May is such a beautiful time of year, lovely cool nights and warm days, with no need for the aircon at work.
I start to wind down a bit as autumn works it’s magic – shorter days that force you to slow down (well, hopefully). A great time to be in the garden – I have planted broccoli, garlic and carrots. This autumn and winter I am cutting back on the gardens, hoping to achieve a better result than last year by having more time to spend on each bed.
It was only when I saw the vegetable gardens grown for Costa at the Toowoomba Show this year, and how much they had achieved in a small space that I realised there had to be a better way! And Costa! What a beautiful and dynamic man. It was by luck that I arrived just as he was starting his talk and I sat, transfixed through the whole show and would have stayed for the next one if I hadn’t had to get back to the pig pavilion before it closed!
I helped out in the Pig section this year (well, I didn’t exactly do much except take a few photos and help wash up) and it was great to catch up with local pig breeders Brian Grayson and Andrew Taylor as well as long-time breeders John Singh (Punjub Stud) and Chris Dockerill (Pinedock Stud). We had a bacon and egg breakfast each morning, cooked by Andrew with bacon supplied by Chris’s pigs. It was absolutely top notch bacon, the sort that you just can’t buy in supermarkets! We are lucky in Stanthorpe to have Boss Meats who also does the real deal in bacon.
Unfortunately I couldn’t stay on for the stud sale on Saturday as I had to work, which was just as well as I would have got carried away and brought a few pigs for sure. I did leave a bid on a boar of Brian Grayson’s but he went over my limit. Top priced sale pig was Brian Graysons Landrace sow and litter – Woodalla Sally M17 fetching $1600. She had 11 piglets with her. Champion Pig of Show and top priced boar was Chris Dockerill’s Large White Pinedock Lakeside, fetching $1100.
I had some visitors to the farm recently and the kids were fascinated with the chooks. Often kids are a bit frightened and won’t attempt to handle the chooks but four year old Clementine had no such inhibitions. First chook off the rank for her to catch was the rooster. To be honest, I think it is the first time a kid of any age has gone to catch the rooster!
Earlier this month I read the tribute to racing identity Phil Percival written by his daughter Sharon Lee. What an amazing story that was! Such a humble man who has given so much to the community. I would love to meet him one day!
Around here on the farm, the water has all but stopped flowing into the Glenlyon Dam but the swans and pelicans are still in abundance. After a heavy day a few weeks ago, Dora and I headed down after work, just before dark, and I sat on a rock while Dora swam back and forth to the other side of the dam. We hadn’t been down for a while and she was so excited! It’s a great place to forget your worries, if only for a little while!
Next weekend is my favourite weekend in May, the St Mark’s Church Fete. Dear Richie and I will be there with our usual sheep, although of course no longer Mrs Dorset Horn, but we will bring the Large Black pigs if we can catch and load them! If you haven’t been before it is absolutely worth a visit. There is something there for everyone, from classic cars to classic country cookery, and everything in between!
Other than that, I have been busy helping Tammie with the auction. We have some wonderful items up for grabs and are so very grateful for so many local businesses that have come on board and donated. The link to the online auction is auctionsplus.com.au
