“Fog is made up of condensed water droplets which are the result of the air being cooled to the point (actually, the dewpoint) where it can no longer hold all of the water vapor it contains.”
Well, that is the scientific reason. The real reason is that we all need to rest our minds and have a wee think about what is to come.
I love the word: droplets. I have always been charmed by fog, it has a fat over-full wooly feeling to it. Like the world has exhaled a misty waterlogged breath. Then held it. Held it’s breath. NO blowing, or sighing, just stillness. And I quietly sit in the breath, in a huge pale mouth, buffered and contained, as insulated as Jonah, his whale moving softly around him, all sounds and movements entirely my own. And think. Thinking is vastly under-rated. The world’s breath glides in to match the temperature of my own breath. My own blood. Sounds drift about as though across long, dark water. Muffled, audible.
Kupa said “Thank you very much for locking me up but I am not sending YOU a Christmas card.” and on his release, stalked out of the Peacock Penthouse. He flew with his old determination and vigour straight down to the door and was gone. He is on a break from medicines for a month now. Though you and I will be watching carefully.
He moved so fast I could barely get him in focus.
Must be wintry enough to make Hot Chocolate. I make Ganache and store it in the fridge for just those evenings.
Pour one and half cups of hot cream over 12 oz of broken up good strong chocolate. Pause. Stir. Pour into jar and refrigerate. Add a spoon-full of the ganache (though it really is a diluted ganache) to a cup of hot milk for a hot drink on a cold night. If I have been very good sometimes I add a splash of Kahlua. I am often good.
Yesterday, I very slowly forked all the dry old straw out of the hospital wing pen and threw it to the Plonkers (who were deeply grateful). Mama is looking alarmingly wide already and as you know she always has quads so I have to get ahead of her. (We need to start thinking about lamb coats again soon but not quite yet.) When John got home I had him carry all the heavy things about. Tidying the areas of the barn that are un-used in the summer. Un-used areas become metal magnets for ‘stuff’. Now is the time to be getting them ready for a busy winter. I cannot ignore these chores. My animals depend on me and they care not for injuries and complaints. If I am not very prepared and attentive, animals may die in this environment. We almost lost Kupa because I was not up treading the boards.
I feel better having got this job done. Today is the hen-house. There is a fungus that may grow in dry bird droppings, a nasty one, it is better that this debris is on the field as fertiliser than in the chook house making my birds sick. Also, the droppings dry and are pounded into a fine dust that is very abrasive to a bird’s lungs. I always clean the chook house in the autumn and the spring. This job cannot be skipped. So I shall strap up my back and move as much out the door as I can and then get John to throw a few bales of fresh straw in there. We will load the srapings onto the back of the white truck them I am going to sweep it down onto the fields as John drives slowly around the hay makers paddock. I refuse to let it go to waste, so this will be done as well. One day I will get a manure spreader.
Actually I am hoping that for Christmas this year I get an ark for the layers, then the chooks will only come into the chook house in the winter.
I know you want to say rest rest. But this is not a choice. Animals will die if I don’t get the work done. And none of it takes very long. None of it is heavy. I can do it slowly. So no lectures my darling Fellowship. Miss C has got to get back to work.
I hope you all have a wonderful day. I certainly will.
Your friend
celi
ps. I was first introduced to ganache as a hot chocolate idea over at remedial eating. A beautiful blog.
The Kitchen's Garden 
77 responses to “the mantle of fog settles on the farmy”
Celi, I read your blog every day without fail and yet I missed learning that Mama was p.g. I recall a recent post wherein you announced that both Daisy and Queenie were, but gosh I didn’t know about Mama. You’re going to have a full house this spring. Babies galore! Amazing!!
we only know for sure that Mama is pregnant when her udder begins o develop, (not yet) but she is looking pretty wide, so I suspect she is pregnant..
And yes that’s quite a shot you got all of the ovines and bovines in!!!
In short, everyone is taking a dim view of the farmy at the moment!
This is a wonderful blog. I’ve scrolled back a bit and found much to move me, make me smile and entertain me.
Thank you.
What happened to my comment?
To recap:
This is a wonderful blog. I scrolled back and found much to move me, amuse me, entertain me and make me smile.
Thank you.
Morning Friko and welcome to the lounge of comments.. c
I loathe fog – going back to my immediate post-war years, when coal came back onto the market and everyone in ondon who’d endured 5 cold coal-less years indulged in coal fires so the fog became smog, and killed thousands – either in accidents or from bronchial illnesses. I well remember it taking 3 hours for the bus to cover the 6 miles from school, with the conductor walking in front all the way, with a torch.
But I love ganache – so much that I doubt I could bear to dilute it with milk!.
I’m glad Kupa is getting stroppy – shows he’s on the mend. As for cleaning out the chicken house: are there no unemployed round your way who could do with a day or two’s work?
Love,
ViVx
We obviously have the same memories!
I have heard of that pea soup fog.. terrible.. c
Oops, not all. Is Hairy McLairy still with us?
yes Hairy is still here, but looking for new home. I have some ideas, soon he may go a fields full of ewes! none of whom are related to him!.. c
Tho’ I do realize cars may crash and planes not be able to land during foggy, foggy mornings, I absolutely love to be out and walking in familiar circumstances thru’ the thickest enveloping comfort zones . . . Milk drinks may not be ‘my thing’ [have coffee strong and black also and have never put it into tea 🙂 !] but a few squares of dark chocky at night whilst reading . . . yum! [OK: Mama Eha away for the day . . . .]
take care now! c
We’ve had the fog here for two days now with temps in the 40’s. Tomorrow brings the slide, by Friday it should be in the teens. I fear with all the wet we may be skating and in the animal yards the churned up mud will freeze to ankle breaking humps. The joy of winter in Wis.
I put a spoon of ganache into my coffee with a little cream, not something to indulge in too often but oh so tasty. I hear you on the animal care, I recollect one time, suffering from a horrid stomach flu, retching on the trip to and from the barn just so everybody got fed. Once done I collapsed on the day bed with two little dogs in front and a potbelly at my back. (He was nice and warm!) And Mere, in spring I will be getting what my John says is Christmas AND birthday – a kune kune pig! (Not exactly perfume and diamonds.)
Oh you are getting a kune kune, they are native NZ piggies.. now I want one!! where did you find him?… c
Beautiful description of the fog C. We have quite a bit of it here in the northwest! Mostly early fall mornings! The scents of the forest around us is the most pungent then. I could stand and inhale that scent in the quiet of the fog all day! Then if the low rays of the sun break through…steam rises…almost otherworldly. Well it is really.
So glad you are healing Cinders…slow but sure…
hey C; glad to see u up and around, if you don’t stay off your rump now;( that’s the danger now) don’t get on tractors sit on hard benches ,chairs ect. and yes be very cautious as to what you do.
the best thing you can do for your self now is tread lightly. be a blessing mike
Celi… lovely writing… yes, fog is beautiful and mysterious and gloriously wintry!
I’m with you on the kahlua – one of the best things about winter, and a glorious night-cap !!!
Thanks for the ganache recipe. I was thinking about that the other day and was going to search for it. Tis the season!
when you use it as icing/frosting you will need a little less cream, though I have only every used it in hot chocolate!.. c
It’s early here… I read your blog first thing in the morning. I thought you had a new cure for your injured tailbone….. some kind of drip system therapy…. could have sworn the title today was “A Fog Settles on my Fanny” …… Happy that Kupa is doing better.
that would be a bonus! morning sharon.. c
Thanks!!! Will try that.