Here, in my unheated bedroom. ICE on the inside of the double glazed windows. Makes me feel right at home. I have never lived in a house with heated bedrooms anyway. Now whenever you see those silly christmas decorations with the sprayed-on ice around the glass, you can say. I don’t think you really want ice on the inside of your windows. It means it is too cold for comfort.
The Breeder (the woman who bred Daisy) sent some extra milk over yesterday for Sheila. Raw milk is high in easily digested enzymes and protein which ovulating pigs need.
The weather man described yesterday as Bitterly Cold, though with a stern unsympathetic sun I added. I was certainly feeling bitter about the cold but felt better after a bath. The sun I am always grateful for.
Today they are, of course, forecasting more snow. I still like snow. But I don’t really need anymore. Still there you are – it is a winter. Winters of old they say. Just like the winters in the 70’s. Wait. The 70’s are Old?
I am happy for a few days without wind.
It is Saturday here. 35 days before Daisy is due to calve. I would refer that she does not have to actually calve inside the barn. So hopefully the snow is gone by then and a little warmth has come back. But I think we are going to have a late wet spring. One way or another there are exciting days ahead.
Good morning. The Powers that Be have decided that I need a new milking machine. This is being paid for by the Matriarch’s farm. If this were a sustainable self sufficient purchase I would be milking by hand. But Daisy is a big milker (lots of milk) and I have chosen an electric pump on wheels to selfishly make my life a lot easier. One has been ordered and will soon be dispatched. The inclement second hand pump that I was using will become the backup parts pump. As I will be milking in a little over a month, and we will be having lambs in between, I need to start getting all these things in order.
From now on I am going to try and actually publish the my little weblog AT dawn, so I will check the time of our dawn and have it go to air at exactly the right time. Then I will walk out the door to start work. That might be fun! You can watch the days grow longer with me. What do you think? There is a lot of light before the dawn.
I hope you all have a lovely day.
Your dawn friend on the farmy,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
58 responses to “you did not believe me?”
Cold bedrooms I can cope with, using mounds of quilts. Cold sitting rooms in the evening are not welcome, but I don’t suppose you ever have time to sit! There’s a new haiga on a picture of yours on my blog. It’s of Boo at the gallop.
Love,
ViV
Thank you Viv, I shall pop over and read it. Yes to the mounds of cotton blankets and quilts (I hate sleeping in artificial fabrics and cannot afford wool) , and thankfully the fire keeps us cosy in the lounge at night! c
Note my comment when you pop!
Hand milking is hard work, makes your hands ache if you’re not used to it, and it’s slow work. You can’t rush the cow, she doesn’t like it. I think the idea of an electric pump for your big milker is very sound. I like the idea of your post going to air at dawn, as it means I’ll be able to read it a little earlier each evening, Queensland time. Currently, it’s 11.15pm, and I’m almost ready to turn out the light. I’ll enjoy my daily dose of Farmy more if I’m less sleepy!
Oh dear, then it will be a little later for the moment but getting earlier every day, usually I post way before dawn. Not today though, today was At the official dawn. c
Official Dawn, or When The Birds Think It’s Time To Wake Up? The Ruckus starts an hour before daylight around here 🙂
A new milking machine is a sound investment…given any more thought to milking Queenie instead?
Two solid plans, I could milk either, I will keep the calf on Daisy just in case (sharemilking if you will) because Luckily Queenie is not due for three weeks after Daisy . So I have time to work out which of the cows I milk and who gets to raise the calves. Three weeks is a good amount of time to work it out.. c
What great news about a brand new milking machine! Thank you Matriarch! I’ll be milking the goats again fairly soon. Well, not until June, as we bred them late. I do enjoy the time milking them. It’s a peaceful time squeezing the rich white milk into buckets that will nourish us all here on the farm. Nice to think about spring actually coming!!! Although I prefer an early wet spring!
I personally think we will have a late wet one, so much moisture steaming up out of the earth will bring rain, and our ground is still frozen solid, maybe even two feet down, it will take a while to warm up enough to plant.. c
The days are definitely getting longer, little by little. That makes me happy. Here, it is cold (although nothing as extreme as the weather you have) but yesterday it felt like spring was just around the corner.
Oh Grace isn’t that just the most heavenly feeling, when you can sense it coming.. c
Absolutely. 🙂
Bless the Matriarch. You are certainly built of sturdy stock, darling. Stay warm, stay safe, and stay upright on your feet.
My crampons on one set of boots and sprigs on the other have saved my and my arse a number of times so far, it is all ice out there.. I see john shimmy and slide and i am firm on the ground! c
😀
3-5 minutes with a milker is much nicer than 30- 45 by hand. Less time to freeze in the barn.:)
A side! She is very big milker. Yes, lets hope for a wee bit of warm weather by then! c
a new milking machine is wonderful news, especially if daisy has any mastitis problems. you work so hard already, you deserve a good milking machine. i can’t wait to see lambs and a calf!
Lambs first i hope, i do love the lambs.. c
I feel very spoilt here with a cosy bedroom, heated via a geothermal heating system. Our summer cottage looks like your bedroom. I went there today to feed the birds and it was freezing inside, so I hurried back to our heated, insulated, triple glazed home. I’m such a wuss 🙂
Yay for a new milking machine. You should not berate yourself for the purchase – life is all about compromises and let’s face it, you aren’t going to be sipping pina coladas poolside instead of milking Daisy, are you? It will remove some of the drudgery and give you quality time with the animals. You’ll be busy with all of those spring babies. Let’s hope Sheila adds to the load as well.
Your window look like our windows in England. I turn the heat off over night too, and the single windows at West Cottage frost over something rotten. I like that though. Love cold bedrooms and plenty of quilts. 🙂 Happy for you and the new milking machine. Much less daily drama and stress. 🙂
Great I too am an early riser and yes we got a foot from your storms remains 🙂 The only things I will watch bringing in new life will be the birds who build in nests just outside the kitchen window for now I am fattening them all up 🙂 Have a great weekend. Cold bedrooms are good for you they say though frost in your lungs not so much HUGS
My Goodness girl…do you ever stop!!!
Your old milking machine you can keep as an antique and one day it could be in a museum…..
Keep those tootsies warm
Icy bedrooms and dawn starts – I admire you miss c! The new pump sounds like a brilliant addition to your farmy technical team 🙂
as for ice in the bedrooms that reminds me of childhood days…must write a post about it
There can be a lot of light at dawn, and then like today when I had a chance to sleep in, my dogs decide, mom it’s time to get up, it’s okay that it’s still dark outside! I like your lovely photos, I don’t know what it is about winter photos, as I am living in a lot of snowy and frozen tundra days, but the pictures they create are still beautiful!
They are beautiful Karen, thank you.. c