BLESSED SPEEDY

I was recently asked to write a blog post for the Loddon Murray Community Leadership program - here it is below :) A lesson in leadership …. Posted on   January 29, 2015 by   cllminc Dianne and Gary Bowles from Cohuna are strong advocates for the dairy industry. Dianne Bowles  of Cohuna describes herself as a professional dairy farmer, a Board Member at the North Central Catchment Management Authority, and a Director of Murray Dairy. She is also a graduate of the Loddon Murray Community Leadership Program (2012). Over and beyond her many public roles she recently discovered that her leadership skills were required closer to home.   Di is our first guest blogger for 2015 and we thank her for sharing her story. Sometimes just one little thing can cause you to lose focus on what you are trying to achieve. My husband Gary and I own and run a dairy farm in Northern Victoria. Gary has lived here all his life, me for only the last 9 years wh...

Things have been moving along here on the farm - we now dont have sick cows -we have sick calves :( So... lots of long long days feeding each calf very carefully with the best colustrum milk we have (freshly calved cows milk) and also giving them antibiotics etc and lots of love etc - sadly we have lost 6 heifer calves and 3 bull calves - hopefully no more though! BUT on a positive note - we had lovely visitors at easter time (see below!) Mia and Maddison and their parents Aimee and Jason came - its lovely to have kids around and to watch their joy at just being on the farm - things that were sad to us, seen in different eyes have given us a new perspective - and they give pretty good hugs too! I also managed to get a little quilting done - this cute little wallhanging was a kit I was given from my secret pal who lives somewhere overseas (I think America) and she send me a giftie each month - its a part of the Dear Jane group of which Im part of - I send gifts to someone el...

I've been hesitant to post this but feel that others might gain from it - so here I go! At the moment life here on the farm is in short terrible. We have had a real  set back and its hard to see an easy or a quick solution. We had agisted our cows that are due to calve in autumn (in the next few weeks) with someone who had done it for us the past several years.  We had been very happy in the past with how our cattle were fed and looked after and we probably became complacent. Anyway the downside is that when Gary went to collect the cows due to calve soonish he was confronted with a disaster - our cattle were in terrible condition and didnt appear to have been fed much at all.  This photo is one of the worst cows - and when I saw her I just cried. We love and care about our cattle and for this to happen is just heart breaking. We face many challenges now - these cattle will be hard to get back to being well and looking good and its certainly not going to happen befor...

Wednesday night I did something I never really thought I would do - I got to wear robes and graduated! Through the National Centre of Dairy Education I have now successfully completed an Advanced Diploma in Agribusiness Management as well as a Diploma in Agriculture. It was a lot of work - and yes I did get some recognition for prior learning but it was still hard work! Dont ask what Im going to do with this qualification - its just nice to be finished and a bonus to have a nice night out with my lovely husband Gary at the Moama Bowling Club

Hooray! Our home renovations are finally completed and we are both so please with how they turned out.  From a very small lounge room and a very old kitchen and a useless passageway we now have a beautiful open and airy space.  Everything looks so lovely, clean and shiny - I wonder how long it will last? Of course this makes us want to more in other parts of the house, but I think we need to save up a bit first!

Today is mine and Gary's 7th wedding anniversary - I cant believe how the time has gone! During that 7 years a lot has happened - new dairy, drought, flood and some health issues for both of us.  Three grandchildren born and the farm growing and sometimes flourishing under our management. I feel truly blessed to be married to such a wonderful man, he is truly encouraging of all I do.  This photo was actually taken the day we got married, and he hardly looks any different at all! As for my recovery - Ive been going walking every day - now have it up to 15 minutes and a pretty good pace, and its nice I have two dogs to keep me company. Molly is full of life and runs here and there, whilst Bronte just plods along.  At the moment I feel more like Bronte but hopefully soon I will have some of Mollys energy! I've also been trying to adjust to not being quite able to do all that I usually do - and one of the things I CANT do at the moment is ...

Gary, my Mum and I travelled to Bendigo yesterday to watch my daughter Sarah graduate from university. It doesnt seem that long ago that I was posting that she was heading off to university - and here she is a graduate - Bachelor of Visual Arts from Latrobe University in Bendigo.....she is now a "qualified" photographer! She has already obtained photography work - part time on the weekends working for vision portraits which will hopefully give her a good grounding in photographing people and families and will lead to bigger and better things. Well done Sarah - we are proud of what you have achieved!

Long time and my blog has been ignored - sorry one and all! I'll try and do a catch up on what has been happening in the last month six weeks or so. Firstly, my gorgeous granddaughter Mia started school - it doesnt seem that long ago that I was blessed to be at her birth, and here she is all grown up! Next my other gorgeous granddaughter Maddison turned one - again doesnt seem that long ago that I was at her birth as well, my how quickly they grow up! And thirdly, my baby Megan has spread her wings and gone off to Bendigo to study nursing at La Trobe University - once again, how quickly they grow up! Add into that mix me heading off twice to Melbourne in a month, firstly to the Dairy Australia Leadership Program and then to the Murray Goulburn Supplier Development program life here has been busy. Gary and I are enjoying just being "the two of us", and I even have been able to fit in some cow time. Phew.... how's that for a catch up?

With the weather being so hot - as can be seen by this photo that was taken two days ago in Cohuna (15 minutes drive away) at 7.30pm and of course with the cricket being on the television - thanks to my Grandpa who taught me from a very young age to really appreciate the "proper cricket" - i.e. test cricket and of course the "holy grail" of cricket - the ashes closely followed by the boxing day test, neither of which was on but still a great test game between Australia and Sri Lanka I have been working on not one but four projects at once, working on each as the mood takes me. Photo of all four is here - crocheted blanket in bendigo cotton, embroidery block from "love is" block of the month, a sock I am test knitting and chair covers for the two lounge chairs. I'm doing a bit on each in no particular order - just as the mood strikes me. But trying to do a "little bit" of each daily. Today I managed to finish the chair s...

Hello 2013~!!! So what do I want to achieve this year? Hard to pin it down into a few words but I did find this image on the net and it sort of sums up my intentions. This coming year will bring a lot of changes to our home and family - Megan will be leaving home to (hopefully) go to uni, we will be getting a new kitchen and more renovating (the more depending on the $$$).  I have been selected to be a part of the Dairy Australia Developing Dairy Leaders Program  so will be travelling to Melbourne and Canberra for that.  I've also been asked to be part of a study into hearing loss run by the National Centre for Farmer Health and that will involve travelling to Horsham.  So more time in the car - more audiobooks! Even though it sounds like I will be busy, Im actually hoping to slow down a bit - I will no longer be involved in school council, where I have been president for the last 4 years as Megan is no longer at school.  So no night time meetings and other...

  Dear All, Well here we are already at the end of 2012, and hasn’t this year just flown? Unfortunately this year we have had lots of down moments and sadness, my stepfather died in August which was a real shock although he hadn’t been well for some time. We also had to send our beloved cat, Speedy, to heaven which was also sad as she had been with us for 15 years. We have had trouble with cattle being sick, dying of blout and various other “incidents” as well as Dianne being extremely sick and being hospitalised for several days and Gary being injured by a cow!   BUT..... There were some highs as well – we welcomed to our family two new granddaughters – Holly and Daryl’s first child, Addison and Aimee and Jason’s daughter, Maddison. They are both gorgeous! Sarah has finished university (studying photography) and Megan has completed year 12 (as well as taking an alternative “schoolies” trip to Cambodia). Number 1 granddaughter, Mia gra...

Today I finished this wall hanging for Mum - she started it years and years ago and has had it pinned onto the curtains in her kitchen for I dont know how long.  However its now done = embroidery finished, quilted, bound and a hanging sleeve.  At the moment Mum is on holidays with her cousin in Newcastle - I think this might make a nice welcome home present for her. Yesterday there was also a start here - the builder arrived to start our renovations - we are having all the old windows replaced (hooray no more louvers in the kitchen!!!!), guttering replaced, door that we dont use covered in and vinyl cladding on the outside front wall.  Gary got to have fun ripping down the facia and guttering yesterday - I got to watch and make cuppas.

Friday night saw Gary and I take a rare night away from the farm and head to the All Seasons Motel in Bendigo.  It was my graduation from the Loddon Murray Community Leadership Program - something that I have been participating in all year. A group of 24 of us have visited towns and communities throughout the region, met inspiring speakers, learnt leadership skills and learnt a lot more about ourselves. Its been a great journey, Ive made some life long friends and have changed in myself. Our graduation was a great event and we were blessed to have Adam Elliott  winner of an academy award for his short film Harvey Krumpet as our speaker and presenter of our certificates. P.S. It was also lovely to get dressed up and have a night away from the farm with Gary!

 Oh how nice it would be to tell you that we had been up all last night partying and generally having fun.  Well the first part is true, but not the second. Yes we were up all night - raking, baling and carting hay but no partying. Finished up around 5 am and this photo was taken not that much later. The sunrise was gorgeous - all lovely pinks etc. Helped Gary milked (and yes I managed to get through a WHOLE MILKING!!!) Even managed to hose out the yard and help the vet with two sick cows, so fairly proud of myself. And what was it all for....this (or this below - 119 bales of vetch silage, which I might add the cows had a sampling of tonight and virtually liked the ground clean. As for me - Im off to bed!

How lovely is this? and its growing in my garden! I had to move my rose bushes 6 months or so ago as Gary was threatening to get rid of them, so instead of having them all together I've spread them out throughout the garden and hoping that he wont notice them (he hates roses btw and I love them). Im not sure of the name of this one but its just starting to bloom and do so beautifully.

When my father died - the local secondary college, of which I have been school council president for the last 4 years, gave me a beautiful plant - a magnolia. I wasnt sure where to put it in the garden, but finally have settled, and Gary has agreed on the area outside our kitchen window.  So put it in the ground today - hopefully I can build up a little garden bed around it with maybe agapanthus or something similar - watch this space!

Who wouldnt feel great waking to this this!  This is what greeted me when I took Gary up his cup of tea this morning, while he was milking.  Yes it was a bit foggy - but the promise was there for a lovely sunny day to follow.  Makes you glad to be alive! On the knitting front - yes I've finally managed to do some knitting!  I've finished this pair of socks for me.  I've had three goes at using this lovely yarn for different patterns but the patterns just hadn't been doing the yarn justice - so went with a basic sock pattern ravelry link  which I think looks quite good with this gorgeous yarn - monsoon designs sock in colourway earth from space.  They are at present blocking and as soon as they are dry they will be introduced to my feet!

Oh how much fun you can have burning off a big pile of rubbish! We are lucky on the farm that we can pile up all the dead branches, bits and pieces etc and burn off (when its not fire restriction season).  Today saw one of those days - the heap was huge but it burnt down well and is still smoldering due to a big stump in the bottom. Gary kept adding more and more as it was burning so the front yard is now devoid of dropped branches -which is great- and all ready for when I am able to hop on my ride on mower and mow it - dont worry Im not doing it YET - hopefully next week.

As I've hinted in my last couple of posts - I'm really reassessing what is really important in life. The past several weeks have really made me look at things differently. This morning I watched a calf being born - only 15 minutes old and already able to walk around - pretty tough these calves are from the word go. And me- well I'm not that good at resting, BUT, I have been creating and have realised that I am blessed to be able to do this.  I've been doing some embroidery - something that I hadn't been really liking or interested in for quite some time -but I've rediscovered my love....and being able to listen to an audio book while doing it is a bonus as well.  This Christmas Wreath stitchery was started more than a year ago - but its now done, quilted and bound and ready to be hung this Christmas. I have tended to do the stitching during the day, while sitting in the sunshine.  In the evenings I've been knitting a sock (well hopefully it ...