This time of year, as we gear up for the busy season, everything is re-placed in its proper place, House AND Barn and woe betide anyone who borrows something and does not return it. I work alone – so that would be ME whose Woes will be Beti-ded. And the house is small so everything needs a place to live. So this last week and the next will be all about putting everything in its proper place (and a lot of shovelling winter manure into its proper place).
Because I do not have time to be searching for a hammer or eye drops or my knife. Or my clothes for the morning or some toilet paper. Or the grater. Gentle controlled speed is coming.
And the proper place for a goat is not on a box next to her light. I have remedied that situation.
In fact. Life is a lot easier when things are where they are meant to be. Plus I do think that our minds are easier when our rooms are tidy. And believe me I can be the messiest person in the world – I have to work hard at putting everything back where it belongs.
Yesterday (because John was home) I got him to help me place Sheila (and Poppy’s) new hut in its final position up against the barn. This way I can secure it firmly before the spring winds (they are coming). It will be perfect in a few weeks when it is warm (it is on the shady side) but we are still chilly (every night dropping below freezing) so I have left Sheila a big bed in the sun.
Talking of pigs I let Tima and Tane the kune kune pigs out the back yesterday so they could search for greens. They were having such a nice time and being so slow about it that I left them out there with TonTon and Boo and I went to hang another load of clothes on the line to dry. I was pegging out towels when all of a sudden Boo stood and raced out into the field behind me. I turned to see Tima and Tane, followed by a frantic TonTon, steaming at full speed across the empty fields. Boo shot like a speeding submarine straight at them – on a course to head them off. I called out to Tima and without breaking her stride she turned like a pea class sailing boat tacking against the wind and ran back at full short legged pig speed straight for me, dragging little Tane in her wake.
Poor wee fellas headed straight for the bucket of water under the tap and then meekly followed me back to their paddock. I don’t know where they thought they were going. But they slept deeply the rest of the afternoon.
I have to sneak up on the goat kids to get a shot like this. They are like pigs – always on the alert. You have to double over and change your profile and walk weirdly- and momentarily confused, they do not recognise you as YOU (read food) and leap to their feet. 
I hope you have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farmy,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
63 responses to “Every thing in its proper place”
Stretching their little piggie legs after a long cooped up winter. Will Tima and Tane’s hut also be secured to something? TonTon and Boo earned their supper yesterday guarding their charges. Glad they tacked the right direction….all the way home. Kids at rest..beautiful.
Yes, the kunekune hut will be relocated just as soon as we remove ONE More Car Carcass from the rat house to make room for the farrowing hut. c
Those dogs are astounding. And I love how all the parts of the kune kune appear to be on ground level. I am in Oregon just now and you will be enraptured by how blazing the green is!
I am very much looking forward to the scents of vegetation.. and green – oh my
I do hope you realise, Ceci, that I get/we get enormous amounts of vicarious joy at the results of your hard work. Those goats are adorable!
I am inspired by your massive de-cluttering project too – I am gaily hurling stuff out the door. – thanks to you.. (John is my Ming;checking everything).
Once a year our town takes most stuff left in the alley for free and every year i vow to take advantage and every year I miss it. As you would say, Celi, “Ah, well.”
I wasn’t finished. The goats all together! What a great shot! And those two dogs are worth their weight in gold. Love ’em!
Oh, the promise of Spring!
I have a bizarre request, and I thought the Comments Lounge here would be the best place to make it. Does anyone know where I can find an audio recording (preferably downloadable MP3 file) of a sow nursing her litter? Does anyone have a nursing sow that could create one?
Marla has a sow nursing right now.. I think she is still feeding them – Just make the coffee.. http://justmakethecoffee.com/
Thank you!
I also think that Diane has piglets due soon, she does not have a blog but I will ask her. She is one of the fellowship.
I believe this is the first I’ve read of Boo doing what he’s supposed to do without being told! Except when it comes to babies of course. The picture in my mind of Tima turning herself right around made me laugh out loud. Can you imagine the hijinks to come when there are litters of tiny sneaky Kune babies running around?
I know! I cannot imagine.. out of control it is going to get! c
It’s funny that Spring brings such hurry, hurry in many of us. I’ve waited patiently all winter to work the soil and now that we’ve had rain and warmer temps, I’m all in a flurry about getting the beds full of plants.
I have a messy drawer of handy items such as a hammer, stanley knife, tape etch and I have a saying when I lend something out… “it’s a boomerang!” meaning make sure it comes back 🙂 Our spaces too are modest, so by necessity neat, but behind cupboard doors and inside drawers can be a little cluttered. Not so easy I think to keep goats and pigs in order. Although images of the huddle of goats and Sheila and Poppy peacefully snoozing in the sun are as soothing as contemplating a tidy space.
My mother used to call that draw The In Case Of Drawer. Just in case- you know.. c
We call it the Scary Drawer!
I can just feel your sun in these photos. We are getting some today finally. FD and I are both organized and neat people. I can tell you that makes my life pretty darned smooth! 🙂
You hit the jack pot there! c
I am by nature tidy. The Husband is by nature untidy. We have an Arrangement. If it bothers me, I move it. But it doesn’t work so well with the tools, which walk away Somewhere. I brought most – and the best – tools to the marriage, and find it very difficult not to be able to locate things like I used to… Ah well. Elsie and her matching canine accessory made me laugh. It looks as if he’s waiting for her to go into labour before he comes racing back like Lassie to tell you there’s something wrong!
And that is exactly what he will do too! Marriage is a funny thing – like a see saw – and when things are running on an even keel it is just magic.. c
It is, isn’t it. Wish I’d found him years ago!
Boo never ceases to amaze me… his concientiousnss, his goodness, his love…. I would give hm a dog VC for services beyond the call of duty to all baby things and others too !!!
Valerie! Hullo darling friend. He is growing into quite a dog this one.. c
Methinks the checks and balances on the farmy seem to be working just fine at the moment: agree with Valerie about the VC for Boo tho’ 🙂 ! Well, my problems with being tidy in a small two-bedroom cottage is one of books and files! Being an avid reader of those things one actually holds in one’s hands, piles of books cover all available surfaces in absolutely every room: oh they are tidy, but . . . . !!! About two thousand volumes I guess sort’of belong in a library . . .
You ARE a library!
Were that the truth I would have avoided a lot of problems in my life 🙂 ! OK: for ANY anglophile reading this, am just in the middle of the recently published ‘CHARLES, the Heart of a King’ by Catherine Mayer and think this one of the best ‘learning experiences’ of today’s England [yep, mean England, not just dear Charles!] anyone could reach for . . . actually American-born author living in the UK . . . . . knew some, am learning a huge amount more . . . . yes, even here in Oz and coming from a republic am a Monarchist ‘if it ain’t broke’ don’t fix it’ !!!!
excellent eha, we all love a good book! I shall look for it.. many thanks.. c
Your house sounds like our house! Two whole walls of shelves plus several smaller book-cases are still not enough, and any flat surface always has books on it.
Cecilia, Eha and Viv,
My son calls my books ‘these relics’, just not the same on screen. Good tip re Charles book, not one I would have gone for. Re reading the horror of ‘The Lord of the Flies’ currently, not read since my teens. Cecilia loved your towels on line photo a while back, I remember as a child being shocked when at a friends house and her mum hung the towels vertically, quizzed my Mum on this unusual behaviour (horizontal is all I had ever seen) and got the explanation about drying time quicker and some people don’t have the space of a long line in a paddock. Interesting yours are not pegged from the ends but folded over. Love looking at washing on lines, very personal, like photos of hands.
Oh my Celi, I cannot imagine a life more different than the one I’ve known. I imagine that the workload is much more challenging than the fun you make it appear to be. Good for you for living a life filled with nature and such beautiful creatures!
It is actually just as wonderful as it looks – I am a very lucky girl! c
You have your hands full with the kunekune! They are so cute though. I’m glad you figured out how to sneak pix of the goats.