December 12, 2018
Our solstice feast was on Friday evening and we worked hard cooking and cleaning to prepare for our guests. All went well, and I have now got all the left-over food stored in the freezer with the turkeys boiled down to make stock and dog food. This leaves us free to relax a bit and it feels wonderful. The weather has warmed up and I even went for a swim today.
I am harvesting beans for food and freezer and still enjoying raspberries and strawberries for breakfast. The pumpkin plants are thriving and talking over all the space in the vegetable beds. Each day I collect a box full of zucchini and we still have cabbages, celery and lettuce. No cucumbers yet, but plenty of flowers. Last night I harvested enough basil to make pesto, now I know summer has really arrived.
The grass is still quite green and Edd has rigged up a temporary electric fence so that we can strip graze the goats. This has worked well so far. It takes about a week between each move. I am expecting our relaxing time to end any moment when we are called to get in hay. Perhaps the new generation of hay makers do not work on Xmas day. No complaints.
I have sent a message and asked if our wool will be ready soon. We took it down to be spun nearly a year ago and the last time I ASKED I WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE READY IN DECEMBER. I think this is a very slow processing operation, but maybe it will be done before the next round of school camps starts.
Barak is still having trouble with his broken leg, but he is now with a friend in a small paddock which he is able to get around. The strange thing is that he is very affectionate. We have never had a buck like this before. Perhaps he appreciated all the effort we put in with regular vet trips and special care. I just wish he would be a bit more enthusiastic about eating his food.
The young female kids are growing well. We have had to make new holes to enlarge their collars . They are still a bit too small to be outside at night. The foxes are plentiful and bold. Edd saw one just outside our house in broad daylight last week and we saw one sat in the paddock watching the sheep. It just ignored us. Once the animals get to a certain size they are pretty safe, but I would not like to risk the youngest kids yet.
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