The Open Day
We got busy here at Granite Glen last week – busy transforming a set of cattle yards into something resembling an outdoor lounge room. As you do… as you do when you are holding an ‘Open Day’ for your cattle business anyway.
FYI The ‘open day’ we held is different from a ‘field day’ in that we were one of a number of stud cattle enterprises who opened our doors (gates?) on a set day to showcase some of our livestock – we had no guest speakers etc, as you might at a Field Day. But it gave us an opportunity to share our breeding philosophies and results with cattlemen and women in the region.
The lead-up work was not only a matter of rock-and-stick-picking up (for some kiddos and me) in the areas that needed mowing surrounding the yards… it was a matter of painting and planting and ‘decorating’ a very functional (and not very pretty) outdoor area.
It was an interesting challenge for us, as we had to hold the Open Day at a house some five kilometres from our own – where the yards are much better set-up to showcase our bulls and heifers. So I spent quite a lot of time in the car ferrying stuff back and forth. Where ‘stuff’ ranges from banners to pumpkins, tables, urns, paint and pots.
Want to see what the end result looked like? Okie Dokey then…
Where the bench that usually is the landing spot for pliers and saddlery items and clipboards turned into the servery bench…
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…complete with pumpkins and roses. Hey, we are decorating ‘country style’ here… and this is what I had on hand! That fully-blown rose had INCREDIBLE perfume too – alway handy around cow-poo-prone areas.
I also indulged in a couple of potted blooms to brighten the mood…
I sat them on stumps we found lying around and they worked pretty nicely to ‘pretty’ things up.
I cooked up a mountain of pikelets and chocolate mud cake, a slow-cooked beef stew and some chili (Pioneer Woman style) and we put our little Oz Pig to good use.
It kept the water hot and the chili bubbling nicely for hungry visitors.
We also hung an old sign discovered in a shed, and I managed to nag a printing company hard enough to get our spanking new pull-up banners delivered in time… and let’s not forget the hay bales (for seating) and balloons…
I was severely poo-poohed for putting balloons around the place, but I reckon they finished off our festive feel perfectly… (see how I resisted the ‘made it really pop’ pun there? You can thank me later…)
This is Lita – she lives in the house near where we held the event, and worked her patootie off to get some wall-painting done in time. She had earned this cuppa and rest on a hay bale…
This is my Dad. I am totally framing this photo as it is pretty much the ONLY one ever taken of him smiling properly. (And trust me, I have hundreds of photos of the man!)
Here is my husband looking all rugged and handsome. He is sooooo sick of me talking like this about him on the blog – you’d really think he’d know me well enough after ten years of marriage to work out that the more he complains about it, the more likely it is to happen again…
That’s my Ma in the background in her ‘I’m listening’ position.
As opposed to her ‘I’m tickling this bull’s tummy’ position.
She is well-versed in both.
Of course the REAL stars of the show were the cattle – G23 (above) is a ten-month-old black bull calf who has been hanging with us for a few weeks, and was completely shameless in seeking and soaking up any attention offered his way.
The red weaner heifers were taking it all in their stride, even catching some ‘z’s as people visited and gazed upon their pink-nosed, polled-headed loveliness…
Then there was THIS guy… who was the kid-kisser in this Facebook post.
He’s a bit of a show pony – he totally knows which is his ‘best’ side… Work it, work it, G66!
This is Lachy – he is 18 and working for us at the moment. Just for the record, he is currently single (at least he was before he went to a polocrosse carnival the next day) and I am allowed to field all offers of interest…
Lachy eats all his meals with us and I am attempting to fatten him up* (I seem to have a good dash of Italian Nona deep inside me) and finding the challenge quite steep … my repertoire of gluten-free recipes is expanding every day, but any hints y’all have in that department are happily accepted!
*Between Dash and Lachy I have my work cut out for me… how come what works for me, doesn’t work for these two?
Here are two of my favourite boys having some fun…
Did you know it’s perfectly acceptable in the cow industry to admire big butts? Well, it is. And this guys’ rump is awesome.
The one on the right is okay too.
*ducks as husband reaches breaking point*
For the record, I was NOT checking out rumps in this shot. That would be weird. The gentleman on the left is a neighbour I have known since I was a baby…
I bet you are looking at the SHADOWs too. Uh huh.
And I am going to sign off with a photo of me. With my Mickey Mouse lime green scarf. With my hot hubby. And in my new hat. (I’m not much of a hat-wearer but this one lets me jam a Nikon against my face.)
Yes I AM looking quite pleased with myself. It had something to do with the cuddle my hubs was giving me, and that Lachy was dancing around behind the camera trying to make us ‘prick our ears’ like a couple of bulls or horses.
So that just about wraps up our Open Day efforts. I can tell you I fell in a massive heap soon after it all… well, after cleaning out freezers and repacking them for a few hours the next day. My timing for THAT little chore left a bit to be desired…
I’ll leave you with questions:
Have you ever been to a field day or open day in the bush?
What groovy things did you see there?
18 Comments
Bush Babe
PS I realise that some of the watermarks do not say ‘Bush Babe’ in these pics. That’s cause I couldn’t be bothered to change the signature for the blog. I actually have another name IRL… *gasp*. It’s true. You heard it first here!
🙂
Kelly
I just loved this entry…. the cattle, the family & friends, all of it! I think I would love to spend a day at your place. 🙂
Donna Gunn
The picture of MI scratching the bull gave me a chuckle. Wouldn’t have thought you could scratch a bull like you would a dog.
Bill
Great looking cattle, and I like the looks of that Ozpig too. Wish they had a USA distributor.
Leenie
It looks like you put together quite an open day there, BB. No one ever appreciates the planning, packing, presenting and picking-up that goes with such events. I like the green theme. It goes so well with those big floppy ears and broad rears (the cattle). EVERYONE in the photos is outstandingly handsome. Lots of good breeding…and talent…and hard work.
Tamsyn
Awesome day BB! I love all your photos, and that last one of you and your (gorgeous) hubby is perfect 🙂
Tami Weingartner
Wow! I know what hard work putting on an event like this is. We have had Field Days before. I’ve organized four before. Complete with farm tours, equipment demos, and pesticide/herbicide updates….and….are you ready for it…. a ‘skid steer rodeo’.
Good times…but 100s of hours of prep…so you sleep good for a couple of days after.
Hope you had a great time!
Tami
P.S. You look good in that hat. The first thing I thought was…that looks like a hat you could shoot in no problem. Glad it worked out.
Colin (HB)
Wow – how open field days have improved from the last one I attended.
Your cattle look fantastic and I hope the selling of your stock was all that you expected – moneywise!
Congratulations on a very informative blog on rural activities in Australia for your overseas viewers.
Quite an impressive name for your stud property.
Cheers
Colin
debby
Wait. Your name is not Bush Babe? Oooh. I’ll bet your husband is not really called Mr I, and the kids are not called Dash and Violet. There’s a mystery afoot and I aim to get to the bottom of it. It might require a trip to the bush and taking in an open day myself, mind you…
I love the picture of your dad. I also love the picture of your mom with G23. Both are frameworthy if you ask me. And I’ll bet that your siblings would appreciate a set of those pictures for Christmas. Just a suggestion.
Bush Babe
LOL. I probably should have mentioned it when I met you? 🙂
debby
Just perhaps you should have!
<3
Jayne
Those pics of your parents are great!
I love a nice rump…of beef (although I’m eyeing off the vegan version *snort*)
Glad to hear the open day went so well 🙂
Pencil Writer
I’m missed visiting here! Love your family and the great pictures–especially the one, like you said–of your dad–and of you and Mr. I. Great smiles all ’round!
Lynda M O
What a huge different way of life from what we do in the city. I love living vicariously thru you, Mr I and the kids.
How many Amandas live in Oz ?~!
Kate
Never been to on of these but wow – it looks interesting. Loved your decorations, especially your artful arrangement with the rose.
When we lived on the thoroughbred breeding farms, there was usually a big open house every year with a grand tent, catered food, an announcer and the parade of stallions that my husband had the main job of handling.
Ah . . . those were the days.
Kate
ps – love the photo of you and your handsome hubs.
Montgomery
I love you hat, It’s very cute, I like it lots more than our American cowboy hat.
constance
All those gorgeous cattle, and they are impressive … but I have to ask … Where are the flies? Weren’t there flies? They usually come with the territory with bovines and their calling cards …. but I didn’t see a one in any photo anywhere and I LOOKED.