The last few days have been divine. Tons of sun. Not too hot. And very little wind. Just wonderful. Gorgeous weather and no need to leave the property at all. So we gardened and farmed, We picked and ate, Our John worked on his pool, The Matriarch worked in the flower beds and generally we had a lovely productive time. Don’t you love it when by midday you have achieved almost everything on your mentally challenging list. 
I finished the shelter for the plonkers in the small Salad Bar field and the two black and white pigs were moved quietly across. They are very prone to anxiety this breed. The little field is high with clover and grass and even a few thistles. I set the hose to running in the thistle patch and told them to start making their wallow and while they were at it dig those thistles out. No problem at all. They were thrilled to oblige. 
This meant that the Red Plonker could move into the vacated pig pen on the east with access to his own little field with a private wallow. He still has Poppy and Sheila wandering in and out next door as company however he seems deeply calm and is definitely the biggest of all the pigs. This one is destined for The Matriarchs freezer so she brings containers of special treats out for him.
My half ton of specially mixed summer feed is going down very well. Mixed for me at a local mill exactly to my specifications. It is 1/4 local corn (I do not trust organic feed corn as most of it is imported from Brazil or China and the I am dubious about the regulations.) However the corn I buy is locally grown which is the best I can do, so it is 1/4 corn, 1/4 barley, 1/4 rolled oats and 1/4 whole oats. And I add wheat germ to the pig’s servings. I like having a feed I can feed to everyone. The pigs also get milk and eggs daily. 
And now they are eating clover and grass. Perfect feed. Sheila and Poppy eat so much grass that they do not need very much grain at all.
I took apart an old wheelbarrow (keeping the undercarriage with the broken handles just in case – you never know when you may need a wheelbarrow undercarriage) and dug it into the ground as a little pond for the ducks. Tima thinks it is wonderful. The ducks? – well they are still thinking about it. They do prefer their roasting dish.
I have cut a small hole in their fence so they can escape to the miniature pond within Tima’s enclosure. But Tima the fatty cannot get into the ducks yard. It will take a few days for them to get brave enough I imagine.
Tima spends most of the day in the garden with me and the dogs or sleeping with the dogs so they have her run to themselves.
The Black Mariah has been pushed into Daisy’s Field as extra shade. One of the jobs I hope farm stay visitors will help me with is planting a long row of willow cuttings along the side of this field. Willows are great feed for animals when there is a drought. Plus they grow very fast. Shade and feed! Perfect.
Well I hope you have a lovely day lined up.
I do.
Lots of love from your friend on the farm,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
42 responses to “We’re back!”
Life sounds so calm and peaceful right now and long overdue for you. We had torrential rain, thunder and lightening, the kind you want to hide from! Dry so far this morning, but not for long, so I am off to make the most f it!
what an enterprising lady you are, Celie. No wonder all your animals are so happy. I bought some mixed seeds today, for the birds, butterflies and bees, to sow along the fence where it’s difficult to mow, and also all round the walls of the house. So we shall have a tiny wildflower meadow of our own. They’ll be sown in saved molehill earth.
I hope your lovely weather continues for you.
Love,
ViV
I’m really loving how you incorporate old useless things into the farmy and make them useful again. Tima is adorable they way she loves her Boo Nannie. Hope you have a gorgeous day, it’s overcast and rainy here.
Everything looking good there! I did sit up a whole lot straighter for a minute as I was reading the Black Mariah had been pushed into Daisy’s field 🙂 Laura
How funny………I did too!
So much loveliness.
Have a beautiful sun shiny day C.
🙂 Mandy xo
welcome back and i see you’ve been beautifully busy with all things farm. thank you for sharing a bit of your lovely world with us )
Can’t believe how quickly everything has changed: the freezing and bendy days seem but yesterday. The vegetable garden is making up time too! Well, next time I look the corn will be as high as ‘the elephant’s eye’ on the left again 😉 !!
Lovely photo of Tima and Boo sleeping together. Their coloration is so similar, even if it’s slightly differently arranged. I too have spent a sunny day in the garden, carrying out heavy labour making my new raised beds ready for the seedlings that will go in tomorrow. I was looking longingly at a cage of Japanese quail at the feed store today, wondering where in my tiny plot I could find space for them. I miss my chooks, my sheep, my rabbits… Perhaps I’ll find somewhere for a few; their eggs are small but very good and they lay nearly every day.
The ducks and their oven dish – ROFL. You’d better give them some herbs and garlic to go with it 🙂
Loved seeing the shot of stuff growing – I know the animals are fantastically photogenic but I love my greens! Morning Mrs
Its quite something to see pigs go to town on those milky green thistles. My lot seem to dig under the prickly bits rooting out the roots and discarding the leaf, quite a feat and amazing to watch when you would think the lush grass beside the thistle would be their 1st choice. Your garden seems to have come along very quickly after its late start.
The weather has been lovely, hasn’t it? Here, too. We have gotten so much accomplished and I agree–no need to go anywhere else on this long weekend even though there are many places we could go. The farmy is looking so wonderfully green and lovely. Your animals are loving it.
Why is the trailer called the Black Mariah? I always love all the names you come up with! Thanks
Oh those duckies are going to love the new pond when they find it. There will be lots of splashing and swimming under-water!
Christine
So good of the animals to help and you got so much done too! I see planting willow bits in my future. 🙂 However, won’t the darlings eat them before they get a chance to mature? I’m sure you have a plan for that. All of the animals look very content, especially Tima and Boo.
We had a lovely booming rainstorm here in the wee hours and it is nice and cool, for Texas in May anyway. Since it is a holiday today and still raining off and on, I will spend time sewing today.
Enjoy your day!
We will plant them on the other side of the fence. I am glad you are finally on holiday i am looking forward to your visit!