There is lots of hard work around here but there is also a simple joy to be had in all of it. Standing back and watching my animals enjoy their fresh new pasture, sun shining on a cool winters morning is a pleasure. Being joined by a beautiful little bird who benefits from the insects that are generated by these animals is a bonus. Yesterday I had the joyful task of picking up some 'gold' left behind in these fields by my hard working crew. It gets heavy lugging this bucket around but by picking up this manure and processing it in my compost, then spreading it on my garden to give me abundant harvests, means all the hard work is worthwhile. There is a joy in nutrient cycling (mmm maybe I should get out more - haha).
I made a sneaky trip during lockdown to my single social buddy (socially distancing of course), who has an amazing olive tree grove. I would like a similar, but permaculture type, grove here one day so I thought I might give propagating some plants a go. I took cuttings from two different varieties that make great olive oil (I've sampled oil from this grove - delicious!!), so hopefully I might get a similar result one day. It will take a few weeks at least to get some roots happening - I'll keep you posted on how that goes! In addition to starting plants I managed to get some previously propagated plants into the ground. In my peach tree guild I've planted seven gooseberries that I have been nurturing all year, well I kept them alive anyway! Hard to see in this pic but those little sticks in the middle of the pile of mulch are plants that will spring to life come spring. May be a few years before they become really productive but job done now, down the track only harvesting to do!!
I finally got around to moving my Khaki Campbell ducks from the front garden out to the dam. Their little blue swimming pool has been replaced by a much larger swimming pool and I think they'll be very happy with the move. They had been creating so much mud in the chicken yard that I really had to get this happening. It took a little adjusting to their new surroundings but they really did take to this new dam like a duck to water :)
This week I've posted two videos. Thought I'd share my morning routine with all the critters around here so if you haven't seen it yet check it out via the link at the top of the page. You'll also find the second video which outlines my thoughts on propagating plants to provide plenty of flowers for my bees in the coming years. Like the olive trees I'll keep you posted on how success this venture was. Getting a few extra plants for little effort seems like a great use of my time - but practice makes perfect as with anything!
There you have it for another week. Enjoy your week, I'm sure I will!!
Cheers
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