Paula Hynes: Work on the farm brings calmness at this time of year

Paula Hynes with Georgina: In all the drama at this time of the year, the cows must still be milked twice a day.

Autumn always seems to be the busiest time of the year for me. I find once the school term begins, I am running around from pillar to post and there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day.

Between the school drops and pick-ups and getting in supplies for the various animals and pets, we have gathered over the years, I spend quite a bit of time on the road and it’s extra busy this year as Becky has lost her seat on the school bus due to the changes the government made with the free school bus scheme.

My saving grace amongst all the mayhem is the cows. One thing is for certain they have to be milked twice a day at the same time, ladies like their routine and it gives me a chance to stop and gather my thoughts and make plans for what needs to be accomplished every day. 

I know the cows inside out and know which rows certain ladies come in so for me milking is very relaxing and chilled. 

Our daughters join me quite a bit milking and we have great chats and laughs, they tell me about their day in school and many plans have been discussed in great detail.

Becky started milking when she was 11, and quickly she was able to start the parlour and do the washing herself. 

She has a huge passion for cows, and it always amazed me how she got to grips with everything right away, every spare moment she had she would spend it in the parlour with Pete and myself. 

Conversations soon turned to what each cow was bred to and the sire and dam of each cow. She has taken a huge interest in genetics, soaks up whatever information she can find on the newest bulls available.

That is another reason why this autumn is busy as we are now split calving this year with Becky calving down some of her own cows.

Recently my youngest daughter Georgina has started joining me in the evenings for milking and she is very proud of herself as after two weeks she can now milk over 95% of the herd, a fair achievement for a 9-year-old.

Georgie is a perfectionist just like her sister and had spent many a milking in the parlour standing down at the back of the pit watching and listening to everything I was doing, chatting to her favourite cows as we went. 

Thankfully she is very good at school and the minute we come in the door the uniform is quickly changed and the snack is grabbed and eaten on route to the farm so she will have her few jobs done and be able to go milking. 

She is a great young lady for reminding me of things we need or things we might have run out of, so we make a list on the phone because she knows if I don’t have a list written down somewhere, chances are it will be forgotten.

Time to myself

The best thing about milking for me is that it gives me time to myself, and more importantly time to think and have “me time”. I know when I go in there, I won’t be leaving until the job is done. 

It gives me a chance to focus on what things need to be addressed, things that would have been put off during the summer months with the nice bright evening, and it was decided to leave that job off in favour of family time. 

Well, that’s the problem, these things still need to be done and I find the time in the parlour gives me the opportunity to make a game plan to get things done.

I do some of my best thinking in the parlour when my mind is clear of the hustle and bustle of everyday life. 

I start with a weekly list of jobs that need to be done, like power washing that needs to be finished in preparation of animals being housed for the winter, making sure to have the scrapers serviced in the cubicle sheds to save my back because we all know scrapers love to break down at the weekends.

I love lists, having a list I know I can get things done and organised for certain dates like the all-important drying off list, making sure the ladies get the right time off. 

I feel when I have at least that much organised, I can concentrate on the all-important festive season, which in itself is another challenge.

Christmas is my favourite time of year and the lists are endless, from decorating the house and making sure we get super-organised on the farm so that we as a family get to spend some quality time off. 

This year I was conscious that Georgie missed some birthday parties and other time with her friends from school due to farm commitments, so Pete came up with a great idea for a special trip for myself and Georgie, which is exciting and needless to say, yet again my love of lists has been put to good use. 

I cherish every minute I spend milking with my ladies because to be honest I don’t think my life could function without that “me time”.