The harvest has begun
The sugar cane harvesting season has started. This makes the dog walk even more interesting. They think they’re being taken to a brand new place because some of the sugar cane is gone and the landscape has changed.
We need to get them to the creek without having to walk down the road. So they now get a ride as well!
We converted the old trailer to a travelling dog cage to keep them safe.
They love the ride as much as they love the walk
With machines like this around there is no room for puppies on the road
Now that some of the sugar cane has been cut there are new smells and things buried underground that they never knew existed before.
I watched my dog Casey get very excited about a new find on Saturday. She knew there was something hiding in the newly cut cane field, but she couldn’t find it – no matter how far she dug.
If I hadn’t called her off she may have dug all the way to China.
Her sheer determination reminded me of myself when it comes to work and writing. Once I get a sniff of an idea or a story I’m like the proverbial dog with a bone.
Something we don’t often see in the tropics is the cool temperatures. The children bought me a weather station for Mother’s Day and this gave me the opportunity to capture a rare event last week.
5.9 degrees in the tropics – unheard of!
Brrrrrr
In truth I’m absolutely loving this cool weather. In a few months I’ll be wishing for the relief!
In case you’re interested – this is what the weather station looks like outside. You never have to empty the rain gauge and the wind spinny thing can get up to about 240kph (hope I never see that!)
Have a great week!!!
I love the weather station thing. Nice present! The dogs look like they are loving the ride! 🙂
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The weather station is great – I love it! The other farmers in the area now ring me when it rains to see if my results match their old rain gauges that they have to empty out regularly. Now they’re all going to buy one as well 😀
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I can’t believe it’s already time for sugar cane harvesting, Dianne. I remember your post about it from last year. 🙂 Oh my gosh, the photos of Casey are priceless! That is one determined pooch! I wish we could get some of your cooler temps. We’ve been baking in the high 90’s for weeks.
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Don’t worry, Jill – I’ll be begging for cooler weather in a few months when you move into the throws of winter. We had one of the longest and hottest summers on record last season so I feel your pain. I don’t want to go through that again.
Casey was hilarious on Saturday. Talk about determined to find something! lol 😀
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Can’t sugar cane be pretty smelly? Or maybe I’m thinking of something else. Regardless, I’m sure your dogs were in heaven.
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The sugar cane smells beautiful, Carrie (well, I think so, but I love sugar) 😉
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I was a little worried wondering what on earth Casey was digging up… a body or something irksome. I’ve added a weather station to my long ‘I want’ list. I love knowing the temperatures, humidity and how much rain. You can take the girl off the farm but such things stick 🙂 It’s been chilly all over the east coast but moderate enough here that it’s pleasant. For an ex-Canberrian 5.9 degrees is balmy!
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Haaaa! You’re so right! It was ‘balmy’ for me and two of my children are down south so they’ve been copping it. I complain about the cold and they send me the BOM temp from Melbourne and Canberra – yikes!
I absolutely love the weather station and highly recommend it. You can check the rain, wind, temp, etc all from the comfort of the living room.
I think Casey was after mice, but a body would have been very interesting! 😉
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Those are very cool temperatures indeed. We had a weather station just like that in South Africa. It was on the roof and I think with the salt air, it rusted and fell to pieces. Hubby does loves his gadgets, so I’m sure he’ll buy one for the new house when we move in. I really laughed at Casey’s frantic digging expedition. 😀
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Oh yes, Sylvia – a weather station is the go (particularly for those of us who love gadgets!)
Casey’s expression was classic. Talk about focused! 😀
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Love the weather station and the dog transport cage. I wanted to see what Casey found . . .
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I think it must have been a mouse nest. She didn’t find anything because I pulled her away (in case it was a snake hole) lol 😉
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dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig….
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Absolutely – she’s very good at that 😉
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Oh, look at your little dog go. So excited and fixated! Do you just smell the sugar in the air? I love your weather station. I suppose that makes you the weather expert, Dianne. Very cool gift!
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They call me The Weather Lady – LOL. I know everything to do with the weather (except when it’s going to rain, my crystal ball doesn’t reach that far into the future) 😉
The smell of sugar in the air is beautiful. Cutting time is the best time of the year except for the dust in the house 😀
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The dogs look to be really enjoying the taxi service Dianne, The Weather Station looks to be a fascinating gift. I’d be wanting to go out and check the gauges all the time but if i ever saw the spinner going at 240kph I’d be expecting to land in a different Oz.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
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The Weather station is great. You don’t actually have to go outside to check the gauges because it’s sent inside to the portable screen – the wonders of the modern world!
If that spinner gets over 100, I’m heading for the bunker! 😉
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Now I want a weather station!
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You’d love it! It’s a great idea 😉
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As soon as this house is finished (before the snows fly) we must do that. What’s the point in living in the land of extreme weather if you cannot (accurately) hoot about it?
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I knew it was cold in Qld, but that’s almost arctic! 😉
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It certainly is. I’ve never know it to drop so low before. They must have absolutely frozen down south!
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Yes we did! Down south in NZ. 😀 😀
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That’s nothing! Here on Friday, the maximum temperature was 8 degrees but with the wind chill it felt like -7! It was truly ghastly.
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I’ve been wearing my big fluffy dressing gown for a week. After this it will be put away for another year and I’ll be wishing it was cool again.
8 degrees is very cool and that wind chill – YIKES! I remember wind chill from my days in Canberra Brrrrrrrr
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I was wearing so many layers I could hardly put my arms down!
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😦
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Nice post Dianne. When I read your updates I always wonder if I could settle down to enjoy a life like that, away from urban surroundings. You seem to be perfectly at home and relaxed there.
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I love the rural lifestyle, Roy. Occasionally I go back to the big cities and walk around looking like a country bumpkin! I lived right in the middle of a big city for 12 years before I moved back here and it was chaotic, exciting, scary, and almost worth the high paying job, but i always felt like I was ‘existing’ instead of ‘living’. This lifestyle I have now is awesome 😀
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5.9 now that is unheard of, we got to 3C for just one night but are on the way up again now. I must admit I’m loving this weather. It is the first time we have been home for winter and spring for 5 years and I had forgotten how liveable the temps are on the GC at this time of the year. No wonder they all migrate here from down south… I like the sound of your weather station I have the old style rain gauge and occasionally when we had those storms with 200 to 300mms of rain it just overflows so no real accurate reading possible.
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I know exactly what you mean by the old style rain gauge. We had one of those as well and having to empty it all the time was a pain (and then my brother-in-law ran over it while he was mowing the lawn). I really got the weather station to check the wind speed because I have this weird fear of strong wind. Now I can sit inside and look at the gauge and think ‘it’s actually not that bad’. It’ll be a different story during the next cyclone, but I’m sure I’ll get a load of calls from other farmers in the area asking how strong it is! 😀
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Oh dear cyclone season will be rolling around soon….
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Yes, unfortunately 😦 I’ll write my posts from the bunker!
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Good idea to have a bolt hole…
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I love watching dogs dig, despite the damage they do to the ground. And I love how you compare dogs digging to you and your writing. The same happens to me. It’s so hard to resist that bone of a story idea. Have a writerly week!
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Thank you so much, Kate. I hope you have a lovely writerly week as well! 😀
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Casey ‘lost his head’ in the sugar cane field! 🙂 Love that guy! ♥
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Haaaa! At least I know my garden is safe because the dogs have all those fields to dig in! 😀
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How cute is Casey! Head buried in the group and still enthusiastic!
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She’s very enthusiastic, Jacqui! 😉
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Thanks for the photos! The post reminded me of our visit some years back, and the rail system used for carting sugar cane about. Those were the most delightful trains we have ever seen.
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I’ve got some photos of those trains that I’ll be posting soon. They are very cute indeed! 😉
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I’m having an agricultural hour! I just came from Jet’s post about the corn in Illinois. Harvesting time there too 🙂 Those machines look a bit fierce! The weather machine looks much friendlier (and what an unusual present 🙂 )
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I did what the kids have done for years, Jo – put in a request for a particular present 😉 I’ve wanted a weather station for a long time. I’m obsessed with weather – LOL 😀
Seems like you were having an agricultural hour. I love that!
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Wow – that is a big hole she’s digging there! Dogs are so much fun. I love it when they roll around in the mud too – until we have to give them a bath, that is. Happy harvest!
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Thanks so much, Sheila! It’s fun watching the machinery and people busy at work – the place has come alive 😀
I’m so glad Casey is digging in the field and not in my vegetable garden! 😉
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I never knew until we were in Port Douglas that the cane is actually harvested twice a year. They were just starting when we were there.
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Did you see one of the cute little trains that takes the cane to the mill, Carol? I’m going to put a picture of one on a post soon. They’re great and look like toys 😀
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Yes we did. I tried to get a good photo but failed dismally.
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So that’s 42.6 degrees Fahrenheit—that does sound like it should be cold for your area! All that digging should be keeping Casey warm enough, though. Maybe the other dogs should be joining in! 🙂
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It is very cold indeed for our area, JM. Australia has had the Arctic Vortex this year and most of the country is freezing. I’m kinda glad I’m away from the snowy areas 😉
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Dianne my sister rang me from QLD complaining about that weather and I told her not to complain until it hits 1, thats our usual start in the morning also with a huge frost. It must have been a shock to her and your system. My kids like the morning check of the cars temp reading outside the car…….looking forward to double figures already. Hope all the hard work is over for the harvest.
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For some reason we QLDs find it colder when the barometer drops. I think it’s got something to do with the thinning of the blood from living in the heat for so long 😀
I remember checking the car in Canberra and having to break the ice off the doors to get them open – seems like a lifetime ago! The there was the credit card to scrape the ice off the windscreen – yikes!
The hard work on the harvest will last until November – it’s a looooong season 😉
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indeed!
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I’m ‘digging’ your dog. How cute. I don’t think mine would continue to the point of having her whole head down in the hole. Love this.
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She is pretty cute (and determined), Renee! 😀
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We’ve had a very hot summer in Portland this year and I squealed with delight when I woke up today to see some much needed rain. I’m looking forward to having a nice low-key weekend writing, reading, hanging with the cats, and eating some sweets.
Summer, as much as I love it, can be exhausting with all of the fun things going on. Colder weather is the perfect sanctuary for us writers, so we don’t feel like we’re missing out on too much.
Love the doggie caravan! So cute.
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It’s so nice when it rains during summer – ahhhhh, relief! I hope you’re having an awesome weekend, Britt xxxxx
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A body in that field, perhaps? A story in that… 🙂
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That would be very scary indeed 😉 But I’d certainly write about it! 😀
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The pictures of Casey made me laugh because I have virtually identical ones of our big dog Ozzie doing exactly the same thing. We think he hears field mice under the soil, and digs down to China. Fortunately he’s never come up with anything!
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Oh so true, Suzan! I thought she was going to dig to China. It must have been mice because I can’t think of any other reason she was so frantic – LOL 😀
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Love how you created the dog carrier. Very cool.
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It’s just SO handy now (particularly as the dogs are so big). I love it 😀
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