Sharing with friends

What a wonderful day today to be inside and warm by the fire...It is very cold outside. There are grey skies but, every now and then the sun pokes through, creating a buttery coloured light which blankets the garden. It gives hope to the flowers that they may be bathed in sunshine, if the breeze blows the clouds away.

We had some lovely friends come to visit us on Sunday. Steph came with her family and brought some beautiful homemade granola (absolutely delicious!) and a "miracle spray" which I have tested and, it cleans excellently!

The "miracle spray" is made from eucalyptus oil, vinegar, water, and washing soda. So simple! It cleans bench tops and whatever else, whilst also making the house smell divine! I always use water, vinegar, bi-carb soda, and lavender (not all together!) to clean my house. I cannot use chemicals as this would impede the function of our biocyle sewerage system and we wouldn't want that! 

We took our friends for a walk around the farm and introduced them to our animals. The three little pigs put on a good show of playfulness with lots of oinking and grunting for good measure! Spot, Pinky and Fudge get very excited when they see people coming towards them. They know that people means food! It is always such a pleasure to watch their eyes light up and their ears flop up and down as they bounce around in the mud in anticipation. Incidently, I have been splashed in the face with mud...One morning, last week, I was dressed quite nicely as I had decided to go out into town. On my way out I put on my gum boots to protect my legs from mud, and grabbed some food for the three little rascals. As I approached the pen, the three became very excited and noisy (Fudge makes a loud squealing noise when he sees food). I put the container of food on the ground as I fumbled with the latch on the pen gate trying to open it as quickly as I could, all the while the three piggies were pushing and shoving, grunting, oinking, squealing...and then Spot jumped and landed with her front legs in the mud, which of course splattered all over my face and down the front of my nice clean top! So, it was then that I decided to only wear "farm" clothes to be in the company of the pigs, and get changed afterwards if I'm going out anywhere!

Now, back to our friends' visit...After meeting the animals, we wandered out into the paddocks to dig up some potatoes. The Golden haired girl (the little two year-old daughter of our friends') seemed delighted to watch the earth reveal the creamy treasures of the Dutch creams. It is such an exciting experience to dig up the soil in one spot and have bunches of gems uncovered! 

Our friends left with gifts of potatoes, daffodils and kaffir lime leaves. It is a fantastic feeling to be able to share our produce with others!

Gifts from the Garden

Today is my Mum's birthday! I wanted to give her something from my garden. I decided to give her a bag of broadbeans (one of  her favourites). This got me thinking about how much of a pleasure it is to grow one's own food. And how wonderful it is to be able to grow enough to give to others.

I trotted off out to our paddock and picked every last bean I could find. Then I remembered that we are having lamb roast (our own of course) for dinner. Mmm, I wondered, what could I find in the garden to go with roast lamb? I grabbed the old garden fork and started digging for hidden treasure...I uncovered lots! Lovely Dutch cream potatoes poked through the earth, showing their beautiful creamy colour against the browny red of the rich soil. It is such fun scrambling through the dirt, searching for food. My fingernails were filthy but, it felt so good to be touching the earth.

Having a garden means so many things. Fun, food, beauty! It is a tactile pleasure to be enjoyed everyday. Even half an hour of being outside is enough to provide satisfaction and a feeling of achievement. It is revitalising to be outside in the fresh morning air (especially in Robertson when it is winter!). Today it has been overcast, and now we are having a gorgeous sun shower! The rain is softly falling on the garden, it looks almost like sleet. I can imagine the plants are happy to drink in this precious gift. 

Broadbeans for Mum

Dutch creams for dinner

The garden comes alive in the glistening rain. Colours are brighter, the grass is greener and everything looks clean and fresh! The sun sparkles on the rain drops creating a magical scene.

Five little ducks went out one day...

On this most glorious day in the Southern Highlands, I was lucky enough to be at home and to observe some of our other animals. I know I've been telling you a lot about our three little pigs. They have settled in nicely and are busy ploughing up the grass as I write...Their little pink rubbery noses are miniature trowels that turn over the earth at an amazing speed!

We have five little ducks. They are Muscovy ducks and they are bred for meat as well as eggs. We have Zoro, Big Boy, Princess, Chook Chook, and Fredo (thankfully I take no responsibility for their names-they were all named by the children). They wander around the yard with the goose and the chickens and rooster. It is really lovely to interact with them as they wag their tails like dogs when you speak to them. Today they were spotted having a paddle in the little pond...later on in the day I counted only four ducks wandering around. I thought of the nursery rhyme that I used to sing my children when they were in the bath..."but only four little ducks came back..." My children never tired of this nursery rhyme. I could be draped over the edge of the bath, eyes hanging out of my head from sleepless nights and they still urged me on to sing ("more Mummy!"). 

Well, today, our ducks appeared to be searching for something. Could it be that one little duck had gone over the hill and far away?

I like to observe my animals mostly for pleasure but also for signs of changes in their environment or signs that they may be in danger. 

Fredo was missing and I knew that she could be in danger so, I set out to find her. My first thought was that she may have walked straight out onto the road, into the path of an oncoming car! But then, something in the bushes caught my eye and I turned...I didn't get too far when I saw her scratching around on the wrong side of a fence, metres from the pond where she had been enjoying her morning paddle. Talking to her softly as I slowly approached, I was able to gently lift her up and carry her back to the other ducks. 

Their reunion was a happy one. Lots of tail wagging, tongue wagging and panting. All the five little ducks were back! They waddled off, content, to the grassy area, no doubt to find some snails for afternoon tea. 

Food, glorious food!

My friend Zachary

Tonight I have been thinking about the food I eat. The meat we consume here on our farm has all been home grown. The family and I made a decision a few years ago to grow and eat our own meat. This decision was not made lightly. We had many discussions. Many opinions were voiced and each voice was loud. Children are entitled to their own views just as much as adults and therefore we collectively made this choice to start eating our own meat. As you can imagine, it did feel somewhat strange once the decision was made. This was due in part to the fact that we had a steer called Zachary. Zachary became the first animal that we honoured at our dining table. We had known Zachary from when he was a few weeks old. Yes, we had bottle fed him and watched him grow from a small calf to a very large steer with very large horns. Being animal lovers, we did find it quite difficult to say goodbye to our big black friend. On the other hand, we were privileged to know him and to know that he had had a wonderful life. He roamed the paddocks all day with the sheep. He always had lots of green juicy grass to munch on. Sometimes he would get some hay as a special treat. Going to the supermarket to buy meat for dinner is something we used to do. We knew that we did not want to do that anymore. We did not know where the animal had lived and under what conditions it had lived. We are eating our own animals now and we know exactly what they have eaten and how they have lived. It is amazing to take that responsibility. 

Tonight we had lamb chops for dinner and they were delicious!

How to be self sustainable

Today has been a lovely warm day of around sixteen degrees (warm for winter in the Southern Highlands!). The three little pigs are finally settling in, taking food from our hands and letting us pat them briefly while they are eating. They have quite sharp, strong teeth. I think they sometimes mistake fingers for bread! Some beautiful friends came to visit us today. They met the piglets and were privileged to see them shoving and pushing each other like playful puppies. They truly are a joy to be around.

Whilst walking around outside today with our friends I was reminded of the way I, and my family, have chosen to live. This way is one of trying to generate our own food sources so as not to rely on food that has to travel a long way to get here, or food that has not had a happy life. Choosing to embark on a journey towards self-sustainability is exciting and challenging. Our piglets are the latest addition to our farm and all the other wonderful measures we have in place to ensure that we are living as sustainably as possible.

We have sheep that we breed for meat. Our sheep shed their coats, which are a mixture of wool and hair. They are very low maintenance as we do not have to shear them. The breed we have comes from South Africa and they were bred to be hardy. They certainly cope well with our Southern Highlands weather which can be pretty rough. They survive primarily on grass. Sometimes we give them some hay. At the moment we have six lambs that are all growing well.

Also, we have chickens, ducks and a goose. From these animals we receive eggs for which we are very grateful! I actually say "thank you" to them each time I collect an egg. We feed them our kitchen scraps and chicken pellets which we buy from a pet produce shop. The ducks also love snails.

Our electricity is powered by the sun. Our water comes from the sky and is collected in our rainwater tank. Our sewerage system is independent and what goes into it is broken down and comes out as clean grey water.

Another project just started is our big vegetable garden. We have garlic and potatoes as well as beans, silver beet and Asian greens. Trial and error will be our guide as to what will grow well and what will produce the best harvest. Our fruit trees gave us many apples this last summer, this meant lots of apple crumble! The blackberries and raspberries provided us with lovely jam.

"How do I become self sustainable?" I hear you ask. There is no one way to become self sustainable. There are many things that we would like to achieve here on our farm, and many things that anyone with similar ambitions could achieve. Enjoying the journey and learning along the way is rewarding!

Still looking for a way to escape...

Pinky, Fudge and Spot waiting for food.

Here are the three little trouble makers. They are mischievous but very loveable indeed!

Three little pigs at home

Today I took some lovely photos of the three little pigs. They seemed as happy as...well, pigs in mud I suppose. Having been in their pen for three days now, it is obvious to me that they are settling in to their new home. Whilst they did spend five days on the run, they did not go far. I think they were happy to come and go as they pleased. I was leaving food out for them. They came and ate, and then trotted off out into the paddock ( and who knows where else!) to play. This was not an ideal arrangement, as you can imagine. Three pigs roaming around Robertson may not have been a welcome sight for the neighbouring farms and their gardens. I did have our lovely immediate neighbours on the lookout. They were somewhat relieved to hear the news of the pigs' return.

As I sat in the pen with Pinky, Spot and Fudge, I was pleasantly amused at their antics. They were like three little puppies playing around, jumping and running after each other. In the afternoon sun, I sat with my cup of tea and my book. Determined to keep a close eye on the three masterminds I thought I'd spend an hour with them to observe their behaviour. It didn't take long for me to put my book down and be completely absorbed in these three characters. I gave them some watermelon and carrots to munch on. They loved the watermelon. I could hear the loud sloshing noises as they devoured the soft juicy flesh. They pushed each other whilst chomping away, eager to snatch up every last piece. The carrot was not so popular...I did see quite a few lumps lying in the grass when I left.

Speaking of grass, it is a piglet delicacy! The grass hanging out of the pigs' mouths could've been spaghetti! They were slurping it up like it was a big bowl of 'spag bol'. Their little faces were so beautiful. Nudging me occasionally, their snouts pushed up against my hands. They felt rubbery and warm. Their eyes were inquisitive and intelligent, watching me closely.

Our small farm feels wonderful with this new addition. It is an absolute pleasure having the three little pigs here and I am looking forward to getting to know them better.

I will post some photos tomorrow so that you can finally meet Pinky, Spot and Fudge.

The re-capture of the three little pigs

It's been three days since I saw the three little pigs...today they were successfully re-captured!

It started with a look...The sheep caught my eye. They were standing out in the paddock, all facing in the same direction (they never do this). The alpaca had his head held high, on alert.

I wondered were they looking at the pigs? Could it be? I mentioned this to three of the children who were about to set off on a walk. I told them to be on the lookout for the elusive piglets.

It was only a few moments later when one of the children claimed that she had sighted a pig!!

I became, all at once, agitated, excited, and confused! I called to the other two children in the house and asked them to come and help! I had a plan forming in my mind. We assembled on the verandah... five children, myself and a loaf of bread. We planned to outsmart the little piglets and secure them in their pig pen (which in the last few days had been reinforced considerably).

Harry and I crossed the creek to come from behind, while Jack waited on the muddy track and the girls spread bread around the pen to attract the little swines. Pinky, Spot and Fudge (I renamed Blacky and Tan during the long hours I had to think whilst they were away) trotted along past the creek as if they were footloose and fancy free. Little did they know they were about to be ambushed.

We surprised them well. It was obvious they weren't expecting company. We took them off guard judging by their surprised little faces. They looked around from one person to the next, we could almost see their little brains trying to figure a way out of the trap. We held firm, did not budge. We formed an arc around them and slowly but surely herded them into the pen.What a relief!!! They were home at last!

We fed them bread, lots of bread!! They chomped with their mouths open and made little noises to indicate their satisfaction. There were a few loud belches... Fudge even had hiccups afterwards!

And now, as I write this post, I am aware of the possibility that these three very smart piglets could escape again. I can see them safely inside their pen from my verandah and I will keep a close eye on them for a while yet...

Three Little Pigs

Four days ago, my partner and I purchased three little piglets. Since then, our life has become fraught with tense moments and more than the usual amount of stress!
You see, we decided to add these piglets to our growing family of animals as not only would they provide pleasure and entertainment for us but, they would also be a source of food down the track.
Well, after spending a day designing and building a great looking pig pen, we drove with our trailer to pick up the little swines. I don't know if you have ever had anything to do with pigs but, I hadn't...needless to say, they were not the cute little docile creatures I had imagined.
The man we were buying them from did quietly indicate that they may put up a fight. He had placed them in a small pen for easier access. They were hard to catch and made extremely loud squealing noises when caught. It was quite distracting. Their mother was in a separate pen and almost succeeded in pushing through the steel gate that held her back. She was monstrous and scary!
Once we arrived home, without hearing a peep from the piglets on the way, we began unloading them. At first they seemed to like their new home. They huddled in the corner. We watched them for a short time and then decided to leave them alone to settle in. Well... after only walking a few metres away, we turned around when we heard some muffled grunting noises. They had escaped! Already!! They were just wandering around, side by side like they owned the place. So, with the help of our border collie, we rounded them up and guided them back to the pen. We fixed up the hole from which they had bolted and watched them for a short while again.
To cut a long story short, this routine went on throughout the afternoon. The piglets would escape and we would put them back...We even tried some electric wire around the perimeter but, alas, this did not contain them. It was getting dark and we were getting tired but, we were determined to contain these beasts!
We tried so hard but were only able to manage to keep one piglet in the pen. The other two disappeared into thin air!
In the morning, the lone piglet seemed settled and quiet (I know now that this was a disguise). She ate some bread. We resigned ourselves to the fact that we now only had one piglet and that we had failed miserably with the other two. I hated the thought of two little piglets alone in the wild.
During the morning, one of the escapees turned up at the front gate ( the pink one). We let him into the house yard and hoped he would stay. Unfortunately, I was on my way to the vet with our two dogs just as the piglet decided to return so, I had to hope that he would still be there when I got back!
As you can imagine, I came home from the vet with the two dogs looking forward to finding two piglets...

What I did find was not what I had hoped... the cute little pink boy piglet had helped the black girl piglet to escape. The gate to the pen was open. The two of them had pushed their way out!
Therefore, I was left with no piglets! Piglets on the run!
Notifying the neighbours was the next thing I did in the hope that they might spot one or two or three.
Since this time, I have been looking, and looking, and searching...
Yesterday, I spotted all three piglets together ( Pinky, Blacky and Tan), wandering in our paddock! I was so excited I nearly fell over on the way to open the pen gate! I managed to lure them close to their pen with two loaves of bread (this process took about an hour). I had them so close to going into the pen when something spooked them and they all ran off into the sunset! Three little piggies with their tails curled and their ears flopping...walking side by side.
I am hoping to see them again today and will try to persuade them to come back...Wish me luck!