Yesterday was another gentle day of sky watching on the farmy. 
The root cellar is looking mighty fancy with its new coat of grass. But no rain
Now will you look at this Rude Rooster. 
I mean really. Looking up her dress like that.
Sorry Mama, I know I don’t usually use this angle. But I could not help it. 
Oh dear. This is why we call you the Big Fat Mama. She has gone into a very calm phase. This may still take a while. Remember that last time, she had her quads in April. Late April. i put her with the ram earlier this time hoping for earlier lambs. Ah well.
I told John that if something exciting does not happen on the farmy soon, then I am going to have to start cooking elaborate feeds! What is the name of the dinosaur with the long neck and the tail. See? It was so quiet yesterday that I am making shapes out of clouds while I was preparing vegetable beds.
My horizon is slipping, my brain is shrivelling! Next year that ram is going to wear a harness so that I know when to expect the lambs. So far Mama must have been with him a good two months before getting pregnant.
Good morning. The roosters are crowing. The cats are fed, it is dark dawn and TonTon has gone back to bed. There was a stray dog intruder in the night that he had to chase off and he is all worn out. All I saw in the torch light was a flash of gold. People who dump dogs to roam and fend for themselves in the countryside should have their fingers cut off. Until I find it or am sure it has moved on I will have to lock the sheep in the barn every night. Sheep hate to be locked up. They love to be outside on the grass.
Especially gentle pregnant ones and their handmaidens.
You all have a beautiful day. Once my morning work is done I shall pop over to your pages and see what you are doing. Maybe there is something exciting happening in your neck of the woods.
Then I am going to get out the mower and mow. Mowing is like cleaning it calms the mind. Mowing is fun at this time of year as I only mow direct paths through the grass so that the dandelions and lawn weeds can grow and flower. Bees love dandelions. So I encourage them. Also at this time of year I pick the young dandelion shoots for spring salads. Yum.
We have company coming until Sunday. I just found out. Difficult company, you know the sort. The sort who would rather starve than eat a dandelion salad or any salad for that matter. The sort who do not like fresh vegetables and are loud in their disgust of unprocessed meat or milk or eggs. The sort who judge using narrow windowless boundaries and then openly disapprove of our lifestyle. The sort who think sheep are dirty and that chickens smell. The sort who are right all the time. The sort who will walk straight through newly dug gardens, slam and lock open windows, pull curtains against the sun and forget to close farm gates. And I guard peace and health on my little farmy so passionately. So today I will get everything in order for their arrival. And work on transcending my irritation, then focus on juggling good thoughts. Then act calm while being vigilant about gates. And try to do better. Then I will bake cakes, they like cakes!
And I was moaning about the quiet! Have a lovely busy day.
Good morning!
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
85 responses to “Showers and Fat Sheep (still)”
Morning celi, the clouds are so much fun! We were watching one the other week that looked like a classic sci fi style space ship, the aliens landed in the Alps – but it was too dark for photos, they came under the cover of darkness! Sneaky huh?
Did you watch it waiting for the space ship to drop out from under it and slowly motor towards you, we had one of those last night too. the clouds were magnificent yesterday. Morning Claire.. c
No it kept it’s distance on the opposite side of the valley an dsplit into 3 disks, but obviously something happened as my brain has been sucked out and re-filled with custard. Stranger and stranger!
You have got custard on the brain! I saw that post! c
Gorgeous clouds. Why don’t you ban that kind of visitor. Or leave notices
on gates: Please keep this gate closed Mad bull loose.
and windows: Shut Me at your peril
and Keep Off the Grass signs?
As for picky eaters? Eat it or go hungry.
Ah well Viv. Sometimes we have no choice so we will make the most of it! You know I really do not get people who shut out the sun. How can they live behind curtained windows in the daytime..I truly do not understand.. c
You should lock the doors and turn out the lights if that kind of company comes visiting…
Your root cellar looks splendid with its grass covering 😉
Morning Mad. I am currently searching for a door that will fit it and then I am definitely going to store things in it this winter.. Of course what I would really love to do is salami, or hams, they used to dry them hung from the ceilings in the barns in the old days here too.. c
Difficult guests!!!! We all get them from time to time. I get a lot of guests in Italy, as you can imagine. Most are fun and I love to show people all my favourite places, but I cheer quite loudly when some leave or turn cartwheels down the street.
Oh I really can imagine, what are you doing tomorrow maybe I will pop over? It is always such a relief to get out own home back though. I can understand the cartwheels! c
The quiet sounds nice 🙂 and I, for one, love that horizon shot!
Cakes usually help in those situations. And drinks haha.
Cakes are good. c
Hey Cecilia! They have just spent 4 weeks with us. They didn’t even like my cherry and passionfruit pudding, they wouldn’t even try it! They don’t like fresh cream only mock cream! Good luck.
Maybe i could send them back .. FOUR weeks, oh you saint! can you be a doll and pop a serving of that passionfruit and cherry pud in a box for me. I LOVE passionfruit. c
I will post the recipe sometime and send it to you.
awesome!! thank you.. c
With any luck, Mama will deliver, and John will have to entertain them…
Why do people like that even WANT to visit a farm? Relatives, I assume? Isn’t there a Holiday Inn they could stay at somewhere in a 50-mile radius?
About your Night Visitor – do any of the locals let their farm dogs wander? Two towns over from me, there have been issues with domestic dogs – not dumped, just running loose – attacking small livestock. The owners shrug and say, “Dogs will be dogs” and pay damages, but that doesn’t bring back the little old lady’s milk goats….
You are right Marie, good point, there are dogs that are allowed to wander, running loose, and they have killed my ducks before (then took the bodies home to their own front yard so I knew it was those dogs) they are about a half mile away, maybe I will swing by and ask them to lock them up until after the lambs are born at least.. anything chasing mama at this point would not be good.. and yes they are teenage relatives of the surly variety.. so i must try harder. c
Oh my, I’m feeling quite sympathetic about the guest situation. Oh dear. Oh dear. Who on earth are these people that can waltz into your life and take advantage of your hospitality even as they are disdainful of it all? Sounds like family members to me! Take care, dear blogger. Sounds to me you’ve adopted the perfect mindset and will get through it fine…finishing off with some of Debra’s celebratory cartwheels.
Morning Charlotte, yes family, they only come a few times a year, and even though it is difficult, after a few days the farmy does seem to work its magic on them and they settle down.. fingers crossed.. c
That cloud looked exactly like a dinosaur! Your company should be extremely happy to be eating a meal from unprocessed/fresh food. It’s a treat! I hope it all goes smoothly. And quickly. 😉
~FringeGirl
Thank you fringe Girl and absolutely yes, I will keep busy and the days will fly.. c
Morning Celi! I was just wondering…what are the chances that Mama might have more than 4 lambs? Sorry, probably not the questions you want to hear!
Hmm, about those guests!!! Urgh!!! Of dear C – definitely know the type and I have a knot in my stomach for you! Sending you positive thoughts for the time and may Sunday come quickly!
🙂 Mandy xo
Thank you mandy, all positive thoughts are welcome and I also have thought about the possibility of five, she had one lamb first, then two, then three, then FOUR last year so I really hope she is not going to keep adding. Quintuplets are very rare though have been heard of. It will be hard enough keeping four alive and growing them into good strong sheep, the last one always has a hard time, this is why I do not want to leave her to her own devices. The lambs will need help, plus sometimes multiples tangle on their way out. We will do the best we can, FIVE.. hope not! Morning Mandy..c
I want to hear more about eating dandelion shoots in spring salad. We always have a good crop of dandelions. And we live in town. Gasp.
As for the difficult company, ah, I assume family. That is always tough when they arrive with an attitude. Sounds like you are going to try your best, though, to be positive. Just remember, it’s your life and they don’t have to like it. You do. If we were all similar, this would be a rather boring world.
You are absolutely right on both counts Audrey, family (not mine) and we should not all need to agree, and i do not mind agreeing to disagree, now I am off to hum and center my smiley face!! Good morning to you! c
Very, very nice landscapes. If I was expecting company like that, I’d be heading for the hills. I’m starting to use my seniority to excuse intolerance.
Are you practicing to be a grumpy old man Roger? maybe i should do that too.. I can wear old trousers too big for me and tie them up with string and sit and play chess on the verandah without saying a word for hours, while supping on an ale.. that sounds like me.. c
Oh I saw the dinosaur in the clouds too! I feel for you about the guests – we have some of them too, I find it very stressful but sometimes it´s unavoidable 😦 And your mention of putting a harness on the ram reminded me of when I took my god daughter to a city farm in the UK when she was 3 years old. The rams had harnesses filled with coloured powder so that the farmers would know what sort of rumpy pumpy had been going on. As we looked around, one of the rams was doing his “duty” and my god daughter cleverly informed us all that the ram was giving the lady sheep a “special hug”!!
yes those are the harnesses, that should give us a better idea of what is going on and aren’t we crazy sharing cloud pictures across the world (laughter) c
I was staring for a while at your clouds! All kinds of shapes in there! Good luck with your visitors! Can’t wait to read how it all goes 🙂
The clouds are lovely aren’t they mimo .. good morning, c
Good luck with your visitors that weekend. Those kind of visits can be so draining. And I love your thoughts on mowing. Reminds me of my dad. To this day I still have never touched a mower. That was his job and he wasn’t about to share it. 😉
That made me laugh kristy because John said to me Maybe they will help you in the garden, maybe they can mow (these are his visitors but he will be working) , i screeched.. NOONE is touching my mower.. I MOW!! (so i am in full agreement with your dad) and i love that i live in an equal opportunity household and i get to claim the mower.. c