Every day is a good day. (Chooks drink milk too.) And I love to celebrate each day. In our own quiet way.
Though yesterday was cold there was sun. Sun is good. Yesterday Daisy milked 40 pounds (at 6am) , then 28 pounds (at 12 noon) , then 22 pounds of milk (at 6pm) . I need Emily to work this out for me but a pound is a pint. A pint is abut 600 grams and it is way too early for me to do the maths.
A lot. A lot of milk.
Queenie is also creating milk right now for her calf. Who is due in four to ten days. Or maybe more… who knows. Hopefully not on Saturday as we are driving down to collect Timu ( the kunekune) on Saturday.
Daisy is doing very well now. The last two milkings were clean of mastitis. So, as I am intent on flushing her udder of any bad bacteria, I shall continue milking three times a day for at least two more days. I know this is a tough regime but many studies show that if you work hard to get the cow clean right from the beginning she is much more likely to enjoy an infection free season. For those of you who do not know: the reason she has mastitis is that one of The Bobby’s, not hers, suckled on her udder when they were calves, her condition is chronic but manageable in this kind of small personal operation. But damaged. On a dairy farm she would have been culled.
Poppy the Naughty. I told you Poppy is a climber. 
Poppy ‘giving up’ on hoisting her little body up out of her wee pen. Not long now and she will. But I need all this straw around her for two more days then it will warm up and I will open the hatch for her to come out and visit with Sheila. We will see!
Marmalade – almost a fully fledged barn cat. All cats come in to the house at night. But during the day we have three ginger cats stalking about. How did that happen?!
Mr Gangly …
… and his room mate.
Good morning. I hope you all have a wonderful day. Please excuse my short posts for a few days. I begin to get ready for the first milking at 4.45.. (with this cold everything has to be stored in the house – including the pump).. so I finish the third milking about 7pm. But once I go back down to milking twice a day, things will relax a bit. For a minute. But I have to admit to a little daytime tiredness.
So do, please, find wonder in today.
Your friend on the farmy
celi
PS All those who ordered one of Sheila’s May calendars. These have been ordered and I shall send you an email with the details when they are ready to be shipped.
The Kitchen's Garden 
47 responses to “Here’s to a new day”
Poppy the Piggy is way too cute for words! Thank you for brightening my day with your lovely photos ❤
I thought Poppy was just trying to get some warmth from the lamp on her curly little pig tail. Marmalade is a beautiful cat. It’s good to see Marcel again, and the Bobby, he’s just too cute. I’m so glad Daisy has you.
Take all the sleep you can get. That’s a tough regime, but will be worth it for Daisy and for you. Poppy is going to be the clown of the farm, I can see that. Other contenders (and they know who they are) can take a back seat.