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Someone swiped one of our goslings today. Terrible but true. Stopped the car in the middle of the road, and scooped up one of the little darlings. Brian saw the whole thing, but didn't put two and two together, couldn't work out why Momma Goose was attacking the car. And then there just weren't as many goslings. I hope they enjoy the little fester. He'll/she'll be good eating in a few weeks.

Brian has just told me that someone has been in the paddock and pulled off the number plate on our truck, which would have done some doing, as it was very low down, close to the ground. It couldn't have been the bulls as it wasn't bent in any way. My, we are having fun and games, aren't we?

Alice has been having fun, driving the ride-on mower this arvo (afternoon). Brian was naturally very careful, and made sure the blades were not spinning. She has also been officially awarded her Pen Licence by Miss Vicary, so it is another step to her becoming an adult, as far as she is concerned. Nine years old!

We made a periscope for her science project (well, truth be told, Brian did 99% of it!), using downloaded instructions from the Internet, PVC square down pipe, two rectangular compact mirrors, good ol' duct tape, and an angle grinder for sculpting.

Being parsimonious, Alice spray painted it to our directions, with a few stencils in differing colours and entered it into the Art Show at her school. Didn't get anywhere though, but the satisfaction was pretty good. I think part of the problem was the fact that neither Alice nor I were able to explain in time how to set it up properly. There was supposed to be a picture Alice had hand-drawn of her version of Jesus (no beard, and a scraggly mo. and hairstyle, must have been the stress), with the motto "Always keep your eyes on Jesus" drawn around Him, positioned so that just by looking through the periscope the only thing that could be seen was the picture.

We had another eight goslings hatch from one sitting the other day. We are now waiting on two more hatchings. Mrs Compost is still sitting.

We were blessed in getting a large amount of sawdust from Murray Goulburn's Hardware division (just up the road from us), and Brian has seperated the pigs, as he believes that Bess is pregnant. He has, thankfully, rebuilt the rather fragile wooden long picket style gate to the pen. It, too, was in danger of becoming sawdust at the snouts of curious pigs.

Poor Porgy yesterday obviously had eaten too much, and had a large problem with a sore tummy, which elicited quite a few moans, and then some belches, more moans as the pressure re-built, some startling flatulence (this had Brian in gales of laughter) and Brian finally gave in and rubbed Porgy's tummy with a stick, which provided at least, some moral support.

Today, the pigs wanted to wallow and have showers in the sunshine, with Brian holding the hose over them, and then, Bess would take a beauty bath in the mud (possibly to relieve sunburn) and come back for more hosing-down.

It has been a time of routine maintenance, too. Fences to keep chooks out of veggie gardens, lawns mowed etc.

Someone very kindly dropped off some beams of wood. Firewood, yum!

Speaking of Murray Goulburn, the downside of living near the Factory is that our vehicles are getting a coating of milk powder lately, and it is greasy and very hard to get off windscreens, especially as the van has no motive power for the windscreen water. I will have to have gentle words in their shell-likes. (ears)

I just cooked up some chicken in a closed pot in the oven, and then spread on some cranberry jelly, orange zest and orange juice, and re-heated. The accompaniment was shredded carrot as a garnish to the chook, sectioned boiled potatoes which were then covered with a Greek yoghurt (very easy to make yoghurt), that had had finely shredded Lebanese cucumber and mint, and a little salt and a couple of drops of tabasco sauce added. Yummo! The sweetness of the cranberry was counterpointed by the sourness of the yoghurt.

We've put in quite a few tomato plants and by tomorrow, Brian would have put in about 50-60, all gifts of Marlene and Ken, bless 'em, who grew sterling quantities of them.

One duck died. Of what, we are not sure. Nothing sentimental here, just a brief regret and the body was slung over for the pigs. I still have not seen the kittens. I hope they are okay, for all that I do not want them.

Now, to the gardening section:

This is for Southern Hemisphere only - Cut back winter and spring-blooming shrubs such as diosma, Geraldton wax and eriostemons. Spring-flowered blossom trees should also be pruned now to control lanky branches and to prevent fruit from forming. Most protea blooms will have finished, so remove dead flowers and a good length of the stem below. Don't cut into very old protea wood or you'll be waiting a long time for more flowers.

Sweet corn likes plenty of rich soil and fertiliser. Before planting, dig in lots of well-rotted compost and Dynamic Lifter (commercialised chook poo) and sprinkle some all-purpose plant food (try seaweed! as a substitute) beside the rows of young corn plants. Water the seedlings every couple of weeks with soluble all-purpose plant food (try making your own liquid fertiliser) so they'll grow as tall as possible before attempting to develop cobs.

From The Standard October 18th, 2003AD, written by noted Gardening Expert, Shirley Stackhouse.

The Weekly Times of October 8th, this year, had an interesting article which itemises 25 regulations that have either been forced on farmers or are about to be implemented. They range from Child Employment Permits (a State Government Iniative to make sure we don't have family slaves) to Food Safety Legislation (Local and State Governments now say the Country Women's Association and other clubs that sell food to raise funds must ensure hot meals are cooked in an accredited commercial kitchen) to the 2002 Dams Act, which meant that farmers' rights to harvest rainfall run-off in irrigation or commerical dams (off a waterway) were extinguished. I think we have become the Bureaucracy State, and perhaps our number plates on our vehicles should mirror this, but perhaps rural citizens in other states have similar problems.

I am always leery of the Government (any Government) that says that it will not charge for the enactment of any legislation. I remember as a caustic teenager when superannuation came in and I commented to my Mother that it would not remain tax free for long, it was just too good a chance for the Federal Government to pick up some more free money. Now, as an Australian worker, you get taxed on the money you put in, and then you get taxed on it when it is withdrawn for your use. The Government at the time told us that the reason for superannuation was because there was no way known that the Government would be able to afford to pay for all of the retirerees in the near future, we were just too darned healthy and living too long. So now, my super taxes help fund people who haven't been able to put money away for their old age. Nice. Naturally, the best super is paid out to Federal politicians who have gone in for 100% swansdown to feather their nests. I'm always curious as to why I should pay extra for people who have had so much good stuff for so long (although in this case, the "so long" can be a minimum of six years), and who now want to retire at my expense. Surely if they were that good, they could get well-paying jobs in the private sector. Most of them aren't that old or in their dotage.

On the good side of life, we are all remarkably healthy, we have a roof over our heads, produce in the garden, livestock of our own, and Brian has a paying job. God is good.

Livestock

Stop! Look at what you have

those animals that are entrusted to your care

who believe they have every right to get looked after by you

how trusting they are that food will come every day, on demand

look into their eyes. Stop for a moment and look. Remember the

humanity that is yours. Think that you are the only creature between

animal and starvation. Animal and freedom.

Dominus tecum

Leonie