I was up in the loft of the barn counting bales, and just happened to have my camera.
I was hoping to get a shot of Godot and Carlos Garcia, which was difficult as they are still keeping to the darkest corners.
I love watching the animals from up there.
The animals forget I am up there if I sit still long enough. I sit on the bales and watch them. My life feels big and full and right from my lofty perch.
Though Poppy was suspicious. With the money Sheila has raised with her calenders I have begun to buy her (and Poppy by default) a very good show pig feed that will not make her fat (ter) mixed with a great rabbit feed that is almost all alfalfa. And her vegetables of course. She likes it, even eats less of it but she still looks longingly at the oats barrel. Both these feeds are free of animal products, chemicals or medications and made with good clean American grain.
The two plonkers began to eat their hay today, they will be raised on hay and milk and oats mixed with alfalfa pellets and eggs.
I loaded all these images last night, as usual. But what was unusual was that I had a pig sleeping on my lap while I was working. MOST unusual. I made a ramp so Tima can get up onto the couch. I know, I know what you are going to say. But last night was her last night sleeping in the house. Tonight she will start sleeping in her barn night bed, where Poppy was, now that it is cleaned out and limed. And in the day she is in the orchard. But she is allowed to come to the house to visit at times (well as often as she can probably), especially the evenings when I am sitting down to write. And she only eats vegetables so she smells very sweet. It is fun to be all grown up and allowed to make my own rules.
Good morning. We had another quiet good day yesterday. Today is the first day that my 100 lavenders might be due but after that there should not be anything new on the farm until the arrival of the chickens, ducks and bees in early May.
So I am consolidating, finding my rhythm again. Step, step, peck. I take little chicken steps, then pause for a scratch and a peck before taking another chicken step or my tiny Paddington Bear brain gets overwhelmed.
I hope you have a lovely day. I think that today is going to be a beautiful spring day here today. I hope you get some warmth too.
Your friend on the farmy
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
61 responses to “from above”
Sweet smelling lavender – how wonderful!
” It is fun to be all grown up and allowed to make my own rules.” Ain’t that the truth! Lucky Tima is the beneficiary.
That’s quite a view from the loft. Can’t believe that Poppy and Sheila were “spooning”. Glad to see that they get along so well. This is the time of year where your temps will be at least 5, more like 10, degrees warmer than ours because of The Lake. It’s a small price to pay for such a great resource and, besides, it will keep us a few degrees warmer in the Fall. Everything has a way of balancing.
Have a great day, Celi.
It’s a great view from above – what happy animals 🙂
Wonderful, heartwarming pictures as always. I see the cats are comfortable up in the loft. You will have a large area of lavendar with that many plants. The bees will love it.
Have a wonderful sunny day, C!
Everybody just waiting for the spring to tumble out their pens and live 🙂 Laura
I love your loft. So well-organized and tidy. Best of all is watching the animals when they don’t know you’re there. Is that Marcel taking a bit of a nip at The Bobby? Can’t wait until the peacocks come down and out and begin strutting their stuff!
The peacocks will be up there for a while as they will destrpy the vegetable gardens (you will remember last years devastation) My deal with the gardener is that I keep them in their Peacock Palace until everything is established in the vegetable gardens, then back they go when the tomatoes start to ripen.They LOVE tomatoes! Plus I want them to become well and truly homed to the barn so they sleep there at night, rather than out with the coyotes.. So it might be a while.. sadly.. c
I make all my own decisions. Thare is nobody around to say NO! 😆
Perfect I say.. c
I love that view from above…such a peaceable kingdom down there. Does Poppy follow Sheila everywhere she goes and or does Sheila ever seem to seek Poppy out if she wanders away? And what does Boo think of all these new goings on? I’m sure he is still in the house trying to figure out What Tima is…a funny looking dog or a piglet! 🙂
Boo raced through the field just before and gave Poppy a scare and Sheila rose up off her bed of straw and raced to protect the piglet, Boo is not meant to be in there for that very reason.. he is too wild.. the house is pig free this morning and Boo is laid out on the floor with relief. c
I can just see Sheila running to protect Poppy. That must have been something to see…..I bet the ground shook with 400 pounds of running pig. For me it has gotten to the point that if we eat out or travel, I only eat at a salad bar. Knowing how our meat animals are raised, I cannot eat any but what we raise ourselves. Luckily, our local butcher makes bacon and has meat from their own animals or from local small farmers that we know.
“It is fun to be all grown up and make my own rules”. Celi, your one sentence is a whole book! It is how we should look at life. Something to remember when we feel overwhelmed by the obligations of our adult existence.
I also have an easily overwhelmed “little Paddington Bear brain”. My mantra is “slooowly I turned…” 😀 How is the big old dog these days?
The Big Old Dog is very old and happy to be able to sleep out in the barn again, and to snooze in the sun. he had a hard winter, I am very surprised he survived. He gets up very slowly and has trouble with the stairs so gives them a good run up but will not miss a walk.. speaking of which I should take them for a good walk.. it is such a glorious day.. c
It is lovely to make our own rules. I remember the first heady days of cats and dog in the house, cats on the bed… well, wherever they pleased really; eating what and when I pleased; and sleeping in, or staying up late… pig on lap and couch sounds good to me, and the loft & barn reminds me of the delights of the hay shed when I was a kid.
I’m not going to say anything, but I am smiling a lot. Love Tima, think I’d have trouble putting her out of the house too! 🙂 Carlos Garcia is a grand name!
Hmmm ~ Have seen a lot of ramps in my lifetime but never one from the living room floor onto a sofa 🙂 ! No wonder Madam takes advantage to find a soft warm pillow!! Was glad to see quite a few bales of hay you must have bought to see you through! And how the bobbies are growing – thank God they DO look different so that even ignoramuses like me can tell a happy difference 🙂 !
It may be you that misses your little writing partner:) I love having Bella on my lap in the mornings and dread leaving her to get on with the day..
I meant to say.. I love your new blog look (it’s probably not “new” I’ve been absent so long) and your photography is gorgeous. The light you’ve captured and the faces are so pure.. just lovely loveliness!! xx