Another day of life on the farm in a drought.

• up at 6am. Load two utes with large bales of hay.

• Bounce across stony paddocks, cut the twine and rip off sections to leave piles like Hansel and Gretel trails.

• Check the trough; a cow is wedged against the inlet pipe and has cracked it. She has emptied two tanks! Not a good start.

• Unload ute two and drive back to the shed, and re-load utes.

• Husband heads off to sort out the water.

• Cup of tea re-heated.

• Pay a few bills on line.

• Auction bid by phone for a small block north of here that has grass and where it rains! We are unsuccessful.

• Drive to town to get vet supplies as many calves have ‘pink eye’ and need treatment.

• Set a trap near the hay shed as it is obvious that a mob of feral pigs have been very busy at night.

•  Lunch, then when it is cooler, off to feed all the calves in the yards. They have been taken off their mothers and we have a special feeding regime to manage with grain and hay and pellets.

• Our kelpie helps me muster the chooks back. The old girl died yesterday so now there are two.

• Husband goes off again to make sure tanks are re-filling. He will do this again at 10pm.

• News time ; hardly able to watch the weather forecast.

•  Feed the dog who has been sleeping most of afternoon on the small patch of green lawn.

• Still 35 degrees.

• Outside I can see an old roo loping towards my garden and three large hares scurrying into the hedges. An owl calls. From the pond the frogs are silent.