Winter sun

Goats enjoy the winter sun

Ini and Donna

June 15. 2015

We are still waiting for the birth of Wayne’s first child. Every time the phone rings we dash to answer it but so far it is always some poor Indian person trying to sell us solar power. They all accept it when we tell them it is already installed but the call still comes again next day.

On the farm we have sold five of the older goats and have started the process of training the five youngsters from last year. On Saturday we put them in with the main herd and let them come into the milking parlour where they ate their food from bins on the floor. Yesterday we began training them to jump up on the bale for their food; they seem to be getting the idea quickly, which is helpful as these kids are large and heavy!  Edd has now put collars with labels on them so we can now refer to them by their name rather than as a group.

Over the weekend we had nights with frost followed by days that were actually hot and sunny. I worked outside in a T-shirt cleaning and oiling the wood on the house windows. We had brought a small scaffold on wheels that made this job really easy until the fumes from the varnish started making me feel sick and giddy. Then I went indoors to help Edd who has started to tile the bathroom. It feels good to get some of these jobs tackled at last.

Our old chooks are now all together in the front croft but they are in their moult period and we only get just over one dozen eggs a week. This is not enough and our customers are complaining so last week I cleaned and disinfected the large chook shed opposite the dairy and on Tuesday I brought home twelve new point of lay pullets. They are getting used to shed living and scratching in the straw and some are laying already. Yesterday I gave them their first greens in the form of chopped kale leaves. They were not very pleased; it will take time to get them converted to free-range living.

Next Sunday we are having our midwinter feast to celebrate the passing of the shortest day. Getting everything repaired will be the main work for the week. Today Edd left home early to see the consultant about his knees. We are not sure what he will say so it is hard to make plans. This business of body parts wearing out is the down side of life at our age. There are plenty of good bits to compensate. I have so much enjoyed the friends that visit us now they have retired. Friends from the UK are especially a treat. There is something different about relaxing with people you have known since childhood who all share a similar cultural setting.