"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Monday 31 October 2011

Let a man go to an auction alone...?

Is it wise to let a man go to an auction without his other half?


Hmmmmm...  Dunno.  I reckon that men are more eager impulse buyers / "half price sale" shoppers than women.  At least that has been my experience of RMan.  No one, and I mean, no one, can rein RMan in when the temptation is there LOL


As we have been looking for a tractor, I get pending farming equipment auction notifications e-mailed to me.  Before we went to the farm last weekend one such mail arrived.  A farmer is retiring and the auction featured some farm equipment which seemed to be just what we were looking for.  But viewing days were Monday and Tuesday, and obviously we were still on the farm on those days.  However, RMan didn't forget, and on Wednesday morning he piped up, "So, are we going to the auction today?"  What - it's across town and I've got so much work to do, plus three loads of clay encrusted washing to shove into the machine before the predicted rain later in the week!


So RMan and RSon toddled off to the auction on their own...


Help!


What did they buy...?


They didn't get a tractor, but they did buy a table wood saw, an auger (for digging holes for our trees), another (spare) 5KvA generator...
These will certainly help transport the rain water
from the roof to our water storage tanks...
...rain water gutters and downpipes, a couple of (long) ladders...
... wooden planks (which will come in very useful), some gabion baskets...


... a couple of cupboards for our kitchen and one for the future bedroom(s) and quite a few wooden pallets, which I will probably turn into wooden fencing and / or use in the construction of my compost area LOL


I have big plans for the excess gutters...  But I'll tell you about that another time.


Oh, and RMan (clever man) also managed to find...
... a ride on lawnmower.  Why would we need that?
The grass is so high it's almost concealing the caravan
Well, following the good winter rains, the veld grass is now knee high.  And knee high grass hides lurking snakes.  
I love this type of grass, so delicate and light,
wafting in the slightest breeze
And lurking snakes, plus my grandson - well, the two just don't add up to any number that I am comfortable with.  Even I was extremely aware of where I placed each foot as I toddled around the farm on our last visit.
Even the area between the rows of lemon trees is
being submerged by the growth
Attempting to cut the tall grass with a weed eater (strimmer), or a petrol driven push mower, would take forever!  The only solution is a ride on lawnmower!  All it needs is a bit of an oil change, a couple of v-belts, a 12 volt battery and a set of blades...


Then I reckon the first order of business is going to be the trimming of that high grass in the vicinity of the house, and then perhaps a zoom around the perimeter of the farm to cut a firebreak of sorts.


Well, I guess buying at an auction is a brilliant form of recycling, and if it's going to help us finish building the house and help in the garden, can I really complain?  


Nope.  I reckon they did good LOLOLOLOL
Posted by Dani at 07:46:00
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8 comments:

  1. Tami31 October 2011 at 13:33

    Auctions are bad news for me. I can't control myself. Worst purchase? I bought a cow. That's right. A cow.

    I was dating a "wannabe" farmer. He worked FT on a dairy farm and we'd gone to the auction. He was admiring a nice young Holstein and (since he was broke and I had the cashola) I bought it for him.

    At the time, I thought it would be the start of OUR dairy herd. Ha. (Cheating Bastard) But that's another story.

    ReplyDelete
  2. johnnyb31 October 2011 at 14:09

    It looks like he got some really good "stuff!" My problem is wood. I can't seem to pass up boards that "might" come in handy some day. You never know. We want to get some chickens next spring. Guess what the chicken house is full of?
    Have a good one.

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  3. Jane @ Hard Work Homestead31 October 2011 at 14:30

    Congratulations!! I am sure you will put all of those items to good use.

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  4. Dani31 October 2011 at 15:14

    Tami - Yup, auctions can have that effect. Have to say that RMan did come back with some junk too.....

    Pity about the wannabe farmer :(

    John - Wood - I reckon one can never have too much of it - it's just the keeping it tidy bit that bothers me...

    Jane - LOL I plan to!

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  5. tffnguy31 October 2011 at 17:38

    Wish I could have gotten my lawn tractor started before I came down here. It wound up being left behind and I'm sure got sent to the scrap yard. I could really use it around here. Good buy I think.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dani31 October 2011 at 18:47

    tffn - It's got a Briggs and Stratton 16.5 hp motor. It has started, but needs a bit of much needed TLC.

    But it's going to be perfect :)

    Mebbe check out where your one is?

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  7. Anonymous1 November 2011 at 09:48

    I have been itching to go to an auction - I think it would be my kind of shopping experience. Fortunately the lack of cash has held me back for now :) Looks like you got some incredible bargains.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dani1 November 2011 at 10:49

    Slowvelder - Perhaps the lack of cash should've held RMan back a bit... Ah, well, as you say, we did get SOME incredible bargains LOL

    ReplyDelete

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