Hay and silage baling begins in November this year.

My 6 disc mower is out of action so I borrow my contractors' 8 disc mower to carry on working and it rips through the hay in no time.

Raking the hay into windrows for baling and wrapping.

In late October 2017 Alan, a train traffic controller from Brittany in France arrives for a 4 week stay.

Pruning the pine trees Alan is mindful of the hay fever at this time of the year and sensibly wears a mask.

A little cooler this morning so a jacket is required before we begin work.

Alan agrees the work is much easier now we have a new hydraulic log splitter.

Changing an insulator on the electric fence under the careful scrutiny of the stock.

 

 In Mid September 2017, Ethan (Zhibo) an Engineer in 3D Laser Scanning Technology from Shandong in China, came to help us on the farm.

  

Here he helps to remove barbed wire and replace with new stock friendly plain wire.

Weeding around the garlic.

Clearing weeds and rushes from outside the boundary fence.

After clearing along a fence line, Ethan loads the Hi- Lux with the lucerne branches.  

Checking out the waterfall.

In early September 2017 we had 8 days in Bali, and it was fantastic, the weather was perfect every day, the foot paths are much improved now with brick paving and the streets are a lot cleaner now.

This is the cliffs and temples of Uluwatu.

This is the beach at Padang Padang, which you can only get to by climbing through a cave in the cliff face, it is a special favourite of ours.

Part of the beach in front of our hotel.

Two girls in traditional dress at the monkey forest at Ubud.

One of many water temples in Bali, this one is on the way to the Volcano.

Most afternoons people come to the beach to fly kites of all sizes.

The pool and bar at our hotel early in the morning before breakfast.

In late July 2017 Billy ( Yujie) from Shanghai in China and a graduate in Physics and Laser Technologies  arrives to help us around the farm. 

I have injured my back so Billy digs the trench to bring power to the tractor shed.

We remove another old fence and Billy builds a new brace frame for the new fence.

My back is still not good so Billy does all the heavy work to add extra posts and rails to raise the height of the outer stockyard.

Here some trees are felled to provide access to a new gate.

Billy helps install a second trough in this paddock.

Before Billy leaves us, we take a day trip to Bicheno.

At the home of a friend we have breakfast and stawberry crepes with cream.

After a storm last night Billy helps remove a fallen branch from a fence.

Billy leaves us today for the flight back to the mainland.

Late in January 2017 we hosted Jere from Joensuu in Finland.

 Here he removes pin rushes from one of the springs.

Installing a brace frame for a new cattle gate.

 Jere brings stock into the next paddock.

Doing time in the veggie patch.

 And on the lawn mower

 Jere helping to align and re install a fence the stock broke through.

 Winter is only a few months away so it's time again to cut firewood.

 But not today Jere, it's just too good to work, so lets take the bikes to to beach !

  Jere......are you really sure   ??????

In Launceston off to find the free wifi.

Here, Jere has won his eleventh game.    Have some pity on me Jere, you are going to give me grey hair.                                

Today we got up before dawn to get an early start on a tour of Tasmania's best attractions beginning at Hobart and up to Mount Wellington.

 Then along the east coast and Jere is thinking  " Mmmmm...I would really like to have a swim there".

 And Bridport looks like the perfect place, but wait.   "Why am I the only person in the water ?"

Touring is over now so it's back to the farm and this time we have some work for the tractor.

Slashing dry grass to prepare for new growth.

Lets go fishing on the river, yeeeeah
 
 And we get a barracuda and 2 rock perch, fantastic! 
 

Bringing the some cattle through the stockyards for drenching.