This farm is an educational experience in where food comes from, how it grows and what it really tastes like. If you like you can learn how to do it all yourself. I was a 'city slicker' who went on an adventure to produce my own food and in the process became self-sufficient farmer. For all ages, this is a fully integrated working farm with animals, vegetables, orchard and bush tucker. Visitors welcome but by appointment only.
Once a Jolly Swagman - was built.
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Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong Under the shade of a coolibah tree, He sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
Inspired by the poem, using myself as a model, I built one.
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Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
He sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled, you'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me.
I guess being a farmer, even a small time farmer you quickly learn a lot of skills, you become practical, if thats even possible, or were you always that way? Concreting is second nature to me now, mix the stuff, reinforce it some how inside, let it dry. Not that difficult really. Soaking clothes in concrete then getting them onto a wire dummy, not so easy. Creating a life like face with eyes, well that is something again.
I'm never really happy with anything I do, always finding little bits I could do better but 2 weeks after completing this bit of garden art one of the dogs started barking at it so I guess it was a pretty good job if the dog though it real enough to back at.
I used to go fishing in billabong in the NT. They form during the dry seasons of course. Towards the end of the dry they weren't a pretty sight as they did up and left fish high and dry. I can imagine that wouldn't happen to your special billabong. Would still like to come b visit.
My little billabong is actually a very small dam, while I've never seen it dry up completely it has got close. With the storms this week it is full again and looking very pretty.
I don't know if this happens else where around the world but an old bath tub makes a good size water trough and you can usually pick them up from renovators for free. Unfortunately they are often just tossed in the paddock and the water is attached through a hole drilled in the wall of the bath. That's what happened on my farm and a few years on now the bottoms are rusting out of the tubs and the constant leaks are becoming a concern. I like to to things a little different. A mate of mine who renovates old houses had a bath he didn't want so I used it to replace the worst one I have. I put some plumbing in so it could always be drained and cleaned then poured a slab of 2 barrow loads of concrete over top. I then built a frame around the bath like you would when installing it in a house. A bit of 3 ply wood as the cover on the sides and a few layers of paint I now have a great looking water trough -- very swish indeed.
Here is the story about how I discovered world naked gardening day, the first Saturday in May each year. The founders of the day say; “it is meant to be funny, light hearted and non-political” and I'm all for those days. Well when I first moved to my farm I was on hands and knees in the middle of one of my paddocks planting a young shade tree. I look up to see one of my neighbour some 500 meters away walking around her garden in the nude. Then her partner came out and also started walking around in the buff and they seemed quite happy just chatting away. I was so embarrassed, there I was now hiding behind this tiny young tree in total fear they would think I had sneaked up to have a perve. I turned around still on all fours and crawled all the way out of the paddock so they couldn’t see me. When I got to the trees I up and ran all the way home and hid inside thinking, oh my god I’ve moved in next to a nudist colony. Turns out that was the only time I ever saw them ...
Somewhere back I wrote about being somewhat of a coffee snob. But still I set out grow and roast my own and I did it on my first go. Totally surprised but it is really good. Here is the video of the process 1. Growing. I started without any knowledge, I just saw a coffee tree at a nursery and thought I'd give it a go. Turns out the little tree was actually a miniature so it less than a meter high after 3 years but is covered in fruit. I started out with the tree planted in a position where it just got too wet and the leaves all fell off. I then moved it to a dryer position which is actually under the drop line of a huge gumtree. 2. Pulping. You just squeeze the berries and the seed covered in a slimy substance shoot out. Derrrr keep the seeds and feed the skins to the chooks. 4. Fermentation. It should be called simply, soaking. Toss the seeds in fresh water and leave them for around 2 days - 18 to 24 hours. Don't be too particular you can feel the regular ...
I used to go fishing in billabong in the NT. They form during the dry seasons of course. Towards the end of the dry they weren't a pretty sight as they did up and left fish high and dry. I can imagine that wouldn't happen to your special billabong. Would still like to come b visit.
ReplyDeleteMy little billabong is actually a very small dam, while I've never seen it dry up completely it has got close. With the storms this week it is full again and looking very pretty.
ReplyDeleteVisits always welcome.