Getting Big!

The lambs are growing! Past the cute fluffy adorable stage and into the teenage years!

 They hang out in gangs....

They enjoy teasing the Mums by seeing HOW many black lambs can steal a feed at the same time!

And to Lilli's delight........SOMETIMES they want to play!!

Land Clearing

We spent the majority of our Saturday doing what it seems we love doing best! Burning stuff!! The fires in the Blue Mountains in NSW are a timely reminder how dangerous undergrowth and unchecked land can be. A lot of our land is still horribly overgrown. It's a slow process but when the weather  permits us we will keep clearing as much as we can.
Happy Geoff!

And happy goats of course as they always come with us on such days. Not that they work very hard. (Apart from eating the exact bits we are  trying to saw,snip,chop or burn)

 Most of the time they just sun baked...

We went to what we call our Wild Paddock. It's the area that runs right along side the Rivulet. We are making great inroads down there and slowly getting the blackberries and ferns under control.

When we first discovered this area it was totally wild. Waist deep in every weed known to mankind. (except Gorse) Thank you god we don't have Gorse!!!

This old apple tree was completely covered in blackberries and swamped by a sprawling Catoneasta (No idea if l have spelt that right!) You couldn't even get TO it let alone walk around it.Now it stands proud, covered in only apple blossom and NO blackberry!

This tree and hillside were waist height in tree debris ,broom and bracken.

Lunch was at 4pm. A glass of wine and a hunk of cheese and bread.

Lilli enjoyed herself as usual.....

 Toggles slept....

 She's kind of freaky looking isn't she really???'

 Then she helped Geoff light some more piles.

What is it with goats and fire??

A very productive day.



Fat Balls!!

Our Wisteria has flowered at last! Weeks and weeks behind everyone else! Always a lovely display when it eventually happens!  

What is ALWAYS a lovely display here is watching the birds. Last Winter to keep the tiny little things alive, Geoff made some 'fat balls' for them! Lamb fat,honey ,bread crumbs and bird seed all rolled into........big fat balls!!!!......The birds love them and it's always nice to see them on a frosty morning hanging off the Walnut Tree getting an easy free feed. 

We get mainly the Silver Eyes.They seem to be bossy officious little things!

And occasionally the Blue Wrens before they get chased off!

Geoff found this nest which had been blown out of a tree (not surprising with the gales we have had!!!) It's made almost entirely out of horse hair! Carefully curled round and round. It's amazing. What ingenious industrious things birds are.

Another to add to our collection!

 

Half Day Off!

A beautiful start to the day with stunning light shining through the budding Walnut Tree.

The sort of day you wished you were at home and not at work.............The sort of day one might possibly wish one's work might burn down so one wouldn't HAVE to go???

Well.......that almost happened to me today!!! A light blew up in the ceiling and a roof beam caught fire!!! Fire Brigades...dramas......smoke....... and standing on the pavement  ...then............we all got sent home!!!.......... Yippee!......... Did l  really wish that this morning out loud????

 

 

Hungry Wallabies!

Parts of the garden are looking very pretty at the moment,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Flowers everywhere

And dogs..............

Azaleas.....

Bulbs! Iris????

And lots of these pink things!

And the huge Willow that Geoff felled the other day??? Not much left now! The Wallabies have stripped it bare. So much for me thinking l had days worth of animal food sitting there!!!

Darn Critters!

Max is not happy!!!!

Last lot!

Still on the lamb theme!! All finished now though with the last lot born today. Nigella here had this beautiful little black girl the same night as Monster lamb was dragged into the world. She is such a nervous shy Mum however , we never get to see her lamb properly for a few days. She finally decided this morning that it was time to introduce her baby to us and the rest of the crew.

 She is just gorgeous!!!!

The big fellow is doing well . Mum pointed out yesterday how thick his legs are compared to Dot's skinny stick ones!

And this morning our final hurrah!  Becks (who never had a lamb last year) excelled herself as a first time Mum by producing two beautiful, racy looking black twin girls! Just fabulous! Well done Becks indeed!

Ten  healthy lambs in twelve days out of six ewes. Six girls, four boys. A great result. Well DONE Omar!

So after we admired our beautiful lambs for a while we moved on to more pressing matters...literally!

One of the old Crack Willow in the Rivulet has cracked!

 Onto the fence! This unfortunately is going to be an ongoing problem we will come across again and again. These wretched trees (beautiful as they may be) are designed to crack,break, fall and take root where they land.

They are fairly dangerous to cut up as they are so unpredictable. A huge thick trunk can break off at anytime when chainsawing as they are so fragile. So a sharp eye and a bit of experience needs to be the order of the day. l supervise of course!!!(and take photos!!!)

 All done. Pressure off the fence, and lots and lots of goat tucker!!!! 

Yum!!!!!!!