Thursday 14 July 2011

at the cows again.............

At the cows again............I know some of you have said where are you, what do you do there............
so I took some pics over the last few days to show you..............
In Australia we have Travelling Stock Routes (TSR) all over the country.............some are more well know then others............some don't really have stock use them these days...............
the Canning Stock Route is a famous one...........
Traditionally they were used to move cattle and sheep around the country side...........by walking them.............also know as "The Long Paddock"...........
Drovers would take stock from one property to another and this may take weeks or months and involve many many kms................Now days they are used more in time of drought when feed is short ...............some mobs of cattle go out on the TSR's to "walk" and they have to travel a certain distance everyday...........other mobs of cattle go out and stay at a reserve (wider area along the road) and move within a shorter distance.............this is what we are doing...........we have an area along the road that we are allowed to use and we pay a fee to have the cattle out on the road...........you have to get a permit to take the cattle on the TSR's.........
You must have signs at either end of the area the cattle are out during the day...............they must be in a fenced "break" (paddock) during the night.....you are supposed to be with the cattle while they are out on the road during the day...........a short time away is ok but they can't be left out all day without someone with them.........
The cattle have the right of way along the road so if you're driving along the road and come across a mob of cattle you have to give way to the cows if they are on the road.............
........we use an electric fence system to keep ours under control of a night..........the electric fence gives them a little zap if they touch it which they hate but it doesn't harm them...............
So why are we out on the road.............well we don't have enough grass for them at home............this is a way for us to give them extra food...........where we have the cows isn't that far from home but it has had some extra rain that we have not had at our property.................this is July and we have only had a little over 3 inchs for the year................our average is 22 inchs............
we still have the sheep at home and we are feeding them grain several times a week.............
So what do we do at the cows each day.............let them out of the "break" which sometimes is quick and easy and other times like today took ages as the cows were not co-operating with me.............so long as they are heading out along the road in the right direction they are allowed then all is well.............
Usually they can do what they want until they hit the boundary and we have to turn them back towards the "break" from mid afternoon it is mustering them slowly back to the break...........
DH has the motorbike with him and can do it quicker but as I don't like to unload and load the 4 wheeler motor bike off the back of the ute I do it on foot...........hunt them along a bit and then walk back to the car drive forward a bit then walk again and keep doing that until we get back to the "break"......the kids are usually pretty good help (except lately when they have been sick).....
.......today like yesterday was FREEZING so I was not liking getting out of the car to move them along..............
So for a fair bit of the day I get to stitch.............sitting in the car watching the cows.........when I first started blogging we were in the middle of a few months out on the road..............it was hot and dusty as it was earlier in the year and we also had to cart water then so I would stitch for an hour or 2 then I would be dusty/dirty/sweaty hands and have to stop..........
Now it is chilly most mornings and I sit in the car most of the day soaking in the warm sun..............sometimes about lunch time Fairy Girl and I have taken the table and chairs and sat out for lunch and some sewing or reading but the last 2 weeks have been too cold for that...............
today I was trying to catch up on the Tis the Season blocks..............please note the progress in a photo below............lol..........
I love my thermos at the moment.............and I have decided I like Earl Grey tea more then plain tea...........I drink it weak black but can nearly have it without sugar..........would be great to drop sugar from my cuppa's
(Can't drink too many as you have to do "bush wee's" and that's when you need to find a good hidey spot and no cars going past.............lol.........really the less you need to go the better.............lol)
See the steam on the windscreen...........it was COLD outside.............
I was tired this morning so I had a "nanna nap" about 10.30 which is so not me but I was tired.............
Fairy Girl is usually pretty good all day but today she was pesky and unsettled all morning not really happy with any activities.....books, Ipod, sewing, eating......but this afternoon she settled down into her sewing...........she is doing so well........
......sometimes neighbours stop as they pass and you get to say hi even if it is only for a few minutes..............
Being sowing time for crops occasionally a farming plant travels past.........
Anyway that's an outline of a day at the cows....
...whats happening at your place???
Take care
Chookyblue.........


40 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post thank you for sharing.

Christine

jodie said...

interesting Chook, thanks for the cattle lesson.

Jindi's Cottage said...

Isn't it funny what we take for granted as understood, you say "at the cows" and I see your day exactly as you've described it...hope you get some good rain soon.

Anonymous said...

Very interesting post Chooky and i hope you get a decent amount of rain soon.

Miriam said...

I hope it rains for you soon.

How are the kids? I hope they are both feeling much better now.

Pauline said...

great post chooky...you a busy girl..man I have acreage here , small as it is.....and nothing on it....mind you grass not growing this time of year..its too cold..brrrrrrrrrrr....great read mate..cheers

Lynn said...

I love the post, thanks for sharing. It really is fascinating. Here I'm enjoying a day of relative coolness, it's been 100 (37C) for the past few days and it's only going to be in the upper 80's(30C) today!

Sarah said...

That was such an informative post... REALLY good read.

Nancy Near Philadelphia said...

PLEASE grant me permission to lift your "Cows Ahead" photo. It is truly splendid.

Anita said...

Thanks for a little view into your day with the cows! I suppose you could look at it as a forced day of sitting back and taking it easy - well except for when you are herding the cows LOL

Bonnie said...

Thanks for sharing. That is what I enjoy about reading blogs, learning new things about different areas in the world.

Love Bears All Things said...

I loved reading about this...I think its wonderful and the cows eat the grass on the roadside. Here it has to be mowed or poisoned. I'm glad you have a warm place to wait and a little stitching to do.
Mama Bear

Satu said...

It was nice to see / read your life there... far away from here... and you did great progress with your TIS;)

Peg - Happy In Quilting said...

Hey Chooky..the first photo and the brown one on the road, what's it's name???? LOL.... great photos though...good way to get a bit of stitching time.......xxxx

Miss Hillbilly said...

This was a very interesting read for me; thank you for sharing. I like blogs that share life, so that we can get to know the person a bit better!

How old is your daughter?

Chocolate Cat said...

Thanks for this post, so nice to understand a bit more and easier now to imagine exactly what you are up to when you are 'doing the cows'!!! I'll leave the bush pees to you though!!

Cardygirl said...

Looks cold...are the signs put out properly? I am good at that! Keep warm & snug...hope FG is improving.

Lynda said...

Thanks for explaining "at the cows" - us city people have no idea of what really goes on in your world.

Leanne said...

Great post Tony has just read it and he can not believe your rain situation. After our very wet trip up your road this time last year.

Tracey @ozcountryquiltingmum said...

Brilliant post, Chook. I felt like I was there, you would get a lot of sewing done...not so much housework. You have great kids being able to cope with that all day....chin up, it'll rain...you can have 22 inches of ours...everything stuffed here. Hoping for it to stop by Sept so we can get in some late barley and get some $$. Cheers, tracey

ozjane said...

Sorry to hear that you are not getting the rain you need. I had hoped that most places were more or less OK this year. We are usually in a rain shadow but have had some rain each day and it is nice to look out at night and see the garden glistening in some new night lights I put in the garden.
I grew up on a market garden and we were fortunate to eventually put down a fabulous bore so had a 3 million gallon dam, whatever that might be today, and always able to be topped up. I thought of it with longing over the past decade here as it got to look more and more like a bush desert than a garden. It has been wonderful to see the change in the last couple of year.......so hope your turn for rain comes in time for some good spring growth.

Queen Of The Armchair aka Dzintra Stitcheries said...

Great post Chooky...reminds me of our days back in Bathurst with the cows grazing around...Sounds like you get as much rain as we used to get out there!!! Good on you for stitching in the car, better than sitting around getting bored...Dzintra

julieQ said...

We just fit our sewing time anytime we can...lovely cows and pretty stitchery!

Shiralee Stitches said...

Great post, Chooky......it's great that you make advantage of those farm duties to sew, making it all seem less intrusive of your time.....I hope you are all feeling better in the Chooky household....

Nicky said...

Great post - almost felt like I was there. Not many farm jobs that you can get so much stitching done - maybe one of the only advantages of a desparate situation. I really hope you get some rain soon, is your drought season normally through the winter?

Jodie said...

Great post Chooky!!!

We had just over an inch of rain yesterday, I so hope that some of that was headed your way too..

We are feeding sheep at the moment too and have also sent some over to the River where the clover is in abundance...

Rumor has it that this year will be the start of another long dry - fingers crossed the rumor isn't true...

Hugs - Jodie :)

rosie said...

Great post Chooky.. we have misty nuisance rain here at the moment.. it's not really rain, but it's making the sheep damp for shearing.. hope some decent falls get to you guys soon. We have just had seven years like you and now it has turned nice...

annemariesquilt said...

Hi anf thank you so much for your wonderful trip around with your cows..
It is supposed to be summer in Norway but we are still waiting for the heat..
I still use my wollen socks realy!!
I have just started my summervacation of 4 weeks and it is lovely to have time to do what ever I want to, right!!
I have been visiting my mother and I have also stayed 5 days at my father in laws cabin by the sea, lovely..
Now I am back home and trying catch up on some housework ;-)
Take care and have fun!!

Googy Girl said...

great post Chooky, i know to you this stuff is probably mundane, but to me it is incredibly interesting.....

thank you for sharing a bit of you days

Saska said...

A "little" shock?? haha..our electric fence will make your hair curl!
The "farming plant"?...we have one too, but we calling it an air-seeder. ...and ours is green too.

Kris said...

Hope it rains soon! Can't believe you have had so little rain. Thanks for the photos. I have that glasses case here at my house!

Nothing like that happening here. We did finally get our stuff from Adelaide this weekend though so it's all unpacking boxes and building furniture here. Lovely and all, but a pain at the same time. (See. Never grateful!) We were so excited to have our things again (I have a bed!) but the place is chaotic which I could do without!

Unknown said...

That was interesting. Who owns the land you use to feed your cows on, when you don´t have enough at home? I think your children are doing well by hanging out there with you all day! You must be tired when you come home.

Linda said...

That was very interesting...I hope the rain comes soon for you!

Jenny said...

oh Chooky I wonder if those people who love their steak and complain about the price realise how much goes into raising cattle? By the way thanks for checking out our trip blog. Hubby was chuffed we had a follower I will get back to it on the weekend and give an update.

Jenny said...

Hey Chooky i wonder if those who love their steak realise how much goes into raising cattle? Thanks for following our trip blog i will update on the weekend.

Patty C. said...

I have never seen so many cows - lol

Anonymous said...

I'm with you on the 'bush wees' bit... sometimes a bit scary when you can hear a car! ;)

Susie said...

wow! such a different life to me! fantastic....Hope you enjoy your time outdoors...thank you for sharing with us. Happy Stitching, Susie

Cheryl said...

Love this post...very interesting. Love to hear that Fairy Girl is enjoying her stitching.

Angels Come to Play said...

Hi Chooky, when you said down with the cows I imagined a little stroll down to a nearby paddock...how wrong was I? That was such an interesting post. What would you do without technology? Shelley