Need some rain

While Brisbane had some storms over the weekend it barely spat a drop at Pierce creek. The tanks are ok but even the weeds are wilting. Some of my fruit trees looked desperate for a water after a fortnight between visits. It was just so hot I took it easy only putting a ceiling fan up when I got there. Made it a bit more comfortable. I thought it would be better to use a household ceiling fan through the inverter than those small 12 v fans for cars/trucks. It draws between 2.5 and 3.5 amps depending on the speed you use. Sure worked well.
I found some gate posts already cut left behind by the previous owners. They're 8 foot long and 10 inch diameter. Someone in the toowoomba chronicle was advertising ironbark posts that size for 28 to 37 dollars each. I need 4. Not a lot of money saved but still a saving.
Hopefully there's a southerly next weekend to make the job of digging them in a bit more comfortable.
I found this beautiful compilation of action shots of cattledogs in a slideshow to some good music on Youtube if it interests anybody else. Here's the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCyv3MeoYHI&feature=response_watch

Relaxing day

Here's a snap from Sunday when we got to spend a few hours fishing in Hervey Bay. I took this on round island where we stopped for lunch under the trees. Thanks Kylie for packing the delicious picnic lunch.

Never enough time

A weekend is just too short to take care of 25 acres. There is always a list of jobs to do that only gets partially completed. Last weekend I completed another short section of fencing. And reshaped the garden bed around an orange tree. Slashed a bit and watered the trees that aren't on drip lines several times.
Next trip I need to put in some heavy ironbark posts to hang driveway gates off of. Two sets actually.

I just thought I'd point out the correct way to run the wire in this picture. Not through the holes in the picket but tied to the picket this way. The ends of the tie wire angling in with the vanes of the picket to avoid injury to animals.
All end posts need stays as the combined pull of 3 wires would have them bending in without them. Even more so with 4 or 5 barb runs.
Check the stay into the post to stop movement
And provide a solid base in the ground to stop movement.
Some time ago I planted nasturtiums around all the fruit trees and thought the seeds had failed but I have been pleased to see them popping up around them now. Hopefully they help in reducing pests. I pulled a big green caterpillar off this washington navel. Probably accounted for the leaf damage.
Well after all that work how about some time for me? lol
I'm off to Hervey bay this weekend to do some work for an old fishing buddie and hopefully wet a line too.

Unwanted men in black and a lady

It's amazing how one thing leads to another. I'm a big fan of the Outback house series. I wish they'd do another one. In the last episode the ladies of the house perform for the shearers and they sing a song called ryebuck shearer. Doing a search of youtube came up with these guys singing it.
I loved their rendition of it and the quirky look and sound these guys had. They have 16 songs you can listen to on their youtube space.
http://www.youtube.com/user/UMIBL
If you like Johny Cash and some of the old cowboy songs you may like them. Mick has a good deep voice for these type of songs and if you can forgive him for forgetting the words sometimes they really are a great bunch to listen to.

Nothing like Heartache

With the heartache of losing Ruby I realised I had to get off my lazy arse and build a fence to keep the dogs from wandering. If only I'd done it sooner. There are all sorts of reasons I realise now why you cannot allow your dogs to wander in the bush.

My two little friends

It wouldn't be half as much fun here without my 2 good mates. Aldi I've had from a pup. And Ruby the red heeler I adopted from the rspca. Sadly I lost Ruby on the 20th September and very nearly lost Aldi as well. While it appeared Aldi had been attacked by vicious dogs by her wounds. I fear Ruby was caught in a dog trap and shot. It's a long story but the evidence was pretty overwhelming in that there is a dog trap I discovered in the bush neighbouring my block, I heard a single sudden yelp like when the trap was set early that morning and then later 2 gunshots from the direction where I discovered the trap.
She really was the most beautiful heeler I could have wished for. I'm sorry I let you down Ruby.

Brown thumb

I'm struggling to get good at the growing business and the wildlife make it harder again. Everything has to be protected or it's soon eaten or vandalised. I've lost a lot of trees to wildlife or my ignorance. One thing I learnt is that you don't put fertiliser at the bottom of the hole when planting as it burns the roots. Lay it on top after you have planted and the water will take it down. Here are some tomatoes I grew in may last year. The return wasn't too bad considering it's a little chill in the mornings at that time of year in the hills.

Grevillea Robusta

I reckon the silky oak ranks among the grandest of trees. I am blessed with the space to have as many as I please.

miracle of poo

These 2 pink lady apple trees have done poorly. There are plenty of parasitic insects here that destroy the foliage as it shoots.
Amazing what a little chook poo from home and cow pats from down the road can do for you plants.

Worthwhile job

I've tried to use as much of the stuff the previous owners left behind. Like this sink. I bought a 12v marine pump and plumbed it to the tank. I've since added a shelf at the bottom. That's my brother Ray caught by surprise. heheh.
With the pump we are able to use a hose on the garden as well.

unwelcome guest

This guy made his presence known one night. After being threatened with a shovel he decided it would be best to go back up in the ceiling where he came from. Fortunately in the 2.5 years I've been here now I've only seen non-venomous snakes.

This guy was huge. That was a pretty substantial log he went over.

Woodstove

I inherited this beaut old crown wood stove from the previous owners. I love using it to cook dinner at night. In the morning I'm usually in too much of a hurry for my coffee fix so I use the gas burner then.

Watch who builds your dam

What a great sight after 150mm fall in 1 week early 2008. Thats what it took to take the top dam from empty to overflowing. Unfortunately the previous owners must have employed somebody who knew nothing about siting or building dams as this one leaks at a fair rate. Only holding in the very bottom. Be careful who you use to dig your waterholes.

Here you can see the lower dam overflowing in the foreground. This was running for a couple of weeks after the rains. The top dam overflows into the bottom dam via a gully. I suspect the top dam also leaks into this gully.

Diversions

Here is one of the diversions in expenditure slowing down the shed savings. After heavy rain in early 2008 it was very overgrown. As I only had a push mower and brushcutter I realised I needed something bigger. The tractor and slasher set me back 4k delivered.

Housepad

I plan to build more comfortable accomodation here where the previous owners had excavated a pad.
I like the look of Austeels studley range. I'm looking at a 12x7 m shed kit that I can make a home.
They offer stud walls that are easier to line and horizontal cladding that looks like weatherboard.
I've been saving as well as I can since 2007 and it always seems like another 6 months before I can make a start. I was told approximately 9k for a 12x7x2.7 shed kit and 5k for a slab.
But I want a few extras like awning and sliding doors and extra windows so I'm saving 20k at least and that definately won't finish it.
Being a little higher than the humpy it won't feel so dominated by the hills.

A bit of a rant

I saw this the other day on another site. How true. Solar is possible by reducing expectations and being frugal. I have a 50 watt panel recharging a 100 amp hour deep cycle battery and this provides me with enough power for a weekend for lighting at night, tv and dvd player and power for a pump to a kitchen sink or garden hose. It won't run a dishwasher or a clothesdryer or airconditioning but how essential are those things I ask? As I am too far from the mains I will be expanding my solar and including a bit of wind to supply all my power needs when I build the new accomodation at gullygunyah.

Gully in Google

This is a fair chunk of the 25 acre block in google. The road bounds on one side and you may see the straight lines along the top between the dam and the bush and on the right which indicate the fences.

The cleanup begins

I have never before experienced a morning as this. It was as if the pink in the sky descended on everything around turning it to gold.

The people I purchased from had horses and left behind a lot of hay and horsepoo. So I had some tidying up to do.

Cute as

I had a blessed childhood that included trips and stays on an uncles dairyfarm where I developed a love for cattle and cattledogs. This cute little fella was sticking his head through the fence as I drove down the road and I just happened to have my camera handy

Home is at the end of the bitumen