Winter has arrived; well it is June so right on cue,

On the eastern Eyre Peninsula we have a very mild winter, cold weather only lasting a few weeks. Opening rains of around an inch or 25mm of rain falls over a 2-4 day period. Traditionally farmers look to the Anzac weekend at the end of April to begin sowing pulse, Canola and cereal crops. If we miss rain on this moon phase on it may be Easter or the June long weekend before significant rains come again.  Early sowing in this 12” rainfall gives the greatest crop potential, but still very dependent on the Spring rainfall to maximise yield potential. Climatic conditions with more extreme weather events seem to be occurring, posing the question “Is it climate change?” or as the scriptures talk of “in the last days the earth groans before the coming again of (the son of  man) Jesus”. Post script. Writing this blog last night, interesting this next morning 6/06/10 at 7.15am I was woken by the rumblings of the strongest earthquake in this area for 100yrs, 1911; I am told as I watch the evening news! We rarely have quakes in this area although Cleve to Arno bay are on a fault line and get 1-2 readings which we never feel. The epic centre was only 25 km from Utunyah with a scale of over 5 on the Rictal-scale and felt up to 200km away. Thank fully it was estimated at being 15km underground. It lasted for enough time to awake, wonder why a stock truck/ semi trailer was driving around the house, get up and go outside, to realise it was the continuing noise of an earthquake. It was very strong with a smaller one following soon after. http://www.ga.gov.au/bin/earthquake.pl?title=E+of+Cleve%2C+SA.&xy=136.604%2C-33.671&date=05%2C06%2C2010&time=21%2C46%2C59&magnitude=5.0&comments=&station=BBOO&bg1=eqrisk_lm&zoom=100

Today I shifted sheep into a fresh paddock of young grass and medic and picked a bucket of mushrooms. These reminded me as a kid being invited 45 years ago to a paddock directly opposite near Hope Smith’s mailbox where the mushrooms were that thick it looked like stones in a paddock. The whole district came in and took home many feeds for each family. It is many years since I have cropped this paddock and maybe that is why there are so many this year. We would often find a feed in the native grassland amongst the trees near the homestead and remember my Grandmother  Whittaker combing the Cleve airport and surrounding hills for a feed of “Mushies”. Picturs of sheep in front road paddock, Mt priscilla and the Utunyah rock holes.

The open fire place is in use with mallee roots and logs keeping the house warm. Maybe not really efficient but has a wonderful touch with the flames and warmth penetrating the room. Yes there is a fire screen with bronze horse and foal, similar to the one that I remember in the Masters' house bought from a Hawker’s caravan cum truck that visited the farm back in the ‘50’s. The hawkers van contained every conceivable item need by a household. This traveller along with the Rawleigh’s man (medical supplies) and Lincott Linen (winter socks) gave my mother a chance to buy supplies usually only found in catalogues or from the bigger towns. Today we can order on the internet, recently a camera from Alabama in the USA as quickly delivered as if in Australia.

Since writing this,  the area I am working in near Minnipa has had huge mice plauge problems with farmers having to resow crops. They have been eating interiors of cars,  in airconditioning  vents you name it, huge hay stacks reduced to crawling hay, blocking augers, drowning in sheep troughs, invading houses. When they are bad they are very bad. I have taken my 4WD vehicle that I don't drive reguarly to Port Lincoln (no mice) to get  it away from  the stinking filthy little critters. Emptying 3 bodies from the fan in the ute as a pulpy slush did it!!  particually when you have to hang your head out of the window for fresh air. Visit ABC/ Landline for  a video view of the problem. A record wheat season last year and plauges this year is interesting and with no govt assitance to help aireal bait also stinks.