Just add H2O



Old Shearers Quarters on part of the farm



We need some rain, we've only had 6mm for September.

 Barley is 'in head'

 Canola pods are maturing, the little black Canola seeds are inside these skinny pods

 All of the Canola flowers are dying off as the pods mature

Baby up a tree

The Tawney Frogmouth in our tree has a young chick in the nest. How cute!! Just can't get him to look at the camera yet.

New Header

 Our new John Deere Header arrived last week. A fair bit bigger than the old one. The kids were quick to climb up and pretend to drive it.

Farming the Sun

 These solar panels are at my in-laws house which is about 3km across the farm from where my husband and I live. We have had the same number fitted to the machinery shed near our house. 27 panels each costing around $40k for both systems.

 My husband and brother in law made the frame for this set up.

Considering we can regularly get temperatures into the 40's during summer, it makes sense to find some space to install solar panels. The highest temperature we have recorded was 48 degrees, although the postman recorded 50 degrees that same day.

Feathered Friends

Every September a family of Tawney Frogmouth return to a tree right near our house. I'm hoping this nest has a baby in it and I can get some photos of it in a few weeks.

We have seen their young learning to fly and sometimes see them still as a statue on the ground. One youngster landed in our backyard one year but soon flew off when he saw my camera coming!

 I love these birds, they are so stern and grumpy looking, they are hilarious.

These birds are the reason I don't get a cat. I'd like the cat to get rid of the mice but don't want to risk these birds finding a new home. Their looks and sounds are so unusual and unique, they are gorgeous.

Where are we located

Crops near Ungarra

Our farm is located 20 km north west of Ungarra. There are no shops at Ungarra, just a Primary School, Sports Club, Bowling Club, Hall and Church. We have a 48km drive into Tumby Bay which is our closest shop, chemist, doctor etc. We are only 45km from Cummins but this is a dirt road almost the whole way so I tend to go into Tumby Bay much more than Cummins as the road is sealed from Ungarra to Tumby Bay.

Nankivells Road heading into Tumby Bay

Nankivells Road heading into Tumby Bay

Nankivells Road heading into Tumby Bay

View on Nankivells Road heading into Tumby Bay

Nankivells Road view of Ocean near Tumby Bay

Looking over Tumby Hills almost to Baillie's Hill, Lipson

Almost to Baillie's Hill, Lipson

View near Baillie's Hill, Lipson

Coming into Ungarra

Coming into Ungarra

3rd Birthday Party

Happy 3rd birthday to Benny bruiser. He was very excited at his Lightening McQueen cake that I whipped up! Not the best decorating skills but they all ate it just the same.

The most favourite present was from my relatives in Perth, Chris and Aileen. Chris hand-made a wooden tractor for our little farm boy, he loves it. 

In February they sent over a hand-made wall clock that looks like a large watch for our daughters 5th birthday. How lovely of them to put so much love and time into these gifts for our kids.

Shearing

Shearing wrapped up last week. We only have about 1500-2000 sheep these days so shearing only goes for just over a week, weather permitting.

We get professional shearers in to attend to the job and the hubby, his brother and father are the shed hands, wool classers, wool pickers and sweepers.

Up until he was 72 years old my father in law use to shear one sheep on the hour for the shearers as an old fashioned good will gesture (the shearers are paid per sheep they shear). He has slowed down quite a but in the last 12 months but still wont retire. Actually, I think if he left the farm he would die, it's been his whole life, he loves it.

Little Benny bruiser loves to help sweep in the shearing shed, so does our 5 year old daughter, although she's now at primary school so only gets a turn after the school bus.

Ben is now trying to shear me!!! He asks me to get on the ground and then he pretends to 'drag' me out of the pens, swings the leg over and pretends to shear me!! He has been taking so much notice of what the shearers do, it's amazing.