Hay lelujah! The most stressful week on our annual farming calendar is over. The hay is in!!! It was a funny cut this year. The hay is lovely (thank God, no wet bales this year!) but we were expecting a lot more in the way of bales. After last year's appalling growing season, we still managed to get close to 500 bales whereas this year we were closer to 400 bales. Maybe they are more densely packed because they had dried better? I have no idea but right now I am just thrilled that they are in the shed. We got about 440 I think, but need to check with Nick.
Felt sorry for the contractor as he was having real baler issues but felt less sorry for him when time came to try and pick the darned bales up - the first 2/3 are quite loosely baled and were really hard to stack. Two of our helpers took very stylish tumbles off the truck as the hay decided to abandon ship! Fortunately contractor gave up with troublesome baler in the end and went and collected another. The last 1/3 are much better bales and were much easier to stack.
They were baled on the hottest day IN RECORDED HISTORY in Masterton too! We were very lucky and managed to rope in some friends to help us heave the bales and they were all, bar 35 bales, in by Thursday evening. Now I am sitting here looking at the big heavy rain clouds and just praying that they drop their load somewhere over the top of us! Somehow, goodness knows how, our house water tank is empty. We have checked everywhere for a leak but nothing so can only assume we have been using more than has fallen so, it's water restrictions for the family Wilsden or we will have to buy in water which is something I am absolutely loathe to do!
Have just got off the phone to our friend and neighbour and they're more than happy to come to some sort of arrangement to help us top up our hay cut should they have excess so that's making me feel a lot more comfortable. I like to have at least 500 bales to hand for the winter so, with a bit of luck, we will manage that.
Today's photos are of, of course, the hay (in the shed - it was so hot after baling I just could not bring myself to take photos of it in the paddock!!) and my lovely boy, Hamish.
Bay 4
Bay 3
Bay 2
Bay 1
Airborn
Pretty face
G'day
Come here Hamy
Gliding
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