A mixture of chicken, duck and goose eggs!

Last week, I was happily writing away at my desk. I had the door open and I could feel the warm breeze. The dogs were lazing about on the verandah. The sun was golden, the birds were busy. It was quite peaceful.
Suddenly, I heard a loud "Honk!" The noise seemed to fly past the window.
I went in search thinking "Our goose has escaped!" Surely not. 
I walked down and counted the ducks, chooks and the goose. They were all where they were supposed to be. I wandered down to the creek where I thought the source of the "Honk!" may have gone. Nothing there. I then thought that I may have imagined the noise and went back to my writing.
A few moments later, a neighbour from up the road came along and asked me if I'd seen some geese flying by. Three of his geese had escaped. Of course I told him that I'd heard them flying past but had not sighted them.
The following day, I spotted a big white goose hanging around in our opposite neighbour's front paddock. It appeared to be talking to the horse. I wondered if the horse was happy about having a two legged, feathered creature for company. Each time I walked past the paddock I kept an eye out for the goose. It stayed in that paddock for three days. It seemed quite happy to have found a new companion, much bigger and hairier but, they seemed to have a way of communicating that went beyond their language barrier.
The neighbour from up the road, when told of his goose's whereabouts, declared that he did not want it back. The neighbour opposite, with the horse, had also expressed his interest in getting rid of the bird. 
So, it seemed the right thing to do for us to give the goose a new home. My wonderful farmer man walked over to the paddock next door, dodged the horse and caught the goose without too much fuss. It hissed and carried on for a few minutes but, it did calm down once it was introduced to our mob of mixed fowl.
Now, our chooks, ducks and goose had not laid any eggs for quite a few months. Since this new goose has been with us, they have all started laying. We are collecting at least six eggs per day. We're getting a mixture of chook, duck and goose eggs which is absolutely lovely! I think that they are all getting along famously.

The morning routine

I thought I'd write an article about our morning routine as far as the animals are concerned. It's quite a lovely ritual each morning, especially on a gorgeous sunny spring morning. The promise of summer is in the air, the sweet scent of spring blossoms gets up your nose and happiness is floating in the breeze, ready to inhale.
As I make my way to the door to go outside, I am followed by the cat. She is the superior of all the animals as she is the only one allowed inside at night time. At the door, we collect the two dogs as we make our way to gather the food from the shed. Picking up the chook food and pig food, the three animals and I walk down towards the calf stable. There, waiting for us, are four big brown eyes, batting their lashes, mooing softly at our approach. They are grateful to be let out and come immediately to me to nuzzle and push in the hope that I will give them their milk. They have to be content with grass in the mornings now as we're weaning them off their milk and only give it to them in the evenings. 
Next stop is the chook pen. With a cat, two dogs, and two cows in tow, I head into the chook pen to let the chooks, ducks and geese out for the day. The other animals wait patiently outside the pen while I feed and water our feathered friends. Once they are sorted, it's time to go down to the pig pen to feed and let the three scoundrels out. 
I must look like the pied piper as I meander along with a cat, two dogs, two cows and a mob of egg laying folk... It's a happy gathering. All the animals are curious and content in each others' company. Well, most of them...our Kelpie has a nasty habit of wanting to eat the chooks so I make sure she is close by me so there are no disasters!
The pigs are waiting for us. It's hard not to hear us all approaching! Now that they are bigger and stronger, I stand at the side of the pen and open the gate to let them out, otherwise I get splattered with mud. They become extremely excited when they know they are going to be fed and tend to jump up and down, which can be messy for the person letting them out! 
Once the pigs are done, the other animals and I head back up towards the house. The cows, chooks, ducks and geese all disperse at this point. They tend to spread out on the grass while the three domestic characters follow me all the way to the house. Upon reaching the verandah, the three of them plop themselves down in the sun to rest after their morning jobs. 
This routine is very similar each morning and it is both comforting and pleasurable. It is a wonderful start to my day!

From the land to our plates

Today I have been thinking about sustainability and what it means to the individual person. Here on our small farm we are trying to find ways to become self-sustainable so that we do not rely on others for our needs. We are a long way from becoming self-sustainable but, we are conscious of the need to be able to supply ourselves with what we need on a daily basis. This journey can be confronting and I wonder if it is the reason why many people are still happy to go to the large supermarket chains to buy their meat? I am not about telling others what to do, nor would I try and influence decisions. I only know that I did find the idea of growing an animal, so that it may be eaten down the track, repulsive at first. What we eat is an individual choice as is where we obtain our food. Having made the choice of growing our own meat, I feel glad to be able to provide a happy life for our animals. I am also proud of the fact that we are taking responsibility for our food. It feels good to see the whole life of the food we eat, from the land to our plates.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to have the means to grow their own food or even buy it. I recently spent some time with my cousin Sarah, who is an advocate for social justice. She has spent many years in Sydney teaching young children. Recently moving to the Blue Mountains, she has decided to help homeless people in need of food. In doing so, she has created Earth Recovery Australia which is dedicated to reducing waste and helping people in need at the same time. It all makes sense! I am very proud of my cousin.
Everyday I am grateful for my family and the wonderful environment in which I live. I am inspired by people and things around me. There is so much to notice and to think about. It is important to slow down occasionally and recognise the simple beauty right in front of us.

Photos

This is looking out towards the garden from my desk. Pink weeping cherry and blue forget-me-nots

From my desk, looking out East towards the paddocks

Loyal Elf

Puppy Inu

New little lamb and mum

I mentioned in a post a couple of days ago, the view from my desk. I've got some pictures here that show you the view. I've also taken a photo of the new lamb and each of our beautiful dogs. The dogs are my companions, they follow me everywhere!

The view from my desk

As I sit here at my desk, I am able to look out the window towards the garden in one direction, and to the paddocks in the other. 

In the garden, the bright blue of the forget-me-nots is stunning in the warm sunlight. The blossoms on the weeping cherry are out and their lovely pink says "Spring is here!". The pale heads of the daffodils stand tall and proud, announcing the arrival of the new warm weather. The calves are lounging on the grass.

Out towards the paddocks, the soft whisper of a cloud sails by against the blue sky. I can see the sheep lazily grazing. There is a new lamb, just born judging by it's unsteady gait.

I can hear the magpies calling messages back and forth. There are insects flying around, bees buzzing, leaves rustling. So much activity on this glorious day!