Tag Archives: ducks

Duck Days

by . Posted on
26 Jan

We have three new little ducklings.  Ged is flat out like a lizard drinking at the moment, installing solar grid connect systems in nearby Laurieton and he saw a sign for ducklings at a local feed store.  After finding our last lot so difficult to get along with at first (crazy canards!) they have turned into lovely members of the family and it is a delight to look out of the windows and see them sitting on a log or gliding gracefully on the river, or flying up to the house for corn and company.  They like to have breakfast (before Ged leaves), lunch (when Ben and I go walkabout) and supper at 6pm on the dot.  We can pretty much set our watches by them – but at this rate they will become too fat to waddle so I am cutting them back to one meal a day (the buddha principle).  Anyway, we only wanted two more (we try to work to the Noah ideal) but there were three left so Ged had to bring them all home.  They are so cute.  Ged has made a pen for them in the shade under the myrtles and a lovely bed in a big wicker basket full of straw and they are very happy with their new home.  They have taken to Avalon like ducks to water, and wander round the garden, going twenty paces or so and then sitting down for a rest!  The big ducks are charmed by them too and have adopted them as their own young.  They lead them around the garden and then fly from the bank down to the river, leaving the littlies quite bewildered – what happened there?

Travelling saleswoman

by . Posted on
04 Aug

It seemed like an ideal time for me to do a long overdue road trip to show the major equine retailers in NSW Think Fly (if they hadn’t been ordering it) and also the new products that we have been wanting to bring in to the country for a while, but needed their approbation and willingness to sell, to do so.  It gets me out of the house while Bill the Painter is polluting the atmosphere with toxic paints.  So I set off on Tuesday and drove over the windy, windy mountain to Walcha, and then to Tamworth where I stayed the night with the Fensbo tribe who all marvelled at a ‘fat’ Sophie.  We had a good catch up and in the morning I transformed myself back into ‘Sales Sophie’ and hit the road . . . I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that face to face selling thing.  Getting a bit out of breath though now, at the end of my spiel . . .

The response was excellent which was inspiring and affirming – that this grand Global Horse Products plan of mine does have legs and will run and run . . .
I did Tamworth, Scone, Moonbi  and Quirindi on Wednesday, then bunkered down in Denman for the night (trying to escape the roar of the trucks on the New England Highway).  Thursday was a busy day, covering Denman, Cessnock, Singleton, Maitland and Muswellbrook and then the long drive home.  Enough of sleeping in strange beds – need my home comforts and my human hot water bottle . . .
It is always such bliss to be home . . . .
Ged flew down to Sydney last week to get his new car.  It is a Japanese import called a Mitsubishi Delica.  A people mover on a Pajero chassis and engine.  So it’s a 4WD van basically, which is exactly what he needs for work.  He has ripped out the back seats and put the roof racks on for his ladders and seems to be very happy with his decision.  Now we just have to sell his Toyota – shouldn’t be hard.  I think my new car will be next year now, but my little red Pajero is still doing well and Benjamin won’t notice for a while yet . . .   Actually, the Delica is super comfortable and since it still has two back seats, is probably going to be used as the family car for long trips as long as it is clean!!
Came back from my trip to find the painting finished.  Very good on the outside but he seems to have just done a quick fix on the inside which I am not happy about.  I spent the weekend filling the nail holes in the skirting boards and putting on two coats of gloss.  I will work my way slowly round the windows to get them up to MY standard (which actually isn’t that high!!)  Honestly, if you need a job doing properly, you have to do it yourself . . . !
Also, a miracle has happened!  Those ducks have finally become normal!  They swim on the river during the day, they fly, they camp out under the house, and who knows where they sleep at night.  The ugly ducklings have become, if not swans, then at least responsible members of the duck family, and lovely to see paddling gently across the river from my kitchen window . . .

Queen Bee & the Workers

by . Posted on
28 Jul

The boys are back in town!  Scottie bought a mate up with him for a couple of days this week as Gary couldn’t make it and Bill the painter has been here stripping the external windows right back and priming etc.  So Avalon is a hive of activity and the Queen Bee is happy!!

Talking of bees, we have ordered a hive for the Spring from a local Bee Farm as we have both always wanted to have our own bees and honey.  Have also ordered a ‘Starting with Bees’ book from our friends at River Cottage, and have asked the local apiarists who are setting us up to teach us everything they know – should be fun!
We are ever more like the Ark – two crazy cows, two hefty horses, two delinquent ducks, two house animals (Phee and Mischa) and ok, ok, FIVE hens.  But there’s not much you can do with only two eggs a day.  The ducks really have been a special needs case since the drowning of their two brethren (they had climbed into the chook’s water bowl and then drowned in too much water when they were little).  They spent weeks and weeks refusing to come out of their little shed and we had to tempt them into water with ever bigger troughs equipped with standing stones and log and plank ramps etc, and when we threw them in the river they ran back home as fast as their little waddling legs could carry them!
We were slightly despairing that they might every become normal and then the other night we had a lot of rain and decided to take the cars out to be on the safe side and Ged wheeled me across on the flying fox first (and let me tell you, you know you’re very pregnant when manouevring yourself in THAT confined space!).  I had the torch and played the beam out over the river to guage the rising tide and what did I see but two white ducks paddling around in the pitch black . . . I told you they were special!!
Scottie makes the missus happy!