Shearing the sheep time again…

Over the years we have got better, they look neater and there are fewer injuries (to them and to us!), but it still takes us 30 minutes per sheep and sometimes longer for the wiggly ones! We can only so a couple at a time also, as it is hard on the back…

It was quite difficult fitting it in to the cooler spell while I was working - it’s torture to do when it is hot because the bitey flies get us and the sheep so much. We did it early in the morning and a couple of afternoons as well, I arrived back at my desk for meetings disheveled and smelling of sheep several times. Fortunately people can’t smell over zoom!

They look much smaller and skinnier after shearing!

Their fleece is filthy with all the recent rain and consequent mud. Hopefully I can get it cleanish and find some time to do something with it!

Pizza!

To celebrate the honey and the milk from Venus I invented a cocktail. It’s inspired by the white russian and is equal amounts of cream and really strong coffee (with some honey mixed in to it while warm and then chilled). Then some pale rum to taste.

The pizza from the roccbox is fantastic now I have got the hang of it!

More ducklings!

 Eight hatched out if twelve eggs. Not bad!

They are so tiny! I had forgotten how small they are when just hatched, as the others are quite big now (at 7 weeks old)

Venus had her calf

She wasn’t due for 6 more days, but Doug heard crazy mooing like a cow was being murdered and in agony. I was at my desk working and didn’t hear the commotion, but I slammed down the phone on the call I was on and rushed out to investigate. We found she had given birth and the calf had slid out under a tree trunk and was stuck.

We fished it out to find a pretty little girl calf. It takes them a little while to stand and they often find it hard on our steep land.

Having a first feed while Auntie Nathalie looks on

Resting after all the effort. Poor Venus still looks worried, but it getting over the shock of it all

What a cute face! We have called her Clover