Happy thoughts

Just to make things cheerful again.
More happy goat pics!

Dehorning Eeeek!

Tonight I dehorned the baby goats. It's a truly ghastly job, where one applies a red hot circular iron to the kids shaven head. There is much squealing and smell, but it's the most humane way of doing it.

Most folk recommend not anaesthetising as it has a 30% kill rate on the animals. Luckily once you're done, they're all nice and happy again ina coupel of minutes.

This is the restraint box used to contain them comfortably while dehorning.
Here's the restraint box ready to go, with the iron in the fire, all ready to go.

This is buttons, after the job is done. Here's hoping I got it right.

Ick!

That's it for the nasty jobs until I put a ring on the boy (1-2 weeks away), and then the first vaccination.

Finally! Bleeaaaaahhhh!

I have goat babies!!

These two turned up today, no fuss, and I came home to a much settled (and slightly bemused) Winston. The girl (white and black) is called buttons, and the boy will be unnamed as I think I have a neighbor who will take him.

The cords have all dried up already, and they're both very happy and healthy.










In other news, the weekend was a complete success!
The back room and middle room are nice and empty, the fences are up, the trailer is full of rubbish for the tip.





The peafowl are in season as well, so I had heffalumps on the roof all night.

I was even lucky enough to find an oven for a couple of hundred bucks, and wired it up last night. I still need bookshelves.

Festival ASXLIII

For the last couple of years I've been camping in my big viking A-frame tent, 10m long, 5m high, 5m wide, with the four poster canopy bed, heavy floor, cushions, carpets etc.

It normally takes 4-5 people about 1-1.5 hours to pitch, and is absolutely rock solid in the Yass winds.

With the move to the new, damper site, I want to get things lighter, lower, and simpler to pitch.

I was flitting around and found this (click here for the site):



See in the middle, behind the mansion, there is a double hub and spoke with a reduced width joiner?

After a little bit of thought I came up with the following model for the tent, designed to take best advantage of the fabric I have available, in my colours. It's about 16m long.



In the original painting it looks like there is about 16 panels (reduced to 12 for the joining section). Between the hubs I intend to use a horizontal pole to spread the uprights (positioned 8' from the ground), with spreaders to the sides to keep the walls out.

Things I have not figured out yet:

How to seam the pockets for the spokes into the roof.
How to tub and seal a floor out of the more expensive awning canvas, and tie it up to the walls (double ring and strap?).
Flappy bit to hang from the roof, over the walls, to make a clear watershed.
How to work into trenches with the floor (reduced floor and extension straps?).

Points to watch for economy:

Sales at the canvas disposals.
Wedge arrangement into the canvas.
Using second hand hardwood to manufacture the spokes. Cheaper, harder, better than anything else.
Forging out my own tent spikes for grip (spiraled square stock).

For the furniture, this tent lends itself to Not having a four poster, even though it appears tobe the more period thing to do (conspicuous consumption, etc.), as it will be able to hang a canopy no problems.

I'd like to have:

A simple low queen size bed (maybe modeled on that stabby picture...No I can't remember which one it is).
Chests for chairs and storage of clothes and armour etc (probably use reclaimed glass packing crate timber).
Carpets (already have).
Cushions (already have).
Table (already have).

Showering/Bathing?
Cooking (not if there's a catered kitchen)?

Rightieho then!

This weekend will be a big change in the flow of the house, as I'm moving Kate's stuff out to her storage unit.

It shouldn't be too hard, I think there's only about 2 loads to take across.

Then I need to do a couple of tip runs, pick up some feed, and put up some more electric fence.

I shall spend Saturday evening moving stuff out of the back room to the various cupboards, and cleaning out the backroom for use by the hypothetical housemate.

I'll advertise the room soemtime next week.

I seem to have the cuckoo clock working to boot.

Sunday is a social day in Launy, so I'll work in an ecosalve trip into that one as well.

What a lot of water!

Over the last three weeks Latrobe has had 5 inches of rain.

Stereotypes aside, we haven't had that much rain in a long long time.

This is what it looked like from above the house on Friday past.






And down at Bells Parade





And I could see snow on the mountains from the highway!





I spent last weekend in Melbourne, did some visiting and some shopping and not much else. Relaxation is weird, I don't think I'm very good at it.



Here's Mr McCullough and Mini McCullough





Still no baby goats!

Canty Faire

For the first time ever I'm going to Canty Faire!

I'm heading over on the Friday morning, and back on the Sunday following CF.

Woot!

Roadtrippin' - The Plan!

Note the capitals!

So:
I'm running an event on the 21st-23rd of September.

The next weekend (Spring war dammit!), will be spent packing the Magna and making sure she's all right to go.

Then on Tuesday, 2nd of October I sail to Melbourne, overnight.

Wednesday (3/10) morning I drive to Mum and Dad's place (Yackandandah)

Friday (5/10) I'll be driving to Sydney (Biff!)

Sunday (7/10) I'll be driving to Brisbane (Biff!)

Tuesday (9/10) I fly over to Auckland (Biff and stuff!)

Sunday (14/10) I fly back to Brisbane (More Biff!)

Thursday (18/10) I drive to Newcastle (You guessed it...)

Saturday (20/10) driving to Canberra (No, really....)

Monday (22/10) back down to Melbourne (Ouchy ouchy limp. Biff)

Tuesday or Wednesday (23/10 or 24/10) I sail home.

I've given myself a week to recover from the torment, and also to do a heap of work around the house and then it's back to work for a big 2-day week.

Another Weekend in Review

This weekend was quite a combo.

Yesterday morning was chores and walks, and the afternoon was climbing at the climbing edge in Hobart.

Last night was a ball in Hobart, which was lots of fun, much dance, and one new silver semibreve. Plenty of bright new shiny things in the south.

Today was the drive home, and an auction in Devonport where I scored a set of four antique etch prints of "The Road to Ruin", which is quite reminiscent of Hogarths morality pieces. The effect in the hallway will be quite stunning. I also got a drop front cedar desk for the new computer desk. All I need for it is to make a new monitor stand.

On the way home from the Auction I was able to see the heritage listed white house across the river (at sea level) then the hills, an then the snow capped tiers. Spectacular! Unfortunately when I went back for a pic, the clouds had covered the tiers.

Tonight has been a new kidney belt, shield and moving in the desk and the odd bit of shopping.

Tomorrow night is (hopefully) Devonport fighter training, Tuesday is my last yoga class, and Wednesday will probably be a cleaning evening.

Who said I'm busy?

Still no goat babies.