We successfully incubated more quail earlier this month, and with 14 in the brooder box it was getting quite disgusting! We found a great guinea pig/rabbit cage in a roadside collection, strengthened it up and converted it to a great little brooder for the quail. Rather than keeping it inside (a brooder sure does get smelly with 14 quail in it) this one is kept outside in a protected area.
They were so excited to be able to run around, have a big stretch and especially have a dust bath!
So far so good with a lot of the dragon fruit! We had one flower the first night, 8 the second night, 9 the third night, and one on the fourth and final night of flowering. A total of 19 flowers!
We hand pollinated each night, using a soft paintbrush by brushing the pollen off the stamens and the petals where it had dropped to, and then brushing it into the stigma. In our enthusiasm, we went out too early the second night and the pollen hadn’t yet been released, but when we went out a couple of hours later there was plenty of pollen on the lower petals we could brush up into a container.
From early in the mornings after flowering, the flowers were covered in bees! this must have helped the pollination process too!
Now, nearly two weeks later, three unviable fruit have fallen off, but the remainder are swelling very nicely!
Last year we were very disappointed to loose the few dragon fruit flowers that had grown for the first time, but are really hopeful for this year! After annual setbacks due to frost, we had to move them again from the raised beds and planted them in large pots just on the edge of the verandah, and they are thriving! They have grown so much, and several now have multiple buds…watch this space!
Even if some of them fruit, we will be thrilled! Especially as we have lost a few things towards the end of this hot Perth summer…..
The hot weather has continued, with several days above 40- the hottest so far being 44.5! We have a few allocated ‘sanctuaries’ where the wildlife can have some respite from the heat- one being the ‘billabong’ which we established not long after we moved in.
With that level of heat, we have lost a few plants and others are struggling, but there are a remarkable amount that are coping well, including veggies that keep on producing- zucchini, tomatoes, pumpkin, chilli, scalloped squash and beans- we have had heaps of these!
We have made a few batches of sweet chilli sauce and kasundi- both family favourites!
The hot weather has brought out some rarely seen animals – like a Boxer Bark Mantid, one we have never seen before, and a very large trapdoor spider which unfortunately drowned in the pool on its evening explore.
Well, we have had a few hot days at our place in December, with today topping at 44.3 degrees Celcius!
With the hot weather comes a much increased risk of bushfire, something we are very aware of and plan for accordingly. Previously, we used an old McCormick tractor and towed a water tank and pump on a trailer. The problem with this was that it was difficult to start, and difficult to manoeuvre on McCarthy Park 2 with it being so long and heavy.
So, we have a new fire fighting unit! We bought a 1970 FJ45, which now has the water tank (an IBC), pump and generator on the tray, so it is much easier to start and drive around on our property.
This has given us a much safer and more manageable way of fighting small spot fires that may occur on our property.
It has been a busy, though strange, spring. Perth has seem hot days, windy days, cold days, rainy days…. and sometimes all four in one day! The gardens and the bees have sometimes struggled with the changing conditions, but overall are going well.
We had lost a queen in one hive a while ago, and the newly purchased queen did not survive or stay for some reason. This is where it is very useful having two hives, as we were able to transfer a frame or two of brood from the strong one to the weak one. We had to do this a couple of times, but eventually they did produce a queen, who is now laying prolifically!
We haven’t had a honey harvest so far this season, but it won’t be long before we do!
The orchard has gone well generally, with some good harvests of nectarines, peaches, loquats and plums, though unfortunately one of the nectarines we transferred from McCarthy Park 1 (see There is never nothing to do!) suddenly split and was rotten inside.
This, plus a plum and an apricot going the same way, are disappointing nearly four years after transplanting! The rest are going well though….
The dragon fruit are loving their new home too, after some trials and tribulations- fingers crossed we finally get some fruit develop this year. Moving them to the verandah certainly helped to protect them from the frost, so this spring they have taken off!
Despite the variable weather, there has been plenty to harvest from the pumpkin palace as well as the aquaponics.
The chooks are laying well, and despite giving plenty of eggs away to family and friends, we have still had an excess….so…. pickled eggs!
Pickled eggs is a great, delicious way to preserve for a short while, though they do take up a lot of space in the fridge!
We cook the quail eggs and hen eggs separately, but then pickle them together. They are delicious!
The rhubarb is growing like crazy at the moment, before it gets too hot, so lots of preserving is happening.
We have had the odd mishap however…….. perhaps the jars have been reused too many times!
Yummy! We love a bit of rhubarb on our porridge, hence just using small jars to preserve.
We harvested some of our turmeric this week, which grows really well in the aquaponics grow beds. We chopped up some for the freezer, and the rest was dehydrated and ground into powder. It smells divine!!!
We have really been enjoying it in a hot cacao (with soy milk) drink, as well as our cooking.
Yum!
It is tempting to just share the good bits of our lifestyle (after all, it is mostly good!), but it is important to be realistic too. Over the years we have certainly had ups and downs related to rural living, some we can even look back on and laugh. A few of those stories are in our ‘setbacks’ page as well as the odd post.
After living this lifestyle for over 30 years, we have experienced most setbacks, but some never feel easier. Recently our lovely doe rabbit, Kep, died while heavily pregnant. She was fine one day and not the next. Even though we breed rabbits for food, our breeders are pets. They are loved and cuddled like any pet, so there is a sense of loss when one dies.
She was a very skittish bunny when we first got her as a kit, but with time and patience she eventually enjoyed a pat, and tolerated (!!) being picked up.
We have a new girl now, and she is pretty friendly but not quite as big and impressive as Kep.