So, a catch up. We have moved a little closer, as a concept, and a practicality. I have a friend, an actual real architect, working on plans for the expansion, and council approvals. As I expect from my friends, he is quite smart, and has added good ideas for the future of the farm. More on that at a later date.

Our new hothouse is very close to completion. At 6m x 9m, it is a decent size, and will do me for a while. Well, it's erected, the roof is on, the concrete is set, there is just the wall plastic to put up. Oh and the trestles inside. Oh and a sprinkler system. But you know, like most things around here, time baby, time.

Behind the hothouse is a new 1.8m chain mesh fence running the width of the yard from the existing chook pen to the dog fence. This will make the front of my new free range chook yard. It's over run with weeds at the moment, but we'll clear it off and plant out some decent and durable grass. The plan is, after we get council approval, the plan, is to put the free range shed in this paddock. The birds will range through here, and the existing orchard. When we get approval.

The area around my hothouse is planned as a cottage vegetable and herb garden. An area about 20m x 10m. Enough to put food on the table for 8 to 10 people. And not too massive that it consumes my days.

Monday morning.

It's Monday morning. I'm sitting in the lounge thanking my lucky stars that I am feeling so much better then I did yesterday. A weekend of summer flu is not my favourite way to spend the first days of spring. None the less, feeling better, I am planning a big final push to tie off quite a few half finished, or almost finished jobs. Little annoying things.

I have the front garden to mulch, and sow. It is tear drop shaped, with a solid rough sandstone rock border. I have planned a beautiful cottage flower bed circling the whole garden, and a palm lined path winding through it. I have the stones almost all in place, I have the garden bed prepared, just waiting for me to sow the flower seeds and mulch over and I have half the palms in place. I also really need to finish my winter planting for the surrounding orchard. Which means I need to make a phone call.

What else, well, the new expanded goose pen. I have the fencing wire for it now, so it's just a matter of banging in 10 star pickets, nail up about 30m of wire, and build a shelter. I have a goose sitting on a clutch of six eggs. I have decided this spring is the season to start expanding by natural birth. So hopefully, soon the gaggle will be six geese stronger. The new pen is in the middle of the orchard. It will shelter the birds from the cold winter westerlies, and the on shore winds we get through spring. I am planning a eight by four metre shelter, something I can expand on later. Big enough to shelter 20 birds, and expand to cover 100 birds. So I have some corrugated iron to screw into timber beams, that I yet have to fix to the posts that I have in the ground. I am going to need an extra set of hands for that job.

The potting shed has become a magnet for all manner of 'stuff'. So I might take some of this week to clear it out some what. I might throw up a couple of shelves while I'm in there. I am hoping to get in there a lot more over spring and summer.

What else, well I still have to put easier locks on the duck pen, and fix the bottom of the fence to help fox proof the yard. I need to divide the yard up and build a second pen to allow me to separate the ducks and drakes. And move the fuel tank out of the yard. And dismantle a small shelter half built that sits in the middle of the yard. I need the corrugated iron for the goose shelter.

Stealing from Peter to pay Paul. That's just the way it is. We aren't rich farmers that can afford to go out and just buy the things we need. Sometimes we have to earn the money before we can afford building material. This does cause delays, but it also gives the opportunity for us to look over things again. To have a couple of weeks to walk the idea around in our heads. Hopefully this approach will allow us to build with more thought than was applied in the first seasons of plantings. Which leads to the new vege beds out the back. I need to collect quite a lot of manure to dig in these new beds. The soil is a little sandy, it doesn't look like it will retain a lot of moisture, so I plan on fertilising, and heavily mulching over spring and maybe even through summer as well. This is the area I plan to use as the kitchen garden. I will get to building my commercial beds over the summer. If I can use the rest of spring to finish the construction jobs that are taking so much of my time, then I can concentrate on husbandry and seed cultivation.

Anyhoo, enough rambling for today, it's raining outside, which is good news. I have to go feed the birds, and take the spoilt dog for a walk. Let's see how much we can knock over in the next couple of days.

A new start.

Well, it seems to be that there is entirely too long between posts. I am going to try to turn that around. Perhaps not daily, But certainly at least three times a week.

Today, it looks like a rain free day. Don't get me wrong, I've been whinging about no rain for a couple of months now. So it is welcome, and hopefully there is more to come. So, a rain free day. More mulch around the fruit trees, finish excape proofing the duck pen, and I will try to finish my mobile chook pens.

So that's the short term, well today. Long term, we are thinking bigger, better prepared for the future. But definately not overly large. So in the mix is some new fencing for the goats, and the pigs, a new dam, a new shed for use as a butchers, dairy, and to sort and pack for the fruit, and finally a new residence. There's a bit there, but it's all to done over a few years. We're just being prepared.

We've got about an acre here that's pretty hilly, and needs to be leveled out. I have pencilled in this area as the area for the goats to start, and maybe a third of that area will be for the pigs. Pretty simple you would think. We need to find about 100 fence posts and about 500m of fencing. Put up a small stable, and a small shelter for the pigs. Run water over there, and clear an area in the Q-Build shed for the feed. Easy. Well, the plan is to have it finshed by New Years.

We are planning a new dam. Something with a capacity larger then the two current dams combined. With another 500 odd trees to go in the ground and needing a lot of water, we need a bigger, saved source of water. I have also decided to fence it entirely, and move the Khakis over to there. They can then run completely free range all the time. This is the first priority

The new shed. Well we want to self butcher our animals, and we need a clean, sealed place to work, and we will need a cold room for storage. We will also need a designated area for a dairy. With the half dozen goats needing to be milked twice a day, we are going to need somewhere to milk, make cheese, butter, and to bottle. The last third of the new shed will be a sorting and packing area for the fruit we harvest.

Lastly, the new house. We have decided to move out here permently. So we need a home. I think I will need to reign in my desires. I like grand country homes, exposed ceilings, beautiful timber, and sweeping views. That's the plan. We'll see if this farm makes us any money first.

So a brief update. Time for another coffee, and to go feed the masses.