a new home

Well the mobile chicken palace is finally complete - and is SPECTACULAR! far better than I could have imagined. FP is quite brilliant at pulling together components and ideas and creating an original design that not only is made out of whatever bits and pieces are close at hand - but is also vastly superior to anything you might buy for large amounts of money.


Its quite roomy (especially given that we only have the 3 bantams!) - it features a lovely ramp entrance to the upper story (a gentle slope with traction mesh for all weather conditions), 2 hinged entrances - a large swinging door at one end (to facilitate ease of moving the birds from different housing arrangements, cleaning and feeding), and a side drop door...




for egg collection, cleaning and to change bedding (FP hasn't put the clsoing clasp on yet - we were so excited about moving the birds that we couldn't wait)




The best thing about the housing is the ease of moving it around - FP added removeable trolley wheels and a pull handle so even the kids can move the coop. I love how the axle becomes another perch for the birds - so they can choose to go unpstairs (for greater protection from the elements) or downstairs (catch the breeze in the shade)



EJ was keen to catch a pic of Benny, Cinta and Maddy as they were moved into their new home. So far they look very happy!


I want to add an automatic water dispenser and feeder to hang from the bar throught the middle of the cage - then I will call it perfect!

champion man

I've always said I married a champion.... and each year I get proof - again this year at the Bega Show FP came home with a swag of impressive ribbons and trophies - this year we took home a very nice wok as a trophy for 'champion steer vealer' of the show... great stuff - just what I was hankering for!

But I always have mixed emotions about beef - I'm such a long-term committed vegetarian (I've been vege for more than 20 years... all my adult life...) I always look at all the lovely animals and feel sad that they will end up as dinner for someone - somewhere - and that's just the simplistic reasoning behind my vege choice - I runs far deeper than that.

Yet I live on a beef farm, and my partner is a beef farmer....

I feel pride in FP's achievement - he raises the very best beef anywhere on the planet (in my humble, non taste-tested opinion!) and he does so with a great deal of knowledge and understanding, compassion and caring. I've seen his eyes well up when he has loaded some of his loveliest creatures to go to the sale, or had to bury a favourite cow. If you have animals their lives are in your hands always - and it is a duty to ensure that they are well looked after.I know that our animals could not have a better life - they are not shoved into hideous feedlots, forcefed grains and antibiotics and growth promotants, transported kilometres to massive factory abbottoirs to be slaughtered without dignity. Our creatures live a natural herd existence - the calves (vealers) stay with their mothers until they are naturally weaned (around 9 months - the age varies) - so they are milk- and grass-fed (a lifestyle that ensures not only superior beef - but is kinder to the environment and the cattle) They are generally sold locally (we only use 'Dave' to transport them - he's on our wavelength - never abuses or stresses the animals, just takes his time) and mostly they go to the small local abbottoir and then to small local butchers....


I think the simple point I'd like to make is - I know the equation is far more complicated than beef=bad, vege=good... and perhaps I understand this better than many folk as I have to live the dichotomy...


Goodness I hadn't intended to get into a whole philosphical discussion - I just wanted to show off FP's ribbons!

say hello to 'Boots'

This is Boots...

he is the latest addition to the clan at the creek - we saw him at the Bega Show yesterday and as we have been catless for a some time now (and consequently overrun by rodents...) we just HAD to bring him home with us...

all the trip home we bandied about potential names for our newest baby.... it was valentines day so 'cupid' and 'cassanova' and 'valentino' did the rounds.... but they just didn't seem to be right.... EJ and Sass tried out the obvious 'misty' or 'cloud' or even the hopeful 'rain'.... no.... not quite it really

then - as we came around another of the swervy bends that mark the journey to Bega, our newest sweety lost his food all over FP's boots.....


'Boots' he became!

He has already won a permanent place in Sass and EJ's hearts... not to mention FP and myself... He is very playful - and has been bombaded by a collection of stuffed toys and a special 'blankie' that our 2 insist he requires....

I suspect he is going to be a dreadfully pampered moggie.

cooked apples

it has been so incredibly hot here over the last week (yesterday was another 40C+ day) that my apples have cooked in their skins on the tree.



but I must say in all humility - it is a small thing to whine about given the devastation from bushfires in victoria yesterday - more than 66 dead, more than 600 properties destroyed... whole towns burnt off the map...

a few apples roasted is a nothing really in the scheme of things....

LibraryThing here too!

I couldn't help myself - I had to add a LibraryThing link/widget for my sams creek site just as I have for the other half...

Over here I've got my library set to only display my garden/farm/permaculture type books (whereas over at Art & Etc you'll have a random selection from the whole bunch)

Hope you enjoy

Oh I should add - if you click on the 'my library' link at the top of the widget you will be magically transported to my LibraryThing catalogue - where I've added a couple of comments to some books (mostly my particular favourites)

So if like me you are smitten with books and libraries - you might enjoy the little side trip

I'll be adding to the catalogue by-and-by

the heat goes on...

It continues to be very hot and very dry here at the creek... we haven't had another day of 42C... but the late 30's have made an appearance everyday for a week now... the garden and all creatures are suffering... and there appears no let up in sight.

look at poor Benny, Cinta and Maddy




they are hot little chooks!

I move them constantly over the course of the day – to ensure that they are under shade at all times.. and I need to fill up their water dish more than 4 times a day (poor little dears). I've been searching everywhere for an automatic water dispenser (they know how to use one... or at least they did...) but there are none around.



I planted out a row of celery last week – only to return the next day to a dust bowl... not a trace remained of the seedlings – they had been baked to a crisp. So I decided to take a proactive approach


This morning we created a shade tunnel.




Its a very quick and simple construction – using 5metres of 3m wide 50% shade cloth, 4 star pickets, 2 lengths of 2 inch poly pipe and a couple of long boards to secure the sides.

After banging in the star pickets, the poly pipe is thread over the posts to create an arch (it's important not to get overly ambitious as to the width of the arch... if you don't exceed around 2m you will create a strong beautiful arch – the tunnel can be any length however)

we simply threw the shade cloth over our 2 arches and secured the long sides with a long heavy slab of timber....



and there you have it – a simple (portable) shade structure!



This evening I'll transplant all the little seedlings that are groaning in their tiny seedtrays and hopefully the shade cloth will give them some protection from the unrelenting sun....

OMG it's HOT

look at my poor pumpkin plants!

the weather channel is saying its 43.5C in nearby Bega (at 3pm) our indoor dodgy thermometer is saying 42C here... and outside is nastier...

and yes that's Celsius not Fahrenheit.... to do the conversion - 42C = 107.6... 43.5C = 110.3F

that's mighty bloody HOT - stupidly, hideously HOT I tell you!