me. My computer seems to be running well. They decided that it was the REM memory and replaced them all as cheaper to do than to find out which one wasn't working properly and pay for the labour. They didn't have any in stock so I had to wait for them to order it in for me.

So far so good. In the end it wouldn't even start up. If it did it would put up a blue screen and switch off and one time it just froze.

An update from me.

Mum has moved into the Over 50's Resort. She said she feels like she is on Holiday and about to go home!! I took her shopping last week and I spent the cards from doing the surveys. I bought some solar lights, some frozen dinners and a lovely soft big towel as well as some odourless fish oil capsules. Mum spent more than me with buying cushions and stuff for her house.

We went and asked about a motorized scooter. It is free to use she just has to ring beforehand. It was so much easier for her hip with the shopping centres being so far to walk. I took her to the car and then took the scooter back for her and BOY are they slow!!! Painfully so.

Hubby's boss quit and then was fired before he finished. Which I don't really think you could call 'fired'. The new boss had a BBQ last Friday and then one last night and said he is going to do one each Friday so we will see.

Hubby is out putting up rails in the yard next to the cattle yard and hopefully he will finish that this weekend.

I have 2 heifers in the yard that I wanted to put on pellets but sigh they would rather starve to death than eat the pellets. I have tried molasses. Today I put boiling water on them and made them into a mash and put them on top of a biscuit of hay, but they didn't touch any of it while I was watching, just watching hubby using a hammer and a chisel. VERY FRUSTRATING!!!

[Old_man_emu]

SUZIE! I was going to ask of your where abouts but thought I must have missed something.

[wbvs58]

Well, I did not ask as to your whereabouts Suzie. I just thought that you needed some timeout from us, anyway glad all is ok. Do computers have Random Eye Movement too. Maybe my REM needs replacing, I'll have to see the doctor if it is cheaper to replace the faulty part or just the whole lot, maybe just the whole brain.
I got on with the spreading today. I got 7 hopper loads done. I reckon I'll have it done shortly after lunch tomorrow.
I got 2 more calves today. One was a heifer, she is about a week early. I found her up the back corner this arvo but no calf, checked again just on dark, she was lying down with calf behind her. There was a terrible breathing noise, the sac had not broken from the calves face and it was unable to breath fresh air. I quickly ripped it open and all was well. I was very lucky to have been there on the spot otherwise I would have had a dead calf. I have been looking forward to this calf too. I don't know what sex it is yet but doesn't matter I'll take either.
Ken

[Suzie Q]

LOL I think I meant RAM not REM and no not talking about a male sheep!!!!

I didn't plant my topiary yesterday. Catching up on deleting emails and such. Maybe this afternoon.

I went to bed early as an early morning start this morning, but I didn't mean this early!!!! But I was awake so I figured I would come on and update the computer and stuff and hopefully be awake during the day!!!

[wbvs58]

Good frost here this morning. It was around -3C.
I ended up with another calf last night. The cow has now had 7 consecutive bull calves for me. Just as well I am not hanging out for a heifer.
I have 5 calves now, 4 of them by one of my sale bulls. I am very happy with the look of them, not big but nice straight legs and very vigorous and inquisative. They just have a good look to them.
I got the super spreading finished today. I got all but the front two paddocks done and they had a good dose of composted feedlot manure a couple of years ago, they will be the first I do next year.
Ken

[wbvs58]

Another good frost this morning. I think it was a tad colder than yesterday.
I got my first calf around at the other block this morning, these are by my other sale bull. I couldn't get a real good look at it as it was lying down. I'll have to drop over to my neighbour to see if any of his heifers have calved, I think I dropped off the bull to him at the same time I put the bull in with mine.
For the rest of the day I gave the truck and tractor a bit of a wash down to get rid of any of the super that found its way into all the nooks and crannies.
Ken

[melking]

Hi Suzie, glad you are back! Ken, I knew you wouldn't be able to just rest. We are getting hammered here by tropical storm debbie. Tons of rain, lots of wind but not too much damage yet. I have several branches and small trees down at the ranch but I will have to deal with those when it drys out. Right now I have a giant lake with some islands in it.

[Suzie Q]

It sounds like you have been busy Ken.

Stay safe in the weather melking

We delivered hay Sunday morning and we both had a riding lesson. Ken and Dodge again. Ken did the magic shoulder-in to 10m circle by just putting on the outside aides more and a slower canter on his not too good side, so you couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Hubby was getting Dodge out into the corners better during canter, but said he could only do it when he was in rhythm and when he lost had to come out of canter and start again.

Back to Beaudesert and we stopped at Subway for an omelette sub with bacon and cheese!!!! Shopped at Woolworths and came home to find the horses from next door in again and our weaners next door. I swear it must be the gelding in with the weaner horses next door who must be pulling the fence down. I don't think ours are not tall enough to get to the top wire and none of ours have done something like that in the past. They had been next door on Thursday so I had fixed the fence Friday morning before Work but no electricity through it. Just 2 plain wires because of the floods that go through there.

So we fed out round bales and down I went with the quad and found one wire down and where I had used an electric rope instead of a home made switch had burnt through so no electricity going around the property. So I fixed it all.

Then I helped hubby put the bucket on his tractor so he could go and play with trying to level a piece of ground for a concrete floor so as he can put an awning over the top from his last shed and have a workshop that doesn't heat up so much during summer.

Then I crashed in front of the TV and did NOTHING so that is probably why the heifers finally ate their pellets as I didn't even feed them. I felt much better after tea and had been up in the morning done pilates, had breakfast, watered the garden and been over and fed the heifers. Who have taken no notice of the feedbins yet so I am hoping that it was them that ate the pellets and not birds. 10 minutes to go and have a look at a couple of surveys and I hit the shower and went to work.

[Suzie Q]

I picked up a brochure for Prolix at Farmfest. A molasses mix with urea, vitamins etc and they give you a trough and liaise with you about how your herd is going.

I rang just after Farmfest and have rung several times since always with promises that they would ring me back but nada.

I finally got through again last night and he just told me that he has tried but no one will truck down this way. I wish he could have told me that weeks ago so I could have done something about it sooner.

I rang Farmfest at Kalbar and they have a mix that I can buy in a 44 gallon drum and we can put it out in a bath if hubby makes up a frame so as they can't tip it over. Not as easy as a truck coming in and filling a truck for us and not one that can be changed so as they don't love it and just drink it all. But ah well, they need something.

[Suzie Q]

Rain all day here today. I came home and threw out hay to the heifers in the yard and the two horses. Opened the garage door for hubby when he gets home and am now nice and snug inside playing on the computer!!!

[wbvs58]

It just started raining here about 5.00pm, not heavy but a bit more than just drizzle, so hope it keeps up as predicted. The ants have been very active on my kitchen bench for the last 3 wks.
That Prolix is good stuff Suzie, but they still go through a bit of it and can get expensive. I have used another product I used to get from Elders, it had bittering stuff in it to limit the intake and they still got stuck into it, just was not cost effective.
Sounds like your getting a bit of a hammering Mel. Hope no damage.
Ken

[jilleroo]

So I see Suzie has been absent also and the boys have been able to run amuck in our absence. Now we're back to spoil their fun!
Hubby and I seemed to be away a long time but all went well, very enjoyable. We travelled 4600 kms in our vehicle, 1500 kms in the 4WD tour truck thingo and 700 kms by plane! I really enjoyed the Barkly Highway. However - are there any grey-haired ppl left in the southern half of Aust?? I think they're all up there in their RVs and campers, squirrelled away in every nook and cranny, inhabiting every truckstop. If not, they're ganged up on roadbikes, enjoying the much higher speed limits in the Northern Territory! We felt quite young by comparison. We stopped at Newcastle Waters Station both ways and they took us to see the stud herd of white brahman cows. They breed some charbray bulls too. They've got a flash set up for their many poddy calves at the homestead.
The huge indigenous population of northern Australia and their poor state of well-being was a real eye opener. I felt distressed about it but then realised that we did as much damage to them as we could, but also have done as much to help repair that damage as we can manage. Now its up to them to haul themselves out of the mess. I hope they can do it - that's evolution.

All was okay here when we got home but after a couple of hours, I realised my two biggest weaned poddy heifer calves were missing from a paddock near the house. Eventually found them shut in an old shearers' wash house where they'd been for at least a week. No fresh dung or urine, they were dry as a bone, very poor and depressed. They'd been rolling fat cheeky lumps when I left. Anyway the next day I offered them some CMR to drink and that cheered them up a bit. The door had been tied shut but they'd got it open, gone in and bumped it shut again. Lucky it was very cold weather.
Although we've only been home a couple of days, we've mustered and drafted cattle and had the agents out to look. Today its been cold and light rain and it will still be too wet for bikes in the morning. Pending final arrangements, all our sale cattle will be going to the same ppl, they bought them last year too.
Ken, what do you think of the Reproscan ultrasound scanners? A rep is coming to town in a couple of weeks. We've heard they're not good for late pregnancy testing, you need to glove the cows as well sometimes. I might do a search on the Breeding thread and see what's there too when I get time.

[wbvs58]

Glad all went well Jilleroo and it sounds like you just avoided a disater with the heifers. I know what you mean about all the grey nomads. It puts me off going those places and it is just going to get worse. I don't know much about those ultrasounds. I do know that to get something decent you have to pay significant dollars, but then you are not after foetal ageing, so something a bit better than those that just give a beep might be ok. I should hook up my fish finder and have a go.
We had 10mm last night and if we are lucky might get another 10mm in the morning, very windy and cold during the day.
I went to the shed today and replaced the brake pads on the Rodeo. I was going to machine the rotors but they were very smooth and measured ok so I left them be. I replaced the grease in the front wheel bearings also.
Tomorrow I might strip a leaky hydraulic ram on the tractor and see If I can get new seals in town.
Ken

[Suzie Q]

Welcome back Jilleroo and thank goodness you came back in time to save your silly calves. All my friends are older. My best friend is over 70 years old. When doing rock and roll most were old enough to be my parents or grand parents. My Mum is old enough to be my grandparent The same to be said with line dancing, craft and Garden Club. It turns out that 2 of the people at work at the same age as me. It seems funny to be around people the same age!

this morning I did my pilates, played online, used up a $40.00 coupon for vista print so bought 2 tshirts with my yellow rununculus on the front and a Christmas table wreath on the back and a mouse pad with my yellow rununculus on it for $6.95 postage, did a survey and redeemed $25.00 which will go in my bank, fed the heifers, had a shower and went to work.

In walked my friend at 9.25am and eeep Garden Club today and I had forgotten but it was nice to get out of work for the morning. I caught up at work which was nice. I had bought some calandulas and a purple daisy with purple stripes so planted them when I arrived home, fed the heifers and then playing on the net again.

Hmmmmm Ken what about the lick blocks that they have? Do you think they would be better to buy? We normally plant oats, but with the floods last year and lack of funds this year that didn't happen.

[Old_man_emu]

Hi Jilleroo, glad to hear the trip went well. My mum's parents are grey nomads. They are pretty routine and are starting to slow down now. Until reccently they would leave here (Bowral) in about April or May and travel to South Port and hold out there until about October. Then travel back down here for a week or so before going on to Mallacoota, just over the south east border into Victoria and then back to home for Christmas. Over the years the have been all over Australia!

It budget time here, YEA not! I asked for my accounts ages ago and got told of some hold up. So I put them off until I could do and nutted it out yesterday. All I had to do this morning was a month by month breakdown and hit send.

With that out of the way it's time to get back to exciting things like WHS risk assessments and contractor management all whilst trying to run a farm.