Saturday 1 November 2014

harvest.............

yesterday I escorted Mr Chooky and the header to my Dads farm for a little bit of harvest......so boring you have to drive so slow........Dad had a very light crop of oats to strip for seed for next year.......
Whenever you move a header on a public road you must have a vehicle escorting it........
flashing lights, flags, signs, so many rules..........
some of my brothers arrived back from working away.........to say they have a few working dogs is a serious understatement...............they have piles of dogs.........the few in the pics here are just a handful...........
they have great working dogs..........Boy Wonder gets tips from them too and one of his pups came from one of my brothers............
the oats being augered into the silo.........
trying to race the storm..............harvest is always a battle with the weather........it's always the start of the stormy season and hot.......Mr Chooky was trying to get this finished before the storms came......
they didn't get much rain and were right to harvest again today........knocked off by storms again this evening..............if you get any moisture it stops the crop from being snapped off properly by the header.........
But just as we were finishing emptying the oats into the silo and cleaning out the header the wind hit.........OMG...........it was horrible...........the dust billowing around..........
the wind and dust stayed up for quite awhile...........I wasn't at home when it hit here but the windows are filthy on the front of the house as I think they only got muddy spots of rain to dirty the windows.........nothing else........and the dust/dirt in the pool is unbelievable............the grit that gets everywhere in the house.........on the verendahs.........
Today was a little cooler but windy all day..............I didn't bother opening the house tonight even though it has cooled down with the change coming thru but there is still dust in the air.........
hope your having a great weekend........
Catch you later
Chookyblue

19 comments:

Cardygirl said...

Great pics, it must be a battle against dust!

Jenny said...

Love the photo of the header. I don't know why we always battle the storms at harvest. Its the only time you want the rain to stay away for a week or two.

Maria said...

It is always a battle for you against the elements.. I see the crops on the way to Geraldton are ready to harvest too.

Dasha said...

Such a different lifestyle to that of townies! Love seeing and hearing about it. Wind/rain was pretty vicious here tonight about 6pm. No damage thankfully.

Indigo Blue said...

Not pleaseant to have all that windy weather and dust, must hurt the eyes.
My friends are farmers over in East Anglia and it is often a race against time and the rain to get it all in before the weather turns! Many late nights. Hope it continues to go well for you all.

Anthea said...

wow! what a operation, Chooky! i'd love to see the dogs in action, I bet make a huge contribution.

gracie said...

So interesting when I visit your blog. I know about dust storms...here in Arizona USA our dust storms blow a fine powder that gets into everything....I can not imagine trying to work in it.

Raewyn said...

Interesting to see what is going on over there, Chooky. I hope the weather behaves for you...

CountryMum said...

Awesome photo of the dark clouds and header. Battling the weather at harvest - always a challenge.

Jindi's Cottage said...

Hope the weather holds for you, even with the dust, so you can get the harvest in. The weather here yesterday was back to wild wintery, but nothing compared with what NSW is experiencing with storms, heat and fires...

Jo in TAS said...

Mother Nature has bad timing, someone needs to have words with her!

Cherry Pie Designs said...

Great images of our wonderful country ....Chooky

creations.1 said...

Ah yes!! The storm season - comes in right along with harvest season!! And men and their dogs - we have 8 extra here along with two litters of pups (eldest son's working dogs)- I could move into town where none of the above affects me but It is all in my blood - couldn't leave it if I wanted too!!!

Pinnylea Creations said...

Wonderful pics Chooky - all those dogs though.... great mix of characters I bet :)

Sue SA said...

The thought of those itchy oats makes me shudder! Thank goodness the days of headers without cabins and "bagging" grain is over.

Fiona said...

lovely pictures.... my son does this in UK .. just at different times of the year!!! haha
Hugz

Anita : Shabby Quilt said...

lovely pics. hope the dust storm is gone. they make such a mess.

Robyn of Oz said...

Ain't it grand? My other half used to work for an ag machinery company, so we've always taken an interest in what's going out there in the world of farming.
I don't envy you any of it at all.
I recall a ripper dust storm when I was a child. We visited my grandmother in Mildura. It seemed that the desert was trying really hard to bury us and the rest of Victoria under it. We were running around, filling in every gap we could. We still ended up spending the next day washing everything, sweeping and mopping floors. Any wonder Nana didn't have carpet. My favourite job was beating mats and rugs.
Ah, the good olden days. :)
I hope there's a good stock of oats for next year.

kiwikid said...

Great photos...especially the storm coming..although not what you want to see when you are getting the crop in. Hope the weather behaves for you.....oh that dust.....makes me cringe to think of it!!
xx