Here & Now

A Sheepish Post

I've been trying to write this post for several days. First I started late at night, and realized I was too tired to concentrate. The other times I've been interrupted or my mind has been occupied with other things. The end result is that I've written so many words for this post that I'm afraid I don't feel like I can construct a decent sentence for it now.

I wanted to write about how much I love these beautiful, unique creatures. How I've formed my own opinion on their intelligence levels. Sheep are not stupid, as almost everyone proclaims. They are, in my view, very curious little animals with an ability to learn very quickly, but also an ability to panic quickly too, which I think may be why they have the reputation of being stupid. They also have vastly different behavioral patterns than those of cattle, and seem to have set routines on where they graze at what time of day, and they stick to it. I've also watched them use their nose to sniff out a plant they wish to eat, so they are in my view more of a forager than a grazer.

Then I wanted to write about Rilla and the sheep. She's changed in her work so much since having sheep to work daily. It's her job to round them up and put them in the shed at night, and she loves it. I've also used her to 'free-graze' them in our lane ways and establishing shelter-belts, where there is no sheep proof fencing, so Rilla is required to not only get them to the location but to keep them their and let them graze. It's harder for a dog than it sounds, as her instinct is telling her those sheep must be near me, they shouldn't be spread out eating. But she's the best at swapping between the two jobs, and grasped the concept very quickly. I love how gentle she is. She doesn't mind pausing when the two lambs want to feed, but she has no trouble in telling one of the sheep off if they decide to give her a hard time. Working with her to get a job done is just the best feeling in the world.

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I've been so busy with work and daily life that I've been struggling to keep writing here lately. We've been blessed with the arrival of more calves and baby chicks!
It's not a chore as writing this blog is actually something I love doing, and it gives me a place to voice my thoughts, share my photos and document a little bit of my life. Tonight it seems I finally have the time and head space to sit down and just write. So written I have, and whether or not this post ends up making sense is up to the reader I suppose.

I hope life is as good and full and busy and satisfying as it is here at the moment. Every day comes with challenges, and although sometimes it can be hard to plow on through them, often we do and come out the other side feeling happier and more satisfyed as we've achieved something and solved a problem. And on the days when you just can't plow any more it's ok to step back, take a deep breath and take a break from it all.

Take care until next time!

Sarah xx

Lately

We've been getting lots and lots of milk from Missy. We've had so much lately that we've run out of bottles, so the outside fridge has also been filled with pots and bowls of milk. We've made cottage cheese, are experimenting with yoghurt and I've just now made my first 'butter ball'. It feels good to take a bit of cream, that I milked with my own hands from a cow I raised, and so easily turn it into butter. I liked patting the butter with my 'butter bats' (read two spatulas) and rinsing it until it was free of all the butter milk. We've got to order some cultures to make some other cheeses too. Then we'll be faced with what to do with all of the whey! Although we have been told that it is very nutritional for gardens and fruit trees, as well as chickens! Who knew?

I've been getting up earlier than usual and trying to get all of the animals fed and watered before the really hot part of the day arrives. Summer is coming. Sometimes I'm a little unrealistic and also imagine that I can cram a whole day of farm work into a only few hours. Needless to say this never happens.

I've been using Rilla to free-graze the sheep, something we both enjoy immensely. The sheep enjoy it too.

It's been dry, so very very dry. The little bit of green you see is the few acres we have under irrigation. But nothing makes grass grow like rain - hopefully we get some soon.

We've been planting cucumbers and tomatoes and beans and salads for summer. We've also put in two different sorts of raspberries - a tropical summer fruiting type and a heritage autumn fruiting one. I'm hoping they both do well. 

I've harvested the last of my carrots, aside from four or five that aren't ready yet. I didn't manage to grow nearly as many as last year, despite efforts to grow more. But the ones we did have were delicious.

What's been happening in your world lately? 

Do share in the comments below!

Sarah x