The End of Harvest

This is a picture of one of our headers.

Header, Parked

You will note that it is not going up and down a paddock.  This is because we finished harvest at 2.44am this morning.  Yay and double yay!

The headers have been brought into the sheds to be blown down, cleaned and serviced.  Then we will park them in the shed.  Until next year....

A Harvest Update For Monday Morning

Our harvest is still ongoing. We are onto the wheat which is our final grain crop. We are pretty excited as hopefully we will finish in a week or so which will be just in time for Christmas.  Yay!

There has been a bit of a mishap recently though.  One of our header drivers hit a rock that was hiding in the crop.  This has resulted in the front bit of the header becoming bent.  The front bit if the header is called the header front (sometimes farming is not rocket science). Now our header front is crooked.  This is Not Good.  The front is the bit of the header that actually cuts the crop.  Having a bent header front is a similar situation to a header having its wingy bits out.  Basically it means the header can't be used until it is fixed.

Here is a photo of the bent front at our workshop.  It is kind of hard to see but the bottom line (above the yellow trailer) is not straight at all.  Fortunately we have been able to get someone who will come and bend it back again.

Header Front, Bent

As I have already shown you all lots of photos of headers, I thought it was about time to show everyone the actual crop.  In this photo you can see the heads of wheat.  These are the bits that contain the grains of wheat.

Heads of Wheat

Here are the grains of wheat.

Grains of Wheat

This wheat is a special type.  It has the correct level of protein to be made into noodles.  It is called noodle wheat (like I said, not always rocket science).   It will be exported into Asia.

You can see in the photo below where our headers have been in comparison to where they haven't.

Paddock, Left Side Still In Crop, Right Side Harvested

So there you go.  A quick update on our harvest to brighten up everyones Monday morning!

Fields Of Gold

This time of year always reminds me of the old Sting song "Fields of Gold".  For the simple reason that we are currently surrounded by them.  I haven't posted about our harvest for a while.  Mainly because I was finding the harvest process a bit hard and trying.   I always hit this point in harvest and then get over the metaphorical hump and on it goes.

We are at the point now where we have almost finished harvesting our barley crop and will move onto our wheat crop.  Hopefully we will finish mid December.  For those of you who came in late, we harvest with a machine we call a header.  To see a photo either click on the word header in the label section or click here.  The headers have been doing their job beautifully and we are getting there.  No more incidents with "wingy bits"

This year we are incredibly grateful to have a half decent crop to harvest.  Many farmers to the east of us had so little rain this year that they have either a very poor crop or none at all.

This harvest we have also baled up our barley straw and will sell it to piggeries.  They will use it for the pigs bedding. This is a good way for us to use what would otherwise be a waste product.

Last night The Farmchildren and I went to deliver The Farmer his dinner.  On the way we passed these bales, all stacked up and ready to go to cushion the pigs.

Bales of Barley Straw, My Shadow

My shadow is such a funny shape because I was wearing an apron.  It had been a busy day and I hadn't had time to change out of my clothes from my day job.  This meant I headed out to the paddock with my husband's dinner in a black top, black and white flared skirt and cute wedges with bows on the toes.  Oh, and an apron.  This was very Stepford of me.  I am OK with having Stepford Wife moments.  For two reasons: 1.  They are few and far between and 2. They are one rung up the ladder from moments of the fishwife variety at least.

Anyway, I digress.  Sorry.

There are lots of these little stacks of barley straw all over our paddocks. Here's some more.

More Barley Straw Bales

I like taking photos on The Farm using the evening light. It makes it all look so much more glamorous.  I am all for finding as much glamour in farming as I can.  The burning midday sun and the dust and flies just don't really cut it in the glamour stakes.

Anyway, I digress. Again. Sorry. Again.

We have been carting most of our harvested barley to the CBH storage facility in town.  This is just a big wheatbin with a weighbridge and stuff.  We have smaller storage type arrangements on The Farm.  Here is a photo of a truck being loaded from our on farm silos (big metal bins for grain storage)

Truck Being Loaded From Glamorous Sunset Type Silos

On the drive to deliver The Farmer his dinner I also saw these cars whilst peaking over the neighbours fence.  They are not ours, but I kind of like them, and so I took a photo.

Very Old Cars, With Sunset Added Glamour

We will keep working away at our harvest.  We still have the wheat to go.

Wheat Crop, Patiently Waiting to Be Harvested

Anyway, I started this post by referring to a Sting song.  I think I will finish with a Slim Dusty number.

Here is my photographic version of "Looking Forward, Looking Back".

Barley Straw Bales, From Car Window

My Driving Skills Or Lack Thereof.

I woke up this morning and made an impulsive decision to do a day-trip to the city.  I needed to do some errands and buy some desperately needed work clothes for my day job.  The Farmer had the day off so I utilised him to babysit Farmgirl.  After I had popped Farmboy on the schoolbus I headed down the highway with a jaunty wave and didn't look back.

I really enjoy a decent trip in the car when I am entirely on my own.  Mainly because it is something that happens so rarely these days.  I listen to the ABC (more about my obsession with ABC Radio another day) and the kilometres seem to pass quickly.

 I was thinking today about driving in general.  I will be honest when I say that I am not a mechanical person and my spatial awareness has not always been spot on.  This is a nice way to say that I wasn't a very good driver early in my driving career.  Particularly of heavy machinery.  Now there are some farmer's wives out there that are brilliant at driving trucks, tractors and the like.  I would really hate anyone to think I am like that. I'm not.

In the first year I was on the farm The Farmer tried to teach me to drive various bits of farm equipment.  Within fairly quick succession I drove the Header into a ditch, my own car into a tree and would have hit the side of the shearing shed with our old Dodge truck if The Farmer hadn't interceded in the nick of time.  Interceded is a nice way of saying wrenching the steering wheel to one side whilst yelling words that sound like truck but start with a different letter.

Anyway the upshot of all this is that The Farmer then gave up.  He bought me a large 4WD with lots of airbags and an industrial strength bull/roo bar thingy.  Since then my own car, or a farm ute, is all I have been allowed to drive.  I am at peace with this decision - I never really saw myself as a hard core trucker type girl anyway.  I have gained lots of experience of gravel tracks and general 4WD type skills.  My approach to boggy ground is to check I am in 4WD and go through at 15km/h and to never, ever stop.  This has stood me in good stead over the years.  It helps to have The Farmchildren in the back yelling

"Go Mummy, go Mummy, Don't stop."

I have taught them to do that in boggy situations in case I get to a critical moment, panic and forget my plan.

Here are some photos of the sort of gear I am not allowed to drive.

Self Propelled Sprayer, Bogged (Not My Fault)

Tractor  and Hay Baler (Not Bogged)

The other area in which I have struggled is that of the motorbike.  I don't have the natural balance or nerve to ride a two wheeler.  I do love our four wheeler motorbikes though.  They are great fun. I have the dubious honour of being one of the few people on The Farm who has fallen off one.  I fell off the back one day and landed flat on my back in a muddy, smelly bog.  Fortunately for me it was a squishy, muddy, smelly bog and I did not hurt myself.  I managed to leave a very impressive person shaped indentation in the mud.  I was literally two tone when I got up.  The whole back of my body was brown and muddy and then there was a discrete line down my sides where the mud stopped.  I swear you could hear a sucking, squelching noise when The Farmer pulled me up.  He was obviously very fearful for my welfare.  I am sure his hysterical laughter was a manifestation of his huge shock and concern.

Today I had a nice easy trip to the city in my own car.  We are close enough to the city that a day trip is possible, but it is a fairly long day.  The shopping gods were definitely smiling on me as I came home with everything I needed.  Yay.

Hillary Clinton and My Christmas Shopping List

For some reason today I have been worried about Hillary Clinton's hair.  This is a bizarre obsession that was triggered by me watching her on the TV whilst she was out walking with Julia Gillard (and several helicopters, police, what looked liked the entire SAS and quite a few Alsation dogs).  Julia's hair looked fine but Hillary's looked like she hadn't brushed it for a week.  I then saw her on the ABC, being interviewed by lots of university students, and it looked considerably better.  What happened?  How did one of the most powerful women in the world forget to brush her hair?  Or was it the helicopter factor that gave it a bedraggled windswept look?  And if so, how did Julia escape?  Am I shallow to have noticed this?  Really - I need to concentrate my mental energy on more important things.

I have started to think really hard about Christmas ( a much more productive use of my time than worrying about Hillary's hair)  We are having lots of extended family to The Farm and I am working hard on Being Prepared.  I like to Be Prepared.  It makes me much less stressed.  Plus I know from bitter experience that by the time December comes I will be sucked into the vortex of school concerts, kids parties, work parties, end of school and the ongoing (and by that time seemingly never-ending) harvest.

Each year I have aimed to have my Christmas shopping done by the end of November.  And wrapped up.  I do OK in the shopping department (it's one of my skills).  I always fail miserably in the wrapping department though.  No matter how hard I try, I always wind up desperately wrapping presents on Christmas Eve, sometimes resorting to cutting the sticky bits off  bandaids because I have invariably lost the sticky tape by that stage.

This year Farmgirl has asked for a pet pony and Farmboy wants a pet Harley Davidson.  I am giving you the heads up right now that neither of these are going to arrive Christmas morning.  Like half the children in Australia they are getting Powerwings.  For the uninitiated amongst you (or those with no children)  these are a scooter type arrangement with a V at the back.  According to our local toyshop lady they are going to sell out.  So if you want one, now is the moment!

I love Christmas at the moment.  Mainly because the Farmchildren are at the stage where they believe in Santa without question.  The magic is still very much there.  I think that is why so many members of our family want to come for Christmas.

Other than my ridiculous concern about Hillary's hair and ongoing Christmas plans, things on the farm are going fairly well.  There have been no further snake sightings and the headers are still out there, going around and looking like this.

Big Header, Harvesting

As I have discussed in previous posts, this is a good thing.

Sunday Evening aka Harvesting the House Paddock

Evenings are often my favorite time on the farm.  This is because I can take one of these outside.

And enjoy the view.

Scary Sunday

Things are back as they should be on the farm  The headers are doing this again.

Headers Harvesting - Yay

This makes the Farmer happy.

My slow cooker improvisation turned out well. It was really yummy. More importantly everyone ate it, which is the only requirement a recipe needs to get a repeat gig in the Farmhouse kitchen.

Here is the finished product.

Slow Cooker Fish Stew

The Farm children had a fantastic day because they went to a Halloween Party.  One of my closest friends grew up in the US and wanted to share some Halloween traditions, so she threw a party.  Everyone had a great day playing games, eating party food and wearing scary costumes.  Farmgirl is very excited as she won a bright pink rubber toy snake.  It would be scary, if it wasn't so pink.

Obviously we at the farm got our best costumes out for the party.  Farmgirl was a super scary baby witch.  Farmboy rocked a zombie outfit like a pro.  I was told by the Farm children in no uncertain terms that all grown ups needed a costume so I channelled Johnny Depp and went as a pirate.

Baby Witch with witchy broom which unfortunately does not fly (we tried, we failed)

Very, Very Scary Zombie

I feel a bit sorry for the Farm children when costumes are required.  I am not crafty. At all.  While other children get gorgeous home made costumes mine get the 100% synthetic jobs from Big W.

Anyway we have all had a wonderful day, synthetic costumes and all.  I hope you are all having great Sundays too.  Wherever you are.