Easter weekend at the farm…
Saturday morning I awoke to a glorious sunrise, with mist hanging low in the valley and the sun peaking through the trees. Every day is an early day here, even on weekends, as the animals still need to be fed, watered and put to pasture.
Sunrise at Maungaraeeda
Saturday was my first day on my own. My early morning snack was a fresh, homegrown dragon fruit.
Our homegrown dragon fruit, yumm!
The I went outside and started with the goats and fed them, after which I made the cow and chicken feed. I went into the cow yard to collect all the manure for the biodigester and to clean their yard. I fed the cows and brought them into a small “holding” paddock so the calves could feed straight away. Tom and I decided it would be better for me not to milk and try to lead the calves later, as we did not want to risk me getting hurt by trying to lead hungry calves! While the calves were feeding I fed the chooks, then put the cows to pasture, let the goats off and collected their food containers followed by feeding the biodigester. And all this before breakfast, no need to tell you that all that feeding made me hungry! However, after the biodigester I needed to feed the food forest chooks, empty the wheelbarrow with surplus manure and water the nursery, before I could finally have some brekky at around 9.30am.
The cow paddocks at the dam
I had made a bunya nut loaf the previous night, so I had eggs on bunya nut loaf with homemade mayo for breakfast, and for lunch this delicious chicken sandwich (bunya loaf, butter, rocket, chicken pieces and homemade mayonnaise…)
Chicken “sandwich”
On Sunday and Monday I had a friend over with her son, and we spent most of Monday getting a set together for a gig at the Maleny Wood Expo late April. It was great having a music day! The next day we got together with the Pyrophone Juggernaut crew for another rehearsal at Crystal Waters, so I had 2 days of music in a row!
Oscar and Marlon practising marimba pieces for the Wood Expo
Very tired today and incredibly grateful that Iris, a past student of Tom’s, came today to help out for the coming few weeks!
©2016 Zaia; permeco.org, incorporating Permaculture Research Institute Sunshine Coast, simplicity, permaculture, self reliance, self sufficiency, sustainability, food, health and homesteading, farm jobs over the easter weekend
Author: Zaia Kendall
Zaia grew up in a family of musicians in Holland, and has a background in top sport (snow skiing) and web development and design. She co-founded the PRI Luganville and PRI Sunshine Coast Inc (now PermEco Inc.) with Tom, and runs the “invisible structures”, like finances, business administration, website design and maintenance, writes articles and records and edits videos. She assists Tom in running the Kendall Permaculture Farm and supervising other volunteers. She is an active member of several musical projects and bands, involved in community music and runs percussion and marimba workshops, is the percussion leader for the Woodford Folk Festival People’s Orchestra and composes as well as plays music. She is passionate about community music and loves seeing people discover that they can play!
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