Cremona Hillside Farm

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Cremona Hillside Farm

Cremona chalet and school is a new dream for an old retired farmer. A garden is being reestablished . He's a bit of an animal whisperer all round.

The former school principal's house ( built in 1906) and the one room school ( built in 1890) are being substantially renovated and restored. Alex and Kate Serrurier moved to this little 120 acre farm eight years ago after finding 15 acres was not quite enough to do all the things they wanted to do. Alex has always loved goats and loves breeding and showing . Kate is a passionate forager and exper

imenter who makes lots of things herself and readily uses anything no one else wants - excess fruit or vegetables, old clothes, furniture, bits of wood or metal become reinvented . Life on the farm is like a dream come true. A few interruptions with ageing, surgery, cancer and a couple of fires have meant slow progress, but it seems to be coming together now ....

31/10/2024

FFFFF # 303
“One of those songs”
“Blessed are those who do not fear solitude, who are not afraid of their own company, who are not always desperately looking for something to do, something to amuse themselves with, something to judge. If you are never alone, you cannot know yourself.”
— Paulo Coelho
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb-QjI-5IpI&ab_channel=verycoolsound ( Jimmy Durante with my current earworm)
I have an earworm which changes about weekly. I was thankful the frozen logger finished, but had to endure “Singing in the Rain” for longer than necessary. I’m not sure what inspires earworms but Jimmy Durante (above) has a theory. Having a tune in your head (and apparently singing along to it) is reputed to be therapeutic. Singing in itself is a great leveller and inspirer of joy. The shower and the car are both flattering spaces for the voice- the former because of the steam and the enclosed area I suspect , the second maybe because of the tyre rhythm and smaller reverb. Also no one else hears and mocks you for your attempts at being operatic or a rock star.
Last week I went to the guitar exhibition at the Ballarat Art Gallery. Fabulously curated- ancient and early stringed instruments as well as modern wild designs. The wording of the curator was fun. The interactions were fun. Great learning curve.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/3074217296075221- ( reticent virgin biology teacher) was not a “learning curve” for me as the study of REPRODUCTION in Year 10 Biology classes. Our ancient female teacher whose lifelong companion was also a teacher at the same all girl’s school, wrote a poem about reproduction which went like this…
“The female has the outside cup and holds her stamens firmly up”. We were also taught about rabbits – but I never saw the relevance after I heard about stamens. Thank God I went to university in the late 1960s when it all became much clearer. In the Folk Club. Lots of practical experience offered as well.
The rest of the elusive poem has disappeared as an earworm. Thankfully.
So FRUGAVORING and FOSSICKING on Marketplace saw me buying a serious metal fountain from the most wonderful man who showed me his garden and deliciously eccentric and chandeliered kitchen. Then he donated me seven Queen Elizabeth roses he had grown from cuttings. Oh God- now I have a Royal Garden. This could lead to a serious addiction. No corgies!!!
I have been gardening a fair bit this week and hoping for a “glorious display” of nasturtiums clambering over fences between Dunolly Cemetery roses. .Nasturtiums are useful and edible plants. The flowers, which have a peppery/mustard taste are fabulous in salad and also add some colour. The buds can be pickled like capers. I’ve never done this, but have tasted the experimentation from mates’ gardens. Very good flavour. Fleshy and vinegary.
I am thrilled to report that the cut leafed Linden has turned the spring corner and red buds have become lime green foliage. It was worth the expense to purchase a more mature tree. The grapevines are likewise showing exciting promise. Starting a garden from the beginning again is offering minor thrills which keep me going.
I went for my usual FOSSICKING round in Creswick and had two beautiful unexpected gifts offered to me- a couple of rooted cuttings of Charles de Mills rose- which I have always grown. He is a prolific bloomer, not highly scented, but the deep purple red and shape of the many petaled flowers make him especially handsome. He spreads well, is green for a large part of the year and is fond of old cemeteries. The gifter also donated a well-established oak tree in a pot he grew from the acorn of a large- leafed and very ancient tree I much admire near an old public building. On the way home I stole cuttings of a flouro pink daisy near someone’s letter box. Father forgive me, but I did know what I was doing…
Here the mini FARMING continues with prolific egg production, goat milk, extremely active bees who have made a great deal of pale extremely sweet canola type honey, chook sittings and goat kids growing at an alarming rate.
Spring is absolutely fabulous when you live on an Avenue of Honour – except that you lawn is full of elm suckers. The wonderful chap from the council who loves his job and avenues and monuments, sprayed weeds for me in the gutter, did some expert mowing and patted Gus. Bagging out Council workers- especially outdoor staff- has never been my style. They are attentive, kind, fun, passionate about their jobs- and this is all despite cumbersome bureaucratic processes.
And now I wish you Happy Beltane and hope you do not get “Season of the Witch” as an earworm….

24/10/2024

FFFF #302 2024
Vera Lynn was right
https://www.facebook.com/reel/407502098904056 ( Leo Kottke a nd Ched Atkins. Stunning guitar work and somehow I’d forgotten about them…)
This week began with a fabulous morning doing the rounds of bargains in the Creswick Community Garage Sales. 53 families braved the ghastly weather to sell their wares. I spent $40.00. Brought home the following : A hard back copy of a Harry Potter book and Elizabeth David’s magnificent vegetable cookery book ( she is a hero of mine), an Etsy necklace, a very very cute small window ( studio) , two funky matching reading lamps, a sexy silk singlet top ( may not fit or look sexy on me) , a possum fur scarf, some wild hippie pants, an even wilder hippy jacket, a tall Victorian pewter vase, some bamboo garden stakes, three raspberry plants and a forsythia, a slow cooker ( free ),a gold miners shovel, a lino print of a cat and a Marimekko cushion cover. I love all of them and they are now washed, sorted and some have been used. But what really made the morning fun was the attitude of the sellers- hilarious stories , warm welcomes, shared interests, philosophies about ageing and decluttering and moving and being widowed. I bought a school satchel at one sale – a 1950’s leather variety which had belonged to the seller’s late husband. She was thrilled his memory would be hung in the entrance of my (renovated) old school. I showed her pictures and her friend went home to get his old leather music satchel- (which had been his mother’s) and I bought that too. I will now extol the renovation properties of Oakwood leather conditioner, which I use to soften old leather. Cheap as, and in most supermarkets. So I had the BEST fun morning!
My dear partner in crime Di came with me and when we got home we “did s**t”. Lots of planting, rediscovery of a well (this is now a seating area with bamboo pole guards), moving stuff from the courtyard so it looks like an inviting space, shifting trailers to a safe spot under trees, a bit of weeding… we always laugh ourselves silly and move heavy things and eat pies for lunch. Now Di has spent two days attacking a reorganisation of the workshop – currently covered in dry red dirt and being managed by goat kids. There are advantages to red dirt for growing things, but not when it is dry and covers machinery, or when you tramp it over carpet accidentally.
Di got stuck into the mammoth task of sorting the workshop and goat shed – a five bay shed with potential. Two days later- all sorted. There is now a dedicated milking area and an organised tool shed with power, water and lights.
Because there is unlimited water here, red dirt (and a well!), I should be able to grow anything. In the “uncovering” process (this is a new term for surprise sortings of miscellany carted from the farm) I have refound my seed collection. So into the ground have gone usefuls – coriander, parsley, nigella, basil (is it too early??) nasturtiums, cornflowers, violas, thyme. All edible. They will probably have to survive a tangle of weeds for a year or so, but let’s not get all cordyline and white gravelled a**l about gardening. I’d rather endure the unwelcome and pompous and ignorant disapproval of judgmental ill informed “gardeners” than forgo the excitement of seeding out.
Because I just LOVE a bargain I need to boast. The UFS chemist in Beaufort had a sale of stuff at 30%off. Two things which I had been coveting and refused to buy because this FRUGAVORE could not justify spending moolah- were drastically reduced. A posh Liberty shower cap and a William Morris Tigerlily jug. Because I spent a certain amount, I then received a free gift of some beautiful soap. FORAGING in the Oppie I found a linen doona cover (Queen size) in a tasteful sage green. I have believed for years that if you wish long enough, wish strong enough your dreams come true. ( Can you hear the song? ) When I wait, someone always offers me what I have so desired. The first memorable instance of this was when I was teaching at Bendigo High and there was a very expensive frock shop (Mc Calmans) with a frock I adored. I tried it on several times and the saleswoman said I looked beautiful in it. I just did not have the money. A couple of months later I walked through this emporium and waved to the woman who called out to me:” Your frock is on sale half price- I put it away for you!!” I was SO excited. Nearly fifty years later I still have the belt for it. The frock itself fell apart with wear… Just this week my friend who has lost a great deal of weight remembered I always commented on her pink silk cardigan, and she too had put it aside for me. A neighbour dropped by with a special rose he had grown from a cutting for me – Apricot Nectar- the rose which I planted on my first dog’s grave. He also had some gladioli bulbs for me. Kindness everywhere.
Now I’m off to pick up a free bench someone had on Marketplace and some pottery made by a friend of mine who has since died. The seller said she also had some other pottery I might like and has saved that for me (free) too.
And here is the exquisite voice of Vera Lynn singing the philosophy of making wishes come true
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsWmfljeIq0&ab_channel=RReady555

21/10/2024

Philosophy of the Week #44 2024
“ Whingeing”
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1311470483565251
Anyone my age would remember the four Yorkshiremen (see above) which I still find extremely funny.
What I don’t find funny is whingeing. Which seems to be popular these days- and there is a bizarre twist which I am still trying to sort out in my head. When I first worked on the fringes of mental health services, there were all sorts of now non PC was of describing people with mental illness – stark raving loony, bonkers, out of his tree, off the planet, nuts, in lalaland, away with the pixies… all come to mind. Then, suddenly I was in the midst of (project management) in psychiatric services where clinicians went all cute and started describing people as “unwell”. In the ordinary part of the hospital this term was not used.
I got used to the enforced subtly of calling people “unwell” and realising overt diagnoses had become unfashionable. I got myself into a spot of bother sometimes by trying to explain to mates that intermittent bouts of suddenly spending a great deal of money, becoming hypersexual and paranoid followed by crashing depression were probably signs of bipolar disorder. Even the term “disorder” has become a no no. I accept all this linguistic manoeuvring and move with the times, but now become slightly confused when friends tell me they are “extremely unwell”. Are they trying to insinuate an imminent nervous collapse?
I try to be kind and say something like “That’s no good, in what way? “ in order to establish whether they are still using the term to describe mental illness or they are actively dying ( weird term I learnt when Alex was sick). Then it all gets very vague- often involving lengthy descriptions of childhood “health issues” (another vague term), long Covid, allergies, bad reactions, spouses not caring, workplace bullying, gluten intolerance, poor diagnoses, changing GPs, surgery which went wrong, hair loss, itchiness, mood swings, night sweats, giving up sugar, multiple tests and xrays, referrals to specialists, naturopathic remedies, rejection issues, tennis elbow, implants, prostheses, receding gums, ingrown toenails, disrupted sleep patterns. After this lengthy history (about which I just nod or listen attentively) I am exhausted.
I am exhausted by descriptions of other people’s illnesses. Their whingeing about it all.
On the other hand, I have friends who have undergone life threatening heart surgery and have quite soon afterwards travelled overseas, gone back to work and built a new house. I have friends and relatives with Stage 4 cancer (there is no Stage 5) and other rapidly degenerative conditions. I laugh and reminisce with these brave people. We talk about books and art and unfinished projects. We are honest with each other about the absurdity of death.
And they don’t whinge or bore me with details…

18/10/2024

FFFF #301
“ Wonder of Wonders”
http://www.learmonthdhs.com.au/images/documents/2010%20April.pdf ( a bit about the history of the little school and chalet house I bought and where I live now).
This week began with a FORAGING expedition with our oldest daughter who is strong and has great ideas. We went to get some branches for the goats (wild apple, oak, blackwood, willow) on back roadsides. But she is a good spotter and noticed lilies, other interesting plants. So we came home with a bit of a ute load for planting and goat feeding. The best thing about digging up rooted (layered) wild apples is that they are acclimatised and don’t need molly coddling (love that expression).
Next I went to pick up some cheap trees I found FOSSICKING on Marketplace- a large bay to start with. The bay seller was a wonderful woman who showed me around her garden and donated some treasures – bulbs, a variety of lavenders and a daisy which I admired. Then I bought three peppercorns from a chap who is passionate about growing from seed. Another garden tour and inspiration. Peppercorns remind me of my childhood where the smell and shade were beautiful refuges from kitchen disquiet. I also sucked the caramel off the skinned seeds. Delicious. Now I make pepper from the ground dried ones and use them fresh as a flavouring in gin. The last tip is marvellous. I also bought a loquat from the seed grower. Loquat grows fast- exquisite summer shade and delicious fresh fruit. Also makes a deep winter inspiring liqueur which has a back taste of almonds. Loquat jelly is a special treat. Great with meats or cheese.
My profound and perpetual luck continued throughout the week when an old and dear friend who had clearly read my blog brought me some flour pink coloured pig face. Now planted in a dry spot under a gum.
Then I went for a spa- not a commercial one, but in a house locally. It was originally a spa here, but I thought I would feel like a loser spaaing ( is that a verb? ) on my own, so I donated it to someone who has a fabulous semi outdoor space. Wine in the spa and my muscles went all wobbly. I had a ball. Home-made hamburgers for afters and I slept like a log.
On the mini FARM goat kids are leaping and entertaining everyone. They are sunset gymnasts and love the big old bluestone rocks placed as a playground in their paddock. I certainly don’t need all these potential milkers or Christmas feasts– so spread the word!
Left here when I bought the place was a large ginkgo in a pot. Planted in the ground now and miraculously well leafed up. Ancient wonders these plants. The males stink so I am hoping I got a girl…
Frugavoring by going to the tip shop I spent $2.00 on a book of ee cummings poetry and a can picnic basket. My abhorrence of plastic has meant that I have collected discarded picnic baskets as storage. This one is for my meds, but many are used for sorting sewing equipment, keeping art materials in order, making sure all my labelling stuff is in the one place… and picnic baskets on top of one another look sort of festive. The Creswick Oppy rewarded me with a 1940s cane chair in perfect order, an unused bamboo soft brushed back washer and an African beaded goat. $5.00 the lot. I didn’t really need the beaded goat but who could resist?
“Food is free” had heaps of onions, some celery, a few tangelos. More lunch time soup with chicken stock, celery and some soft cooked onions. Maybe a dollop of cream and some parmesan with a good scattering of crushed black pepper. Wonderful nourishment. I’ve left the AGA on till now, so making the most of this cooking time.
We had over 20mm of rain last night, so recent plantings are happy, the transplanted crepe myrtle and pomegranates as leafing up, Settlers iris now flowering and poppy seedlings from many friend’s collections are everywhere. The weeds are virulent.
I am easily entertained and the tradies here finishing of the second bathroom have been playing 1970s music for the last few days. Great to sing along. And here is me entertaining myself on a Saturday night in the chalet….
https://www.facebook.com/reel/852497350427055

16/10/2024

Philosophy of the Week #41
“Social media and young people”
https://www.facebook.com/reel/489657467205751
(Just saying if I’m old enough)
I thought I would buy into the above mentioned debate because I am NOT paranoid about Meta /Facebook and personally use that form of social media regularly. It’s the only form I do use; and do not intend to indulge in either “ X” or “ Instagram” in the near future. It’s a time thing. I only have a certain number of hours in the day to lead my very full and satisfying life and I prefer to spend them writing, reading, gardening and caring for animals rather than exploring opinions and jokes and narcissistic self-congratulatory reels on social media. What I already currently see stuns me.
Just as I delete and block any email advertising which flows on from a purchase or price investigation, I also delete and block anything which disturbs me on social media. I do this for my own mental wellbeing and to keep what I see manageable, interesting and informative.
I use Youtube for listening to old music, researching how to repair things and ensuring my grandchildren have access to proper data about Greek and Roman Gods.
It apparently is easy to get sucked into the vortexes (is that a real plural?) of whingeing about your health/ the government/ the council/ the wrongness of the world. Or fast fixes for weight loss/beauty/mental wellbeing/ perpetual glamour. Even on FB, grown up real earnest and well intentioned folk SHARE bu****it. SCAM crap about supposed lost dogs In Missouri, fake photos of sick children needing “likes” for their birthday, suggestions of “friends” in the US military. We are all suspicious now of Nigerian princes sending us emails about money left to us or invitations to click on an alarming message supposedly from the tax office- but the naivety for many using social media still remains. And the lies!!!!! Recent research has discovered that if you repeat a lying message often enough and it gets enough exposure it becomes “truth”. The government is – according to posts I am being asked to share- taking water from my dam. (When I had a dam, a big one, I was asked during a major bushfire if the VOLUNTARY fire brigade could fill tankers. Of course I said yes- I wanted my neighbours to survive. And just FYI the helicopters found it easier to land on another property and even in the chaos of it all had the courtesy to inform me.)
I have been caught up, via innocent comments about untruths, in some cyberbullying of myself. Name calling and presumptuous profiling mainly. I have been stalked on FB. It’s actually very simple to delete remarks, block di*****ds and hide crazy adverts – all for free. But you have to know that it is OK. And I’m not sure all of us (and particularly children) have the courage to unfollow, block, reject or dismiss nastiness.
No “one size fits all” campaign will have immediate effect. TAC campaigns and anti-smoking pushes are testament to that.
But a multi-faceted approach to a problem through legislative measures, education of parents and children and teachers, targeting of known bullies and terrorist groups, restrictions on use of social media , promotion of positive lifestyles and body imaging and REAL information about health, a crackdown on crackpot alternative therapy marketing, open information sharing and education about suicidal ideation and depression….. these will all help us use social media more positively.
Let’s not throw the proverbial baby out with the dirty social media bathwater- part of any social reform is discouraging access to misinformation or damaging behaviours. Whether that approach works or not, it’s worth giving it a go IMHO.

11/10/2024

FFFF #300 2024.
“ Stubbing your toe”
https://www.facebook.com/reel/8506066592786905 ( hilarious video about toe stubbing)
Because my feet have undergone much surgery, they are a tad sensitive in some places and have neuropathy in others. When I drop something on my foot or a goat stands on one of them or I stub a toe, I always hope it’s one of the bits which has no feeling. I’m not good with acute pain and have a theory. People who have been in chronic pain are used to that and are hopeless with sharp accidental type stabs (I’m an example of this- a lot of dancing and swearing with a stubbing ) . Those who do dangerous stuff are always hitting their thumbs with a hammer or cutting themselves with wire or bruising bits of their bodies. Alex was like that- but he could not deal with chronic pain. Neither endurance has real advantages, just a theory at present…
My week has flown as usual with some fast paced doings on Saturday. Di came out, and in her inimitable style “got s**t done”. Coat hooks up under the verandah, the goat bell hung, bent gates removed and replaced by a temporary sheep blocker, duck pond levelled out and installed, bore pump covered, bus stop secured to the ground, heaps of tree and bulb plantings. Then on Sunday two mates and I moved a freezer to the garage so that I could put up more bookshelves in the main living area. My friend also whipper snipped for me so that the chalet grounds now look temporarily neat.
I want to extol the Birchip pie yet again because I have had a recent delivery. The “Surf and Turf” variety is my favourite and a friend who delivers chooks up that way is given $ 50 by me to bring back a few treats for me. Obviously I am not a sweet tooth and forego the famous award winning vanilla slice in favour of a series of carefully labelled contingencies stored in the freezer. Worth the drive to Birchip for the experience. You know those moments when you can’t think what would be amazing for dinner? The solution is in the freezer waiting for a quick microwave thaw and a crusty finish in the AGA…
I had to visit my doctor this week (not sick, just a script for usual meds) and was on grandparent duty for a Curriculum Day. My perfectly behaved grandboys so impressed the GP that we all got a sticker. The kids chose a shark for me. Later, at home, using the apple wand made by my alchemist buddy to prolong longevity, Mr Six cast a spell on me and said he could immediately see my wrinkles disappear. A relief… summer is coming. Later I taught them how to play the comb in case there is an opportunity for a gig with a jug band. They were impressed with my rendition of the Trumpet voluntary variously attributed to either Jeremiah Clarke or Purcell. Can also be played on kazoo.
On my Op Shop FOSSICKING forays, I sometimes go to a very special one. Not because there are exceptional bargains, but because of the ambience. This is called “ the Open Door” Op Shop where there is a warm but not overwhelming welcome and the offer of a hot cup of tea and a home-made biscuit. There is always a group sitting around a table laughing and sharing stories. Once, when I went there, a group of Sudanese women were cooking something totally delicious for anyone who wanted a feed. I bought some established nasturtium plants and a daisy I have always liked and chatted over a perfect cuppa. The “openness” is about trust, goodwill, generosity.
Now, in my FORAGING Brain I am making note of roadside apple, plum, sloe and pear trees because I no longer have an established orchard. IN reality, there are plenty of wild trees to feed a lot of folk. I have also noted peaches, figs and the occasional quince because the blossoms this year are so beautiful. My new promise to myself is to only make small quantities of preserves to give as gifts, rather than create a huge storage issue in my enthusiasm. Besides which I gave away most of my excess jars when I moved.
When you are a practised FRUGAVORE , you can make stuff out of things you find around the place and I always find it remarkable that if you wait for a while, solutions to “ wicked” building problems will somehow evolve. And a mate will have a bright idea about a garden design using stuff I already have or can source for free. At the moment I am chasing pig face rootlings to fill a dry boring spot with that stunning electric pink and the soft sunshine yellow. BTW you can also eat the leaves – a bit salty, but full of thirst quenching nourishment as well. Grows everywhere on industrial sites.
In news just to hand, this mini FARM has hatched some chickens in a rather dodgy incubator. Now to keep them alive! I also have dozens of fertile eggs- Orpingtons (black) Cochins (black) Scots Greys, Silverlaced Dorkings. I usually just keep enough to keep a flock going and have been offered some Ixworth eggs now, so might have a new lot to experiment with. The five goat kids have been disbudded and are heathy and leaping, so if you are after a milking doe in eighteen months or a pet wether or a sturdy diary buck, let me know.
Off to the pub again tonight for our fortnightly laugh and catch up. New menu. Exciting….

03/10/2024

FFFF #299 2024
“Taking Flight”
“Ask yourself about the kind of life you want: What would you do day to day, and with whom, and where? Consider the life you have. Do one thing today, however small, to close the gap between the two.” —Maggie Smith (1934-2024)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNs0vKDvs0g&ab_channel=KamilFilms (this is a film of 15000 people having fun and Sharon Shannon playing. The v best accordion player ever. Super feel good video)
I have just finished reading an article about why climbing stairs is good for you, which seems to be based on a study of some 4,000 people. I am interested in this because a number of (negative) acquaintances have expressed surprise/disapproval and some annoyance at my buying a two storey house. My bedroom, the bathroom and the kitchen/living areas are all downstairs. The only rooms upstairs are a small balcony room (no idea what that will be used for eventually) and two largish bedrooms. I don’t NEED to go upstairs, but I rather like it. I’ve been taking books up there and the vacuum cleaner. In Europe, where two storey buildings/apartments/ chalets and inner city living invariably involves stairs, no one discusses this. Old people climb stairs. In Switzerland older people climb mountain paths as well. This is healthy because it helps with balance, give a bit of a cardio workout and involves muscles we don’t use walking on flat surfaces. My ankles/feet won’t allow me to walk far- well 10 km on easy turf, but certain rough unknown ground is a bit of an issue without a crook or walking pole. (Just doing my chores here I do about 6,000/7,000 steps a day.) But then in the rural areas of the UK crooks are standard, and alp dwellers regularly use poles. We seem to be a bit precious here- more focussed on the fake blonded and coifed looks of the AI coastal gran than the reality of living well and practically. Personally I’m a bit over men commenting negatively on my looks because they are so stunningly / arrogantly /narcissistically handsome themselves. I’d rather be a muck covered healthy peasant having a good laugh than spend hours at the gym/hairdressers/ beauty salon or in front of the mirror. My choice- the consequences of which should NOT be a running commentary on my lack of fashion sense.
This week began with several more unassisted births. Five healthy kids now of unknown/neighbour parentage. Hybrid vigour and resilience with beautiful colours. I have been faithful to Alex’ breeding of pure British Alpines up till now, but remain more impressed with goats which are sturdy and milk well. Again the debate between beauty and utility. Utility is the winner each time for this old neo peasant. Plenty of milk again, so will begin cheese making this week. Colostrum in the freezer for next year’s contingencies. Eight year old grandson was on “twat” watch and was thrilled to discover not one, but two babies suddenly appear. He commented – quite rightly -that April was an experienced mum and that there should not have been any issues. Then whilst I was milking the two new Mums , my oldest daughter noticed that Vallaura had also given birth- an exquisite sable doe I have named “Vallasabla” for obvious reasons. Might have to crank up the old milking machine, though I enjoy hand milking if three is the maximum. The shed is not quite set up for this activity, so I have to innovate.
The further exciting development was the donation of a dozen or so fertile Appenzeller hen eggs. Now these are a Swiss breed, so fit with the theme. My Appleyard ducks are laying (not sitting yet) and a mate gave me some fertile Mallard duck eggs. Even on a minute FARM like this , you can have milk, cheese, yoghurt, soap, poultry , lamb and goat meat, veggies, olives, honey, fruit, nuts, edible flowers and herbs ALL produced on the land you caretake. If you are also a FORAGER and live as a FRUGAVORE, you can live extremely well and get some exercise in the production. Once you have a small still room and grow your own hops and grapes, you can be pretty much self-sufficient except for supplementary animal feeding. With unlimited water, a stack of solar panels, two batteries and wood stoves all already here - this is my intention.
I was also given two Indian Runner ducks (which may both be drakes, but time will tell). These are the most hilarious of all ducks. My late brother in law used to always say that you couldn’t take life too seriously if you woke in the morning and saw a duck. Wise words.
Spring rains are preparing my vegetable garden for me, and the poppy seeds I planted in the picking garden are flourishing (again more food- orange/poppy seed cake is delicious and they are wonderful additions to home-made sour dough rolls.) Reviving my two faithful sough dough starters as I write. “Weeds” are also flourishing, but it is my intent in my new abode to make better use of them. Compost/mulch/eating/basket making. Love a dandelion.
If I had my time again (which I might if the punters are right about reincarnation) I would grow a paddock of flax so that I could make my own linen, have flax seed oil and seeds for breakfast. I am passionate about the revival of the flax growing linen industry.
My tip FOSSICKING friend had saved a trove of goodies for me- carefully labelled as “Kate’s treasures” in a brown paper bag. Two totally highly amusing books – one written by a guy who spent a year imagining he was a reptile ( tortoise) and the other bizarre hints for cooks. I have discovered a psychiatric disorder which may or may not be in DSM 5-peoria, the fear of peeling potatoes. I do not have that disorder. Then there was a William Morris mug, a bag of ancient Ballarat newspapers, several wands (I have a use for them), and a book on Greek and Roman Gods which will appeal to grandies as well as a cast iron boot scraping mat which will remove goat s**t form my shoes before I venture into the house.
I had some lucky Oppy finds on a FORAGING expedition with a similar minded mate- gardening pants with a leg pocket for the phone (no more lawn mower accidents) and a very modish hound’s-tooth jumper. I’m planning on an Iris Apfel outfit when I can finally find some glam shoes my much-fused feet will slide into. This should either shut up or shock the men who comment on my lack of fashion sense and think they are being funny.
I’m fond of a good phase and am planning on this when avocadoes are too expensive- onigiri for brekky. We had a Japanese exchange student years ago who delighted us every morning with a surprise onigiri – filled with left over chicken or fish or egg or salted veg and once some chestnuts! Mind you shakshuka is also a special bekky… might have to alternate. Google these for a soaring experience.
Speaking of taking flight (or not) I have been observing the language used to describe the AFL final where the Swans were apparently “mauled” by the Lions who were “torn to shreds” and “ripped apart”. Why do we need to use these angry and warrior words? Isn’t enough that the war in Gaza dominates the news? Do we need to ferment aggression into something that will bubble over further in domestic settings or in territorial battles or in any other power struggle?

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Our Story

Alex and Kate Serrurier moved to this little 120 acre farm ten years ago after finding 15 acres was not quite enough to do all the things they wanted to do. Alex has always loved goats and loves breeding and showing . He's a bit of an animal whisperer all round. Kate is a passionate forager and experimenter who makes lots of things herself and readily uses anything no one else wants - excess fruit or vegetables, old clothes, furniture, bits of wood or metal become reinvented . Life on the farm is like a dream come true. A few interruptions with ageing, surgery, cancer and a couple of fires have meant slow progress, but it seems to be coming together now ....