With lambing and calving over we are now dealing with the result.
As we get the tailing under way we are finding out the final lambing tally.
At the moment we are tailing at my nephew David and his wife Helen’s farm.
We have managed to beat their Perendales, getting them into the pen on the first try most times.
The almost 100mm of rain on September 21, right at the peak, may have cost them a percentage or two of lambs.
The tailing gang is made up of adults and students who are available in the holiday break, so there are interesting conversations over a wide range of topics during the day.
However, there is one subject that is out of bounds — the election.
Everyone is bored to tears with it — it’s in your face everywhere you look.
The TV news, signs on the roadside, local radio, country radio, newspapers and farming magazines all cry out ‘‘vote for me’’.
I’m afraid I’ve become a little cynical with it all.
Take the TV polls — the presenter tells us about the latest trends and how many seats a party could end up in parliament, and goes on to say there is a margin of 3% error and 12% undecided voters.
In the last election, 18.46% didn’t vote and that’s not built into the equation.
Then there are the debates between the two major party leaders.
When it is over there is a panel of experts to tell us who won, as if we haven’t the wit to work it out for ourselves, and some panellists are failed MPs, resigning before their term expired.
The parties’ full manifestos should be available before the election campaign starts but they keep drip-feeding policy hoping to trump their opponent.
But they come back with a counterpunch, and it becomes like a Dutch auction.
Nevertheless, make sure you vote.
