It rained all day today, I spent some time swishing water out of the garage and away from the tunnel. Anni loves it when I sweep or squeegee or rake, she tries to bite the broom and barks like crazy. I'm trying to stop her from biting the broom, but have given up trying to shush her. Expected to rain tomorrow and the next day, then 4 days with only a 10% chance so maybe can cut more hay and have it dried and baled before it rains again. The shed smells wonderfully of fresh hay, we just need another 2,000 bales or so for next Winter. After pouring Debs gallon of milk and filling the lambs bottles, I made another batch of feta with the remaining 3 or 4 gallons. Currently draining in the sink. We tried some of my most recent batch for lunch today, it turned out rather well. I made it dry this time, not preserved in brine.
The twin lambs are too cute. They seem to see better than Izzy did, I just have to call and they come shoosting to me. Fish is bigger than Wanda, and has little buds where his horns are going to be, he butts against the bottle when I'm feeding Wanda to push her off the bottle. Sometimes I feed them with 2 bottles, then they stand together, their little tails flailing in unison as they suck. Izzy has settled to being with the sheep, I still give her a bottle 3 or 4 times each day but have to hang on to the teat as she bunts so hard she has knocked it off the bottle too many times. The twins butt against me while I'm feeding her, and even some of the other lambs in the pasture come to see what the excitement is about, although they are skittish. Strawberry is still not a happy sheep. I've seen her eating the fresh grass that Herbie gave them, but she seems to spend most of her time lying in the middle of the pasture.
Sort of have this story about Strawberry. She's a career kind of girl, not a mother. She is happy to eat and give her wool in return, and although the sex part with Sockeye seemed to go OK, she wasn't too impressed with the twins that popped out of her body afterwards, nor with the swollen and pink udder. The whole business was bloody and just a bother. She would like her body to return to its' pre-pregnancy condition. I have this idea that each ewe needs a 2nd chance to prove herself before being taken to butcher, and her fleece is beautiful. Don't know if she likes me anymore after the fighting with me forcing her to feed her sprogs, although she seems OK with the harness she's still wearing. So different from our Jersey cow, Dolly. She calved first last year, had Milkshake on February 26, 2012, and has been milked ever since. I took her over to Randy so that our bull, Brownie could re-impregnate her, she should be due October 30, 2013, but since Buttercup has had her calf, Worsie, Dolly seems broody and is actually giving me more milk ! She also nuzzled Izzy and was interested in the twins this morning. But she won't let any other calf drink from her, only her own, Star is our nurse cow.
Have some interest in the lambs, so should hopefully sell some of them shortly. We currently have 19 sheep which is far more than I need, or Herbie wants. Mr B should be ready for butcher by the Fall, although since he's been sheared he is a beautiful colour so his next fleece should be magnificent ;and maybe we can sell an ewe or two as well as some of this years' lambs to bring our numbers down. We have more sheep than cows, which is not what was supposed to happen, but then Jerseys' and Scottish Highlands' don't usually birth twins. Started with 1 male and 1 female Icelandic babies 3 years ago
Finished weeding the front rock garden yesterday and planted the creeping phlox so hopefully next Spring it should look good, if of course, the chickens / ducks / geese / dogs / sheep don't destroy it.
Made a Brussel Sprout salad yesterday which turned out rather well. Finely sliced with grated parmesan cheese, walnuts, onion and a honey / mustard / lemon dressing. But 1 packed of Brussel sprouts made a huge amount. I usually cook them and then fry them in butter, farm made butter, as both Herbie and I love them. Also made potato salad and egg mayonaise - with goose eggs and today I have a guy interested in buying goose eggs. Murphy, right ? Also made Tzatziki with my own yoghurt, so roasted a lamb shank this afternoon to go with it tomorrow.
Getting used to Sargeants' new hair cut, and cut Herbies' hair this morning - he was starting to get curls. He said I'm much better now at cutting his hair than when I started. So I should be, I have to look at him LOL.
My blood is splattered all over the walls of our house. I've been on a mozzie killing spree, and each time I swat one, see my blood squirt out on the walls. I think there is a poem in there. It's been running through my head, something like :
That's my blood
Splattered high on the kitchen walls
I'll have to clean it off, someday
But for now,
It gives me great satisfaction
Looking at it, and Knowing
those blood suckers
are dead
There are trillions of new mozzies
Incubated with my blood
In Africa, I'm safe
But here, they want my sweet, African blood
To feed their young