Help is Never Far Away

8 June 2009 Winter: depressing, cold, wet winter and I am in high spirits for once. The farm has been a whirlwind of activity for over 2 weeks now and the improvements are rapid and noticeable. Our membership to HelpXchange has dramatically changed our lives. The requests to stay are flying thick and fast and we are now having to turn people away. Alex and Tristan arrived on May the 22nd and right from the start we all hit it off. It was like old friends had moved in. Every day they worked, tackling big and small tasks, offering to do more or just doing it because. In 2 weeks they got through what would be the equivalent of 2 months project work for us. While we went and toiled at our day jobs they got stuck in. How fantastic it was to arrive home from work to find another project on the ‘To Do’ list ticked off. We enjoyed their company so much that we spent every evening talking instead of watching tv. And then the 6th of June arrived and we took them to the airport and hugged goodbye and I actually felt sad. It is amazing the difference their stay has made to my personal energy levels. I no longer feel weighted down by constant thoughts that we are not achieving enough. I had not seen it as such a major problem but now, 2 weeks down the track, I feel so much lighter in spirit. Aaron too has noticed a change. We are getting on better, not bickering so much about jobs needing to be done. And even if he does not notice a great difference in himself it is obvious to see that he has also changed. Last Wednesday Aaron, Tristan and Alex built a new house for Arthur in the southern paddock. I’ll admit I expected it to be another slapdash effort in a similar vain to Joy’s but when I eventually got to see it on the weekend – wow! What a palace Arthur has. I am actually excited to see what Arthur makes of it when he returns home from stud duty this weekend. Aaron is so pleased with what he has achieved with Arthur’s house that he is keen to replicate it in the bush paddock. Last Friday, the day before Alex and Tristan left Jay and Bex arrived. Another couple from England they are quite different from Tristan and Alex but as equally enthusiastic. We’re their first stop on a long trip and they are hoping to stay 2½ weeks. We just hope they enjoy their time as well. The weather has just turned shite and it can’t make for pleasant holidaying when you’re outside in the rain and the mud. So far we seem to all be getting on really well and they, like Alex and Tristan, have also really taken to our animals. That is such a big factor in inviting strangers onto the property. So much of the work we want to get done involves being around the animals in one way or another and for me especially it is important our guests understand our pigs and dogs need for attention. How wonderful it is that our dogs are now out 24/7 and get even more exercise than they did before. Aaron is absolutely stoked Jay is with us. A turner and fitter by trade he has happily agreed to build those shed shelves Aaron has desperately wanted for the last couple of years. This weekend they worked their butts off and just kept on working long after we told them to stop. I had to tell them to slow down and remember that they’re on holiday. Still, if they choose to take a day off here and there I won’t be upset. And when they leave we will have more helping hands arrive. After 6 months of hosting through CouchSurfing and HelpXchange we have been incredibly lucky with our guests. We haven’t clicked with everyone but we certainly haven’t had any bad experiences. Of course this makes me quite nervous now. We’re having such a great time I can’t help wonder how long it will last. A Winter Unlike Last Year Last week we had a real cold snap. Cold, frosty nights followed by dry, blue sky days. The frost has hit my pukas hard again, the big shiny leaves are now limp and black. It’s been dry for most of the past 2 weeks and this has been a blessing. Of course the rain started last night, and this morning, despite the rise in temperature, there were great pools of water everywhere. Thanks to our helpers the muddy areas of the pig paddocks have received large amounts of woodchip, so we are certainly hoping for less damage to the paddocks. Last year was just diabolical and I hope it is a long time before we see never-ending days of rain again. This year of course there are far more trotters doing damage. The fire has been cranking for the last week and there really is nothing quite like a warm, toasty room to relax in on a cold evening. It is a shame the dogs cannot join us but they coped really well with last week’s below 0° temperatures and it’s not going to get much worse than that. I have also created 2 hessian sack fortresses on the verandah and the dogs hunker down in these to shield themselves from the wind and the rain. The Joy of Piglets I have not seen much of Mabel’s babies since they were born but our guests have had much fun observing them or herding them back in their run when necessary. They are incredibly confident and at just 2 weeks of age started journeying outside their paddock. They are now just over 3 weeks of age and think nothing of visiting Stanley on a regular basis and roaming all around his paddock. Mabel I think is not so keen on their antics but when piglets want to explore they do and there is little that can be done to stop them. As for Stanley, well I was quite worried about how he would take to Mabel’s piglets. After all, they’re not his and he must know that, and Mabel hasn’t exactly been particularly welcoming of his attention. However, so far so good. He’s shown no signs of aggression and I am hoping it will stay that way as eventually he may end up sharing a paddock with 2 of the boys. Mabel has also started being quite friendly through the fence, so perhaps like Joy did, she has instructed him to be nice to her babies. It was very hard to lose 5 piglets but we know now that Mabel’s house is not suitable for birthing. Bad timing gave us no option but next time we will be better prepared. From Mabel’s litter we have chosen one girl to keep as a breeding sow. She is very pretty, just like her mother and has good saddleback markings except that she is orange and white instead of black and white. With 7 of Mabel’s girls all with good markings, I am quite keen to try sell them all as breeding stock but of course that means no Christmas ham. Hmmm, what to do? Wonders Will Never Cease We’ve discovered the 3 acre block at the end of our drive has sold. Quite frankly we’re gobsmacked. It’s been on the market less than a year and was listed for twice what it was worth. I’m gutted of course. It was so nice having the 3 properties on the drive all to ourselves. We’ve met Kevin, the new neighbour. He’s a pleasant enough, simple, Kiwi bloke. He has big plans for his block and is intending to move onto it this weekend. He clearly is not big on home comforts as his property doesn’t yet have any amenities. There’s an old long drop out the back and water coming out of the mountain somewhere but I’m not sure if it yet reaches the 1 bedroom shack. He’ll need a heater for sure as the property is south facing. Still, he must know these things. I can’t imagine he’s that naïve. We explained to him that we graze Gary’s land and also that we have overseas guests that will be walking our dogs daily up Gary’s drive. He didn’t seem too phased by that so hopefully it won’t ever become an issue. He has yet to meet Arthur, although we explained Arthur will be shortly located in the southern paddock. He’d seen Phyllis and thought she was really big. Wait till he sees Arthur! His house is far enough away that he shouldn’t be affected by any horny boar smell. Hopefully it never becomes an issue as we won’t be able to do anything about it and he’ll just have to deal with it. I understand Kevin is a sawmill worker and owns his own portable sawmill. Hmmm, I wonder if any kauris will accidentally fall down in the bush behind his block? We don’t yet know if he will be keeping any livestock but I guess we’ll soon find out. Aaron reckons the guy’s keen to install power but that’s going to be a huge expense. Still, if he gets power then Gary will put power in and that will hopefully add value to their properties and subsequently ours. No Ducklings Just a few days before we expected to see ducklings we awoke early in the morning to the sound of the dogs barking fit to burst. When Aaron opened the door to tell them off I could hear the ducks quacking up a riot. I got up and shone a torch around but could see nothing. Of course it didn’t help that I’d forgotten to put on my glasses. By morning our broody duck was off her nest and refused to return. We can’t be certain, but I’m guessing she was forced off her nest by one of the many pests that roam this block. I’m absolutely gutted of course but at least we still have all our ducks. The egg situation has started to improve slightly. I decided to test the theory we might be overfeeding the ducks. We were feeding just under the recommended daily ration but didn’t take into account all free ranging they do. So we cut back by a third and egg production is now 2-3 a day instead on 1. It’s still not ideal but I live in hope!