Yesterday had horrible weather. 
The wind was so strong and so cold yesterday that a few times I walked backwards from the house to the barn rather than have my face blown off. But thats OK, the Kiwi builder was on the other side of the house so he did not see.
But the little lambs were safe in their little pen. No drafts. No dangers. But very little light.
I had to keep the big doors closed all day. Even the peahens stayed in yesterday. 
The lambs drank and slept. Then drank and slept some more.
Good morning. Today is wicked cold again. 8F (-13C), but so far no wind. And when I was out working with the gang in the night it was cold but calm as well. Thank goodness the winds have gone. I hope.
The home schooled children come today. I am not sure, but I think these will be the first lambs they will ever have seen, can you imagine what it will be like to see something for the first time ever.
I am also hoping that this might be the last very, very cold morning. Please say it is the last. The Tall Teenager said to me yesterday why does this feel like it is the coldest day of the winter when it isn’t. We thought about this for a while and decided it was because we cannot bear it anymore. We are over the winter and that tired admission allows a weakness seep in. And weakness makes us shiver. I was certainly feeling weak when I was walking backwards to the barn with my warm bottled of milk tucked inside my jacket and my 5 gallon buckets of warm water the only thing keeping me from being blown away.
I was certainly feeing weak, when down the back paddock in the icy gale yesterday trying to open the gate for Hairy and just could not lever the gate out of the frozen mud, having to tell him that he was stuck there, best go back down into the root cellar until I could come back with tools and hands that work. Hairy was stoic.
Oh I almost forgot, we began the Mead yesterday. Honey Mead of course! We have so much honey after melting out all the wax. So we are making six gallons of mead. John says I won’t be able to taste it for at least a year. KillJoy!!!
This is going to be good! Thank you bees.
And thank you darlinks for reading every day. You keep me strong. I say this with absolute sincerity.
Oh and ViV your pocket hand-warmers came yesterday afternoon. What an incredible day for them to arrive! Just when I think I cannot bear the cold a moment more. They are being heated right this minute and into my farm jacket pocket they will go for this mornings milking. I am thinking about how we could make big ones of these to warm new-born lambs too. My new french patchwork ones are just so beautiful. Thank you ViV!
OK that is enough for me. I have to stop chatting now and get on with the day.
Have a lovely day.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
78 responses to “Lambs: A Photographic Essay”
Such darlings. I love them!
Celi, is there a way I can ask you questions about your barn (repair, maintenance, etc)? I don’t want to clog your blog, but would like some 2nd hand knowledge if you are willing to share. farmlet(at)att(dot)net
Thanks!
of course honey, email me on celima.g.7@gmail.com.. ours is a funny old barn, most of the work is all about shoring it up! c
How cute are they! You should know that the news was very well-received by a Lady in Michigan. I just sent her the photos and I’m sure we’ll talk about them tomorrow.
I was worried about you & the lambs last night. It was so frigid cold! If that wasn’t the last of it, we should be very close to the end. I certainly hope so!
Thanks for taking the time, Celi, to shoot and upload these pics. It’s not like you haven’t better things to do. 🙂
I think I’d be a little bit like your homeschoolers, Celi. I’ve only really seen lambs at the fair! But they are precious and I love the black and white photography. I do wish I could send you something to warm you up. My goodness I can’t imagine, but I hope that wonderful mead will be ready soon. I know what I’d be doing with that! 🙂 oxo
What gorgeous little creatures! So glad they’ve arrived, Celi. I do admire you: cold makes me want to retract and do absolutely nothing except maybe languish under a duvet, and -13 is wicked cold!
Celi, I found you on October Farm. Feels like I struck gold! They are wonderful and you are doing a great job helping Mom care for them. 🙂 I shall return!
Mona
morning mona and welcome welcome welcome.. wonderful to have you reading, i shall pop over soon and see what you are up to too.. c
Brrr! I can’t imagine what it would be like that cold.
I am so ready for spring…summer would be nice, but I will settle for spring…HECK I would settle for even a little bit warmer weather and sun shine and no wind. But wind comes heavy in strong for us in spring so I shall not say that about the wind…if we didn’t get wind here all the snow wouldn’t melt and the trees and bushes wouldn’t know how to raise their sap from the roots and we would be stuck…but bitter cold face freezing wind…I’m so over!
Linda
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Everything single thing about what you said I agree with.. ok that is a sleep deprived sentence but you know that i mean! soon soon.. c
Celi I’m lost in admiration for your devotion to those little ones in all that cold and misery, and to all the other creatures who turn to you for love and sustenance. Do hope you’re getting lots of love and sustenance for yourself… you need ir and deserve it.
Spring Will come – as my grandson said to me – Everything passes…lots of love to you all
Thank you so much for the photo essay: my hat off to you for even thinking of such when you seem to be in-and-out of bed like a yoyo helping Mama be mother! Shall also share with friends!
You so deserve that honey mead…maybe the thought of it will get you through this cold.
Gorgeous pictures of the lambs. There’s bound to be magazines/contests those should go to?
Celi it is so good the lambs have their little sweaters. Such bitter cold weather for the babies. Now how fabulous is the honey mead. If you have to wait a year before it is consumed that will give everyone on the Farmy time to become Morris Dancers.
Glad that the lambs are so well cared for. Hope you get your prize package from me soon. The PO said they would deliver it by Tuesday (yesterday), but President’s Day might have thrown them off their appointed rounds. :D.
your famtastic book arrived this morning, my postman very sweetly brought it to the barn ..and it is thrilling.. some excellent reads ! thank you so much.. c
Yay! This is a week of FUN arrivals for you . . . the lambs, Viv’s handwarmers, and The Writer’s Desk. Enjoy! (And stay warm).
BABIES! They are so cute! But i feel ya on that weather. It’s been incredibly mild here in the Florida panhandle, but Jen had to scrape frost off the windshield Monday and you’d have thought she had turned into an icicle!
poor Jen, darling girl! I like Jen.. c
So very lovely! What good fortune for your lambies to be born to such a devoted shepherdess. For their further warming, methinks I would go to the local thrift store and find six midsized wool cardigans (nobody knows the warmth of wool better than lambs), sandwich them together in pairs and sew all but the necklines shut, pour in some dry rice or other grain, stitch the last seam shut, and warm them with a short time in oven, dryer or microwave (whichever was nearby) just enough to take out as cozies for the kids, then bundle them in their new warmers. Or alternatively, just hug them all serially until they couldn’t stand it any longer. Can you tell I’m not a farmer but entranced by lamb adorableness? 😉 xoxo K
fabulous.. any time you want to visit for lamb hugginess.. you are very welcome .. really! c
I love the 5th black and white photo, with that little lamb, ears up, in silhouette. It was so poignant I wanted to cry for the tenderness of it all. Such harsh weather conditions, and that new life arrives so trustingly, and there you are keeping them protected and making brave trips out in the weather. Do you have a big furry headdress like the ones Scott and his team wore in the Antarctic? There must be an Antarctic provisions shop that you can visit when you next come to NZ because you have to be a hero to go out in that weather. Oh well, spring must be coming, because you have lambs, right?
PS The honey mead looks so golden, like stored sunlight.
Oh Juliet, this is my favourite too, in fact I am thinking of printing that one and hanging it.. c