Look at this tiny Marmalade Cat.. climbing up onto Boo Nannys head. Boo stays very still and then very slowly turns his imploring eyes to me with a ‘how long can this go on’ look. Long time Boo, sorry buddy.
The Duke of Kupa knows that this warm sunshine is on the wane so he sits. And he waits. For the wane.
I had a friend tell me the other day that he could never trust his pigs around his chickens, he said they hunted them and ate them. Well, I guess my piggies are not that hungry.
Yesterday I rotated the cows and sheep into their clean pastures. This is my favourite part of the week, calling them through, then watching them drop their heads into the long tasty grass and all I can hear is that tear and munch of big happy mouths.
All the girls are back into one flock, Hairy the ram is fighting everyone – including me. This happens with hand reared rams. They get too familiar. So he has gone into solitary splendour. I will probably have to sell him this winter. Or swap him for another fresh ram for the girls. He has repeatedly broken in with Minty and Meadow (with the help of Charlotte that time) but so far we have kept him away from Tilly. On such a tiny farm a big ram like that is hard to manage. I was not paying attention the other day and he head butted me in the back, gave me such a fright. Usually he is such a pet, but you should never turn your back on a ram, especially at this time of year. I know this.
Daisy.
And Queenie.
In Pats Paddock. Eating and Gestating. Everyone gets a bucket of apples each day until I have stripped all the trees. So both cows are lovely and shiny and well fed.
Look at that lovely pasture. We are so lucky it has lasted this long. Next year, if all goes well, there will be four cows on these fields, so it will be a different picture.
Good morning. I am up early, early. 3 am early actually. The Marmalade kitten is fed and back to sleep. Even the dogs have gone back to bed but I cannot sleep tonight. So I am having a cup of tea beside the fire. Our first fire of the year. We heat the whole house with this woodburning stove (though the bedrooms are never that warm – which I prefer) and all winter I will cook on it too.
Soon I am going to pull the fridge out as I can smell a dead mouse. I loathe that smell and I will not be able to settle until I find it and get it out of the house. And they almost always choose to die next to the motor of the fridge. Bloody mice.
You all have a lovely day.
After I have crawled around the kitchen on my hands and knees looking for dead things I might go back to bed too.
Your friend, celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
98 responses to “Yes, that is a Marmalade Kitten climbing onto a BooNanny’s head”
Daisy is gorgeous. We’re all Jersey at this point (until our little bull grows up and does his work). I can’t wait for spots and such. Best,
Jerseys don’t eat as much .. that is a good thing.. c
Good to see Ton staking a claim on his share of the Farmy pics despite scene-stealer Boo Nanny’s efforts in co-opting a cute kitten.
The thought of chicken hunting pigs is quite alarming. You wouldn’t turn you back on them either.
I was quite entranced at the thought of you sitting near the fire with a cup of tea at 3am. I’ve been known to do similar if I can’t sleep, but the thought of the dead mouse gives me the uuuugghhhs, as I hate them, would much rather deal with live ones. They always die near our stove.
We took the stove apart and the fridge apart and pulled cupboards out and cannot find any little rotting bodies but the smell is dreadful. I can only conclude that it is in the heating ducts or the wall.. both impossible to reach.. I am not sure what i am going to do.. c
We’ve had bush rats and lizards die in the walls – over the bed one awful time, and all you can do is burn smelly candles and oil, and wait. Yuck.
I don’t suppose the dogs will sniff it out for you…
There is a lot of sniffing going on but mostly it is me!! I think I might have to get the candles out.. hopefully it does not take too long.. c
Yes, bloody mice. We’ve had two mouse plagues here in Alice in the last 10 years, horrible. Hope you find it and dispatch it easily.
Mouse plagues, sounds biblical.. and awful!. c
Of pigs and cats …
Back in my cat-owning days, I read that a cat wouldn’t be a good mouser unless taught how to hunt by it’s mother. It will be interesting to see if Marmalade proves that. Perhaps it’s the same with the pigs. Hunting chickens might be a learned behaviour. If so, you’ve nothing to worry about.
I hadn’t yet gone to bed last night when this post appeared but I spilt my drink across my desktop — and, yes, my keyboard — before I could comment. I went to bed directly after cleaning up the mess. I’ve yet to see if the keyboard will work and am using a small, wireless one instead.
We’ve a chilly week ahead. I just may have to retire my shorts for the Winter. 😦
Good afternoon! Loved the photos today! Nice and peaceful view of the farm! Do you have neighbors close by? So funny about Boo and his imploring looks! He has been so patient and now he has a friend for life! 🙂
When my hubby had pigs they docked the tails because they would bite each other’s tails! Yikes! There were about 100 of them and I’m glad that I didn’t have to dock the poor little things tails! Yours look quite friendly with your chickens! Peace and harmony!!! 🙂
Hmmmm…I was up at 2:30 this morning! Just couldn’t get back to sleep either, so I came out to the kitchen and had some lemon and honey in hot water and then went back to bed and finally drifted off. Probably due to the expected 1-3 inches of snow they spoke of on the 9pm weather report. We did get some, but not enough to cause any problems. Most of it has melted already and the sun did peek out for a little while. Way to early for snow…grrrr…. 😦
Have a restful evening! Glad you had some help with the heavy stuff today!
There are neighbours, about a mile or so away. I quite like my piggies wee tails, luckily they have tons of room and lots to do so they don’t chew on each other, that would be nasty.. c
p.s. I think that kitties are natural born mousers! I certainly didn’t teach them! 😉 And oh the gifts! Moles, mice, birds, rabbits! Always on the rug at the foot of the stairs in the garage …waiting for my approval! Eeeewww….LOL They just love to hunt and play with them too…which I find very upsetting! 😦
We had one climb into the fan area of the fridge, the fan turn on and stopped…lucky I was home. When we pulled it out there was the decapitated mouse and the stopped fan. ICKY
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
OOOOOOOOO!!!! That just awful.. c
I had a mouse crawl into my lawn tractor and when I turned it on mouse parts shot out of the motor! It was truly nasty. When I tore the plaster off to expose a log wall in the living room I could sit on the couch and watch the mice run back and forth across the logs until I finally found the proper plaster to rechink them. Such is the joy of country living! BTW I was glad to hear your pigs and chickens coexist, when I get my next pig pet it will share the large yard with the donkey, goats, ducks AND chickens.
Your pig will think it is heaven, Sheila doesn’t seem to mind who she has as company as long as there is some.
Such a cute kitty photo!
I was noticing the shiny coats on the piggies, too. Maybe that’s why Sheila tried breaking into the chook house? Or maybe she just had a hankerin’ for eggs. The cows are looking fine; sorry to hear about Hairy’s behavior.
Sitting here chuckling out loud at thoughts of flying mouse parts and icky smells. Hope you find the source soon. And loving your chunky healthy cows eating that good grass, and a spunky kitten with his own BooNanny. All of which, by the way, is exactly why I love this place so much and in particular this rich post today, including all the comments by the the Fellowship. This has been a wonderful tea party! And Celi, thanks for sharing jewelry images via Pinterest. I have gotten back to the bench and am teaching classes again. It’s a welcome change as the farm winds down towards winter. My little vacation has filled my creative well with lots of ideas!
I find mice behind the fridge too! They must like the warmth. The grass is looking so lush. Hope you are getting enough sleep? The first fire always feels special. I think I’ve had the last fire at the bach as the days and nights are warming up nicely now.
It’s getting very Walt Disney, your farm! At least the pictures have that feel, whereas I’m sure the work is very unDisneyish….it would be wonderful if all the tools could do the work on their own as happens in Walt’a “Sorcerer’s Apprentice”:)
Can you give me some tips about cooking on your wood burning stove? Can you show me a picture of it? We have one in France but I’m not sure I can cook on it…it’s not really made for cooking…but I figure if the surface gets as hot as it does — and there is a “nook” for keeping a kettle on the boil — that I might as well try.
Hope you were able to get a few more minutes shut-eye C.
Fear not for our darling little Marmalade with be hunting mice soon enough.
Have a beautiful day C.
🙂 Mandy xo