Cheesemaking Workshop

Our local Dexter group have decided to organise a cheesemaking workshop as a way to promote Dexter milk. I must say I'm very excited to make cheese, it was one of the reasons why we got Dexters.

 

If you’re interested and you live in the Manning Valley area please leave a message and I'll let you know the details.

 

One of the sites that I've checked out over the years is Finger Lakes Dexter Creamery - worth having a look at, they are based in the US. (picture shown is from their website)

Jobs that have to be done

I'm currently sitting on our veranda in a cool breeze on a hot humid day waiting for our farm helper man to come visit.  After a good long week of our beautiful new bull watching the girls from afar it was time to move him in.  Which meant sorting out the herd.
We decided to bring Franklin out with the younger bulls and get them ready in another paddock. They aren't happy about it but after some extra feed they have now settled down.
We also put the mum's with younger babies in another paddock as well, however amongst it all our young tan steer has decided that he wants to be with us and the chooks.
Here he is while the rest are sitting in the breeze - he's the naughty one in the yard

A Whole Lot of Bull

After we did the Cattle Handling Camp at Inverell in October we made the decision that we needed a new bull.  Our young one just wasn't coping with all the girls we now have.  So after much discussion we purchased Argyle Lodge Morroco.  He was a 6 year old proven bull that had great genetics and his offspring were exactly what we were looking for. 

He’s been in quarantine for a little while and has been itching to get out and meet and greet the girls.

 

He's a lovely natured boy and our girls seem to think he's a bit of alright as well!

Bird Life - One sick Rooster

It was coming up to the June Long Weekend and I was just finishing up around the place inside when I heard the dogs making a funny noise.  I looked out the kitchen window and could see them playing with something - I knew it was something they shouldn't have and yelled out to Graeme who was outside to go and have a look.

Tegan our youngest was out the door in a flash and of course it had to be her favourite rooster "Spike".  He had a lot of feathers around his neck gone so we think that the dogs disturbed the fox while he was trying to snatch him.

Tegan was distraught, we weren’t much better either, with 3 wet faces peering over him he suddenly moved – he was alive!  We were so happy!  So nurse Tegan set to work and wrapped him up nice and warm.

Over the weekend I called to see how he was doing, at first Graeme held not much hope but by the end he told me he was walking and up and about.  By the time I got home you wouldn’t have known that anything had happened to him, apart from a next without feathers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bird Life - Chooks and Guinea Fowl

When we purchased the property the owner left her chooks and guinea fowl here so we have been trying to learn as we go with them.  Unfortunately the foxes have taken most of the guinea fowl and a couple of roosters, mainly when we are out.  If we are home you know if there is a fox around with the guinea fowl - they are fabulous watch dogs.

Photos of the farm

Thought I would share with you some photos from around the farm - someone got an iphone for Christmas!  Love the Instagram App!

 

 

It's a Boy!

Dorothy gave us our first calf on the place!  He is such a cutie – we’ve called him Zoro! He is never lonely, our 2 young heifers Fifi and Filly are his babysitters, often looking after him most of the day.

 

Dorothy & Zoro!

Dexter Dealings

So Graeme and I decided to look for some more cows and found some advertised online, we contacted the owner and went out to have a look at them with the plan to only get a 'few'.  Well that was the plan - what happened was a very different story. We ended up with the Dorothy, Elvie, Eloise, Lyndie, Fifi, Filly plus a bull Franklin and his mate the steer.  One girl looks very pregnant and hopefully it won’t be long before we have a beautiful new bubs on the place.  Everyone is making lots of noise settling in and finding their way around.  Of course Bonnie and Olive need to be in charge – very much the Alpha females of the herd.

 

Franklin

The Dexter Experience - First Cows

Graeme finally joined the local Dexter Promotional Group and met some lovely people.  One of the group have 2 cows up for sale so we are off to pick them up and bring them home.  Bonnie Lass and Olive will be our starting cows. 

Bonnie Lass

 

 

Olive

 



The Update

Finally after 10 years of searching and putting the poor real estate agents through their paces we found the right place in February 2011. One hundred acres just outside of town with a few dams already on it and some sheds. 
Of course it has lots of work to do - you know we can't do anything by halves. 

But finally we have a place to grow our own food and breed the beautiful Dexter cattle we've always loved. We are trying to keep everything as organic as we can.

 

The view!

Project 365 - Day 9

Graeme and I had a good day at the shop, taught a class with 2 of my very favourite people this afternoon - a good way to start the weekend.

Came home and the girls had organised a surprise for us - a 3 course meal. All I had to do was take them down to the shop and pay - I was all for it. I wasn't allowed in the kitchen so I had a little nanna nap on the lounge while they were busy.

I got Tegan to take photo's of the girls in the kitchen but she was hunted out quickly.
So for dinner we had Ham & Cheesy rolls for starters, main course was Tuna Mornay, vegetables with cheesy sauce and pasta and for dessert we had ice cream with home made chocolate fudge sauce - yummo! And a lovely fruit punch for drinks! Such wonderful girls. I was soooo full.

Project 365 - Day 8

Had a really good day today - work was pretty constant. Syvonne came with me to a preschool this morning and we taught a card making class to the vacation care kids. I am always surprised at just how talented children can be, they have no fear to try different colours and techniques. Some of the kids made 5 cards, most of them had a LOT of bling!
I needed a little chocolate afterwards ..... yummo ........

Project 365 - Day 7

Tegan and her friend spent some time during the day putting Syvonne's desk together -2 10 year old girls did a great job. Syvonne wasn't impressed but she did finish off her room and put some nice little touches to it all.

I worked all day at the shop, there seems to be a lot of visitors to the mid north coast this year. Reports out are saying that there are more people holidaying locally than ever before.

Project 365

Thought I would post a link to someone else's take on Project 365 by Beth Opel check it out!

Project 365 - Day 6

It was such a hot day the kids just sat around home in the air con. Syvonne is getting organised for her big year of study and needed a new desk for her computer. She'd shopped around so we picked it up for her and took it home. All of a sudden she was up and putting it together - well the bookcase anyway. By the time she'd put it together she was over it and couldn't be bothered to work on the actual desk.

Project 365 - Day 3

I spent the day cleaning out the pantry. Once upon a time this would have all been done on a regular basis but with working full time its just been a no go area. Plus the kids seem to think that if its in the pantry its OK - it doesn't seem to matter if the lids on, on the wrong shelf, finished or out of date! So I spent some time finally getting it done.

I hate finding lids for containers so I made the girls find them all - now I have a pile of bottoms with no tops?? They're like socks those things.

Project 365 - Day 4

These photo's where taken yesterday. I was trying to get a good photo of Graeme but it seems that all the photo's I took he had his eyes closed or red eye. The girls are concerned about the red eye - all this reading of Twilight books has got them twitchy!! LOL!!

Project 365

So here's some more on Project 365 - Becky Higgins.

Keep a record for every day this year - take a photo!!

I've been so slack of late taking photo's of our lives - and we own a Kodak store so I should be doing it but you get so caught up with everyday stuff that I just forget so this is my first new year resolution - take more photo's!!

2009 - Its Here Already???

Well I've been a total disaster at blogging this last year - lets hope that I can maintain a better blog this year! Can you believe its 2009?? Where on earth did 2008 go to?

We've been extremely preoccupied with the business for the past 12 months but we both feel we can let go a little now and take a breath. The kids have really felt the "lack" of parent presense around the place and this is something both of us want to fix this year.

Our eldest has resumed her studies and will be doing her TPC Tertiary Preparation Certificate - this year. We are very proud of her as it takes a lot to return to study once you've left school but she has decided that she wants to be a primary teacher which we fully support.

We are all relaxing around the house at the moment - one is reading the latest craze to hit our house - the Twilight Series, 1 is playing guitar the other listening to music. I like it when they are all relaxed like this, life feels great.

Anyway - I've determined that I need to make some changes to my life in 2009 - will type them up later but one of them is Project 365 - where I will take a photo every day this year, you will find out more later.

What's Happening???

Owning your own business is not all its cracked up to be. I'm exhausted!! The last couple of months have just been a blur - Christmas came and went without a bang - and now Easter has been. I feel like I'm constantly on the back foot and of late have had to make some hard decisions but ones that had to be made. I'm finding my energy level to be at the lowest I think I can ever remember.



We took time off this Easter - well worked the Saturday but took the rest of the days off. I felt we really needed to recharge ourselves. So we spent time cleaning and decluttering the 2 girls rooms, eldest DD was up so she was in the groove throwing things away. It was probably a good thing I was exhausted so there was no fight in me to hang onto anything.



How did we end up with all this stuff?? I've always been a horder and kept things thinking they will fit or suit something later. Having 3 girls I have always passed on clothes from one to the next but now the youngest is 9 there is a stock pile of clothes. So they all got sorted and sent to the Vinnies bin. I look in their rooms and feel better for them - there is space to breath now.



Finally read a book "Odalisque" by Fiona McIntosh which has been sitting around the place for ages, enjoyed it. Wasn't what I was expecting but am now hooked and reading the 2nd book "Emissary".



Looking into more training for myself for the business, I noticed that the NSW Small Business has a Regional Women in Business Program, so am looking into that. Does anyone know anything about it?? I'd love to hear from people who have done it.



Well I guess thats all for now. Time to go and get my classes organised for next week. Hope everyone had a great Easter.



Alita