Introducing the newest member of our farm family. Her name is Luka and she is a Murray Grey x Galloway. She is about 2 months old and is absolutely beautiful. She only arrived this afternoon after a harrowing ride in the car between Virginia’s legs. She had her ear pierced with her identification tag just moments before she left, so she keeps shaking her head. Anyway, everyone say ‘Hello’ and hopefully you will all get to meet her soon.

Charlene x

Once again, it’s been sometime since i have wandered out into mybigbackyard and taken stock of where we’re at, how the creatures big and small, four footed and two legged, beaked and billed, are faring.

I spoke of changes at Matiatia last time I wrote and it seems we are in a constant state of flux here, with some happenings causing sadness (see previous post) and others bringing joy and levity.

The family is settling into some sembelance of stability, with Zhane well ensconced now in the cottage, carnival lights and all, and Jax moving into the bails today. Deb arrives back from the UK in just a few days and Neha has returned to Oakland, on a mission to be back on the farm by June or July at the latest. We miss her, and look forward to her return.

We are enjoying living here as a home and family, now spread over the various dwellings on the property, without the place being part home, part business. It feels freer, knowing we can wander at will, play music loud if we want to, farm naked (if we want to), without frightening or disturbing guests. And we do all of that and more! There has been much productive activity, with me and my farmboy Zhane embarking upon lists of to do’s every day. Zhane is remarkable in her stamina for taking my mania for listmaking and tasking in her stride and remaining quite unflustered by it all…

Big news is Charlene’s new job! She’s working on a dairy! Rises at 4.45am for her first shift, comes home by half 9, and is off again for her second shift at around 3pm, home by 7. She’s usually quite aromatic and shit splattered by the time she arrives home but glowing and energised after milking 400 cows and so on… the farm she is working on is very lovely, green as green, on the banks of the richmond river, dewy in the early morning sunlight… the cows are pretty and docile, contented cows, not sad cows. Brian her boss is an excellent person. He works with a mixture of farming principles, including biodynamic principles, using chook manure instead of chemical fertilisers, feeding his cows lots of minerals, apple cider vinegar, epsom salts and so on. He knows every single cow and doesn’t treat his cows like milking machines, pushing the grains in order to get more milk gain from them. This can ultimately lead to "sad cow syndrome", where the cow’s system is very acid, and they become depressed and walk with dropped heads. He works alongside his dairy hands, talking 20 to the dozen about everything in the world and thinks charlene is the bee’s knees. All this is good. I went out wth her yesterday and took hundreds of photos of the dairy and the cows. Some lovely lovely pictures… i’ll post a couple here. It’s a great place to take photos, all that symmetry. Rows of legs, rows of shiny machines… Chatted to Brian her boss about minerals and weeds and honey locust trees which he has growing along the creek bank and about green mulch which he’s looking to turn to if his chicken manure supply runs out, which he predicts will happen because the price of chemical fertilisers have become so expensive that traditional farmers are looking for alternatives. He’s a 4th generation dairy farmer who has come from traditional farming roots and through his own learnings has moved towards using sustainable farming principles, so he’s interesting to speak to about things lke the soil and pasture improvement and animal rearing.

On the home front Zhane and I have been extremely busy in the gardens (in between rainfall) trying to get the grasses down to a manageable level. We’ve also been doing major gardening around the bails and caravan, in the secret garden, down around nick’s grave, around the clothesline and so on, all places we need to wander regularly. I’m hanging out to turn over the garden beds for the autumn planting… though we are still getting mountains of cucumbers, lots and lots of beans and the tomatoes and the greens never stop really. Pumpkins are so abundant that it’s a case again of two for the rats one for us… We’re thinking of making a sweet pumpkin pie (gluten free) with chocolate ganache lining the case… mmmmmmmm… And limes, my god limes to burn (but we’re squeezing them and freezing the juice for the lean times…).  We will probably preserve a whole lot, and then also make some baked goods and lime curd to sell. Lemons haven’t been ripening really due to lack of sun. It’s been a helluva season, no sun to speak of, so alot of the produce never really made it…

Our best task so far has been plumbing the drain for the outdoor bath in the bails. Michael already had it in place, so much of the hard work had already been done, but leveling it was a bitch, then digging out for the drain. We pruned many of the gingers and oter plants, weeded out tobacco plant and farmer’s friend, and it looks fantastic, and Jax is pleased to be able to use the bath, which has been a job going begging for such a long time… it really looks great…

the outdoor bathroom at the bails 

the plumbed drain 

no cheating, finding true level… 

level! 

We bought some new plants yesterday at the Lismore Carboot Market, which I love to go to, has everything from old playboy magazines to geese and ducks to vegetables and antiques and cool boots. We bought a crazy looking succulent that Zhane has put outside her new home, and a lemon myrtle tree and a native frangipani which is less perfect that the common frangipani. I’m keen on getting hold of some more native fruit bearing trees like finger limes…

I’ll be back again soon with more news. Perhaps about the acquisition of new animals… Stay tuned, farmyard friends…

xxV 

One of our dogs, well, a family member really, who we loved dearly, is no longer with us.

Nick (aka Nicholas Joseph Judy, Noodle Boy, Handsome Dan), 7 years old and so pretty, died a week ago and is buried here on the farm, in the orchard. We planted frangipani at his head and thyme at his feet.

Nick was beloved especially by Charlene, his Mum, and by Deb, his Mummatwo and is missed by Bucky, his big brother. Charlene and Deb picked up Nick when he was a pup, and he’s lived and travelled with them from city home to city home, from city to coast, and to his final home, here at Matiatia

He came into my life when he was 4, and I loved Nick too. He lived with me at the beach during his sea change phase, and loved to swim, thinking he could mix it with the dolphins way out in the river. He came running with me most mornings when I was living in the city down at Blackwattle Park, and more often than not ended up soaked after a flying leap from the esplanade into the water…

For Charlene, Nick was so important to her because she’s had some pretty rough times in her life. During the hardest times, when she had nothing at all, no money, food or electricity, she had Nick, and for a long time it was just her and Nick, and they shared what little she had.

Nick was a beautiful dog, handsome and energetic, strong and athletic, sweet natured and fiercely loyal. We loved him with all our hearts, and we will stay in our hearts forever.

mmmmmm.. milk 

part seal, part dog :: Ballina home away from home with Ammamamma and Uncle Dreggie

inner urban nick at the punks picnic, sydney park - photo by debra anthonisz

We love you Nicholas. Charlene, Deb and Virginia

written by V. Charlene will contribute nick stories when she feels able xx