It has been an amazing year for rain this year, it feels like it rained every weekend we went to the markets. (it didn’t really but it felt like it!) Only one lambing this year – followed our drought plan for 2023 – it was a very dry year and we had been feeding out our home grown hay all year – according to our plan we need ground cover and hay in the shed to allow us to feed the sheep to get us through to the next growing season (grasses) and we did not have enough when the rams were due to join the ewes in August – so no lambs early 2024.
Thought I would go through our old face book posts at check out what we were doing
January – 1st market for they year were humid and wet at both Pomona and Fishermans Rd – we had 115mm of rain for the month on the farm.
February – Collected our new shirts with our new logo embroidered on them, and it rained on the 2 market weekends for us – we had 36.5mm of rain for the month on the farm.
March – A visit to Townsville for my brothers 60th Birthday and catchup with Mum. A gas line on our coldroom compressor broke and we were not able to attend the markets on the 23rd and 24th, we made it on the 30th to Pomona and went to the Duckpond markets on the Sunday. Mowed, raked and baled the millet into over 300 large heavy (4ft x 4 ft) round bales – we had 51.5mm of rain for the month on the farm. Put the Rams in with the ewes
Mum
My brothers 60’s Birthday cake – Lindsay can’t believe they used a John Deere
Mowing the Millett
April – 6th the rain held off at Pomona until the markets finished, not so lucky at Fishermans Road on the 7th and on the 20th the rain held off again at Pomona but came down at Fishermans Road on the 21st. Not to forget our cold room was stolen and recovered this month, and the Rams were banished back to their paddock – we had 126.5mm of rain for the month on the farm.
Lindsay trying to drain puddles at Fishermans Road Markets by making a small drain trench with the heel of his boot checking his success.
May – 4th caught sight of the hot air ballon for the first time this year at Pomona, the 5th was our last time at the Fishermans Road markets and the rain held off. Started going to the Caboolture Showground markets on the 19th and the 18th at Pomona was a lovely day as well! – we had 7.5mm of rain for the month on the farm.
June – was cool and crisp at the markets, visited Farmfest and Lindsay had his first shoulder operation in Toowoomba. We had 5mm of rain for the month on the farm.
July – was another cool and crisp month we had a lovely time with our visitor from Canada who joined us at the markets – I captured an amazing photo of the sunlight hitting a glass vase on the next door neighbours stall we had 11.5mm of rain for the month on the farm.
Sunshine on the vase
the vase when the sun is at a different angle
Sylvia from Canada
August – Lindsay celebrated his 60th birthday our daughter baked his cake and found a really fascinating decorating method to show off Lindsay’s fascination with Anatolian Shepherd’s , and Lindsay made good use of the blankets given to us by our Canadian friend. Paint smell tainted our meat for the last markets of the month. Lambing commenced!!!We had 75mm of rain for the month on the farm.
Lindsay checking his eyelids for holes – toasty and warm
September – We have our little truck on the road and can swap the coldroom on and off the tray of the truck to make it a really useful little truck for carting hay, sheep, wood etc. We had a little “caption the photo” competition, Lindsay and I celebrated another year of marriage as he headed south to deliver an irrigator! But wait there are more lambs! And the Rams joined the ewes again. We had 6.5mm of rain for the month on the farm.
Trimmer
October – Our son took pity his mother, I was getting frustrated with writing on core flute signs so he printed a 3D attachment for his “other gadget” that enabled him to “print” the signs for me. He also lasered some eartags for us to give to our regular customers so they can put them on their keyrings and do not need to show their loyalty cards. We were able to use our new (to us) hard hose irrigator for the first time this month to plant approx. 3 ha of lucerne. Which only had approximately a 10% germination rate, ie a failed crop. Rams drafted out from the ewes and moved back in their own paddock, and did a lamb count 179 ewe lambs and 160 ram lambs – We had 124.5mm of rain for the month on the farm, of that 106 was in about a 4 hour period overnight on the 9th
Core flute
loyalty key tags
November – It started raining at the markets again on the 16th it bucketed down at Pomona, Caboolture was fine – I bought a herb mix from the “Health Bazaar” another stall holder at the Caboolture Markets to try on our lamb – it was yummy; Wet again at the markets on the 30th and 1st December Lindsay had his second operation on his shoulder, We had 112.5mm of rain for the month on the farm.
“Bush” rub from Health Bazaar
Rack of Bimbury Laamb with Bush rub ready to go in the oven
Rack of Bimbury Laamb with bush rub ready to be eaten
Rack of Bimbury Laamb – the empty plate says it all!
December – what an appropriate way to finish the year than with rain at Pomona and Caboolture markets and a visit from our daughter (she lives in Toowoomba and we talk often on the phone but nothing beats a HUG) Lambs weaned, and 208.5mm of rain. In between the showers of rain Lindsay planted Rhodes grass to improve our pastures.
Total rain for the year 881.2mm double the 422.5 we received in 2023.
And so we start 2025 being grateful for all the provisions and blessings from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in 2024.
Bimbury Laamb 