Terras Patch

Discussion in 'Members' Systems' started by Terra, Aug 23, 2012.

  1. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    Photo attachment is being a bit weird today don't know whats going on there ???
     
  2. songbird

    songbird Senior Member

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    looks like a nice wind block and green row or hedge you have there. :)
     
  3. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    Really nice, Terra. Good to see the green in amongst barely any.
     
  4. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    We have had a good rain 35mm then a few fine days , we get more tomorrow so it will be green here soon , planted brassicas into a garden bed today , collected firewood with the littlest Terra and wanged it under cover to keep dry . New million dollar flue on the wood heater today , just when you think every things going ok something breaks or stops working . Just had to start feeding the horses hay , they will be happy to see green grass again . Ive been collecting mulch surprising how much we go through I had heaps of pea straw last year not much of that left . The Franklin rake makes collection pretty easy terrific old machine , Fork the straw on a trailer and bring it home .
     

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  5. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    Latest at Terras
    My Mandarins are ripe , Mandarins straight off the tree are divine I missed a couple of waterings last year and the whole crop dropped off no way I was falling for that one again . We have had extraordinary warm mild weather through may still picking a lot of tomatoes the vines are stuffed but the green ones still keep ripening . Also have a nice crop of oranges of a tree planted the same time as the mandarin (this is the 3rd Mandy crop) so obviously mandarins are more suited here but I will take the oranges happily . Aquaponics still producing our broccoli and celery and new tomatoes in the green house system setting plenty .

    A lot of our tomatoes this year came from a plant given to me by people I met that are travelling they have kept this strain going for many years looks similar to a mortgage lifter with an ugly underside , really nice I cloned it many times (easy in a aquaponic floating raft) then planted out in ground beds , saved seed .

    Today Mrs Terra , my sister and myself went to a Sustainable garden workshop , presenter was Sophie Thompson from the ABC garden show on TV (popular garden show with a lot of variety for our overseas members) Sophie is the South Australian presenter on this show , now I was a bit sceptical about this but if these days are not supported they don't happen . Wow , Wow , Wow , 10 out of 10 Sophie and helpers excellent friendly presentation I certainly learned enough to make the trip worthwhile x 10 , I thrive on detail and there was plenty , often we just get an overview , Big component on beneficial Insects , ive been looking for overwinter options (Mediterranean / Arid) read a lot about Oleanders after taking years to kill one im not planting any . Turns out Saltbush in our climate is as good as any and as I need a hedging option to break up the Sth West wind I might be on to what I need .

    Free workshop with free lunch included terrific day out , another memorable part was a big push to get youngsters onboard , surveys show average children spend less than 2 hrs a week out doors , Max security prisoners get more than this , without the young ones to take over the environment will be in big trouble before we can blink .
     
  6. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Sounds like a fun day out! You are right about the kids. I had my sister's little ones here about a month ago and one of the 5 year old twins had a melt down when he met cobblers pegs for the first time in his life. Fancy being an aussie kid and getting to be five before you met your first cobblers peg… I took them to the little creek across the road and they were actually scared of getting lost - even though you could still see my house through the trees. WDD. Wilderness Deficit Disorder…. They got a good dose of the treatment that day with me!
     
  7. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    After raining for 40 days and 40 nights now we are getting frosts , ive been here since 88 and only had one decent frost in all that time .
     
  8. Benjy136

    Benjy136 Junior Member

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    Must be global warming lol.
     
  9. helenlee

    helenlee Junior Member

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    I was going to have a big whinge here but decided it was more polite to put it on my personal misery page instead :) So you'll have to go there to read it :)
    All I can say is: You lucky, lucky bastard, for having any bloody rain, let alone lots. Don't go spreading it around or you'll have a heap of us poor desperadoes move in with you :) ;)
     
  10. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    Our driveway is about a 800 metre river it has an erosion gutter down the middle for some of that , havnt seen that since I filled the one in that was here when I moved here . I heard there was some fires in the north of NSW such a big country with extremes everywhere . Drought , flooding rains , snow and FROST hope it hasn't smashed my fantastic potato patch .
     
  11. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    Back shearing tomorrow , hafta shear heaps of sheep and then drink nearly as many cans of beer , I need certifying or at least a good smack .
     
  12. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    I can understand why you might need to shear heaps of sheep, but surely the beer it optional? Unless it is wild fermented ginger beer or something that doesn't just support another multinational.
     
  13. Curramore1

    Curramore1 Junior Member

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    Ha ha, the never-ending cycle of hard work, dehydration and back pain in a body not getting any younger. I know where you are at. Is shearing finished at that shed? I like your comment regarding certification or a good smack, but it's all about cash flow and a certain bloody-mindedness in my case.
     
  14. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    Had a bit of wet sheep weather but finished there , got a $100 note folded with my cheque as a bonus so that was very nice , will buy a box of Coopers Sparkling Ale as a treat .
    Started the next shed today only 5 min up the road be 7 or 8 days there then im having a few days off before I go to the next place about 7 or 8 days there . Lots of small places on the go as well but ive gotten pretty selective where I go .
    My back doesn't give me much trouble but my feet and legs do its an incredible skill to have , we take it for granted really such a difficult thing to learn .
    Of course a month away from home during spring leaves a lot of catching up to do , need Helen to turn up and hurl herself into the stingin nettles and roll the ba$ta#ds flat , apparently shes very good at that .
    Fruit trees about to burst into flower , hopefully the ground will start warming up soon and I can plant up , have a bit of a rehash and expansion happening on the aquaponics running a lot more with a lot less power $ by using a bit of design .
    Drafted all the chooks up into there breeding groups ive got Sussex and White Leghorns my chook dome has a few young birds in it for now that are still learning the process of digging for treats .
    Ive really got to find a different job perhaps a gardening round something like that , need to downsize have no debt and ride my horse and build a new road trial sidecar for hair raising adventure .
     
  15. Curramore1

    Curramore1 Junior Member

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    What do you wear on your mundoeys? I could never wear moccasins as why feet perspire too much and so just wore blunnies with thick socks and changed them at dinner time. Coopers Sparkling has got too much bite these days so I enjoy the Coopers pale Ale with the green label. When I was a learner they started me on fellmongering the killer skins, then between rousing or pressing got to have a go at plain bodied cull wethers before they let me loose. I don't do too many sheep these days, but shear the odd long necked sheep. My old man just said "don't fight'em too hard, keep it on the skin and learn the dance". I'm over 6 foot tall and was never too agile, so I've shorn with a Warrie for the last 10 or so years.
    Sounds like we all need to spring clean. I am just getting over the failed summer rains and colder than normal winter here, been working away too playing tough farmer for the Japanese on a dude type rural resort close to home and doing a 200km drought water cart, feed and lick run every second day. I've been planting seed in foam boxes under sheets of glass to plant out in a fortnight for the tucker garden. I also have a few white leghorns too, my Sussex were real show ponies but kept going clucky and getting fat and lazy, no room for that here. Same same with the horses, got a half dozen old XT600 Yammies in the shed gathering dust too. Going mustering for a sick mate for semi-feral cattle in timbered rough country tomorrow with my sons, just checked all the gear and stacked in the ute for an early start, I always break something, just hope it's not me or the boys. You can do some silly things when your blood gets up in the heat of the chase. I miss a special cattle dog bitch called Haggis that was unbeatable in the timber, kept a few pups, but just don't hold as candle to the old girl.
     
  16. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    LOL - I can just picture Helen tumbling in your nettles!
     
  17. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    Yes she has had a horror dry spell so no doubt having sting withdrawls , no rain no big nettle patches .
     
  18. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    Chasing wild cattle in rough country would be right up my ally , I had a blue heeler called Margo she was fantastic ended up mums dog tough as nails . Haggis is a terrific name will store that one for down the track .
    Wore moccasins for many years have just worked out I probably never should have , wifey has had the run of physio podiatrists ect and talked about my feet while she was there , her feet are flat as a pancake while I have huge arches . The podiatrist said I must have heels so I gave it a go shearing much better NO sore Hammies and calves and the tendons on the bottom of my feet have quietened down to almost bearable , so there you go never too old to learn something .
    Sparkling is a good treat at home these days too strong if you have to drive , mostly drink pale or mild .
    A shed full of 600s would be fun to tackle , went and watched the 24hr trial this year some of my old mates are still riding , the modern water cooled bikes are amazing some of the sidecars were a bit over the top 950s of course they ripped their tyres to bits didn't last much more than a couple of hours , I like small light bikes they don't destroy your body .
    Stay safe no crashing.
     
  19. Curramore1

    Curramore1 Junior Member

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    All good, 3 hours of scrub dashing got a couple of dozen ratbags, mostly cleanskins yarded and onto the truck. Only had to throw and tie up one which chased me round and round a tree, stretched my good old leather belt too! Scratched from ar$ehole to breakfast from lawyer vine, lantana and cockspur though, emerged from the vine scrub more red than white in places. Current cattle dogs names are: Bull, Jock, Rufus and a kelpie bitch Dash. Haggis was so named because when she was a pup resembled what I imagine a good Scots haggis would look like. Have had a Mungo, Tip, Griz, Arrow, Dusty, Louey dino duhs, Jacko because he had no front teeth like the AFL player, Bob (born sans tail), Judge and Bungeworgorai (named after a creek beside the house).
    Same with the bikes, I find that the light air cooled, Honda CRF 230 are a good bike which will climb, which is what I muster on if not on horseback. Got a Honda XR400 for chasing pigs and riding for fun. Local charity trail ride on this weekend, I'm usually the oldest rider these days.
    I too have very high arches, but really small feet, only size 7, even have to put orthotic inserts in my work boots. You know what they say about small boots? ........................Yeah, small feet.
     
  20. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    Not much has changed at Terras recently , after raining for 40 days and 40 nights the rain cut off at the end of august , had a little sprinkle in September and October nothing worthwhile . Food garden slowed down with cold and dark (heavy cloud) conditions . Plants are getting going now I have a thousand self sown tomatoes and lettuces so should be right for salad sandwiches , netted the fruit trees have one left to do .

    Was driving around Friday and went through a out of the way corner and noticed some seriously sick looking blackberries , last time I seen them they were pretty healthy inside a fenced off area that is wetland , I have a thick row of Sugar Gum trees planted in the same area and they are now 4 to 5 metres tall under the trees everything is looking pretty unhappy , so have been wondering this might be of use to control the black berries in difficult areas , Allopathic trees planted thick to choke them out and provide firewood and bird habitat , ect ect .

    Ive backed the shearing off now im pretty run down , have a couple of part weeks to do and that's it until January , need to do some work before fire season around the house and sheds . Grain harvest starts early November here so not long and that madness starts again I seriously want to run away to somewhere there is no Sheep or Trucks , Crowds or Bl@@&y Deadly Chemicals , Antarctica is looking good .

    Horses are doing a great job cleaning up around the house a few choice treats from the garden keeps them hanging on the house fence creating a fire break .

    Thinking through this mad panic to get coal and oil and gas out the ground and sell it yesterday can only be because the big end of town cant sell sunlight or wind so they must get it before alternate tech takes over , govt is winding back the alternate tech support to give companies more time .

    We have a lock the gate group starting up locally as there is mine exploration happening near here on prime land (madness) , what worries me about the protest camps which I would like to go to for awhile , is that when the gas stops coming out of taps the business as usual uproar from millions will simply sweep these groups aside , we need alternates desperately right now or our rural land will look like a exploded pin cushion .
     

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