Juan, our new baby Alpaca

Juan and his pink muzzle

We have a new Alpaca.

New baby Alpaca for Cleburne

 

Juan was borne during the morning of 21 March, the day after the  Tasmanian State election. At his birth, he was snowy white with a pink muzzle, pink rims around his eyes and pink ears. Now, three weeks later, his wool is white-grey, but the pink can still be seen on his muzzle, around his eyes and in his ears. He is the cutest thing.

His legs are long and spindly, but he runs very fast and has learned how to stop without panicking and looking for the hand brake! We have isolated him with his mother, Lilly, and his Aunt, Chocolate, in our fruit orchard. Lilly has a prodigious appetite for lucerne and water. She is producing lots of high quality milk for Juan, who suckles whenever she sands still. When he was borne he did no know where to find the teats, and Lilly was no help. She moved away whenever he nuzzled her belly. We took advice from an expert and gave Juan milk from a botle.  He devoured it and over the next few hours found his mother’s teats. Lilly did her part by standing still long enough for him to suckle and get the nourishment he needed. 

How cute is this?

 

The two males, Oliver and Dizzie, will be kept away to let Lilly rest and recuperate and to give Juan time to beef up.

Juan is confident with both of us. When we squat low, he approaches and checks us out. He touches us with his nose, while making little sounds. He also accepts short cuddles and strokes. He is a delightful little guy.

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN

The vegetable garden is flourishing in late November. We anticipate using the rhubarb, salad vegetables and herbs for our Hearty Continental breakfasts. Heavy winter rains have saturated the soil and bright Spring sunshine has stimulated the growth of the plants.

The images show all beds 1 – 10 planted.

FIMBY erecting bean frame

The veggies are much better organized this year, due to FIMBY. Christina and Juliet recently formed FIMBY – Food In My Back Yard – to mentor and assist Hobartians in growing their own vegetables. Here at Cleburne we have space and sun, but we needed direction. FIMBY visit monthly for an hour and a half, during which we do practical garden work, plant, plan the month’s work and learn some theory and the vegetable garden is taking shape with every monthly visit. We have benefited enormously from FIMBY’s advice and direction.  

Crops include: several varieties of potatoes and tomatoes, sweet corn, beans, rhubarb, sliver beet, spinach, varieties of lettuce, beetroot, carrots, radish, peas, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, chives and spring onions. Most are doing well in this bright Spring weather. Sunshine and then rain to keep the soil moist.

The potatoes and tomatoes are particularly healthy and we look forward to harvesting a huge crop in summer.

Rod Quantock at Cleburne

Rod Quantock, the Melbourne comedian and activist, stayed with us in mid-November for two nights, while he was performing his new show “Bugger the Polar Bears, this is serious”, at the Playhouse Theatre in Bathurst Street, Hobart.

Rod Quantock at breakfast

Rod stayed with us because we support the Tasmanian Greens.

Rod has been performing stand up comedy in and around Melbourne for about forty years – an extraordinary length of time! He is a Melbourne icon, with a very high profile and a huge following.  “Bugger the Polar Bears…”  was about Climate change, how the media are ignoring the subject and how those with a vested interest in the status quo – coal companies, oil companies, etc.  - are hindering positive action to correct climate change.

At one point Rod brought volunteers onstage to represent Earth, the Big Bang and Time, to illustrate how the Universe has evolved over time, and how recent has been the arrival of Man, and how destructive! Lots of tickets were sold and the audiences had a good time and we were delighted to offer Rod our hospitality.

Thanks, Rod, for supporting the Greens and their Climate change policies, and thanks to the Tasmanian Greens for producing the event.

Ten Best Things about Spring at Cleburne.

First things first – Tasmania has had an exceptionally wet winter. June, July, August are the three months of winter and during that time, it rained almost non-stop. Week after week, month after month rain fell. Some days it was heavy, some days it was light and misty – but it fell and fell and fell. The soil was saturated and water lay on the surface with nowhere to go. Our creek had rapids. Our pond was filled to the brim, flushed through by the creek and filled again and again. Some Tasmanian towns recorded the highest rainfall since records began – over one hundred years.

 

The Art Collection at Cleburne

Captain dominates the Guest Reading room. He was painted at the time of the First Iraq War.

We have been buying art for some years and some of it is displayed on the walls at Cleburne. We have chosen to buy work that interests us. It is usually painting that is abstract or loosely figurative.

Ten best things about Autumn at Cleburne

Summer in Tasmania can last through to late April and this year we have been enjoying balmy, mellow, still days with the temperature well above average. Deciduous trees have begun changing colour. Leaves are now yellow, red, burgundy and brown. Poplars are especially graceful.

Autumn at Cleburne

The calendar tells us that summer is over and that Autumn has begun.

Shearing the Alpacas

Sue Gunter and David shearing Dizzie

Hobart’s Best Cafes

 

Our list below shows our bias. It does not pretend to be a thorough, objective survey, but merely describes those cafes we go to regularly and the reasons why. Most of Hobart’s cafes are in Salamanca, the City or North Hobart, but some can be found tucked away elsewhere. Good coffee, good cakes and great breakfasts abound in Hobart – yet another good reason for visiting our great little city.

Images of Cleburne – Summer 2008.