New Photos

Truly, the older you get, the faster time goes.

Oh, if anyone knows someone who is good at patenting and starting up inventions, please let me know. I keep coming up with ideas and have no money to go any further. All I want is 10% of the profits. My ideas range from a new style of greeting cards to mini-golf add-ons to new software. All of them are able to be implemented with todays technology. I haven't the nous to go into new technology.

We now have new calves, and I am losing track of numbers. Seven, I think. I know that doesn't sound a lot, but, gee whiz, Wednesdays are going to be frantic if Brian is working.

I'm usually out all day, and leave here at around 8AM, so what with feeding the pigs, ducks, chooks, geese, peafowl, pigeons, guinea pigs and calves, and watering them (except Brian has now set up an automatic water filler with the calves, Praise the Lord!), exercising the German Shepherds, cleaning out the stove, making the lunches, packing, showering, having breakfast, getting Alice going (a bit like starting an old motor when it's cold), there's really time left for anything else. Not to say that I actually get all of these things done, but there are priorities.

Porgy, our lovely boar, has been hired out for masculine duties again. We think Bess is pregnant, which is why Brian has moved her permanently into the piglets pen. I must get them either butchered or sold. I really must.

Our normal cattle have just been spotted checking out the babies, because they can see them from the fence nearest the house.

Muppet has, as you can see by the photo, been thoroughly despoiling our nice haystack. We've learned our lesson - not too close to where greedy bovine mouths can munch. As a direct consequence of Muppets playing around with his food, he has had twine caught around himself again. We had all sorts of problems getting it off last time. This time, I decided female subterfuge was the order of the day. I had been given a tray of grapes. They went out to Heather, and naturally Muppet had to try them. He was hooked.

Whilst he was busy munching, and he can be singularly preoccupied doing that, I gently and casually pulled off the twine entangled around his neck. I then realised that that was one of two pieces. The second proved a bit harder, and involved getting Muppet to step back at the appropriate moment. Have you ever tried to separate a bull from its grape tucker? Not an easy job, let me tell you.

Brian has gone to another clearing sale. I wonder what goodies he will be bringing back this time?!

Brian is just back and said the prices were higher than an old carcass in the sun. He bought a couple of old gates off a truck and some steel pipe. $2 + GST. Which is to say, $2:20. Mind you, his time and the fuel involved... But you never know until you go, do you?

Pregnancy

This soft, warm, gentle bundle

This load of kicking bricks!

An upset tummy, the pangs of nesting

and a husband trying desperately to understand

I can't make up my mind what I crave!

Mood swings like Summer storms.

And the anticipation, the dread of pain to come.

Finally, the arrival - ugly, red, crying at the loss of immersion

But, oh! the love I have - I would not give up this life for anything!

(NO, I'm not pregnant. But I remember! And friends of mine are, to them is dedicated this poem.)