07

Do you remember recently I wrote about the weather, and how the white tower jobs at the Weather Bureau couldn't work out what was going on? Remember I also said about how it goes in cycles, according to my generational husband-farmer? Well, yesterday another gentleman farmer was talking on the radio about how our weather goes in ten year cycles, as he has researched back a century. Seems like, according to him, we can forget good spring rains until next year. Bother! And I suppose somewhere in there will be floods.

Caution and Mowgli have been very good, Mowgli only attacking shoes, which, compared to livestock, I and the chooks can live with. I read that perhaps I should attach the next dead chook to Mowgli's collar and leave it on for a month, so that he gets the message. I have heard of this before, but every time I try to attach a chook (it was with David, Mowgli's dad), the darn thing would come loose. Admittedly, if I am going to do it, this would be the best time, as he is still young, we have a very cold winter going, with no flies to speak of, and I'm sure he will do it again soon. Any hints or tips on this subject would be most welcome, either in the way of alternatives or how to secure the body on the body.

I finally made the Apple Butter (with Alice's help, bless her) yesterday, and it is very nice, but needs to be used sparingly on one's toast. Took a while for the apples to soften, though, and perhaps that's why the cinnamon is so strong in it. Gave two jars to Alice's lovely teacher who supplied the recipe book, one for her and one for her Mother, whose recipe book it is.

Brian has cut up a lot of the timber I bought really cheaply at the last Clearance Sale, the one where he bought the large calf crate. It's great timber, but full of creosote, so that the kitchen smells like a newly surfaced road. Pwah! And I need to clean out the chimney daily, as the soot deposits thick and fast. But it is virtually free timber, and it burns well.

All of the livestock are doing well, and we think Ewok is finally eating a bit of solid food, although those mice with wings, the sparrows, seem to be haunting the area as well. If they weren't so small, I'd seriously think about catching and eating them. I gather Italian people have great recipes for sparrows, but once they're plucked, how much meat would on the carcass? I reckon you'd get more meat in a cocktail frankfurt than half a dozen fat sparrows. Not that I'm going to compare, and spoggys that fall into our yard will be pig food, fast!

Speaking of which, our two ginormous pigs, Porgy and Bess, have taken to jumping up and resting their front trotters on the gate, head over and snorting if they think they have any chance of more food. Brian is, understandably, trying to dissuade them, as I believe the gate is so old, it may have been made out of the original timbers from the Ark.

We have been given three huge zucchini to eat. Vegetable marrows, I think Americans call them. Long, dark green, look a bit like cucumbers with radiation. Sweet when they are very small, easily damaged skin. Grow off a pumpkin-like plant. When they are this big, they are good to slice down their middles, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and put in a mix of cooked rice, tomato paste, Italian herbs and grated cheese (plus any other vegetables you want). Cover the two whole pieces in foil, place on a baking dish, and bake in a moderate oven for around an hour. If you are not certain about time, take out the dish after a reasonable length of time, and try to put a fork in the flesh of the zucchini. If it is incredibly soft, it's done. Oh, you can also put bacon or roast chook pieces in your mix, whatever takes your fancy. When it's ready, cut pieces off, usually a half of a half is good for an adult, and put on a pasta plate, minus the foil. Add seasoning to your taste, and Bob's your uncle.

I mentioned earlier that I had just bought a book, The Australian Guide to Self Sufficiency by Michael Richardson (3rd ed. New Holand Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd. 1999 Sydney, Australia). Well, I've had a brief look through, and it's fascinating! Everything from going camping to impossible cures (stuff that would not work on, for example, a victim of bubonic plague). There's a great section on rabbits, including skinning and curing. On page 269 there is a photograph of a home-made hat. Rough as guts, but it does the job! The caption reads: "Cowhide hat, showing criss-cross and back stitch thonging. Construction details are self-evident. The hat is moulded into shape after steeping it in neatsfoot oil and soaking it in water. The hat is pulled over a bowl the size of the wearer's head, and the brim squeezed between bricks and left to dry."

Richardson then goes on to explain in detail how to make a cowhide belt, including a handy pouch, and Viking boots!

The Contents page shows the versatility and care that has gone into this book: Shelter - building a house, building to last, a roof over your head, fencing it off, waterworks. Commodities - paint and protect, stick it together, paper making, pen and ink, salt for the table, lubricants, keep it clean, insect repellents, ropewalk. Bushcraft - water for survival, wild foods, the hunt, knife lore, think like a fish, pathfinding, knots and lashings. Heat and Light - fire lighting, candlestick maker, alternative energy. Food - cooking outdoors, use your loaf, preserving food, the house cow, grow your own, an egg a day. Drink - malt and hops, wine-maker, thirst-quenchers. Transport - home mechanic gone bush, paddle your own canoe. Health - first aid, doing without dentists, folk medicine. Cloth and Clothes - loom and wheel, out of your hide, dyed-in-the-wool. Craftwork - pottery, wickerwork, durable glass. Woodwork - the name of the grain, woodworking tools, jointing, making furniture, French polishing. Metals - joining metals, hammer and tongs. And then there is a comprehensive index. Whilst understandably, there is not a huge amount of detail on many subjects mentioned, the author has done a stirling job of covering a lot of self-sufficiency, and at least the reader can get a good, practical introduction to the possibilities.