Anne Chambers wrote:
Trish Brown wrote:
Can't we all just say 'infinity' and let it go?

Continually feeding these pointless conversations is drowning the ng
in fresh, steaming, *unrotted* manure.

Y'know, you don't *have* to respond when someone posts something that
disagrees with you. Just let it go and we'll all feel better.

Hear hear

How about everyone else?

My tomatoes are finally ripening - but this year, for the first time,
the possums are having a go at them so I am having to pick them
half-ripe and let them ripen indoors. There are lots of apples the
possums could have with my blessing but they seem to have changed
their eating habits
At least I've finally got them out of the roof and all the entrances
blocked off - but did they like the brand new house I put up in a
tree for them (as required by the Dept.of Environment who rented me
the possum trap; one can no longer remove them from the property even
if said property is only a one & a half acre block)? - of course
not, they have now burrowed into the woodpile.

For some reason I cannot see posts from Trish (no you are not sinbinned) so
I will have to tag on here.

The season has been kind to us with good rain and despite continued high
humidity not much in the way of fungus and mould.

The pasture is looking great, we could run twice as many horses at the
moment as they are all fat and cannot keep up with it. All except one old
dear who is wasting away from a mystery illness. She has been on
supplementary feeding for three months and eats grass with the rest all day.
She ought to be spherical with what she is eating but instead just skin and
bones. I am checking out sites for a big hole. She has taken a liking to
mulberry leaves so I replaced the net to keep her out. Running late to go
out the other day I glanced at the orchard to find her inside the net. It
was like one of those weird performance artists who wrap up common objects
or paint large animals in living rooms. Just standing there patiently, no
fuss, waiting for me to get her out. I have no idea how she got in there.
The mulberrys will recover.

Mootilda the cow is settling in well. She and the horses have reached a
negotiated settlement. I can now get up to her and touch her without any
problem, I know it is just cupboard love because as soon as it is clear that
I have no food for her she wanders off but it is s good sign that she is not
totally afaid of getting near people. I now have to build some yards and
bails so that she can have a visit from the lady with the syringe.

The vege garden is looking like a picture book. Herbs and cutting greens
have self-seeded all over the place and the cucurbits are plotting world
domination. The asparagus is way over my head and next spring looks like
being a good cut. The stone fruit did very well and the pear trees are
loaded to breaking point , now if I can just remember when to pull them ....

I have found a new cultivar of beans which is very impressive in my
environment. Not from any of the recognised sources nor from a crazy old
aunt. So many of those, including Diggers so-called lazy houswife
(stringless my foot) have drawbacks. This one is a bush bean that is robust
and produces loads of genuinely stringless pods. Found everywhere and
disparaged by some - Mrs Fothergills. Also I grew yellow pear tomatoes for
the first time. They are very good; a small sweet salad tom that looks like
a yellow pear about 4cm long.

We took kilos of tomatoes and cucmbers to the new Gloucester farmers market
last Saturday, I am still waiting to see how much sold but it was looking
good. If anybody is interested as either buyer or seller I will post
details.

There have been a few disappointments. The second round of corn didn't get
fertilised correcly and the ears are very underweight. I cannot get in
front of the snails. I slay them in their hundreds, clean up all their
hiding places etc etc but still they come. But sun is shining and all is
right with world.

David