All Work and No Play...

Det er vist et stykke tid siden at jeg har skrevet noget her. Og med god grund (synes jeg selv). Dels er der ikke sket noget nyt og spændende, dels så har vi haft travlt. Siden det regnede har vi sået, sået og sået (Alene i dag har jeg sået ca. 80 hektar, og det har været cirka det samme de andre dage). Mandag var den eneste dag hvor jeg var færdig før kl. 20, de andre blev klokken 21 eller 22. Ud over det arbejdede vi også lørdag og søndag, og de fleste af dagene har vi også været oppe med solen, omkring kl. 6. Noget af en forandring, i forhold til at arbejde i det offentlige.
Mine dage er gået med at køre traktoren med såmaskinen, hvilket jeg i øvrigt har fået helt godt styr på. Jeg har typisk kørt fra vi er gået i gang, til hen på aftenen, hvorefter Bruce har taget over, og kørt til omkring midnat. Imens er jeg er kørt hjem for at fylde lastbilen op med gødning, og siden i går, byg. Ja, vi er færdige med at så raps, sår byg nu, og skal så hvede når vi er færdige med byggen. Ud over det har Bruce i dag annonceret at vi fra i morgen kører alle døgnets 24 timer. Det kommer til at foregå ved at en starter om morgenen, en tager over hen på eftermiddagen, og en tager over igen om natten. Hvor slemt det end lyder, så gør det mig faktisk ikke noget. Jeg har fundet en radiostation der spiller hits fra 70erne og frem, med fokus på rock 'n' roll. Her til aften havde de f.eks. godt 2 timer med "Big Hair Bands"; jeg har glad rocket ud til f.eks. Van Halen, Twisted Sister, Thin Lizzy, Quiet riot, Metallica, Alice Cooper , AC/DC, Europe, Def Leppard og Scorpions. Så går tiden lidt hurtigere.
Som sagt får endnu travlere end vi allerede har, så hvis der bliver længere mellem opslagene her er det fordi jeg sår, sover og spiser, og ikke meget andet. I øvrigt sker der nok ikke noget videre spændende.

Opsummering for dovne/travle læsere: Jeg har sået, og ikke meget andet. Jeg har arbejdet hele weekenden.

~*~

English for the Danish impared:

It has been a while since I last wrote something here. And with good reason (at least i think so myself). Both because nothing new and exciting has happened, but also because we have been busy. Since it rained we have been seeding, seeding and seeding (today alone I have seeded about 80 hectares, and it has been circa the same the other days). Monday was the only day where I was done before 8 PM, the other days it was past 9 or 10 PM. On top of that, we worked Saturday and Sunday as well, and most days we have been up with the sun at around 6 AM. A bit of a change, compared to being employed by the government back in Denmark.
My days have gone with driving the tractor with the seed bar, which I by the was have become pretty decent a. I have typically been going from the morning to sometime in the evening, whereafter Bruce has taken over until around midnight. Meanwhile I have driven the truck home to fill it up with fertilizer, and since yesterday, barley. Yes, we are done seeding the canola and are seeding barley now. As if all of this was not enough, Bruce has announced that from tomorrow we will be driving around the clock. The way it is supposed to go is, one will start in the tractor in the morning, another will take over sometime in the afternoon, and finally one will drive from midnight until morning. However, as bad as it may sound, it does not really matter to me. I have found a radio station that plays hits from the seventies to the present, with focus on rock 'n' roll. This evening, they had about two hours with "Big Hair Bands"; I found myself rocking out to Van Halen, Twisted Sister, Thin Lizzy, Quiet Riot, Metallica, Alice Cooper, AC/DC, Europe, Def Leppard and Scorpions. Time moves a bit faster, then.
As I said, we will be even more busy than we are already, so if it gets longer and longer between posts, it is because I am seeding, eating and sleeping, and not much else. Not that I expect something interesting to happen either.

Summary for lazy/busy readers: I have been seeding, and not much else. I have worked all weekend.

"This is Not a Weather for Man or Beast"

Endelig fik vi regn. Det startede i det små omkring daggry, og med undtagelse af et par enkelte ophold her det holdt hele dagen. Indtil videre har vi fået omkring 25 mm.
Bruce er glad. Han har efterlyst regn i et stykke tid nu, og det her er lige hvad der skal til for at få den raps vi har sået til at spire. Samtidig betød regnen også at vi ikke kunne lave så meget i dag. Vi kunne ikke fortsætte såningen, da traktoren bare ville fedte rundt i den plørede jord, og han havde ikke andre opgave til os, så vi fik fri allerede omkring kl. 15.

Af andre spændende ting kan jeg nævne at jeg har prøvet at køre traktoren med airseeder og seeding bar. Det er noget sværere end jeg havde troet, og jeg har ikke så godt styr på det endnu. Dog er jeg fortrøstningsfuld, og sikker på at jeg nok skal få det lært. Ugen i øvrigt har jeg ikke lavet så meget forskelligt. Mandag gik med at indfange får, og derefter drafte dem i får med lam og uden lam. Tirsdag og onsdag sad jeg overvejende enten med i traktoren under såningen, eller kørte den selv.

I øvrigt sikrede jeg mig i dag en billet til Metallicas koncert i Perth den 22. oktober. Det glæder jeg mig til.

Slutteligt:

Ute: Hvad jeg har kaldt Yout. Australsk betegnelse, egentlig for coupé utility vehicle (vel en lille pickup),men den bliver dog reelt brugt om et hvilket som helst køretøj med et lad (som en pickup), der kun kræver et almindeligt bilkørekort at føre.

Holdman's: Hvor vi bor nu, og hvor Bruce og Peta flyttede op for nogle måneder siden. Om de har lejet huset og jorden, eller købt det, ved jeg ikke.

Killara: Farmen hvor Bruce og Peta boede før (og i øvrigt har i 23 år før de flyttede til Holdman's), og hvor de stadig har jorden.

McCarthy's: Hvad jeg har kaldt det nyligt leasede. Så vidt jeg har forstået har Bruce leaset jorden for to år.

Opsummering for dovne/travle læsere: Jeg har sået (Det gik ikke så godt) og draftet får (det gik egentlig ret godt). Det har regnet i dag, for første gang i lang tid. Det var tiltrængt.

~*~

English for the Danish impared:

Finally we got some rain. It started in the early hours around dawn, and apart from a few pauses, it continued throughout the day. So far, we have had around 25 millimeters.
Bruce is happy. He has been asking for rain for a while now, and this is just what is needed to make the canola we have been seeding grow. But at the same time, the rain also meant that we could not do much today. We could not continue seeding, as the tractor's wheels would just spin around in the muddy soil, and he did not have any other jobs for us to do, so we got off at around 3 PM.

As for other exciting things, I could mention that I have driven the tractor with the airseeder and seeding bar attached. It is a lot harder than it looks, and I am not very good at it yet. I am hopeful, though, and I think I will learn it yet. It will just take some time. As for the rest of the week, I have not done a lot of things. Monday went with catching sheep, and drafting them in ewes with lambs and ewes without lambs. Tuesday and wednesday I mostly either was riding along in the tractor with the seeder, or driving it myself.

By the way, I got my hands on a ticket for Metallica's show in Perth on October 23rd today. I am looking forward to that.

Finally:
Ute: What I have been calling a Yout. An Australian term for a coupé utility vehicle (really a small pickup). In fact, it is used about any vehicle with a lid, flatbed or open cargo space, which only requires a normal driver's license to operate.

Holdman's: Where we are living now, and where Bruce and Peta moved a few months ago. If they have leased bor bought the house and land, I do not know.

Killara: Where Bruce and Peta used to live (and where they have done so for 23 years, before moving to Holdman's). They still farm there.

McCain's: What I have been calling the newly leased. As far as I know, Bruce have leased the land there for two years.

Summary for lazy/busy readers: I have been seeding (it didn't go so well) and drafting sheep (that went pretty well). It rained today, for the first time in a while. It was much needed.

Endnu en uge, endnu en weekend/Another Week, Another Weekend

Endnu engang er billederne kun thumbnails. For fuld størrelse, klik på dem, og i vil blive ført til hjemmesiden jeg har uploaded dem til./Once again, the pictures are only thumbnails. To view them full size, click a picture, and you will be led to the page I have uploaded them to.

Sidste uge, fra onsdag til fredag, forløb med en del repetitioner. På Killara skulle nogle får draftes (skilles i to grupper, i dette tilfælde mødre/små lam og store lam), og derefter skulle mødrene øremærkes. Killara (og alle andre fårefarme, tror jeg) har nogle folde beregnet til netop det formål (faktisk tjener de flere; man kan både drafte, øremørke, og lede dem ind til klipning dér), og der bragte vi fårene op. Vi nåede dog ikke længere end til at skille dem ad, så øremærkningen gjorde vi den næste dag.
Ellers er tiden gået med at så raps, hvor Helle og jeg har skiftedes til at læsse/køre gødning i lastbilen til Bjarke, som har sået.
Et afbræk var dog da Bruce modtog små 500 får om onsdagen. Ham og jeg tog imod dem, og den følgende dag øremærkede vi dem.
Fredag bragte også lidt forandring, i hvert fald om formiddagen. Helle og jeg blev sat til at fjerne alt mudderet fra en dam vi havde tømt næsten helt for vand i ugerne forinden (dam scooping, som det hedder her). Man tager to traktorer, placerer dem på hver sin side af dam'en med scoopen spændt mellem dem, og derefter kører man bare frem og tilbage, frem og tilbage, frem og tilbage... Det kan nok godt være svært at forestille sig, men billederne nederst giver måske et meget godt indtryk.

Weekenden var igen stille og rolig. Jeg overvejede at lægge vejen forbi pubben lørdag aften for at fejre min fødselsdag, men lod være da jeg ikke var stemt for at enten køre bilen hjem beruset, eller sove i den på pubbens parkeringsplads.
Jeg blev glædeligt overrasket søndag formiddag, idet jeg både fik et kort og en gave af Bruce og Peta (et gavekort til en boghandel). Jeg har trods alt kun været her tre uger.

Og så i dag, mandag d. 10 maj. Ikke at der er sket noget videre. Det var mest bare flere gentagelser, med den undtagelse at det faktisk regnede en smule i dag. Ikke nok til at det gør en forskel, men lidt har også ret.
Efter at have kørt lastbilen med gødning til Killara om formiddagen, blev Helle og jeg sendt ud for at hente nogle får hjem så vi kunne drafte dem i gravide/med lam og store lam/"tørre" hunner. Vi fandt fårene i det fjerneste hjørne af paddock'en, og begyndte at presse dem tilbage mod farmen, Helle i Nissanen og jeg på motorcyklen. Det var vist det man kalder friskt vejr; det blæste en del, og solen kiggede af og til frem bag de lavthængende, grå skyer. Jeg nød virkelig at det for en gangs skyld ikke var pokkers varmt, og havde mere øjnene på omgivelserne end på fårene. Det betalte sig også, da jeg pludselig så ikke en, men to ørne lette fra nogle træer tæt på, og cirkle over mod fårene. Jeg har godt nok fået at vide at der er ørne her, men det kom alligevel bag på mig. Selv på afstand var de ret store, og gled bare stille og roligt gemmen luften, før de besluttede sig for at der ikke var noget nemt bytte blandt fårene og deres lam. Desværre nåede jeg ikke at få nogen billeder af dem, de var væk da jeg fik fundet mit kamera.

Opsummering for dovne/travle læsere: Jeg har draftet får, øremærket får, kørt gødning og tømt en dam for mudder. Desuden så jeg to ørne i luften.

~*~

English for the Danish impared:

Last week, from wednesday to friday, came with some repetitions. On Killara, some sheep had to be drafted (seperated in two groups, in this case ewes/small lambs and larger lambs) and after thast the ewes had to be ear tagged. Killara (and every other sheep farm, I think) has some special pens or yards for that purpose (actually, they serve several purposes: you can draft, ear tag and lead them into the shearing shed there), and that is where we brought the sheep. We did not get further than drafting them, so we did the ear tagging the following day.
Apart from that, time has passed with seeding canola, where Helle and I have taken turns with loading/driving fertilizer in the truck to Bjarke, who has been driving the seeder.
A change of pace was when Bruce recieved almost 500 sheep on wednesday. Him and I were there ti recieve them, and the following day we ear tagged them.
Friday also brought some change, at least before noon. Helle and I had to remove all the mud from a dam we had benn emptying of water the previous weeks (dam scooping, as it is called). You take two tractors, place them on opposite sides of the dam with the scoop hooked to either with cables, and then you just go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. I is probably har d to imagine, but hopefully the pictures below gives a better impression of the general idea.

The weekend once again came and went pretty quiet. I considered dropping by the pub saturday night to celebrate my birthday, but left it at that, as I was not in the mood for driving the car home drunk, or sleeping in the car, on the pub's parking lot.
On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised sunday morning, as I got both a card and a present (a gift certificate to a bookstore) from Bruce and Peta. I have, after all, only been here three weeks.

And then today, Monday May 10th. Not that anything out of the ordinary happened; it was just more repetitions, apart from the fact that it actually rained a bit today. Not enough to make a difference, but that does not matter.
After haven driven the truck with fertilizer to Killara, Helle and I were sent to bring some sheep home to be drafted into pregnant/ewes with lambs and "dry" ewes/big lambs. We found the sheep in the farthest corner of the paddock and started pressing them back towards the farm, Helle in the Nissan and me on the motorcycle. The weather was what you would call fresh; it was rather windy and the sun occationally peeked out behind the low, grey clouds. I really enjoyed that the temperature was not as damn high as usual, and I had my eyes on the surroundings more than on the sheep. That paid off, as I suddenly saw not one, but two eagles take off from a nearby tree and circle towards the sheep. I have been told that they have eagles here, but even then it surprised me. Even from a distance, they were quite large, and they just calmly glided through the air before deciding that there was no easy prey among the sheep. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures, they were gone before I found my camera.

Summary for lazy/busy readers: I have drafted sheep, ear tagged sheep, driven fertilizer and emptied a dam of mud. Also, I saw two eagles in the air.

/EMO

Damscooping:

Sheep drafting:


Bruce og jeg modtager de nye får/Bruce and I recieve the new sheep:

Såning og flere billeder/Seeding and more pictures.

Billeder nederst på siden/Pictures at the bottom of the page.

Sør'me om ikke vi fik startet Versatilen. I virkeligheden var det ikke så svært; vi trak den bare i gang med den gamle Chamberlain og en kæde. Derefter blev Helle og jeg sendt afsted efter John Deere-traktoren, som Bruce og jeg havde efterlade dagen før på det nylige leasede, da den ikke havde diesel nok til at komme hjem. Helle og jeg havde så en reservedunk med, og jeg kørte den hjem. Vi skulle bruge den til at læsse gødning i lastbilen.
Efter det skulle såmaskinen tilses, da Bruce havde besluttet at begynde at så, på trods af at det ikke har regnet. Det betød bl.a. smøring af div. bevægelige dele, kontrol af hjulene, og af de slanger som fører såsæden samt gødningen ned i jorden og kontrol af den tank der indeholder såsæd og gødning (det hele er luftdrevet; tanken blæser blandingen bagud til såmaskinen, som så kommer det i jorden). Derefter skulle tanken fyldes med en blanding af gødning og rapsfrø.
Vi begyndte at så et par timer efter middag. Dog var der et problem med en del af såmaskinen, så Bruce afmonterede den, og ham og jeg kørte tilbage til værkstedet for at reparere det. Bjarke og Helle fortsatte med at så. Da vi ca. en halv time senere kom tilbage til såmaskinen, var der gået noget andet galt. Et eller andet blokerede for at gødning/såsæd-blandingen kunne blive blæst bagud til såmaskinen, og så måtte vi endnu engang til at reparere. Dette viste sig dog at være noget mere kompliceret, og involverede at skille en del af tanken ad. Reparationen tog resten af dagen, men vi fik det ordnet.

Opsummering for dovne/travle læsere: Vi fik Versatile-traktores startet igen. Vi gjorde klar til at så. Under såningen gik der noget galt, og vi brugte resten af dagen på at reparere.

~*~

English for the Danish impared:

We actually got the Versatile started again. Actually, it was not that difficult; we pull-started it with the old Chamberlain tractor and a chain. After that, Helle and I were sent down to fetch the John Deere tractor, which Bruce and I had left the previous day on the newly leased land, as it did not have enough diesel to make it home. Thus, Helle and I had brought a small drum of diesel, and I drove it home. We were to use it to put fertilizer into the truck.
After that we had to check the seeder, as Bruce had decided to start seeding, even though it has not rained, It meant greasing the various movable parts, checking the tires and the pipes which puts the seed and fertilizer into the ground, and checking the tank which holds the seeds and fertilizer (everyting is air-driven; the tank blows everything back out to the seeder, which then puts it into the ground). After that we filled the tank with a mixture of fertilizer and canola seeds.
We started seedign a couple of hours after lunch. Unfortunately, there was a problem with a part of the seeder, so Bruce unmounted it and him and I went back to the workshop to repair it. Bjarke and Helle continued seeding. When we half an hour later returned to the seeder, something else had gone wrong. Something was blocking the seed/fertilizer mix to be blown back out of the tank, so once again we had to repair. This turned out to be rather more complicated, though, and involved taking apart part of the tank. The repairs took the rest of the day, but we got it fixed.

Summary for lazy/busy readers: We got the Versatile tractor started again. We got ready for seeding. During the seeding, something went wrong and we spent the rest of the day making repairs.


/EMO

Og nu nogle billeder/And now for some pictures:

Nogle af køretøjerne på gården/Some of the vehicles on the farm:

Klargøring til såning/Preparing for seeding:



Selve farmen/The farm itself:



Australsk fodbold, Boxwood Hill mod Newdegate/Australian football, Boxwood Hill versus Newdegate:

Nu med billeder/Now Featuring Pictures!

Note: Ved at klikke på billederne bliver i ført videre til den side jeg har uploaded dem til/Clicking on the pictures will direct you to the homepage I have uploaded them to.


Torsdag: Vi brugte meget af dagen på at lægge fliser til Bruce & Petas terrasse. Omkring middagstid ankom ca. 300 får som Bruce havde købt en uge forinden, med lastbil. Efter de var blevet afleveret kørte vi til Jerramungup efter skæreskiver så vi kunne rette de sidste, genstridige fliser til, og for at Helle kunne aflevere nummerpladerne til sin bil.

Fredag: Vi startede med at øremærke de får vi havde fået dagen før, hvilket tog hele formiddagen. Det foregik ved at ca. 40-50 får ad gangen blev gennet ind i en smal indhegning, som så blev lukket i begge ender. Derefter var det bare at starte fra en ende af, og fortsætte til vi var færdige. Selve mærkerne er af plastic, og sættes i med en speciel tang.
Til middag kom Bruces forældre på besøg, hvorfor der var varm mad på bordet. Efter middag kørte vi til Killara for at klargøre en harve til at lave brandbælter på markerne. et viste sig at være en længere process, da der skulle skiftes en hydraulikcylinder og harven i øvrigt var for bred. Mens Bjarke ordnede cylinderen, afmonterede Helle og jeg de overflødige "vinger" på harven, noget som ikke blev lettere af at boltene og møtrikkerne der holdt sammen på dem de fleste steder var rustet fast.

Lørdag: Jeg stod tidligt op, i betragtning af at det var weekend, for at køre de ca. 200 km. til Albany. Alene. Det var dog ikke noget problem, da vejen gik lige derned, og den lange tur i venstre vejbane gik også fint. Lidt mere spændende var det i selve Albany, men jeg fandt et sted at parkere og gik så på jagt efter de ting jeg nu manglede. Jeg fik også hvad jeg ville have. Tøj, bøger en cd og et digitalkamera.
På vej hjem opførte bilen sig lidt sært. Vinduesviskere, elruder og blæsere virkede ikke, før jeg et sted på halvvejen fik stoppet og startet igen. I min eufori (det var en ret lummer dag, og jeg havde lige kørt ca. 100 km. med lukkede ruder og uden ventilation) åbnede jeg min siderude helt, men da det blev for koldt ville den ikke rulle hele vejen op igen.
Hjemme var hverken Bjarke og Helle eller Bruce og Peta hjemme, så det var ikke før om aftenen, da Bruce og Peta var kommet hjem, at jeg fik fortalt hvad man skulle gøre for at få bilen til at makke ret.


Søndag: Stille dag. Jeg brugte mest tiden på at læse i en af mine nyerhvervede bøger. Faktisk er jeg bange for at jeg (endnu engang) har solgt min sjæl til en forfatter; jeg er begyndt på bind 1 af The Wheel of Time-sagaen af Robert Jordan. Det er en massiv fantasy-følgeton på indtil vidre 12 publicerede bind (og med 2 ufærdige), hvor ingen af dem er på mindre end 700 sider. Jeg er allerede halvvejs i første bind, og er nok nødt til at gøre dem alle færdige, med tiden. Og bedst som jeg var kommet ud af mit Terry Pratchett-misbrug...

Mandag: Jeg startede med at køre vand fra en dam tæt ved huset til en af tankene her, så vi havde noget at bade i (og så toiletterne kan skylle ud, ikke mindst). På min anden tur, da jeg skulle tilbage ville den famøse Versatile-traktor (som Bruce så pænt er begyndt at kalde Eriks traktor) dog ikke starte. Batterierne var endnu en gang brændt af. Nu er det store spørgsmål så bare hvorfor.


Opsummering for dovne/travle læsere: Ingen. Jeg er selv for doven til at lave den, så i må undvære denne gang. Alternativt kan i læse det ovenstående.

~*~

Englsih for the danish impared:

Thursday: We spent a lot of the day laying bricks for Bruce and Peta's porch. At noon about 300 sheep, which Bruce had bought the previous week arrived bytruck. After they had been dropped off, we drove to Jerramungup after cutting discs so we could fit the last, uncooperative tiles, and so that Helle could turn in the license plates for her car.

Friday: We started the day by eartagging the sheep we had delievered the day before, which took until noon. It was done hy herding approximately 40-50 sheepat a time into a narrow fencing (about two sheep wide), which then was closed in both ends. Then we just had to start from an end and continue until we were done. The tags themselves are made of plastic and is put in with some special tongs.
Bruce's parents came to visit us for lunch, so we had a hot meal for once (not that we usually don't get hot meals. We just don't have it for lunch). After lunch we drove down to Killara to ready a scarifier so we would be able to createsome fire lanes(lanes of dirt to stop the fire from spreading) on the fields. It turned out to be more difficult that first assumed, as we had to change ahydraulic cylinder in the scarifier, which also was a bit too wide. So as Bjarke changed the cylinder, Helle and I disconnected the superfluous "wings" on the scarifier, something that was not made easier with most of the bolts and nuts that held the sides in place, were rusted fast.

Saturday: I was up early, considering it was weekend, to drive the approximately 200 kilometres to Albany. Alone. It was not much of a problem, though, asthe road went straight down there, and the long ride in the left side of the road went well as well. It was abit more exciting in Albany, but I was able to find a place to park the car, upon which I went hunting for the things I needed. I got what I wanted too. Clothes, books a cd and a digital camera.
On the way home the car did act a bit strange. Whipers, electric windows and fans did not work, until I somewhere about half way home stopped the car and turned it on again. Euforic as I was (I had just droven about 100 kilometres with closed windows and no fans), I opened the driver side window as much as it could, but when it got too cold, it would not go all the way down.
Back home, neither Bjarke, Helle, Bruce or Peta were home, so it was not until evening, when Bruce and Peta did come home, that I had explained to me what to do to make the car act as I wanted it to.

Sunday: Quiet day. I spent most of the time reading in one om my newly aquired books. In fact, I am afraid that I (once again) as sold my soul to an author; I have begun reading volume 1 of The Wheel of Time-saga by Robert Jordan. It is a massive fantasy series on 12 published volumes so far (and with 2 in the making), where none of them is on less than 700 pages. I am already halfway through the first volume, and I probably have to finsh them all, eventually. And here I thought I was over my Terry Pratchett addiction...

Monday: I started the day by driving water from a dam close to the house to one of the tanks here, so we would have something to bathe in (and so the toilets can flush, no less). On my second run, when I was to return, the infamous Versatile tractor(which kindly Bruce has started calling Erik's tractor) would not start. The batteries were once again fried. The big question now is why.
After lunch I cleaned the back of the John Deere, whereafter I went to scarify fire lanes on some of the paddocks on th enewly leased land.

Summary for lazy/busy readers: None. I am too lazy myself to write it, so you will have to do without this time. Alternatively, you can read the above.

/EMO