Loppers.......

Many years ago, at the Bright autumn market, I saw a stall selling ratchet type incremental cutting secateurs and loppers, and was amazed how good they looked their sturdy build, and the possibility of replacing each part as well. These pruning tools were obviously made to a standard and purpose rather than a price. I liked them very much, but they cost a considerable amount of money to buy, and as ever, money is a problem when it's not in the pocket so I passed by and looked at this stall and it's tools each year.

Being a lifestyle farmer in an area with unreliable and unpredictable rainfall, it is necessary to cut large quantities of Tagasaste and loppers and secateurs have always been used for this purpose, sometimes using these tools everyday for hours at a time to ensure our small flock of sheep have sufficient food for their needs. It was always the cheap loppers that we bought, loppers that were as low as $20.oo a pair on special from the large hardware chains stores, though usually much more expensive than this. So the years passed and cheap loppers after cheap loppers were bought and wore out, or broke after a very little time. Some were better than others, but none would last more than a year with the work that we had for them, and they failed in various ways and through various parts wearing away.

Just over 2 years ago we were at the Bright autumn market again, and found ourselves in front of that loppers secateurs stall that sold these excellent loppers and after a moments arithmetic working out just how much had been spent on the cheap loppers over the years and discovered the money would have bought three of these really good loppers a purchase was made. It hasn't been regretted, the tools work just as they are supposed to and they are both sturdy and very versatile. Being slightly heavier at the mechanical head is not a deterrent to their use, and they work without any problems, and they cut anything that is asked of them. Buying these was one of the very best tool investments ever made, and there is a certain amount of chagrin that it took so long to realise the value of this tool and that knowing now how good they are and how well they work, I would pay twice the price for the same article and know I was still getting value for money. I have no doubt used them on branches that might otherwise be considered too thick to cut and could be described as extreme use or even abuse to some degree. Many branches that these loppers cut should be cut by a pruning saw. They are so versatile and useful that they do the job just the same, cutting anything they can get their jaws round.

These loppers cut easier when using them to cut diagonally across a branch at about 30 degrees rather than straight across, but either way they will do the job, though it takes less arm power to cut diagonally and there is the feeling of slicing the branch.

Having no affiliation with the company that sells these tools and I feel free to note the web address here so any who wish to check out the products can do so: http://www.2wp.com.au/

Fe

Fe is the mother of Wormwood, who is so named because as a lamb, and still now, he eats that plant and we expect that he will never get any intestinal worms, and are surprised he not only likes it but appears to have no ill affects from its consumption. Fe - Floppy ear and pronounced f-ee, was a poddy from a year when we had chosen not to have any more poddies, especially females. Because after all, if their mothers abandon them this could be a hereditary condition which would be removed if the lamb is abandoned and eaten by the fox and the mother sold. But is perpetuated by poddying the ewe lamb and allowing it to have babies of its own, with similar genes possibly. We didn't listen to our own sound reasoning, heard only the small lamb calling its long gone mother. So we picked it up and it obviously wanted to live because it sucked at the rubber teat with that inclination, a strong life force and consequently grew up and got in lamb herself and had Wormwood.

Fe comes for a feed from the scoop we carry to feed the poultry each morning, and loves their seed as much as she loves Tagasaste and the most succulent grasses and just about all grains. The dogs welcome her when she comes to the cottage off her night camp in the hills and shows no fear of them, as she has long been associated with a different environment than the one she would have experienced as a sheep in the paddock. The dogs touch noses with her, they wagging their tails even when she pulls away from their doggy breath and goes about the business of mopping up the triticale left on the ground by the poultry. Triticale being the bulk out grain of the poultry seed which the birds other than the guinea fowl don't eat unless there is nothing else on offer. Fe and Wormwood both utilise these leftovers. Nothing is ever wasted here, though it wouldn't be wasted if left on the ground anyway as nothing is wasted in nature.

Though having no fear of the dogs, Fe will do as they direct if I order them to push her along a bit when she is recalcitrant and doesn't want to leave her feeding ground or is a bit slow in her pace leaving the common or changing paddocks. She knows the tone of my voice, and when the demeanour of the dogs suggests obedience is the best way to avoid conflict, and does so with an attitude that seems to say, "oh all right." Wormwood will stay close to his mother and do as she does in these situations, but on his own will tolerate the dogs less, yet obey them better if their body language indicates they are working, and into the serious business of being sheep dogs, not friends with whom to wile away the time.

The advantage of having a poddy sheep in the flock is that it will come in close to the cottage and keep the grass down, trim any plants that dare put their heads through the fence and generally tidy up. Other benefits are evident as well, like it being easy to check her wool to make certain it's dry, before shearing or crutching is attempted. So Fe is a member of our environment as we are of hers.