I am sorry – ‘Toot Toot’ has nothing to do with anything, it is just a sound I make when I am moving an animal aside. It is just so cheerful, musical even. Just a childish ‘Toot Toot’ all by your self out in the field.
The other day a friend and I were talking about the work I am doing compiling the Fellowship Book ‘Letters For my Little Sister’. Sixty Eight of you contributed to this book. How brilliant is that. (I am filing it Tuesday so stand by for the big relief sigh!) Anyway my friend very casually said that an old professor of hers had told her: the best way to do the last edit of your book is to read it backwards. I smiled, nodded nicely and commented that it sounded like her old professor was obviously completely bonkers. She laughed. But the idea stuck as ideas do. 
So, last night I began to read Letters For My Little Sister backwards. Paragraph by paragraph. And she was right. It is an excellent way to check the work. We get into a rut moving the same way and don’t see certain things anymore. Maybe we should all do our days backwards every now and then. Just to jump start real observation.
This morning John will give the cows their last shots then later today the Lady Vet will come to AI (Artificially Inseminate) Daisy and Queenie. Daisy has done much better with her injections this time. No kicking and hurling herself about. 
Oh and by the way. John picked his first big red tomato today. Though someone ATE the evidence. It was stunning. We do not buy tomatoes out of season so that first taste is (dare I say it) orgasmic! Such a naughty word. 
We are still on to show our tomatoes on the 4th of July. How is your garden coming along? Do you want to join our Fourth of July challenge. John and his mother compete every year to get a tomato on the table for the 4th of July. Just take a picture of your biggest tomato and link back here so I can come across and have a look!
Part One of the chook run was added to the Hen House that Kim built. So now they have run Number One and a good solid lock down space for the night-times. And I have a lovely old chair for chook gazing.
Updates:
The general concensus (sp?) seems to be that Minty is having some kind of phantom pregnancy.
Daisy’s Big Bobby is officially weaned, no more milk for him. Daisy’s production is dropping and he is getting too big to manage safely. He is huge and such a bully.
The old fellas concur that Carlos Garcia was probably taken by a large Hawk or Eagle. He was a juvenile and not big. The piles of feathers and no body is often the work of a big bird.
Now my dear Godot the Angel is upstairs with his girls. But they cannot stay up there forever. At some point we have to get over our fear and let them out again.
Queenies Bobby has a light coloured runny bottom and I cannot work out why, (though it is possibly the hormones she is on to bring her into heat, he is a breast fed baby after all). The vet will have a look today.
Good morning. After doing the early work of the day forwards, I am going to go back to reading the manuscript backwards. Not long now and we can begin Book Number Two. Gird your Loins darlinks.
Have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farm
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
80 responses to “Toot Toot”
Wish I could join your July 4th Tomato Challenge, but all I’ll have to bring to the party is zucchini, green beans, bok choi, Chinese cabbage, rocket and spinach. And it’s winter here, anyway…. We’re off on our travels again tomorrow morning early, so I’ll be joining you from the road, waving at Nanette in Murwillumbah as I pass on my way south. And what a very nice new pin you have on your Pinterest board! Maybe Somebody will make you a nice one of your own…
A pin cushion on pinterest! wonderful.. enjoy your travels.. c
I’ll be listening for you Kate as you whizz past……actually if you detoured onto the old Pacific Highway (now Tweed Valley Way) we really could wave, you could even stop in for a cuppa 🙂 Have a great holiday. I’ll have no tomatoes by 4th July either, I’ve just potted on my seedlings. Morning Celi 🙂
We’d love to! We’ll be passing on either Tuesday afternoon on our way down or Friday afternoon on our way back. Are you free either of those times? If so, do email your phone number and I can give you a call when we get close. I have the address, and it will add very little to our trip, so let’s!
Morning darling.wish i could stop in for a cuppa with you and katetoo.. one day!c
I used to look at my paintings in the mirror to get a different perspective. Can’t recall where I learned to do that, but I’ve been doing it since my childhood!
Now that is interesting.. hmm.. hope you are having a glorious sunday eva.. c
Thanks C, it can’t get any better❤️
My tomatoes are still bright green buckshot. Good morning!! Molly wants a walk, which might be good for my ankles (swollen today. Grrrr.) so I’m off to the trees with my dog.
I am fairly sure swollen ankles should be put up not walking down down but the walk will do your head good! c
When I’m doing final edits, I do indeed go backward. Taking things out of context is sometimes really useful.
I wish I had tomatoes to show. I raised them for a few years, but haven’t done any good since.
It is a stunning idea.. I am thrilled with the results.. c
Here in Maine there is no chance of tomatoes on the 4th, unless they are greenhouse tomatoes. My Cherokee Purple has about 3 or 4 flowers on it, so I am hopeful!
Yes you are much colder, maybe you can post a shot of your tomato flowers! c
Will do!
I don’t think I’ll even have tomatoes in August! Started my seeds much too late and it hasn’t got any better from there except that they are in the ground and fending for themselves. On the edit side, I have my students read their essays backwards sentence by sentence to proofread. It is much easier to spot grammatical errors when you read sentences in isolation rather than as part of a continuum! Have a beautiful day…
Morning Natalia. It is a great idea, wish i had learned it earlier but I was not in your class! sad!.. c
My words used to move my animals is ‘Beep Beep’ so with your Toot Toot we could form an orchestra?? Tomatoes are late this year, have plenty of green ones, but none even close to being red yet. Strawberries have finished, raspberries are getting eaten by Jap Beetles, beans are doing good though and getting plenty in the freezer. Have cucumbers coming out of my ears! Ground is really dry as storms keep going round us and not dropping anything here. Still it means the grass has slowed down so don’t have to mow so often!
My cucumbers are behind, though I had better check them closely again, they grow fast! are you making pickles? c
Sorry but I hate pickles! But only the type made with cucumbers. Have pickled my beets and will pickle my shallots, those I love. Don’t like pickled eggs either LOL
More for me!!.. c
No tomatoes this year, no courgette jungle, no freshly dug papery skinned potatoes. I miss the old garden, but know that we eie the right thing moving. We brought some tubs with strawberries in, and I have probably eaten 10 this year, one at a time. Thank you for the interesting updates. Day nice very a have.
Love,
ViVx
took me a second…good one!
for eie read did!
You are quick Viv! Have a nice day yourself!! c
Hmm Guinea Fowl sleeping on the job as far as the hawk goes! Perhaps we should run a poll for the 4th July tomato? Still intrigued by the coop that Kim built. Why didn’t the designers extend whatever goes on behind those upstairs doors right across? Laura
I have been wondering that myself, but it is not really made for a fbig lock of birds, 10 the man said. and now they have the run even better.
Yet again, I am learning: ƃuıʇıpǝ uǝɥʍ spɹɐʍʞɔɐq sʇsod ʎɯ pɐǝɹ oʇ…! 😆
How did you do that? That is wild grannymar.. c
Try here: http://www.typeupsidedown.com/
It does not recognise upper-case, but it can be fun.
Thanks for the hint, Grannymar!!! That is fun!
Beth Ann, you are welcome!
🙂
I can hardly wait for your tomato contest; wait until you see mine! I have yellow blossoms and a tiny green spot that may turn into a tomato some day. But not some day soon, and surely not by July 4th!
That will make a lovely photograph! c
Did the Tall Teenager help you move that behemoth and the new coop? I hope somebody did! 🙂 I see Ton’s ears on the other side of the coop. Good guard dog that he is. Daisy looks so nice with her clean legs. I hope moving her to the other field has helped with that mucky problem. My one tomato is still green and hard as a rock. Maybe I should fry it? Does that mean John has won the contest? How will Aunty Dell be fed now that her field mate is cut off, I wonder…hmmm So many questions on a Sunday morning! I hope the AI goes well and takes the first time.
Good morning and have a wonderful day C!
Aunty Del has moved next door with the sheep and meat chickens. So I can feed her without the Bobby Bashing. She is right next to him still. All we get is sheep harrassment now!
Your toot-toot is like my shush-shush…all going thr same way hopefully.
I have been away for a while so seemed to have missed about the demise of Carlos Garcia…how sad.
but as always you pick yourself up and get on with your life and always you are so busy…
Lovely day C
Ha ha – toot toot reminds me of the Fabulous Fury Freak Brothers and Fat Freddy’s Cat:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fabulous_Furry_Freak_Brothers
Your brain is like an amusement park, I am always getting surprises! c
I read the comics when I was a teenager and Fat Freddy’s Cat (in particular) has stayed in my imagination 🙂
I’ve just been completely sidetracked reading Freddy’s Cat… 🙂
Well I’ll be… 🙂
Goodness me, you have even thought of book number 2! You are on the ball C! I love the idea of proofing backwards. I shall definitely do that if and or when I ever finish my second book.
A busy farmy as always – so much to always keep us up to date with.
Have a wonderful Sunday C.
🙂 Mandy xo
Book Number Two will be a fantastic collection. Sharpen your pencil!!.. c
Book Two!?!?!? You are moving right along with the world of publishing ! I am impressed!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com