G'day, Allooo and See yoooo Jimmi!

[Boots]

and Cumatee Cumatee to the Kiwi crew!

Um, sorry got a bit excited...

Am heaps glad to have found this place. Actually I was led here and am heaps grateful. What a nice bunch of people you are and it is really good to see people from all over the world laughing and sharing their stuff!

I live in rural Qld, Australia (not as outback as Floot) with my two daughters, a herd of hooligan goats, a couple of shetlands, a couple of donks, a stack of ducks, few chooks, a pig, a stack of native fish... coupla dogs, cat, more fish...um, and I think that's it.. Nope, forgot the peacocks, and we also have a cockatiel and galah here in recovery, though neither actually look like they will be fit for release, so will be hanging around, I think.

That is the first time I have ever actually sat down and listed them all like that... and now I feel a bit like I might sound greedy or sumpthin. I hope not.

I love animals, and would be a very miserable human if there weren't any around. They are all functional and productive in their own ways, and provide us with milk, eggs, meat, fish, manures, security, company and the pig doubles as an impressive plough.

I am struggling against some big heat at the moment. The weather man said 36, but my gauge read 41...and the garden agrees with my gauge, I think. Have some potted vegies holding up ok under a canopy and on the verandah, but other than the spud barrels, the actual beds are not looking good.

I'm sorry....I'm raving on a bit aren't I...

Anyway - it is heaps good to be here and I look forward to sharing a few laughs and sharing ideas.

All the best to everyone.

P.S. To the admin guy - Ya gotta stop watering that aloe. Check she's not sitting in a pot of mooshy soil and whack her in your bathroom, and just let her hang out with some moist air for a bit. They have little freak outs when folks care for them like 'other plants'...they don't like a fuss at all. Submerge the pot to water once every 10 days or so. They want you to treat em tough! You can still talk to em... just lower your tone and kinda sneer at her when you say Good morning... She'll come good.

P.P.S. Floot - you have to say G'day too, ya know!

[Andy Hamilton]

Cheers for the Aloe advice shall put her in the bathroom straight away and start swearing at here.

Welcome to the site. I think we are become a dual perpose site, definetly doing something for anglo-antipidian relaitions

[Guest]

I bet you swore when you first saw that sunflower..

Far out.

P.S...Your kinda cute for a white guy.

[ina]

with my two daughters, a herd of hooligan goats, a couple of shetlands, a couple of donks, a stack of ducks, few chooks, a pig, a stack of native fish... coupla dogs, cat, more fish...um, and I think that's it.. Nope, forgot the peacocks, and we also have a cockatiel and galah here in recovery, though neither actually look like they will be fit for release, so will be hanging around, I think.

Hi Boots, and welcome to the site! It's around 50 degree colder here at the moment (well, maybe only 45...), and I could do with a bit of your heat, at least for my feet!

I have a few questions to your list of animals: What kind of goats? (I have 2 cashmere goats myself at the moment, mainly as "lawn mowers" and hedge clippers, manure suppliers and for a bit of fun and company - but I also comb them and hope to have enough for a cashmere jumper in about 10 years' time). I'd love dairy goats - used to work with them and make cheese.
And shetlands - ponies or sheep? I must admit I'm more into sheep; have just been on holiday in Shetland and fallen in love with that breed. Hardy, and lovely wool. One of these days, when I have a bit of land (dream on, fool... )

Ina

[Boots]

Hello again Ina

Am having such a wonderful time wandering about here, and I love the whole international bit...its all quite fascinating.

The Shetlands are ponies. I don't think we have Shetland Sheep...? I haven't heard of them.

We have a mixed bag of goats. Mostly boers and I run a boer buck, but also a couple of sanaans and one Toggenberg that is our main milker. Right now I have 5 cheeky kids about 2 months old keeping me entertained and together they are simply ratbags. Ok...Cute ratbags.

Not sure if we can post pics? Haven't seen any, but will have a go... If it works, this is Zodiac... our first doeling. If it blows the thread out, I will chop it out again later.
{and it did....)

This was taken just after birth. Still a bit sticky and just about to stand.

[ina]

Brilliant! Yes, kids are great, aren't they... Great pests, I know ! My friend has something like 15 goats and a billy, so about 30 kids each year - she had several triplets last season!

I'd love to breed my two. Lack of space, though. (New Year's resolution: Find some land nearby.) There's pics of them on the livestock forum, somewhere halfway down on a thread full of pictures.

Ina

[flowers-v-spuds]

Hi, i'm new too, but i have to ask is a donk a donkey? or am i making an ass of myself


don't all laugh at once

[Millymollymandy]

No, it's a rare marsupial. It feeds on the spaghetti tree.

Hi Boots, glad you found the site. You sound like fun!

[Boots]

Hello all...

I need a little smiley face that laughs and laughs and laughs...that little one with the quiver there is freaking me out! Looks like he he has a hair caught between his teeth or something...

Yes Flowers, donks are donkeys and Emineminem is right too (ooh hang on...that hair is back... ) they love spaghetti trees!

Ina the girls and I lived in a city for 10 years - and there are still bits we miss. Never thought I'd say it, but some SHOPS would be good! We went from extreme low maintenance to extreme high maintenance and whooo, some days I'd give my right arm for the city comforts and social contact.

But that thinking doesn't last too long... We take a trip over to a town and I soon remember how lucky we are.

Do you have community gardens Ina? Was talking to a guy the other day in Kirby Lonsdale who was so excited as he'd just got his allotment. He had to wait for his name to come up or something... is that an option for you?

Oh, and sorry Andy - that was me up there. Still getting my head around this sign in thing...Sorry!

Keep grinning everyone, am off to see if that funny mate of mine has turned up here yet. See you in there!

<------ This is a funky smiley... Have never seen that one before.

[ina]

Yes, there are allotments and community gardens - but in towns, not if you live in the country like myself! And anyway, on those gardens/plots I probably wouldn't be allowed to keep livestock; maybe a few hens, if lucky. And it's the livestock space I lack... Plenty of fields around me, but not so easy to get something that's close enough for me to go there on a daily basis. Don't want a situation where I'd have to drive 20 miles per day just to feed a few goats and sheep.

How far away from the nearest sign of civilisation are you? I find that I don't get into town (Aberdeen, 30 miles) more than about twice a year nowadays, and that's plenty for me. Admittedly, it helps that I can buy some things via mail order - but those are things I couldn't get in Aberdeen anyway (like organic cotton undies or decent wool for knitting). Apart from that, I go to a farmer's market in a small town a bit nearer by once a month, and some small shops in the villages around here; the nearest are 4 miles away. Can't say I ever miss the big town...

Ina

[Boots]

I went to look for your goats Ina and saw the countryside - it is gorgeously green! It is fast drying out here, but I will not give up, will hold onto a green house yard if it is the end of me. They have lovely coats and I have not seen a long coated goat for many years. Probably the heat, but I did know a lady once who was raising them and spinning wool about 600k north of here. I really like goats. I like the way, they each have very distinct personalities. I have never met two that are alike.

When you said you wanted land, I thought you meant you were in an apartment or something.

We have a small town about 40k's away (sorry I don't know miles ) and it has the basics, but is heaps expensive. The next regional town is a couple of hours away, and we go there about once a month (or as long as I can stretch it out) and stock up.

The rural supplier in the little town has just shut up shop, and I am thinking this will mean I will have to travel for feeds, if I don't get some extras going here. So I have just planted a heap of luceana and am relocating my poultry range so I can plant that out with something too. Maybe corn.

I used to do a lot of shopping over the net. And my credit card (or a reproduction of it) was found in a fraud swoop down in Sydney, when they raided a house and found about 1000 still awaiting resale. So I was very lucky, but it has made me very wary. I think it may have worked out in my favour actually, because now I don't buy nearly half the junk I used to!

I visited Aberdeen as a kid - but my memory is not too good anymore. I think it was too many drams somewhere along the line

I recently found my Grandma's family came from there, so it is kinda nice to make some sort of connection with the area and its people.

[ina]

I visited Aberdeen as a kid - but my memory is not too good anymore. I think it was too many drams somewhere along the line

I recently found my Grandma's family came from there, so it is kinda nice to make some sort of connection with the area and its people.

What - they gave you drams as a kid ? Or did you drink them after you'd grown up, and now your long term memory is affected... If you did remember anything about Aberdeen, it would probably be the colour grey. Granite buildings. It can be rather pretty in sunshine.

Anyway, yes the countryside is quite green around here. In other words, we have a lot of rain. Nowhere near as much as the west coast, though... At the moment everything is very slushy; snow has thawed, and it's awful for the animals outside - but I don't want to keep them in all the time, either. So you see, green grass has it's negative sides, too.

And don't apologise for "not knowing miles" - I've got used to both (one mile is 1.6 k, roughly). What I still have a problem with is degree Fahrenheit...

Ina

[Boots]

Kind of a side shoot question here, Ina...

Your sheep...well, sheep/animals in the UK... are they all farmed with indoor access then? Big sheds? Could they live a year over there without human assistance when the snow comes or do they actually need access to sheds to get through?

I never considered this before, as I am just used to seeing animals on pasture. When there is no pasture and it is all snowy, what do they do? Does it mean handfeeding inside? And if so, for how long?

[floot]

Hello All,

Tropical top of australia here.

Boots, I was gong to say hello and then realised I had been tagged with a photo of a brunette with big boobs and panicked and fled. I did send a message to an admin and explain that I was actually 6', male, overweight with a head on me like a robber's dog.

With no sympathy at all, he 'splained that it was a newbie thing. I certainly didnt want to give anyone the wrong impression...

floot

[Boots]

Alllooooo ol mate!

Am so glad you made it. Have been waiting to laugh with you again. 'Cept they got this real weird laughing dude here ----> that kinda gives me the jeebies whenever I see it. What is he doing with his top lip ????? Only my donkeys can do that...

Yeah - I logged in and saw that pic next to your name and hooted laffin. Then posted and thought...oh, we all get it... lololololol

Have been having a good time here Floot. Some heaps happy people. The scots crack me up... Real good value. I don't remember the good life TV show...but I asked a mate, and it sounds like a great story to base a site on. Enthusiastic folks just having a go, laughing at their mistakes and having another go - am quite happy hanging out here.

I don't think ya have to worry about making a wrong impression here Floot. That other site was just weird. (insert cookoo clock here). Everyone has been keen to share and even quicker to laugh, so don't worry ya pretty little robbers-dog-like head over it, ol mate.