“Let’s go.”
“We can’t.”
“Why not?”
“We’re waiting for Godot.” Samuel Becket. Waiting for Godot.
The barn flock have been rehearsing these lines all winter. Well, since the freeze anyway. Waiting. When I find another peacock for the hens maybe I should call him Godot.
I have another favourite line from this play. (I have to admit, with my long history in the theatre, I have never seen or staged this play, but I have always carried about a copy. Reading it again and again has been enough.)
“Estragon: I’m like that. Either I forget right away or I never forget.”
Also, for the more serious minded among us:
“The tears of the world are a constant quantity. For each one who begins to weep somewhere else another stops. The same is true of the laugh. Let us not then speak ill of our generation, it is not any unhappier than its predecessors.”
We put the roof on the little glass house yesterday. It was supposed to be recycled ranch- slider doors but they are seldom used out here let alone recycled. So we had to buy the roof glass. The rest is being constructed from left over bits and pieces from the Coupe and other projects. 
I am so looking forward to our little green house. The orangery. Having a space to grow greens and herbs in the winter, start the seedlings in the early spring, and on sunny winter days open the interior door and the warmth will drift through the house. In the summer the windows will be white- washed and it will still be growing food.
It was warm enough for everyone to be outside. Even Marmalade was out exploring the verandah. There is no stopping him. The cold will come back. But this is a welcome respite.
I was talking to The Breeder yesterday. Her brother has a dairy farm. They have a lot of calves at the moment. He said in this cold the calves all have coats on and little ear muffs to save their ears from frost bite. It is recommended that I buy a calf coat just in case it is really cold again when Daisy calves. Hopefully we will not need the ear muffs as well but maybe I should look into it.
Also I am getting everything ready for lambing in the next few weeks. I have the towels, am making warm lambs coats, and their little warming hut, the iodine waits on the shelf and frozen colostrum in blocks in the freezer. I just need to find some teats for the old vinegar bottles in case things go sideways and I get orphans. Below is a bag of little blocks of frozen raw cows colostrum. Just a few swigs of this has saved lambs in the past. It is my magic potion.
But hopefully this year I will not need to do anything. The little mothers should manage it all. No Mama and her quads this year. Sad. All I have to do is make sure the lambs have a warm corner out of the drafts if the weather is foul.
Today I am going to separate Minty and Meadow from Tilly and Mama. That way Meadow can settle down in the big middle pen, and I can feed them extra. Meadow needs some extra feed as she is surely carrying twins and her udder if filling up.
Oh and how do you feel about the breaking of dawn (today it is 6.49 am) as the publishing time for the farmy pages. Is it working for you? Are you feeling the minuscule changes in light that I am? Or would you rather go back to around 6am. Both ways work for me. Let me know what you think. You do have a voice here in the Fellowship of the Farmy. After all, if you were not reading I would not be writing.
I hope you all have a lovely day.
Love your friend on the farmy.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
43 responses to “They’re waiting for Godot”
I read your blog every day, but this is the first I’ve heard of your little glass room. I can’t wait to watch the progress and see how you use it! It looks like it is off the main house, but isn’t that the Coupe just to the right of it? I look forward to seeing more. As for your posting time, I’m afraid it matters not to me. I read your posts first thing when I get up, but living on the West Coast I am always late to the table so to speak. However that means I get to read many of the comments right away too, so I’m not complaining. I echo the earlier sentiments: just please keep allowing us to “live” with you on the farmy. We appreciate you so much!
Oh Beckett! Your birds are very cultured indeed. When I took Modern Drama last semester we studied Beckett and saw an excellent local production of End Game. We read another one but I forget the name…a woman and man were buried in the sand. Right now there is a production of Waiting For Godot on Broadway, the real one in New York, starring Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen.
Waiting for Godot brings so many memories flooding back to me. Such vivid memories too. 🙂
One of the most memorable plays I saw was waiting for Godot, in central London and stunning cast (all of whose names I have forgotten for now… I’m like that)…the names may come back to me……
Totally exciting news about your greenhouse, extend those seasons I say!
I am always loving your posts. No matter when you post them I come looking for my c. fix with my cup of tea. It is 10:30 am here, and yes, I start my days late as I am usually up late writing. I love our time together! Hugs, so glad you all got a bit of time outside. The greenhouse is looking wonderful…I look forward to following the progress. Have a great weekend!
I dream about having a little glass plant room attached to the house. It would be kept warm and humid in the winter, and I could go in there on days like today to remember what summer is like. I can’t wait to see yours come together!
Coats and ear muffs for calves…well I’ll be jiggered! I shall sure be waiting for the pictures…. hats for lambs…..do all farm people do this.
As for early rising 7.30 is my time summer and winter..it has to be a disaster to get me up any earlier
I had to Google calf and lamb coats and ear muffs because they sound so cute (and they were indeed cute). I’d never heard of them, but of course I can see that it makes perfect sense in a cold climate. You learn something new every day 🙂
I’d love a little greenhouse for the reasons you give. As it is I have to grow early shoots at home inside by a sunny window, then transfer them outside, but in clear plastic tunnels until the earth warms up properly. Last year that wasn’t until late June!
As for posting – I think do so when it suits you. I am online at different times depending on the season and what I have planned for that day. I may only comment hours later, or even the next day your time, but I do enjoy reading and seeing the farm develop.
I’m glad it warmed up slightly, otherwise we’d have to send you emergency parcels of hardtack and whiskey. I wonder if you can send peat and coal by post 😉
whatever time works for you, works for me; I just get my daily read in no matter what!
Whenever you post I will read. I usually check around 6 am for a post. If it is not there I check again around 7:30 and from then on until there is one and worry when there isn’t one. As sunrise gets earlier posting time will move back to that time. I enjoy my cup of coffee and a farm visit.
If you are handy with a needle you could make your own calf coats from large towels, easy to wash and some what economical. You need a head opening, rather loose and ties that go under the belly. I f you want to get fancy. you can put rear leg straps on too, Even old zip up hoodies will work. The zip up ones are easier to get on the calf. The hood needs to be removed as it catches on things. We always had a box of old towels, rugs, even sweatshirts/hoodies for cold weather calves or sick calves that needed a little extra warmth. They usually only need them for a few days. We also built little bale hutches in the barn for winter babies. Eight bales, stacked 2 high on three sides and 2 across the top. Fill the inside with lots of loose straw and shove one calf in as they never seem to understand that this is to help them keep warm. The youngest ones then can be covered with a blanket, towel or whatever. The little bit older ones we just made sure the straw was really fluffed up so they would sink into it. Sometimes we would need to put a bale across the front to make the little dickens stay inside.
My husband has always wanted a green house, it is in our someday plans. My version is one like yours, but I thinking his version is much, much bigger.
Hopefully this latest snowstorm is missing you. I think we have gotten at least 2 inches since about 7am and it is still going strong at noon.
You should always post when it is best for you – once the post is up we can check in and comment when it suits us 🙂 I must admit to making time to be ready and waiting for the notice to come up every day – around 2.30pm my time. Wouldn’t you be able to use another large dog coat for the calves for the first couple of weeks? I remember my fascination driving around Cambridge (?) NZ and seeing the horses all covered up in their rain coats from eartip to hooves! Laura
Oh C, how wonderful that green house will be next winter! And, isn’t Marmy growing. 🙂
Love the greenhouse off the house! Herbs all year for all your wonderful meals! Fantastic! Whenever is best for you to post is good for me, but I must admit I love reading it as soon as I get up with my coffee 🙂 xo
Whenever you post if fine by us. Read it every day, sometimes in the morning, sometimes @ nite or afternoon. Love it! Marmelade is getting big. Trying to picture earmuffs on a calf.