It’s been a long time.
So much has been going on and all I want for Christmas is another 6 hours in each day!
The biggest news is, along with another couple, we bought a butchery. Such a purchase was never on our radar but I guess when you think about it it’s not that far removed from wanting to building an abattoir. Anyway, the other couple wanted to buy it and they suggested we might want to join them in the purchase.
As usual the other half was an excited bull at the gate and I was the timid sheep coming up with a myriad of reasons why it might not be a good idea, the least of all that we would need to use our only monetary possession (our house) as security.
Many discussions ensued, as well as the odd suggestion that the only thing standing between us and financial freedom was my lack of ability to commit to anything slightly risky.
I dispute that on the grounds that risky is okay as long as it’s a well thought out calculated risk. The problem is that in this economic environment it is very hard to decide what is a good risk and what isn’t. Every week in the paper some high flying, big shot crashes and burns amidst debts of millions and I think – if these entrepreneurial types can’t make it work how can I?
A different ball game altogether of course but the fact is more businesses fail than succeed and this butcher shop doesn’t have a good track record of financial success.
We also have no idea of what the real societal ramifications are going to be of post peak oil. At the moment most people are oblivious to the potential problems in a sudden decline in oil. I briefly discussed this with my mechanic and he is convinced it’s merely scaremongering started up by oil companies wanting to hike oil prices.
However, if that's not the case and oil prices suddenly sky rocket it could put us out of business. Still, that’s a good 3 years away from happening and people have to eat, right?
I’m of the firm opinion that supermarkets are evil bastards that support the rape and pillage of the earth. I know others think the same as I do so we just need to convince those people (and more) to support a different philosophy and then we might just make it work, right?
And so, after much dithering, I said yes, and here we are 3 months down the track and I’m wondering what’s hit me.
The only way to fund our half of this business venture is for the 2 of us to continue working in our regular jobs. Add to that our farm tasks and about 30 hours a week each on butchery work and quite frankly we’re stretched to the max on time.
There’s far more to this than I ever imagined. As per usual I’ve severely underestimated the time it will take me to complete certain tasks. Worse still, the longer it takes, the more tired I get and the more mistakes I make.
I feel like at the moment I’m eating, drinking and sleeping butchery.
People keep asking me how much I’m enjoying it. Seriously?? If only it were that easy. The other half has been running on the adrenaline of the challenge but even he’s been flagging the last couple of weeks. As for me, half the time I feel like I’m auto-piloting my way through my days.
The odd day has been lots of fun and I’m really enjoying meeting new people but for the most part I’m just tired. Something my boss hasn’t failed to point out unfortunately. I even stopped wearing mascara because I’ve been rubbing my eyes so much and don't want black circles around my eyes.
Note to self – Don’t lose job!
The whole look and direction of the shop needs to change so in some ways it’s like building the business from scratch.
Trying to fit in all the jobs that need to be done in the spare minutes of our days isn’t the easiest. We could achieve so much more if we could work fulltime on the business for a few weeks but it’s not going to happen.
Hubby had great plans to have everything up and running properly by Labour weekend but he was the only one prepared to run on no rest or sleep for 2 months. I know my limits and quite frankly they’re a lot less than his.
I can understand how businesses can kill marriages. We barely see each other these days and when we do it’s nearly always business talk. We’re arguing more and both drinking more. (Not necessarily combined I should add!)
I don’t think I would cope if I couldn’t have a glass of cider at the end of the working day. The brain is on the go the whole time, thinking, thinking, thinking. That little shot of alcohol is usually just enough to stop the cogs from relentlessly grinding so I can relax and go to bed. Until I go to sleep of course and then I find myself sporadically waking up and I’m in the middle of a dream that has me in the butcher shop doing something stupid.
Still, the relentless grind of the basic set-up is coming to an end. Now the exciting(?) stuff starts. We’re about to repaint the shop, order in condiments, etc, install a flash point-of-sale system and install a smoker, among other things.
Now’s when the marketing needs to ramp up and I’ve been assigned the task of creating a marketing plan. Oh crikey.
Amidst all this we still have a small farm to run of course.
The HelpXers Return
It’s been quite neglected of late so we finally caved in and took on HelpXers again. It’s hard to host when you’re tired and with Aaron away from home so often these days as he networks and attends meetings, the hosting invariably falls to me.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I shut up shop when I’m tired. Communication and interaction become sporadic, patience levels drop and frustration levels increase. Unpleasant for the poor sod on the receiving end!
But selfishness overrode me and when we were asked if we would host a young Japanese man we said yes.
2 weeks ago an Argentinian/French couple asked to stay. The tiredness had increased. Was it really a wise idea to say yes? I dithered and in the end didn’t reply. A week later they asked again. What the heck, they were keen, we needed help, once again I said yes.
Jose and Nadia arrived the day Ryo left and they stayed a week. They too worked hard but I struggled to host. Aaron was barely home and my host face continually slipped. My ability and desire to impart knowledge and educate was minimal at best.
Once again the property got a mini makeover and I am grateful for the help. Now I have to decide when we should next accept HelpXers. We need them but do they need us?
Pig Update
As always it was hard to say goodbye to the piggies and Aaron and I had our usual argument over loading the piggies into the trailer. For the first time Phyllis was not happy to say goodbye and spent the week mourning their absence. They were good piglets, not the usual delinquents that Phyllis seems to produce. Perhaps she’s mellowing with age and that’s rubbing off on her piglets. I spent a bit of time with Phyllis that week but she was short on patience with me.
We seem to be friends again now though.
Livestock, Deadstock
Once again, prior to the butcher’s arrival, Aaron suggested it might be 46’s turn. Once again I said no. It’s hard to believe 46 is the same age as the dogs. At 5 years old he is one lucky steer. Or is he? He knows the drill, his friends come and go and sometimes he gives me a look that makes me wonder just how much he comprehends. I know animals can feel sad but do they ever feel lucky?
Herb is No Longer the New Shrek
We have the sheep in the southern paddocks at the moment but Aaron wants them out as they are eating grass as fast as it grows. However, it’s not an option until we can get the fencing on the bottom paddock sorted. Ryo excelled at digging the post holes so we’re half way there. We should probably cull a couple of them to lighten the load; before next winter definitely.
The Ducks are a Law Unto Themselves
For the most part 22 of them has become 17. I believe 5 of them have moved next door. They return once a week for a good feed and then disappear again. The night enclosure works well and the egg laying was so out of control I was regularly feeding them to the pigs and dogs. And then suddenly poof!, it’s all of a sudden down to 1 egg a day if we’re lucky. It seems the girls might be holding onto their eggs until I let them out and they can lay them elsewhere.
Our sight-challenged duck sat on a nest for about 6 weeks until the eggs started exploding. She never quacked the whole time she was on her nest but now she’s back to her relentless quacking. She’s a sweet looking girl but perhaps because of her sight issues she is completely ignored by the drakes and I have a strong suspicion one or two of the girls are picking on her. She has missing feathers but not from the usual areas.
Most nights she escapes from the run and stays the night on the verandah. It’s a bit sad she feels safer with the dogs than her own kind! It wouldn’t be such an issue if it wasn’t for her incessant quacking. We assume it makes her feel more secure but still!
She’s also taken to walking into the house and ignoring our requests that she refrain from doing so. At this point I’m stumped as to how we can solve this issue. She’s maybe only a year old. How long do runner ducks live? At some point the option of culling will need to be considered but as always it will be a debate about what can be considered justified culling. Culling for convenience doesn’t sit well with me.
Nests Galore
The baby chick count so far this spring 9 for the bantams, with 1 loss due to drowning
The count for the Sussex chickens is 22, with 1 loss to drowning and 2 unexplained losses.
As for the 2 unexplained losses, the suspicion is currently resting on Whiskey and Coppa’s heads.
On Tuesday I got home from work and 19 chicks raced onto the verandah on mass, surrounding Coppa in a blur of fluff, feathers and tweeting. How’s a dog to cope!
We have 4 hens sitting on nests at the moment so I’m guessing the head count is going to increase considerably before Christmas.
One of the Orpington girls was also sitting but those eggs exploded too. 2 years in a row and I think it’s safe to assume Laddy’s firing blanks. This is obviously not good for a rooster but it’s not like we need more chicks at this stage anyway.
With all these chicks I suspect there’ll be a few chicken dinners next year!
