El Toro!

Nick's bonus has enabled various equipment purchases this past week. 

High on the wish-list was a serious lawnmower. 

On arrival at Hamby Home(in)stead the cracked ground was bare, so cutting grass wasn't given much thought.  We do have a mower but it's more of your ordinary, garden-variety (hah) style! 

Nick's been pondering a solution.  Of course, while he mulled over the options the grass grew higher - and higher.  He's been tackling sections with the push mower and reclaimed some of the house paddock but really needed a larger, more robust machine.

When funds became available, the eBay watchlist grew (almost as fast as the grass).  Three machines were particularly favoured and the first of those was won at auction by us on Sunday afternoon - hooray! 

Nick and I drove out to collect El Toro today.  Our landlady's cows are currently in the paddocks adjacent to our house.  Negotiating the driveway (and the cows with their calves) necessitates opening and closing three gates at present.  As we drove out this morning with trailer in tow, the herd crowded along the fenceline and eyed off the trailer hopefully.  They moo-ed loudly, obviously hoping we were bringing some food for them! 

It was the same deal this afternoon, even with the "new" mower fully visible and taking up most of the space within the trailer.  We drove into our house paddock and turned around to see the herd had followed us up.  They stood at the gate - calling loudly and then stayed to supervise Nick putting the self-propelled mower through it's paces.  Maybe they liked the look of our new "bull"?!