From Gray to Kupa’s Way

The days work begins and ends in the pitch dark now, though yesterday was warm, the day was gray.  I know winter is coming, the light is dimming, but these last few warm days have been a delightful respite.  

L’il Puss The Scrapper’s bottom is kept comfy. He has very generously offered to keep the pump warm for me after the milking. He is good like that.

The days have taken a definite turn towards the sepia  though. The colour is leaching out of our shorter daylight hours with nebulous baby steps in the wrong direction.

I climbed up into the tree house to see what I could see and discovered that there was even less to see from there now. 

The crops are gone, the grass is dying back.

Though Sheila (and Charlotte) are still hard at work, excavating the grass roots before the freeze.  Little grubbers… well not so little now!

She is not going to be pleased when this is field is turned over, and resown next spring, and she will not be allowed in here for another five years. How long does a pig live  anyway?

Daisy has recovered her long strong productive stride and is giving 40 to 50  pounds of milk per day again.  Ten pounds is about a gallon. Everyone is getting a good share again on our little (almost) self sustaining farm.  I made yoghurt  yesterday for all the animals, especially me, it is a while since we had enough milk to do that. So today I will make a lovely fresh rosemary cheese.

Although the day was still and dreary, Kupa swanned in and brightened it up again.  The Kupa Way is awesome. How his feathers have grown!

Can you spot the difference in the Daily View? 

Though the temperatures have not changed very much. 

I think today might be warm too.

Good morning. I hope you all have a lovely day.

Here is my thanksgiving tip. When you are prepping all those vegetables, pop the peelings, stalks, onion skins, garlic skins, apple cores and the sticks of thyme and rosemary – anything that is even remotely vegetable and edible – into a container and store in the freezer. Keep adding to the container as you work.

When things are quiet again – tip it all into a big pot, cover with water, add a tiny dash of cider vinegar and make your vege stock. It only takes an hour or so and homemade vegetable stock is a MUST. I make stock once a week, on the woodstove, using  the weeks collected off-cuts. And the pigs (or chickens) LOVE the cooked vegetables that are strained out at the end. And it is free and Good.

Thank you so much for all your fantastic comments yesterday, it was a very productive session for me. I am, quite literally, feeling my way through this novel writing process and your words are greatly appreciated.

Have a lovely day.

celi