We're now nearly at three months with no rain. That's nearly one quarter of the year with none. A season. It's a wonder anything is alive. Weather forecast is for good rains later this week, I hope they're right !!

I have the winter bed in the vege garden chock full of scavenged cow manure ready to be dug in as soon as it rains. And tomato, lettuce, mizune and silverbeet seedlings to go in. I also bought asparagus seedling, but I need to figure out a permanent bed for those. Cabbage and sweet potato seedlings are already in, the sweet potatoes aren't a winter crop but I'm trying to get them well under way before the summer heat. Next things to sprout for seedlings will be onions, capsicum, pak choy and peas.

The mandarin tree has turned up it's toes. I don't think it's water stress as the orange tree is bigger and getting the same amount of water. I'm going to seed the mandarin's area with lucerne and then plant a pumpkin among it come spring.

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MAX

Max is one of the original three ewes that came with Boof. She's an F4 dorper, looks like she had something large and strong-wooled in her background. She's only ever had ram lambs, so I'm not sure if her daughters would have her big frame.

She's 7 yrs old as best we can figure. The hardest to keep condition on and the slowest to turn around lambs, but at her age she can be forgiven lower productivity. She also has funny elbows and knees so I'm watching her for arthritis.

Max is the least tame of the ewes and her lambs are always stand-offish. She has her moments though, and is a bit of a character in her own grouchy way. She's never been up for a scratch, but does enjoy being sneaked a little extra feed on the quiet for her old bones.

ANGUS

 

Angus is Max's current lamb. He's 9 months old and has occasional delusions of granduer, challenging Boof to a fight. Boof may be a bit handicapped, but he can still send young Angus cartwheeling.