Our First Bonfire, Docking Tails, and Gender Bending

Well Myles is back to work today after getting the all clear from the Doctor. Apparently he had Pneumonia which is much better than getting some weird flu from an animal. My back seems to be getting better thanks to some core muscle exercises - I swear they are hard though. The Physio told me to imagine pulling my balls into my stomach WTF! My fitness ball is ready for use this afternoon so I shall be watching TV etc while sitting on the ball.

Safety first - hose nearby

Meanwhile in the valley...

We finally decided to light our huge pile of trees and branches on fire. When Myles and I arrived the whole property was overgrown and we spent months trimming and chopping down trees. We asked the local Fire Brigade to burn one of our piles but they are yet to show up even after 6months! So we spent a fair amount of time trying to get the fire going but it didn't seem to catch - too wet. Finally after a few nice days we have been able to light it and have been enjoying watching the fire at night. Myles says it reminds him of his childhood which is interesting because he apparently never had a bonfire. However, I am reminded of Guy Fawkes in New Zealand. I have no idea why they celebrate Guy Fawkes in New Zealand? I am reminded of the Guy being dragged into the street on the back of a wheelbarrow, the bonfire being built and the guy being chucked on top of it. Originally it must have been a first to burn an effigy as you see in protests now. There were always loads of fireworks on that night too - New Years Eve was nothing in our household but Guy Fawkes held a special place. There is probably only another night of the bonfire left then we can move to the next one!

I read that you must dock the tails of lambs in their first week of life. Naturally Myles and I had never done such a thing and were a little apprehensive about hurting the cute things. It is necessary to complete the task or the sheep will be in more pain in the long term. So like all good farmers we Googled how to do it and saw this awesome little video. Myles and I spent a couple of hours running around the paddock trying to catch the lambs and slide the rubber thingie on tail. Many old crumpets were used to get the sheep to go where we liked - they LOVE crumpets! It is all done now and the lambs appear not to feel anything - WHEW!

Finally a neighbour came around to check on our bonfire and saw one of the goats in the paddock. He commented that the goat must be pregnant because of her size. I was looking into the paddock commenting that you can't tell if a goat is pregnant but it was indeed possible because the Billy had been a little randy. Myles wondered over and overheard the neighbour and pointed at the brown goat and asked if that was the pregnant one? The neighbour confirmed he meant the brown one. I had thought the neighbour was talking about the white goat - the brown goat is a boy! And proved that he couldn't be pregnant by standing up and showing us his jewels!

The Catch-Up

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I know it has been sometime since my last post. I seem to have lost enthusiasm since I hurt my back which also means not a lot has been happening around the property.

Myles is Sick

Myles still has time to wave hello from hospital 

Last week I had a meltdown and told Myles I was pretty bored - mainly because all I was doing was sitting in a chair watching TV due to the back-pain. Myles told me he would book me into a Physiotherapist the next day to sort the problem out... Yes I know I could have done it myself but sometimes I need a push. At 1am the next morning I was woken by Myles getting up to put on his dressing gown and getting back into bed. I asked him why he was wearing the dressing gown to bed and he commented he was so cold. I took his temperature which was slightly raised but nothing to worry about. I feel back asleep and was again woken at 2am with Myles sweating profusely, shivering and claiming he was freezing. I took his temperature again and he had hit 38.4 degrees. OK know I knew there was a problem.

At 7am Myles' temperature had hit 38.8 degrees - I booked him into a Doctor's Surgery as an emergency patient. The Doctor referred him to hospital because of his symptoms. We saw a ED Doctor almost straight away - a young Doctor who hadn't had much experience. Blood was taken from Myles and he was put on a saline drip. While he was lying there I commented that today was meant to be about my back and he was just stealing the limelight - that produced a giggle. The blood test showed he had an infection but not what was wrong - so the Doctor decided to administer a lumber punch. Everyone was concerned that he had Meningitis and a spinal tap is the only way to find out.

The Junior Doctor tried 3 times getting the needle into Myles' spine and finally had to call a more senior Doctor to complete it. I couldn't watch! The outcome was that they didn't know what was wrong and that he would have to ride it out with painkillers. So we got home and I made a huge batch of Chicken Soup.

Myles is getting better but not normal yet.

My Back

The Before Bedroom Shot

I went to my first appointment with the Physiotherapist on the Friday and discovered that my bottom 3 discs are not moving as they should be. I am not allowed to sit down for more than 15minutes and have some back stretching exercises to complete. Next appointment today so hopefully I will feel better soon.

A Room Finished
When we moved into this house the interior design was not to our liking. It may have taken sometime but we finally finished one room - the Spare Bedroom. I will probably finish the Office in the next day or two - which I must say is looking pretty darn good.

After - using a bad camera

When a Child is Born

After harvesting the Lemonades I made cordial and marmalade. Both of which are delicious and should last a few months. Each day I check on the sheep in the hope they will give birth. The udders have been getting bigger and bigger - so I know the time is nearing.

Last night the lovely Heather stayed over once again, but arrived just as it was getting dark. Over some low-alchollic wine we talked about the sheep and decided to check on them before Heather left - praying there would be a birth. Yet that morning we had breakfast and Heather left without paying the animals a visit - which was a total shame! I finally went down at mid-day and what did I see? Mascara had given birth to a beautiful lamb. After so much death this year I am over the moon.

If the lamb is a boy it will be the most fantastic lamb roast. If she is a girl we will call her Heather - because she was here when the little critter was born.

The Start of the Winter Harvest

About 5kg of Lemonades with Turnips and Daikon

Myles did his first bit of vegie gardening and planed Broccoli, Lettuce, Beetroot, and Rhubarb in the newly turned over garden beds. We both weeded a few areas, got our first harvest of Lemonades, and pulled some more of the root vegetables. I pruned the Lemonade tree right back and removed all the moss that had been allowed to grow on it - hopefully it will mean the next harvest is bigger and the tree healthier. I gave the goats the prunings off the trees - a little treat.

Last night we heard 8 gun shots at about 11pm at night. Rumour has it that there is a dog on the loose which has already killed 5 chickens next door - perhaps someone was protecting their animals. Hopefully when we have lambs the dog won't have a go at them.

Dinner Party on the Hill

Last night we invited some of the neighbours over for dinner - which naturally means I am cooking. I chose to cook my Moroccan Lamb Cutlet dish for mains - which has proven to be popular in the past. I had no idea what to make for dessert but looked through my fridge and cupboards for inspiration. I had the Whites of 2 eggs left over from the day before so some sort of meringue was on the cards. Eventually I narrowed the dessert down to a Rhubarb Tart with Meringue Topping.

I thought it was a Single Seater? Some of the neighbours

We ate, drank, and chatted while the kids watched Toy Story and the Muppets.

Steve Moroccan Lamb Cutlets
1 finely diced Onion
3 Cloves of minced Garlic
2 pinches of Chilli flakes
6 or more Lamb Cutlets
1 tin of chopped Tomatoes
1 tin of lentils - dried is better but quicker using a tin
1 tin of Chickpeas - you can soak the appropriate amount of dried Chickpeas and use
1 Chicken Stock Cube
1 tspns of Turmeric
2 tspns of Tarragon
2 tspns of Paprika
1 handful of Almonds
1 handful of Dried Apricots
1/2 a Preserved Lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Use a dish that can be used both on the stove and in the oven - or just use more dishes and use two different pans. Heat some oil and cook onion, garlic and chilli until the onion is translucent. Then brown the lamb cutlets. Once browned take off the heat and add the tinned items ensuring the lamb is covered with moisture. Then add all the herbs and mix around. Put the stock in hot water and dissolve. Pour over the dish to ensure even more of the lamb has moisture. Then sprinkle almonds, lemon and apricots over the top and bake in the oven for 1 hour or until bubbling and cooked although.

Serve with couscous. Please note that the measurements are not exact - I make it up as I go.

The Rhubarb Meringue Tart

Rhubarb Meringue Tart
2 Egg Whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 tspn of Cream of Tarter
approx 7 plain biscuits (smashed into little pieces)
50g of melted butter
200g of rhubarb

Mix melted butter with biscuit crumbs and press into bottom of ramekins. Refrigerate until set. Bake the rhubarb with some sugar in the oven until cooked and moisture has mostly gone - jam like consistency. Put this mixture in ramekins. Then beat the whites, sugar, and cream of tarter until a stiff mixture is formed. Spoon into the top of the ramekins and bake in oven from approx 20mins or when the meringue is just browning.

All the Leaves are Brown

The Liquid Amber - Photo by Andi

The property is really starting to look like winter is arriving. The Liquid Amber trees at the front have almost lost all their leaves and the grass hasn't been mowed for a month and doesn't look like it needs to be mowed for a wee bit. And all my winter crops are coming along wonderfully.

I have already began harvesting my winter crops of turnip, daikon, silver-beet, and rhubarb. The huge bed of sweet potatoes needs digging up, and my lemonade tree is almost ready. That means more homegrown food will soon be ready. The next lot of vegies goes in tomorrow - that should include Broccoli, garlic, leeks, more turnips, and cauliflower. And then of course our winter lambs should burst out of the chests of the sheep as in Aliens - that is how they give birth isn't it?

The spare bedroom should be finished this weekend if Myles braves the ladder - it will be the first room in the main house completely finished.

More Autumn Trees - again photo by Andi

Finally with the weather turning, and warmth needed from winters shadow, Myles and I would like to pass on our sympathy to Missy's parents who are grieving her loss. Missy was a remarkable 19yo cat who, like Cher, still looked like a kitten. We will be having a toast to you tonight Missy.

And so the Queen Takes Her Rightful Place

A couple of years ago I offered to buy a female Daschund as my Mother's Birthday/Christmas present. My Mother accepted the gift on the condition that when she moved to the U.K. to live for 5 years that I would look after the dog.

Bella Arrives

Myles found a tan Daschund online and visited the breeder in Western Sydney - our usual breeder had dropped off the face of the planet. Myles instantly feel in love with the little puppy and brought her home to stay for a couple of weeks - while we arranged the flight to Adelaide so I could present my Mother with the gift. Like all puppies she was extremely noisy for the first 3 days. Fritz even begged not to sleep with her in the same room - alas we forced him to look after her. Myles and I had just watched 'Elizabeth - The Golden Years' (bad movie) but I really liked the name Isabella from the movie. So we temporarily called the dog Bella.  Mr Grumpy (Fritz) did eventually bond with Bella on the last day.

Love at First Sight - My Mother with her new baby

So as promised my parents delivered the dog to me before they moved to the U.K. We were all a little worried how Bella would fit in - especially with Lily (monster dog) being such a huge dog. After a rough couple of weeks both Bella and Lily adore each other - biting and playing all day. Meanwhile the Grumpy Old Man, Fritz, watches with distain.

Secretly I think, like Fritz, Bella was spoilt but now she has to compete with 2 other dogs - that hasn't stopped her. She jumps on ANYONE'S lap and has worked out that at 5am in the morning our bed is the warmest place in the house. After 2 weeks here she has worked out she is the boss - Fritz second - then me - then Lily - then Myles. Sorry Milo!