We got so warm yesterday that the snow went mushy and the ice started melting. It will be a short respite, but we take it when we can. The air was full of the sounds of sliding snow and dripping water. 
Sheila is still snow locked though, the snow is deep outside her gate and pigs do not like to tromp through deep snow. 
The Kunekune have no such problems though, Tane chugs through the snow like a noisy little train.
Years and years ago Our John and his brother rescued two very old slate black boards from a school about to be demolished. Yesterday we brought one up from the basement for the new list board in the cloak room. Another one will go up by the breakfast bar for house lists.
So while the lemongrass steamed itself into oil for soaps, I began to make the Big List. I love black boards. Almost as much as I love lists. When the summer toilers begin to arrive they can check the board for what they are to do. And in the meantime I will note all the winter maintanence that needs to be done before the summer.
The bright tulips are blooming in the glasshouse.. nice glasshouse!
And the kittens are blooming in the barn. I hope you have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farm,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
55 responses to “Melting”
As I went through the blog looking for my favorite post a couple weeks ago, I found pictures of Marmalade as a tiny, scruffy ball of ginger looking a little worse for wear. I can’t believe she’s a mommy now, and to such big healthy kittens!
She has done a marvellous job and she is getting fat too. She and her kittens ares tons of fun in the barn.
We are finally getting some much needed rain . It did not rain at all in January.
That must be such a relief!… c
It is , we had a drought for three years and I can’t wait for it to end.
Still looks frigid to me, but I’m glad you’re having a warm up. Am behind on my reading and am enjoying my tour of the farm today!
morning greg! Sunday is a good day to day catch up! c
As always – such a wonderful post! The photo of the tulips is nothing short of spectacular !!
Oh the tulips bright deep red. Love ’em almost as much as those dear kittens. You just can’t be depressed with kittens playing.
I love Tulips! (almost as much as poppies), thank you for the timely reminder to get the catalogue out and get bulb planning! I have an old exercise book full of lists, and a sort of index at the back to organise them all. I kept all Manchild’s unused school exercise books and pages, there is paper there that will last me years of planning and list making. I don’t waste paper or rags just like the old timers. The comment a bout recycling cloth – my latest project is a rag wrapped coiled rope basket, its a bit wonky but I like the effect. Cute kitty train too, kitty pics always make me smile but Tane is still my sneaky favourite, I hope he is the next calendar.
You say “pigs do not like to tromp through deep snow”… I knew they were smart but now I know that they are smarter than *we* are! 😉
All the kitties playing tail games is so cute!! I could sit for hours and watch kitties play! The tulips are beautiful ~ spring is around the corner! and Tima and Tane just marching out to the drum!!
The snow may be deep and chilly but the colors of the photos with all those ginger kitties -is that Egoli kitten sitting, red tulips and walls, and beautiful timber are uplifting. Love the original chalkboards, they have such character.
I’m a list fiend too, but I use scrap paper, the backs of things, old envelopes. If it was on a chalk board I wouldn’t be able to take it shopping with me! I do love those old boards too, and every house needs a To Do list in a prominent place… Where did you buy your lemongrass still? I’m thinking about the future, when I might have frangipani and gardenia flowers to spare, and making scented oils from those…
The lemongrass is in pots in the glasshouse. The still I bought on the internet – it was Johns christmas present last year.. oh frangipani oil.. that would be amazing c
I shall have to read up on whether it’s achievable. I know you can get gardenia oil, so that should be possible… Maybe I’ll be able to let you know one day!
Rats. I can’t distil either frangipani or gardenia, the flowers are too fragile to stand up to the process. All I can do is extract an absolute, which requires huge quantities of flowers, solvent, alcohol and heaps of time. It also doesn’t give me any nice hydrosols to use for laundry waters afterwards…. Never mind. I might still do a spot of enfleurage, which would consist of infusing the flowers in warm coconut oil, taking them out, replacing with others and so on, till your coconut oil smells divine. You just keep the oil warm in a crock pot. I’ve done that before with gardenia.
How lovely Cecilia! The kittens are sooo cute! Have a good one 🙂
Blackboards, kittens, tulips, fences and snow … there are just a few of my favorite things. Love it Miss C.
You told us the glasshouse stayed warm in winter but I surely did not expect tulips at the beginning of February! Uhuh: another endless list maker here – have a whiteboard in my library and make a paper list for all the day’s chores in order of priority having my morning coffee in bed . . . works for me – if it ain’t broke why fix it 🙂 !
What a splash of colour those tulips make! I love lists too, and a blackboard is much better than a white board.
I’m torn between the LISTS and the RED TULIPS. Two of my favorite things. Looks like a happy day.