Just introducing ourselves!

Hi

We have just moved from Queenstown and Balclutha (separately) to Outram, near Dunedin (together) to a 6.5ha lifestyle (lifesentence?) block. Our front paddock is very wet, hence the pseudonym. We are both working full time off the block and are already finding things really busy, and we don't have any animals yet! (Except for my old cat who is loving life in the country). Four calves are due to arrive this week and twelve hens sometime later in the month. We have learnt two salient lessons so far...that this business is expensive, and that we have an awful lot to learn! We are hoping to add sheep, pigs and bees to the menagerie, but we are not rushing into anything. Fencing off an area for veggies and berry fruit is the next priority and then putting up the glasshouse which is now sitting in the shed in bits. We also plan an orchard. I'm exhausted just writing about it!

Look forward to meeting like minded people who have already learnt all the hard lessons!

Marion & Lee

Welcome Marion and Lee

I am sure you will find LSB a plethora of useful advice and friendship on your new endeavour.

My advice would be to a) plant your fruiting trees they take time to grow and the sooner you get them in the better. b) get great fences before stock c) built a set of yards before you get stock d) dont keep a record of $ spent cause you will cry LOL

Hi Guys,

Welcome aboard.

Sound advice from Jen so far. Small and manageable well ordered steps is the way to go. Plan with the head rather than the heart; it's way cheaper!

Hi and welcome as said above

Hi and welcome Soggybottom
Sounds like your on the right track
Very good advice from Jen , lol specially d) one , as thats just soooo true ... much less painless if you dont keep track of the $ spent

Welcome, as a fellow relative newcomer I can tell you that this forum is my new favourite place to visit.

Welcome, got a surprise when I saw you name, we have a chap up here calles his place soggybottom ! He took a group of us (from this forum) on a tour a while back and showed us his rare breeds piggy operation and butchery and we went out to dinner, if you place is half what his is you will think you are in heaven! cheers and enjoy the lifestyle

:eek:Think of the money spent as if on entertainment[][] and laugh

It's agreat life even if it costs alot[^] better than town

And there are opportunities to save money, instead of paying gym fees I walk the cows back into the top paddock three times, then quickly erect the fence tie on another, lift the goat shelter to the new location - would have cost a fortune for a circuit like that at the gym.

LMCL65;352223 wrote: And there are opportunities to save money, instead of paying gym fees I walk the cows back into the top paddock three times, then quickly erect the fence tie on another, lift the goat shelter to the new location - would have cost a fortune for a circuit like that at the gym.

Love it ! how true.

Grubbing thistles & having a dog lean on you is good exercise as well, especially when on the side of a hill !

I dream of charging people gym membership and then getting them to work on my block...
Bonus: Fresh air! Rural Outlook!

The best exercise of the lot is putting in a fence but digging the post holes, ramming them, and all the rest ......

then changing your mind about where you wanted it.

LongRidge;352346 wrote: The best exercise of the lot is putting in a fence but digging the post holes, ramming them, and all the rest ......

then changing your mind about where you wanted it.

LR that sounds like the army to me

Welcome from me too, Marion and Lee. In my case, the only way to avoid feeling totally ill at how much money I spend on this life sentence is to ensure my DH has a hobby/interest that uses a fraction over what I spend on, for example, stock food, and head off any potential criticism by pointing that out at every available opportunity, LOL.
Cheers, Mich.