Melting

It's sweltering hot here at the moment. Monday the TV weather stated it was 34oC but friends reported it as being 40oC (100oF) at their place. It is a worry with the rabbits as some are in full coat although I have been working to remove fibre to cool them. Cadbury was especially stressed so I threw a container of ice into his cage for him to lie against although he seemed to enjoy pushing it around instead of resting.

Darren the farrier came out at 10am that same hot day. He had actually been here the week before but Briar had just been been moved with the horses into the back hill paddock and although he spent 30 minutes up there looking for her there was no sign and no one was home at the homestead to tell me where she was. Fortunately he didn't charge me for wasting his time but told me to ring him when she came back down.

Darren was very pleased with the state of Briar's hooves but I guess this hot dry weather really suits her since she is a desert animal. After he finished trimming her hooves we sat out front talking for an hour while he had his usual mug of coffee. Very interesting to hear all the goings on in the horse world. It's hard to believe that these photos of Briar were taken by a friend on the 23rd December as within a week that lovely green grass had turned to brown straw. Many of the poplar trees are turning yellow from stress as it's been ages since we had decent rain.

Over the weekend I was trying to finish some spinning for The Shearing Shed when my spinning wheel broke. Well to be strictly technical it was the green thingy that connects the stick thingy to the treadle thingy. After searching the net I discovered it was called a Conrod Joint. A quick search on Trademe turned up someone who sells spinning wheel accessories and I managed to pick up a new one from this person for $1.50! One of the fastest trades I ever had too so now just have to wait till the joint arrives so I can spend an enjoyable time swearing while trying to attach it.

All quiet on the house hunting at the moment. A week ago I got keen on a place I heard of out at Crownthorpe but the landlady wouldn't even let me look at the cottage as she didn't want a tenant with animals (I had the distinct feeling though she really didn't want a single female living on her farm). Last night a man rang from Kahurangaki saying his wife had left him to live in Gisborne so he was looking for someone to board with him on his ten acres. Ummm noooo thanks. Meanwhile I do some sorting each day, throwing out alot of the dross I tend to hoard so that I won't have so much to do when a place does come up. It's a very nervewracking time.