Pinot Noir Block / Long Overdue Clean Up

I have been working on cleaning up the old Pinot Noir block which has been severely overgrown with weeds, ferns and long grass (kikuyu) all of which have come through the netting.
Have to do it bit by bit, first cutting the netting into sections, cutting through the weeds/grass and any vine canes entangled in it and then rolling the mass of stuff over the top wire.
Made steady progress until the rain came. Too wet in there to work comfortably then.
And some days it’s just too hot and muggy.

Have been mindful of snakes (none so far) and leeches against which I spray myself with Aerogard®.

What I didn’t take into consideration was disturbing a wasps nest and getting stung 

numerous times. 

Should have done this job much earlier when everything was more accessible but there you go. I put that down to having to do the other two blocks first and getting sick of the process.
Once this is all cleaned up, the cows will keep the grass there under control.
And the old netting and contents will be burnt on our burn piles after April when fire restrictions come off. All debris caught in the netting should have dried off by then.
Have given myself until the end of the month to finish.
So no real rush.

Cars and Rodents

Our neighbour was having car problems.

She took it into her mechanic who said rats or mice had been chewing on the car’s wiring.

It was not an uncommon occurrence in our area according to him.

We remembered another neighbour had a similar problem last year.

Their car was out of service for 2 weeks and repairs were very expensive.

How to combat this?

Some suggestions are:

Wrap the Vehicle’s Wires
This is an easy solution, but you’ll need to partner with your mechanic to do it.
Honda for instance has a product called “Motor Tape” that is infused with capsaicin (the stuff that makes peppers hot!).
Although it’s not cheap to install, it’s still certainly less expensive than installing an entirely new electric system.
Make the Car Less Cozy
You can do small things like leaving your bonnet (hood) open when your car is parked for long periods of time, as well as focusing lights on the tyres and the engine, or hanging shop lights under the car. Rodents don’t like exposed places.
Set Rat Traps at the Base and Tops of Tyres
This is because the tyres are the most common way for rodents to find their way in and out of your vehicle.
Infuse the Vehicle with Mothballs
Mothballs are poisonous, so it’s best to put them in a nylon bag or other container. After bagging, hang them inside the vehicle’s engine. You can also hang them near the tyres. This discourages rodents from venturing into the vehicle for refuge or a snack.
Treat the Engine with Deterrent Spray
There are plenty of “rodent deterrent” sprays currently on the market and available from leading auto parts stores. Many of the sprays have scents that many rodents do not like, such as peppermint.

There is no mention of baiting in the recommendations.

Although we do have an ongoing rodent problem here, they have, so far, not ventured inside the car’s engine.

We continually bait and trap around and inside the house. The problem intensifies during winter when the rodents seek warmer shelter.

Maybe this is why we’ve had no car problem ie. our rodent population is very low.

Baiting has become quite controversial due to the secondary poisoning issue ie.when native wild life for instance eat the dead rodents or primary poisoning when pets consume bait not sufficiently secured.

It has become almost impossible to buy rodent bait retail here. A myriad of variously designed traps is the alternative offered. 

Traps have their place but are impractical in some areas eg. tight roof spaces.

And really I can’t imagine live trapping rodents and relocating them.

We buy baits wholesale in large quantity packs which is not a problem as we can go through a few kilograms a year. We have recently changed from the anticoagulant variety to a neurotoxin. These work a lot quicker and considered a lower risk for secondary poisoning.

Hopefully we’ll never face the car problem our neighbours have.

Sugar Free Jam

When you are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, the race is on to find as much sugar free or reduced sugar products, not to mention those with low carb or low GI.

I like jam on my toast in the mornings.

Very low carb (85% less) or reduced carb (50% less) bread is reasonably easy to find.

Sugar free jam not so much.

Commercial brands have limited variety and some taste quite awful while imported products, not that there are many, are very expensive.

I did find one supplier in Tasmania who produced a whole range of different varieties from local fruit most of which were excellent.

It seemed to be a farm kitchen business.

Then, due to personal issues, the business closed down with a promise to reopen in due course.

I had enough stock to keep myself going for quite a while and then ran out.

Started buying the imported products but then they ran out of stock.

In desperation, started back on a minimal scraping of normal jam.

A bit pathetic I know.

But the local producer is back!

New name, new label. 

Thank you Aunty Mary.

Order placed!