The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Other => Topic started by: hairyhetty on December 08, 2010, 02:06:08 pm
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just thought it would be funny to think about all the skills a smallholder must master, that he/she prob didnt realise at the start of smallholding. i bet theres more than you think ...
how about -
chain-sawing
architectural designer
long-distance haulier and map-reader - finding all those rare breeds!
fencer
first-aider - animals and humans!
etc
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Chain sawing - so much so it has made it into my 'Professional' life when a tree needed the chop. My payment - some lovely logs for seasoning til next year!
Pig inseminator - although only a 50% success rate on one of two of my Gilts - a lovely litter of 3 GOS piglets.
Map reader - absolutely!
Turkey herder - a skill that requires much patience as they ain't the sharpest of poultry.
First aider and animal sickness identifier - More from my own training - the father-in-law was doing some tiling when he went through the small artery running over the top of the thumb. Blood p***ing everywhere, I was actually catching zzz's on the soafe whilst the better half was out with the bambinos, awoke to a lot of shouting and panicking FIL dripping blood everywhere. Me, can't find bandages. anywhere. Best substitute, sanitary towel. FIL, who is quite 'old school' looks like he'd rather bleed to death than have that thing anywhere near him. Oh how I laughed... :D
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The ability to mend the thing that has broken/ snapped/ twisted/ sheared/been partially eaten on or no longer does the job with another object (in the "I'll keep that, you never know when that might be useful" heap) that you think might be in the shed and could do the job or do a tempary fix if you hammer / adapt / weld or swear at it otherwise convince it into a use it was never intended for. :wave:
This is my life in a nutshell.
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yep, the longer you have a smallholding, the more ingenius you get. the old legstraps, clips and buckles off horse rugs make great fixings for closing homemade gates. a great thing for herding turkeys - a ten year old boy, they can get right under the fir trees to round em up. lol
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The ability to mend the thing that has broken/ snapped/ twisted/ sheared/been partially eaten on or no longer does the job with another object (in the "I'll keep that, you never know when that might be useful" heap) that you think might be in the shed and could do the job or do a tempary fix if you hammer / adapt / weld or swear at it otherwise convince it into a use it was never intended for.
:D :D :D I love that. It's so true!
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clearing snow and fixing burst pipes! todays jobs!
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Oooh Oooh, I have a five year old turkey hurder too. And I use him to help compress the compost!!
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Highly experienced mender of things using cable ties ;D
Duck herder ::)
Goat Milker :D
Chicken Plucker ;)
...for starters.. ;D
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The ability to put your car into reverse gear and drive backwards until the vehicle coming towards you has room to pass.
Without this talent your not a true smallholder.
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is this saying that we are the kindest people in the world?
or just push overs.
with trailers on the back of our trucks jeeps etc ( our , meaning smallholders in general )
im quite willing to knock it in reverse for a on coming vechicle but NOT when i got a trailer on :D
interesting comment ;)
langdon
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as we are only a year into smallholding and this is the kind of thing that i love to read up on, im
just going to look on and take in all the know hows of a smallholder , so please keep them coming in!
langdon
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The ability to mend the thing that has broken/ snapped/ twisted/ sheared/been partially eaten on or no longer does the job with another object (in the "I'll keep that, you never know when that might be useful" heap) that you think might be in the shed and could do the job or do a tempary fix if you hammer / adapt / weld or swear at it otherwise convince it into a use it was never intended for. :wave:
This is my life in a nutshell.
Yep that about sums it up. ;D
Electrician, plumber, mechanic, welder, builder, fencer, landscaper, farmer, forester, roofer, carpenter, vet, accountant, master of own destiny, Bodge artist and free spirit 8) 8) 8) 8)
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accountancy must be the worst, i feel guilty if im in house during day, then at night im too tired. my paperwork piles are getting taller!
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overcoming the fear of chainsaws was a big one, now i think theyre great! still need to be able to sharpen it tho. and need to learn bricklaying to finish our yard wall. the blocks are sooo heavy but odd-job-man is sooo expensive! cant be that difficult can it, will wait til spring tho. a gate (not pretty) i made 5 years ago is still in one piece and still up! wow
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The ability to put your car into reverse gear and drive backwards until the vehicle coming towards you has room to pass.
Without this talent your not a true smallholder.
That lets me out then! I don't DO reversing - ANYWHERE! ;) ;D :-[ :-[ :-[
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try reversing down single lane road on hill, in dark, on ice and brakes wont work! not fun, thought heart would stop!
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im quite willing to knock it in reverse for a on coming vechicle but NOT when i got a trailer on :D
interesting comment ;)
langdon
Lol- needing to practice your reversing the trailer Langdon? My OH is very superior about his driving skills being better than everyone else (he did some racing so has been driving since he was 8 )- but he does totally concede I am far better at towing (and especially reversing the trailer) than he is!
Beth
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I can't reverse a trailer :-[
Been off and on tractors since I was about 6, driving old landies from about 10, I can drive just about anything and I'm really good (oops better be careful what I say !) at reversing BUT I just can't for the life of me get into the hang of reversing a trailer :-\ I just seem to get into a total fankle and the more I try to fix it the worse it gets lol! But now that I've got my very own trailer (well, once it's all tickled up) there's no more getting out of it - lots of practice in the field me thinks ::) ;D ;D ;D
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I only have chickens and our dogs but I think any one with animals becomes and expert in pooooo!!!!!! This snow and ice makes it much worse to deal with!!!
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I only have chickens and our dogs but I think any one with animals becomes and expert in pooooo!!!!!! This snow and ice makes it much worse to deal with!!!
I'm leaving it all for the rain to dissolve next week ;) ;)
Re reversing - I learnt to drive on my Granda's big Thames Trader freezer lorry at 17, I can parallel park beautifully, but can I reverse along our driveway in a straight line - no chance! ::) What is wrong with me ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)
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lol - ;D ;D
im the opposite, i can reverse for ages but never managed to reverse park in style since i took my test 18 years ago!!
picking up poo is a lifestyle choice lol ;D ;D
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actually - its fine reversing a trailer if u do it alot, but then wen uv no trailer its suddenly hard and u end up halfway up the verge ;D ;D
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I hate driving anyway now, most of my jobs have entailed (is that a word?) driving, so now I work from home I don't do much at all BUT, as we had a huge twin axle caravan and a trailer some years ago when I first passed my test, I practiced on a toy ccar, looking at it when it went back wards, then I went to a car park and practiced and practice but this time with a real car and trailer, see I'm not that daft ;)
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princesspiggy- I think you might be right, it might just be that you get used to it! Practicing is a great idea- I never did much practicing, but I suppose most of the time I am reversing in fairly big spaces. It's only occasionally I have to reverse somewhere narrow. I once dropped off a caravan, and the guy said to me, "I don't suppose you can reverse it into the field entrance" (a horrible muddy track). He was gobsmacked when I did it in one go driving the transit. On the other hand, sometimes I have a go, and I'm all over the place! ;D
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its worse when someone is watching!! especially at market! ::)
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I can reverse well, due to narrow lanes around here. Can reverse trailer when I don't think too hard about it. I find its a sensory thing, I know when it won't work before I've gone too far. Hubby taught me to drive and reverse. We have a small narrow trailer that is a real bitch to reverse in an old landy but easy on a quad bike. A big trailer can often be easier than a small one. Totally agree its less likely to work if people staring. Spent ages this summer teaching my 13yr old to reverse the small trailer but he did get the hang of it, daughter didn't though.
Secret talents are finance director/hotel services director/midwife/emergency veterinarian/peace keeper/site foreman/stock controller/agony aunt/counselor/chef/maitre d/sales director/advertising consultant/hr manager
and so the list rattles on. If only one could claim a decent wage for the extremely hard work and stress it takes.
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well, interesting post- I used to be a bricklayer (but I'm allright now!) then became an international haulier, and yes I too am learning new skills all the time . I love cooking and have built a woodfired oven can fit a young pig in it. we have wild ones here that taste divine with bay that I pick off a tree nearby finished the olives earlier today (! JOB LESS) will fill in the time till dark putting a few more stones on a wall in a field close to home pleasant as it is 23deg now till 5.30 frost in the morning though