Some Must Do's

I have been slowly clearing out some of the tank gardens.  Most of what is in them is finished and as the soil is quite diminished it will be a good time to up the nutrients.
I will need to collect a pile of cow manure from the back paddock first so it may be a few days before they are done.  I will also add the top layer from the chook yards and then mulch them with the grass clippings that the chooks have been *refining* for me. 
It will be quite a big job for me and I had given myself to the end of the month but as that is nearly here and I am busy with the van today I have extended my time limit to next weekend. 

The chook sheds need clearing out again. 

The lawns need mowing...again.  daughter T came out and did some of them for me a week or so ago, they will soon need doing again as well.

Hubby is due home today so a tidy up inside wouldn't go astray.  I had all my sewing stuff spread around the place when he left and it is still there...HoHum... I did only finish with it last night though but as I am finished for the time being I suppose I should pack it all away...

First off though is burying a chook.  An old Isa has gone to that big ol' chookyard in the sky and I need to choose a tree for her remains to feed. 

Better be off.

Not Here, There.

Well I haven't been around much and all I'm doing outside is the chooks and watering.  A sad little backyard here lately.  A sadder inside but that is nothing new...you get that!

The reason is that I have been trying to get the van setup so that I can take it away somewhere but truth be known, I haven't been doing that much there either.  Hubby has and I have been *helping* but that means that I have been in the area, offering suggestions, standing around so as not to look like I am not doing anything.

There you go, another guilty little secret revealed...I am a *standarounder* not an actual *doer*

The van is looking good though.  http://iwannawander.blogspot.com/ 

I am going to have a *campout* tonight, to see if I have what I need out there.

Next week I am going to get seriously back into the gardens again.  I really gotta do that.

Decluttering.

Over the last year or so I have been putting stuff out in Hubbys shed with the intention of having regular garage sales.
I have had 1 garage sale in that time and though I was going to have more for one reason or another they haven't happened.
This morning Hubby wanted to get things organised so he could have his shed back and I was going to take most of the stuff to the op-shop but remembered that L had said they throw a lot of stuff out and she has had a couple of *free garage sales* that were quite successful so I am doing the same. 

I have put a sign out the front saying the stuff was free and loaded up a couple of tables.  We will put more out throughout the week and see what happens.  People have already called in and helped themselves so it is a win-win situation.
What is left will get taken to the op-shop but I will put a notice down at IGA on Monday and see how that works before I do so.  I need to declutter inside as well and this free garage sale will be the first thing I do when I start.

If you need to declutter why not give it a go.

There's Something in my shed.

I have a big, open one side, shed just outside the back of the house. It is used for the garden stuff, bins of chook feed, lawnmower, junk...I do tend to use it as a general dumping ground.

Was in there just now getting chookfood and I heard a noise. Coming from an untidy corner. The noise stops, I move toward it and it starts again. I back away.

Now as we still have an unaccounted for BIG snake I am a little worried. Do I presume it is the snake and go look for it to get it out of the shed and out into the back paddock? Do I leave whatever it is alone and hope it goes away itself? Do I presume it is a rat or loud mouse and stop worrying?

What would you do? I usually have shoes on when in the area but not always. Not this morning.

If it is the snake then I want it gone. Pronto. We have dogs running around the place and grandkids to worry about as well.

There is no-one else here to help me today or tomorrow. But I NEED TO KNOW! So will put shoes on and go and quietly pull some stuff out. Using a long stick, not bare hands as I usually do.

Wish me luck, I'm hoping for a mouse.

I really gotta get this shed organised.

Update. I pulled a few things out but nothing happened. I heard the noise a few time throughout the day when walking outside. It's like something running away so I'm thinking more rat than mouse. A snake would slither away quietly. We have benches and a couple of crates on the floor in this area. I'm not going to pull them out, just in case. Straycat slept in there most of the day and even when the noise was happening he didn't seem too concerned. We used to have a Bandicoot over near the other shed...maybe he's moved.

Making A List

Sat 19th. 6.30am.
It's suposed to be a hot weekend but there is stuff that I REALLY need to get done. Being unwell yesterday and not being home with visiting the doctor a couple of times this week has put me behind again.
Everything needs watering, that's a given but I want to get the second lot of Hammy chickens out into the bigger seperate chicken pen. They're going to be a bugger to catch even though they are in a small pen, they are very flighty.
I need to mow and whippersnipper out the back. Thanks Hubby for clearing up that pile of stuff but now I have no excuse. lol. I'm glad that T. did half of it last week for me.
And the front and side need mowing again. All up it's a weeks worth of mowing for me and I am going to try getting it finished over the next couple of days. Monday will have me in bed but that's OK.
I'd like to try and put the door back on the Hammy *Rooster* pen....I am just going to tie it to the post with baling twine though as it's easier for me to do that. These aren't our chooks so Hubby doesn't willingly do any work on their pens. He is going to build new pens for me though, I just have to plan them first.
I need to rake out and replace the hay and grass clipping in the 2 pens to as well.
Need to whippersnipper in front of the orchard so I can walk out there without worrying about bitey things.
More mulching needs doing.
Notice I haven't mentioned anything inside. That could be because the house is already clean and tidy. Or it could be because I am a slackass that doesn't do housework. You choose what you will believe. lol.
I really gotta get started.

Bitey Things.

Sat, 13 December.
We had our second snake sighting last night. This one was a smallish, 18inch? Tiger.
I have been trying to get the yard cleared and the grass mowed but it's a never ending battle and this area I hadn't even started on yet. It was near the trailer and all the rubbish had been pulled out as someone needed to use the trailer for something else and as I was walking towards it I saw the snake right in my path. Called Hubby and he relocated it but it makes me aware again of how we need to get the place cleared up. The grass in this area is at least a foot high but there is too much rubbish around there to mow.

Last week we had a 5foot Dugite on the front verandah and that was last seen going into the shed next to the house. I keep telling myself that it is long gone but do keep my eyes open whenever I am in there.

I really gotta get the grass mowed.

Too Many

Too many chooks. Too many chickens.
And more to come. Over the last week we have had 1 hen hatch out 4 MB chickens and 2 chooks hatch out 2 MB chickens and 1 is sitting on 8 Hambough eggs and is due anytime. I think. I really do need to start writing dates down.

I have 14 Hammy chickens that I should advertise somewhere and try and get them gone. But they are so cute...

And way too many roosters but Hubby has said he'll deal with them on his next break.

Used to have too many ducks but a fox got their numbers down a couple of weeks ago. I would rather the too many ducks though. Actually, I don't want any ducks anymore so the 3 that are left is too many.

And you wanna hear something REALLY dumb? I have another 8 fertile Hammy eggs and am wondering which chook to put them under. Maybe I need to be put under for a while.

I really gotta get rid of some.