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.........