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Second wave holiday

July - November 2020
Just when it looked like the CoViD19 situation was relaxing a little, cases in
Victoria spiked... Read more
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  • Janette and JohnSecond wave holiday

    Ups and downs - highs and lows.

    July 12, 2020 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    G'day again.
    We're back 'on air' and we're back in isolation, although not as severely as before. We can't travel interstate or go to Melbourne. That also means that family and friends in Melbourne can't come up here either. The CoViD19 situation here in North East Vic is quite good. The local cases so far have been returned travelers.
    We've been enjoying catching up with friends and neighbours for tea, coffee, lunch while being very cautious re hygiene and distancing etc. From what I've seen locally, most people are being quite responsible.
    This morning we noticed a cow on her own on the hill behind the cottage up at the tree line. Although we're not due to start calving for three weeks, our first thought was that she'd calved. On the way to check on her, we passed the other cows. One had been very busy putting on her makeup. She obviously felt very pleased with herself. That gave us a good chuckle.
    Sadly the cow on the hill had calved but the little heifer was stillborn. The worst part of this situation is that the cow will keep calling the calf and obviously it doesn't respond.
    She's one of our four oldest cows - eleven. She's probably had eight calves to date. We'll never know what went wrong - the calf was perfectly formed, just very small. Just to be on the safe side, we've locked all the cows in the calving paddock so we can keep a close eye on them.
    Everyone's talking about the great season we're having. Autumn 2020 was the best we've had in our time here - our rainfall records go back to 1991. Already this year, we've had as much rain as 2018 and 2019 and the creek is flowing strongly. This means the waterfalls look really good - another reason for people to visit.    Read more

  • Janette and JohnSecond wave holiday
    Day 2

    Getting ready

    July 14, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    Janette's uncle, Lex Devitt, came to Molyullah in 1947 after he was demobbed from the army. He worked for local farmers, bought his 'block' and built the cottage in about 1955. Janette has been coming here for as long as she can remember. When the family were here for their holidays each Easter, she and her brother and sister attended the Molyullah school.
    Three kilometres down the road were the Johnsons - mum, dad, four girls and a boy. Janette spent a lot of time there playing.
    She has recently caught up with one of the girls, Dawn.
    Dawn and a couple of others are coming for a visit tomorrow. There will be a look at the cottage, a walk to the falls and then, I suspect, a long lunch.
    Anyone who knows Janette would know that the house has been cleaned and then cleaned again. The cottage looks pretty good too! I went to the big falls to check the path isn't too rough. Even the ute got a clean as it will transport the visitors to the falls.
    Our bereaved cow seemed to be OK this morning. She's still calling a little. It really is very sad!    Read more

  • Janette and JohnSecond wave holiday
    Day 3

    Yet more ups and downs

    July 15, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    WOW! Just goes to show that you never know what the day might bring.
    The day started with Kathy Z sending a photo taken on her early morning walk - just the thing to brighten up a very frosty morning. Feel free to send a photo too.
    More prepping for today's visitors. We were given a bottle of Moet by one of our hunters so that was on ice. Visitors arrived at 10.00am. One of those expected wasn't well so didn't come. After coffee and almond croissants, Janette took them to see the waterfalls.
    I’d noticed some cows had escaped from the calving paddock. Some time ago, a large tree fell over the top fence of that paddock also into the open gateway. I suspected this was where they had escaped - it was. Using the tractor, I managed to clear enough of the branches to enable me to close the gate.
    Lunch - 1.00pm to 4.30pm.
    As we were packing up, I looked out of the window and saw a police paddy wagon coming up the drive. I told the others that the police were here, but they didn’t believe me. A few minutes later, two cops were explaining that they were looking for a missing man who went walkabout from his house in the next valley - Watchbox Creek Valley. He lives with his son and daughter-in-law. He’s 85 and has dementia. He's done this at least once before. Rusty, our local travelling butcher, lives at the very end of Watchbox. The missing man turned up at his place when he went missing previously.
    We drove up as far as we could to have a look for him. I'll go up in the tractor first thing tomorrow and should be able to have a better look around.
    At 5.45, two more police arrived asking for help to find Schultz Rd. We told them the way. We explained that it's a fire track into the State Forest, it's 4WD territory and it's going to be dark soon...
    We'll leave outside lights on overnight. If he comes this way, he may come in.    Read more

  • Janette and JohnSecond wave holiday
    1
    Day 4

    No news yet

    July 16, 2020 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    Thursday 16/07/2020.
    As I write this Wallace (Wally) McGown is still missing, somewhere in the bush with another freezing night setting in.
    I called the police before daybreak and they informed me that he hadn't been found. I headed up in the tractor to check the paddocks along Schultz Rd. Janette went to neighbouring properties where she knew no-one was home and checked the sheds.
    We drove down to the Molyullah Hall which is search headquarters. There were police, the air wing and mounties, SES, CFA and civvies. We reported to the police and headed home. There were vehicles going in all directions. Police have come in from Mansfield and Marysville as they're used to this sort of terrain.
    Janette mobilised some ladies to make scones and she made sandwiches. I went back up the top for another look. This time there were police 4WDs there so I just looked along the inside of the fenceline.
    Wally has gone missing before. The picture of the map shows his home and the piggery where he ended up last time. The high spot shown is, apparently, where he likes to walk to.
    Everyone left outside lights on last night and will tonight.
    There are teams coming tomorrow who are trained at doing walking searches through the bush.
    Here's hoping.

    Friday morning - Wally has been found deceased...    Read more

  • Janette and JohnSecond wave holiday
    Day 5

    Back to normal?

    July 17, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    After the last blog, Janette had her cataract operation on her left eye. That means both have been done. She's been showing off her ability to read the small print on everything ever since. She's had an eye test and has decided to get some reading glasses for the times she might need them - low light, dark grey print on grey paper...
    A couple of weeks ago, we picked up some dry rooted trees. We spent some time today trying to work out where to plant them. We need to guard them from the cows as they find the leaves quite tasty. Loaded the ute with some ringlock and steel posts ready for the first - three ornamental pears. The two golden ash and two claret ash will need a bit of fencing - here we go again!
    Did a drive round the cows this arvo. One is quite lame on her front left with a swollen hock. We'll get them into the yards in the morning and she will get a shot of penicillin.    Read more

  • Janette and JohnSecond wave holiday
    Day 6

    A cattle day

    July 18, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Another very heavy frost this morning so had to wait for the sun to get out of bed and melt it a little. As we needed to get a lame cow into the yards, it was necessary to move the two cows in the yards into the bull paddock and out of the way.
    These two cows are existing 'patients'. One has a sore hind leg from being kicked by next door's bull. The other probably has arthritis in her hip. Both are in calf, so they can stay in the bull paddock, out of harms way. Both will be sold when the calves are weaned. They moved quite willingly for some lucerne hay. Janette reckons that lucerne is like chocolate to the cows.
    I discovered a problem while doing this - the yards were exceedingly wet. I noticed the trough up the hill from the yards was empty. The cows had broken the water pipe feeding the trough and the water tank supplying it had emptied.
    Now the plan was to group the cows on the road at the yards and then edge the patient through the gate. That way they're not all in the wet yards.
    I took a roll of hay to the said position and we waited patiently for them to cross the creek. When they're hungry they run after the hay. They're not really hungry at the moment.
    The plan worked. The patient was given penicillin and put into the bull paddock with the other two. I think we'll call the bull paddock the hospital paddock now especially as we don't have a bull at the moment.
    After lunch, fixed the pipe to the trough.
    When we sold the top block, Darren and Catherine bought our cattle on that block. Their cows calve in Autumn and ours in Spring. They shared our bull for two years with the plan for them to buy the next bull and we will share it. It's out 'at work' with their cows at the moment. It will finish at the end of July, rest for three months and then go out with our cows in November.    Read more

  • Janette and JohnSecond wave holiday
    Day 7

    A garden day

    July 19, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Kathy Z must be off on her early morning walks while I'm still having my morning cuppas. She's sent another photo of the sunrise through the trees.
    Yesterday's patient looks to be a little better.
    Planted the three ornamental pears and started on the tree guards.
    Had to pinch myself - it's July - mid winter and there are blossoms on the almond trees. The Christmas cactus is starting to flower - that's got the timing right. Looks like we'll have some fruit off the monsteras later in the year.
    It's the Tattler deadline tomorrow and I can't come up with anything to write...    Read more

  • Janette and JohnSecond wave holiday
    Day 10

    A pfaffing day (again).

    July 22, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Too cold and frosty to do much early, so took Molly into Benalla to the dog wash at the car wash. I love telling people that we take her to the car wash for a wash.
    The mail had arrived when I drove in and the book of the Holiday Unprecedented blog was there. We ordered the large size,and it looks really good. This size wasn't available for our previous two blog books. Having looked at this one, we'll probably re-order those two in this larger size - it is much easier to see the pictures.
    It was a bright sunny day but it didn't really warm up. You know it's cool when Janette lights the fire in the study!
    The four remaining bare rooted trees - two golden ash and two claret ash - are in the ground at last. We now think we have decided where to plant five umbrella/stone pine, so perhaps tomorrow (?).
    We're getting worried about the corona virus situation here in Victoria. Overnight there has been a case confirmed in Mansfield - my suspicion is it will be someone up from Melbourne. That puts Mansfield out of bounds for us although we really need to think twice about going anywhere.    Read more

  • Janette and JohnSecond wave holiday
    Day 11

    Oranges for marmalade.

    July 23, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    Went to Lex's to pick some oranges before the birds get them all. Janette said that if I pick them, she’ll make marmalade. That's an offer too good to refuse!
    On checking out the septic tank site, it is obvious that some remedial work is required. In fact all the areas dug for the tank and pipes have some subsidence. Once the ground has dried out a bit, I'll bucket some soil in and level it out.
    Having picked many of the oranges within reach, I headed home.
    Peter and Kathy Z came for afternoon tea so that passed a couple of hours very pleasantly.
    Mike Larkin, printer of the Tatong Tattler, phoned to say the August edition was printed and we could pick up ours.
    As the Tattlers are left for us at the Tatong community notice board and post boxes, and as these are next to the Tatong Tavern, we decided to do the pick-up and eat at the Tavern whilst over there. Nice to see quite a few there. Pedro has taken on a job at L S Quarries, starting at 6am each day and working in the pub at night. He's hoping to keep the Tavern going through this crisis.
    We have a white faced heron that seems to have decided that the top of our power pole is a good observation point.    Read more

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