Flood aftermath

Well it's Saturday after the floods, flood peak went by less than expected Tuesday. No further flooding our place. Waters slightly receding. More rain forecast but flood warning passed. No great damage to friends. Taking in some more horses whose home paddokcs still flooded. Disaster elsewhere in Newcastle from flash flooding.

Photo: we're in the middle. Photo taken last Monday.

2007 Queens Birthday FLood

Well the Hunter wont peak at Raymond Terrace until tomorrow afternoon, but already we have three acres under water. One yeasterday. We took in seven horses from next door, who'd taken the whole refugee herd from Woodville, they got their horses out just in time and left all their belongings behind. Nice people. Put the two mature racehorses and family of four minatures in with our cows.

Flood is peaking about now in Maitland. Bigger than 1971. Have friends evacuating, along with half the town. Expected to overtop the levees. Any time now.

Hoping we dont lose too much more ground tomorrow.

Update - Bandit - Trees

It's been a while since the last entry. I guess it looks like I lost heart in the project, but no. Things were going pretty bad with the heifers Lola and Bambi dying mysteriously soon together. Then Bandit got so very sick, spent a week in intensive care. $2500 in vet bills that really cut into the budget badly. But he got better, to the amazement of the vets. He's bopping around happily, jauntily even now. So the money was worth it to see he smiling face around. I'm commuting from Queanbeyan during the week, so weekends are desperate for me to keep up with everything. We finally got the trees Maitland Council had promised us. 130 Casuarinas, eucalypts, callistemons and leptospermums. About four species of the last two. New fences to keep the cows and horses off them. I'll get some photos of the plantings.

here..

Bandit Hospitalised

Bandit, our 12 year old Beagle and Wonder Dog is desperately sick after eating what was probably unreasonably huge parts of poor Lola. The Vet thinks he has pancreatitis and he may not pull through. We left him, on Easter Sunday, at the EMergency Vet Hospital, on a drip with antibiotics and painkillers. Poor love. Please pull through. Gosh we've had some bad luck with pets recently.

Gooba's gone home... and Bandit's sick

Poor Gooba's gone. A beeautiful horse with a beastly desire to never get on a float. Ever. Unless its raining and he's getting wet and the float is the only dry spot. After three hours trying that was the only way P got her horse back. See ya Goobs. Hope the ringbone doesnt give you too much grief.

Meanwhile Bandit has been eating as much of poor Lola's remains as he can cram in. And he's gotten very sick. He's old too, so we hope he pulls through. Vomiting everywhere and looking frail and old.

Poor Lola second victim to mystery illness

We are all devasted today to find that despite O's careful nursning, little Lola, our cow-poet, has died aafter a bout of what the vet is calling viral diarrohea. Post-mortem tests will maybe find out what is happening. But we have lost half our small herd of heifers in two weeks. Survivors Toffee and Curly are not exhibiting any signs and are being kept away from Bambi and Lola's faeces in case it remains contagious. Lola was cremated in a bonfire this afternoon. Rest in peace little one. We loved you. This hobby farming is gut wrenching at times.

RIP Bambi

AFter 2 weeks of ups and downs with "Three Day" virus, yesterday morning poor little Bambi was found deceased in the shed attached to the quarantine pen. It'd been very hot and she'd spent a lot of time in the dam. Her faver and aching joints. O had spent a lot of time keeing her moving and giving antibiotics. Sadly she's gone. Off to C's parents property for burial. The other heifers miss you.

Sick heifer

Last week O told me Bambi was sick. Laying down all the time. Livvy treated it and bythe time I saw them, all across from the other side and bunked up with Cedar, keeping the long grass (it's been raining heaps) down for Cedar, I couldnt tell which one was Bambi or sick, they all looked contentedly mucnhing long grass and BIG. They've grown in the 10 months they've been here. Good good.

The Goat .. is back

I was doing a portable radio competition in the unused horse shed on a rainy Saturday night. Weather was unpleasant but the new horse shed was snug and leak-proof.

Red kelpie, Winstone, ran down in and kept looking in on me, make sure I was ok, while he kept watch lookinginto the dark. Mare Keisha kept winnying worriedly. Something was up, but what? Next morning I could see, The Goat was back, happily sheltering from the weather in Keisha's shelter. I escorted it off the property, seen heading back to it's ramshakle farm.

It returned two hours later to the screams of panicked and flighty Goober. Yes he's still here. P this time escorted him away.

Six hours later, near dinner time, he's back, but this time Winstone had returned from O's cross-country lessons in Scone and he visibly panicked the Goat, for once, by chasing him all the way back across the adjoining properties. On the largest neghbouring field, Win must've reached 40kph. The Goat was hightailing it, but Win was easily outrunning it.

This morning he's back again! But curiously, M had the idea to put all the horses in the one, long grassed, paddock, which they all happily did because of the nast billy-Goat. Well, amazingly, he just turned and left of his own accord. Amazing!

The cows drained the dam

We went on a two week holiday to Byron Bay. It'd been two years since we holidayed on the beach and we'd earned it, M and I, and O and A. All hard working city folk, living on a smallish farm.

We arranged for T to come over and feed horses twice a day and water the cows aat least once every two days. Thanks T, nice job, we owe you. To simplify the process we left the gate over the pipeline open so the cows could cross and be watered at once of their batchtubs brought over near our home back gate were thoe hose could reach.

The gravity fed siphon hose was just left in the grass, tap off, for filling the other bath tub across the pipeline when we got back. But when we got back I went to open the tap but it was half open and it had been slowly leaking water, slimy water, and the ground all around was very soggy, with cows prints embedded. It wouldnt fill the bath tub easily at all. No pressure. Walking back up to the dam, our fresh spring dam that was always full. Gasp! Almost empty and full of weed. Oh no, it had drained slowly over the two weeks.

Wicked cows, playing with the tap. I tied the tap and hose up to the fence post with some string so they couldnt reach it with their wicked hooves. Now we are hoping for a good long rain.

(Postscript: within about 3 weeks a couple of hours light rain filled the dam again. Over the next two weeks some heavy thunderstorms pretty well flushed it out. Looking good again).

The day the goat came

Win woke us up barking out the back. There was a goat/ram whatever in the paddock with Keisha and Mickey both looking terrified. I raced down with a rope to try and catch it but forget it - it dive +through+ barbed wire like it was butter. But oww it must have gotten cut. Didnt do the fences much good either. Two hours later it was back, same place, though this time it dived through a difficult fence into Cedar's paddock, then back again, then into the big paddock with the boys, Mickey (now), Sunny and Gooba, all running around like girls screaming because the goat was *chasing* them. I'll give him chase - though it was hot and after running through three paddocks to catch the mongrel I was relieved to see it slice through another barbed wire fence and keep heading out towards the camels.

M came back and a neighbour told us it has been causing havoc with everyone's stock and fences since its owner went away for the weekend to Wollongong. Just shoot it, they all said. I had a very similar sentiment!

Poor old Gooba's gotta go

The farrier confirmed Gooob's got ringbone. Never jump. Like chronic arthritis apparently. Owners were sad to hear it but will take him back. Will miss the handsome thing. He is magnificent looking. Can probably do ok at hack. Maybe dressage, but definately not what O was after.

View from the "Air"

Actually Google Earth, looking East, eye altitude 554 feet (above ground level).

The Tractor tried to Kill Me

The new sheds are up despite the inclement weather. Those three guys from E-d worked like heroes sticking to the quote. So now have five animal shelters, a four horse in the far right/west. The old three horse low ceiling in Cedar's paddock with the half a dam. The new two horse in the neighbouring two paddocks with the lane to the other half of the old low ceilinged horse shelter with the other half of the dam directly in front/south of the back of the house. And the new five horse shelter in the big/jump paddock with Gooba and Sunny to sniff around it. Five days later the horses are just starting to be compfortable to step inside for their midday siesta. But we havent had any major storms yet to test their real purpose. Oh and the old cow shelter with extremely low ceilings on the other side of pipeline (east) attached to the cattle yard and loading ramp.

So after repairing and installing new bits and pieces to the electric fencing, digging trenches and putting the cable into sealed plasting tubing underneath gates. I decided it was time to ride the tractor and slash some of those big old weeds that are coming up.

I rode around to the back lawn to the exit gate, but was NOT happy with all the fan belt squealing going on under the hood, so I stopped at the gate and lifted the hood. Ahah! The fan belt is turning but the fan is not. It is stopped solid and fan is smelling like rubber burning. At that point, with my head close studying the problem the gusty windy conditions catches the upraised hood, which hingers 1.5m up in the air from the front of the tractor and crash, comes crashing down towards me. I jerk back, but the sharp edge catches me on the side of the neck! It HURTS. I reel back in shock and alarm, catching the gash on the side of my neck and wondering if my jugular has been severed. I run shouting to O who is saddling up Cedar for an afternoon ride. Oh thank god, there is not much blood, but I get her check out the size of the cut and if there seems to be any subdural damage. No just a bad scratch and a terrible scare!

I spend the following day tearing apart the engine covers, battery compartment, hoses, fan and find the waterpump has a jammed bearing. I will attempt to replace the bearings myself after ordering the parts which will arrive on Friday. Just before Christmas.

Seasons Greetings!

Developments

Changed browswers and for a while there couldnt post, wouldnt accept changes. Ok now, settle.

New horse freaked out (understandably) in a massive thunderstorm and went through two fences. Injured legs, skin off, vet bills, care, antibiotics. Better now, might heal without scarring.

Same day I fell off my motorbike and was at home, injured when it happened. Hopping around with the vet in disbelief. I'm ok too now.

Repaired all the fences. New horse shelters go up today!

Cat in charge

O, M and myself were all out in various parts of the back garden when it happened. O had bought the dogs pigs ears as a treat. Winstone had finished his in a wolfish gulp and tried to coax Bandit into parting with some of his by tugging at it while eating. Bandit dont take kindly to big pup's stealing his food so a snarl and a bite turned into a nasty - savage even - barking and snapping occurence that had all of us there turning and shouting and running to break up the fight before there was any wounding done. Tinsel got there first. As a cat, even though large, she is smaller then Bandit by half and a quarter the size of the kelpie pup. Without blinking she jumped onto the beagle's back and hung there by the claws while she hissed and yelled and leapt onto the kelpie scratching and biting all the while. The dogs immedieately stopped in deep surprise - as did the rest of us - so she jumps between them, snarling and rushing at each in turn so that they run away - in opposite directions. Unnoticed in the true melee, Louise the poodle trots through calmly and makes off with the contested ear.

Flumoxxed with our cat.

New Horse

We drove to Denman, 130 kms up thee Hunter Valley, to pick up Goober a beautiful black gelding Thorough/Std cross on a 3 month trial to act as 2nd horse for O's eventing ambition in her contest year next year.

Took almost an hour to get him onto the float whcih wasnt a good start. But he's not that travelled.

Up to six horses now. Three of them ours.

Haiku

Yesterday morning over breakfast M and me were watching our four cows in two groups. There were two black on this side of the water supply pipeline and under the pipe you could see eight cows legs, four of them brown. A minute later we looked up to see Toffee, owner of the brown legs, bolting down the access road on this side of the pipeline to join the other two there. Bambi remained on her own on the other side.

What was she doing to get seperated from the (small) herd like that? Being creative we mused. Not that smart, however cows are great field aesthetes. She was making up poetry. Lost in the moment, she lost track of the others. Her work for Wednesday morning?

Field,
Oh field,
Dandelion,
Pipeline

Snapping back to reality at the sound of Toffees little black hooves on the *other* side of the pipeline. She bobbed up and down to see over the pipeline. Then she took off for the gate 300 metres along, and a minute later was bolting back down the access road to join her friends.

September rains

I've forgotten the dates now, but I've got some photos. Two weeks of September rains flooded the lower lying neighbouring paddocks worse than the August rains. Drought since then, then a couple of mild mms (and a wild gale) since then.

RIP Edwina

Edwina, our most perfect pet Siamese cat, died last Thursday at the Vets. She was 17 years old. She is buried in the garden she spent sunning herself looking at through the past winter. Sleep well sweet pet.