Australian Talk.

[wbvs58]

Geez they can find ways to hurt themselves Jilleroo, I hope she is a goer.
I finished cutting up the trees I had pushed over today, then got back on the tractor to pick up the root ball and stack on the fire heap. I then started pulling out wattle down along the creek bank, I put the bucket up to max height then drop it over the wattle, close the bucket, then roll the bucket back and that breaks the roots free then just lift it straight up roots and all. It is cleaning up a nice little area down there, I might keep going on it tomorrow.
Ken

 

[Suzie Q]

I haven't starved myself Jilleroo. I cut out fruit juice at breakfast, cordial at tea and soft drink when we go out. I have changed all of that to rain water instead, which is okay as I quite like rain water. I don't drink tea or coffee so no sugar there to cut out.

I still had ice cream at Mum's after Christmas lunch and after tea - mudcake and icecream. Just a difference in the size of the cake and the amount of ice cream. One scoop of icecream only and just a small piece of cake.

If hubby gives me too much at tea time, I have some plastic covers with elastic. I just put it in the fridge and incorporate it in breakfast. Hubby has 2 breakfasts, cereal and then something else. I just miss the cereal and only have the second breakfast.

I have tried to cut down on bread as well, so taking cruskits to lunch instead of bread some of the time. Hubby makes our lunch and gave me a chocolate biscuit, so I refused to eat it. That way I am not just refusing one chocolate biscuit, but a choclate biscuit every day. So he has changed to giving me some sultanas instead!!!!

Yes I am looked after like a Princess. It was me going to work when we were first married and him making lunches that I put on weight. I didn't say no to the piece of chocolate cake or whatever was in the lunch, but I was driving to work and he was riding a bike to work and we were eating the same.

So I am not making that mistake again.

We have had that happen with the teats, Jilleroo. The calves survive until one only half survives and is named Midgie. Then without interference the calves will die. I have been told it is genetic and have culled both the mother and heifers. Midgie is the next one we will eat.

WOW I hope your cow that you have saved survives and thrives and that the one with the broken shoulder mends and is well.

That is a great looking firestack, Ken. We put in a combustion stove here when we moved, but we haven't used it for a couple of years now. We seem to have acclimatized and I have the most gorgeous big warm dressing gown and the house warms up during the day.

We threw out the heifers to the bull yesterday. Spring babies, hopefully.

Hubby serviced quite a few things and has given me a shopping list for work this morning!!!

I had better run, I don't want to be late for work.

 

[jilleroo]

Suzi, I don't eat bread, cereal or anything made with flour. No allergies,but it will put more weight on me. I avoid dairy products too. Wandered off the path a bit at christmas but had no bread or anything. I'm not meant to be thin.
Ken, you have fun with your machinery don't you. Hubby has just bought a "rough terrain Tandano crane". Quite old, coming from Melbourne. Suppose I'll be expected to drive that next which would be okay if I got proper instruction....usually it's just "quick, take the whatever to wherever, hurry up!" Oh, and also to drive whatever it is with great accuracy because any slip will result in hubby getting squashed or having fingers removed!
The heifer rewarded our efforts with a steady improvement. She has been very grateful for the help and worked with us instead of against us...Late yesterday her breathing had improved and she'd stopped shaking so we felt she was good enough to endure the trailer road home across the rough downs, after being loaded with the tractor. She was too far gone to drink even when we found her. Anyway she's able to get up and stand now, but not walk, and is eating and chewing her cud. Her milk has dried up - I wonder how long she was there! No sign of the calf. As they're only commercial cattle, we keep no record of their calving date or what calf they had - I can recall the heifer but not what she had whether it was char, sene or brangus. I'm sure the calf will pinch milk and survive. The heifer can't go back out there until she's 100%, she'll only just bog in a waterhole.
Have got the books "half" reconciled for the last three months and my painting finished. Will photograph it and post it next day or so. Have another underway.
Had visitors this morning, more coming soon to pick up some gear and have drinks, more folk calling in tomorrow, and then nephew and partner come back here tomorrow evening too. They've been at Winton. I don't have time to be on here really, but enjoy it too much to give it a miss! Off to vacuum the pool now. Very hot here today and getting hotter as the week goes on.

 

[wbvs58]

Jilleroo, I don't exactly know what a Tandano crane is, but it sounds interesting and I imagine very handy for your mills and bores, I would love to see a photo of it when it arrives. Hubby must pour over on line auctions or something to dig up something like that from Melbourne. I'm sure you will handle it ok Jilleroo. The calf I have that lost its mother from bloat earlier on when she was 8wks old has done ok, she was 177kg when I weighed them 2wks ago, she is easy to pick out because of her belly and her coat is very dull. I am going to give all the calves a shot of Multimin when I weigh them in a fortnight, I think she will pick up after that, so your calf should hang in there ok.
It has dried out here this week, the weather patterns don't look like doing much for a bit yet, I see the monsoon trough has headed back up closer to the equator too. We need one of those unexpected storms come through in the early hours of the morning.
Ken

 

[Sean M]

Jilleroo I don't have any cattle at the moment. My father has murray greys and with a bit of luck I'll be moving up there in a few months. He said I could have one of his agistments so maybe in a couple of years, a guy down the road has simmentals and I was thinking about buying some of those and putting a murray grey bull over them. I put some photos up in the breeds board a month or two ago. Doesn't sound like your having much luck though Jilleroo
Wb I think we are at 1080 metres so it's probably a bit colder than were you are but I'll have to go up there sometime because it sounds like a nice part of QLD.

 

[Suzie Q]

YaY on your heifer improving Jilleroo. I am another who think the calf will survive at that age. It might be a bit smaller, but it should still live.

Oooohhhh a crane. That would be a handy thing to have. Hubby has decided he is going to stay at work. Then he will be able to buy some toys!!!!! We are not back in the black yet, but we should get something back for the tax I put in before Christmas and we are going to bring the herd up this weekend and put the ones we are going to sell where we have the 4 weaners left. There is grass there and they can fatten up.

With me also working we should be back in the black soon and be able to get ahead. Finger's crossed.

 

[jilleroo]

Sean, I think I did see those pics now that you mention it. Very good.
Ken, yes hubby does look at the online machinery sites (unfortunately). He's in town at the moment checking out the new "though-load" the welding works is putting between our truck and trailer. Goodness knows what that will cost.
I found the caste heifer's calf this morning whilst trying to muster the crazy horses in to have their feet done. The only good thing they did was gallop over the top of where the calf was lying and startled it - good luck in a big area. I left them and caught the calf and bike her home. She's very thin and has no hair left on her neck and nasty scabs from cows kicking her when she tries to drink from them. She is a brangus and persistently charges me in the pen, snotting and bellowing - but scoffed off a bottle of milk once she got a taste.
The heifer has dried right up but is walking around fairly well this morning, a bit dicky on her offside front.
The place has been like a railway station today, people coming and going. Nephew and his girl back soon - might have a bbq for tea so the boys can cook.

 

[wbvs58]

Jilleroo, I think I'm lucky that the share market is down so that I don't pull any more money from my super, I have been starting to caste an eye on excavators, they seem to be a pretty handy tool. A pretty big one went at an auction just round the corner a couple of months ago for $23000. I bet there would be a few interesting pieces of machinery at your place.
You did pretty well catching that calf and getting it on the bike, it wouldn't be real light, anyhow it is nice to know what happened to it. It sounds like both of them will do ok now.
Sean, I remember seeing those photos of your dads Murray Greys, they are lovely cattle and from what I can remember were in terrific condition.
I castrated a couple of calves today, I was hanging onto them, I was going to see if I could sell them at weaning as bulls for next year, but I was not completely happy with them so I'll wait and see what I have surplus next year to explore that market with.
I took the old Chamberlain up the back today and dug out an old small dam, I am hoping I can get it to hold a bit of water, as it stands now when the cattle are in that paddock they have to come down the hill to the bottom corner of the paddock to the dam and then hang around there for a day or two, knocking that part of the paddock around.
There has been a bit of thunder rumbling around tonight with a couple of short sharp showers, another as I type this I hope this one lasts a bit longer, I think I can hear the grass sucking it up as well.
Ken

 

[wbvs58]

I ended up getting 10.5mm of rain last, its spitting now, a repeat of last night would be good.
I had a quite day today, just did a bit of clearing down along the creek, I'm getting a few big stacks ready to burn, only trouble is some of them are under trees so I'll wait untill conditions are perfect before I burn them.
The next project is to build a counter weight for the tractor, she was a bit tippy yesterday when I had the bucket full of wet mud. I'll drop into Marios tomorrow and pick up some sheets of packing chipboard to make a concrete mould for the counter weight. It should help as well when pulling out trees.
Ken

 

[melking]

Hey Ken,
I have that problem on occasion. Where are you going to hang the counterweight?

 

[wbvs58]

Just on the 3 point linkage Mel, I'll make up a bar with cat2 pins on each end to set in the concrete and something for the top arm to hold it steady. A cat1 drawbar is ready made for cat1 linkage. I was going to use a 44gal drum, but I felt a square block would be more compact to keep the weight down low, I'll let you know how it goes.
Ken

 

[jilleroo]

Phew, very hot here today, 44 degs celsius on the measure on the deck outside. Supposed to be 47 at Birdsville.
Hope this heat brings up some storms in a few days. Had a few calves in the heifers last night and this morning so have been around trying to make sure they're in shade.
The caste heifer is still improving but the eye on the bad side doesnt seem to have sight. It is just a big hairless bump from her bashing it on the ground, still shut. The calf is still charging and snotting me but drinks well.
Visitors left this morning. They helped us do stuff yesterday which was great. I'm sure Warwick would be much more inviting than here today!
Are you enjoying your work Suzi? Havent really caught up on whether you're liking it there at David Evans or not. Hope so!

 

[diana55]

Best wishes to all for 2012. We had 14.5mm rain in a storm yesterday afternoon, following on from 26mm on Boxing day. Great for the garden and keeping the summer grasses green. Had 3 days above 35C and it was a shock to the system-had to get the air conditioner going and watched the cricket-its good when we win.....

Hope your heifer and calf make a full recovery Jilleroo. Thank you for offering to host the Canadians-one is back in Canada ready to start her job with cargill and the other will probably be back down here in next few days-poor girl fell off a bicycle in Brisbane and broke a bone in her hand. She had it pinned and plated yesterday and as soon as she is allowed, she will catch the bus down to Dubbo. The accident has wrecked her plans of touring up the Qland coast and then visiting some cattle studs. My sister and niece will give her plenty of TLC and she'll be able to keep an eye on my niece who is managing our property while we are OS. Its good to have a second person to phone for help etc if anything goes wrong.
I love your house Ken-very practical for your environment. Thanks for the cow photos-nice girls.
How is the job Suzie? Congrats on your weight loss-an excellent achievement. I'm on the seefood diet-see food and eat it....just need more willpower.
Just saw your post Jilleroo-calf sounds a happy little darlin'-at least her survival skills are OK. Your temps. are shocking-I would melt.

 

[jilleroo]

Great to hear from you Diana - I bet you're looking forward to that US trip very keenly now!
Decided to try and post some pics - don't feel like doing anything too energetic with this heat....

CS feeders

painting of wagon horses who gave us a ride at Boundary Ranch in Canada (this is a big painting) -

my welsh pony Diva ready to deliver presents in town, with her jockey Bonnie (Diva is on loan)

 

[diana55]

Jilleroo, your painting is beautiful. You are very talented. Look forward to seeing more of your creations. There is the Coors art display/competition in Denver which should be interesting as we both like western art. Diva is a little beauty and obviously doesn't mind the outfit and Bonnie. So Diva is yours and you have lent her to someone else? To whom were the presents delivered?

Love your feeders-they are much more upmarket than what I have -but I guess one gets what one pays for. I had 31 tonnes cattle pellets delivered today and we feed them out into troughs once a day-transport buckets on pellets from the silo on the quad bikes-could use the colorado but I prefer the quads. Just have to make quite a few trips. We only feed the show cattle and at the moment the feed is good and the cattle are fat enough so only feeding 32 which is quick and easy. Are your feeders for the cottonseed? Grain?
I should be ironing clothes-leaving tomorrow and not packed. I need to be more decisive and take less clothes. I have to keep telling myself 'there are shops overseas' and I can buy anything I forget to pack...

 

[jilleroo]

Leaving tomorrow and you're not packed Diana!!! My mother would have a fit - she packs weeks before an outing! Do have a wonderful time - I'm sure you will. Await hearing about it when you and your husband return. Safe travelling Diana.

Yes the feeders are for cottonseed only. We've got 3 of them but would like more. We mainly feed it out in box trailers or in tubs. Will have to order another load from Emerald if the wet season doesnt kick into gear soon!

Yes, I have Diva lent out. In fact, I havent actually seen her for ages - I get sent photos on email, see her on facebook or occasionally in the local paper at an event. The pressies were for pony club kids I think. Diva was born on christmas eve now I come to think of it. The grandkids have even smaller ponies at present so we won't need her anytime soon.

 

[jilleroo]

I might add that the colours in my painting of the horses are not as garish as the camera makes them out to be. It certainly zinged up the contrasting colours, the red and the green!

 

[wbvs58]

Gee, 32 show cattle is a big team Diana, I guess you must sort through for your top ones. Have a great trip, I will be looking forward to hearing about it when you get back, I might get some inside info on some good angus bulls to use.
They are nice feeders Jilleroo, but I also like that tank stand in the background, they are pretty big tanks up there. Pam would like that photo of Diva, she loves little quite kids ponies. You certainly have captured those two horses well, there is a lot of detail in their colour and harness, I am surprised you do it so quickly.
You might be surprised with that heifers eye when she finally opens it, the eyelids are often sutured together to facilitate healing of ulcers. How did you get on with that calf with the hip problem?
We had a few stormy showers this arvo but very brief, I'd be surprised if there was 2mm in the guage. I think we are going to have a pretty dry summer, things just don't seem to be happening here, last time I looked that mosoon trough had retreated well north, I reckon we'll get late summer early autumn rain.
Ken

 

[jilleroo]

Ken, those are molasses tanks in the background - hence all the steel holding them up!
I hope I am surprised with the heifer's eye. Her other eye looks to be weeping and going blighty from the flies so she can't see much at all right now.
The calf with the bad hip is not improving, sad to say.
Kids' ponies need lots of kid exposure so that's why I take the risk and lend them out - sometimes its good, sometimes its not. I had a beautiful black welsh mare perished by folk who didnt notice she was locked in the sheepyards until it was too late.
I'm not really very quick with my paintings - I started that one some months ago! I have a dear friend who is one of the better equine artists in the world. She is kept occupied painting arabian horses for the sheihks of the middle eastern countries. They fly her back and forth and have done so for some years now. Sometimes she is accommodated at their palaces or farms, but more recently had three weeks inhabiting the Ritz Hotel in Doha, all expenses paid, whilst she drew up and planned some paintings to the liking of the sheihk commissioning them! She is now home to paint them and he will fly her over with them when completed to his strict standards, on canvas, rolled up in PVC pipe. I eagerly await her return each time - she has tales of the exotic animals they keep, lavish meals, and some of the horses are even kept in golden stables (she had photos). They like their arab horses, saluki dogs and falcons. My friend and I are supposed to critique each others paintings but, whilst she is a great help to me, I find little to suggest as regards changing hers in any way!!

 

[melking]

Jilleroo, your painting is fabulous, Ken I am anxious to hear how the weight works, sounds like a good idea. Did Suzie answer about her job? Hope she likes it. Diane, where are you visiting in the US?