Yesterday we found a great home for Elsie and Beatrix Potter. The Dutch Belted Cow and calf. Their new owners are cow people with fields and a similar way of thinking to us. Their animals are raised in an old fashioned way on grass. So I am confident that they will both get the best care and attention. Potter will be their future house cow. What surprised me is how fast they sold. But who could turn down that face.
As an extra bonus they have a bred Hereford gilt! So hopefully if all goes well I can buy a little boar from them. So between us we can help breed each others animals. That is a bonus.
Naomi turned a corner yesterday and began to actually run everywhere. She has been a bit slow to find her ‘get up and go’, but I think that she has finally got over the shock of no longer being in utero and is coming alive. Though compared to Potter she is still a small calf.
Her mother is still milking for me every morning though she has woken up as well and is getting a bit kicky but I am still able to get a couple of gallons. I don’t need more than that. She needs training. And with Naomi being so small I am happy to leave her with her mother for the full 24 hours. Every time I feel Naomi’s belly she is warm and full so she will grow and she and I can continue to share.
Naomi’s collar is very useful for me. It is a goats collar that will break if it gets caught on anything but strong enough for me to be able to grab her as she ducks past so I can keep her friendly with me. Plus it looks kind of cool.
John is home from work today so we will continue with top sowing the fields : Daisy’s field today. We have also stepped out another two acres of field across the way and that will be sown in hay. Grass hay this time. And rain on the way!
Oh I have more news. In about ten days (if all goes well) our first volunteer from the Woofer site comes to stay. He is a young architect from Argentina. He and I have been talking about designing a system to get rainwater to every trough. Plus around the house. So when it rains everything fills up and the spill fills up the next container and so on. I also want to construct a moving sculpture that comes alive only when it rains while ferrying water into the barrels and troughs around the house. I also want it to make a noise. Maybe bells? Using found objects. Of course – I don’t ask for much!! He likes this challenge and will be here at the end of the month for a few weeks. Though he wants to farm too. Bless him.
So far so good. Getting up and running.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farm
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
42 responses to “Up and Running”
Good Morning! Glad you are moving forward at a nice even pace now. It is great to feel at the end of each day that the steps taken forward out way the ones going backwards!
Had loads of rain here in the past few weeks, so getting things done outside is a challenge. Managed to get beans, peas, lettuce, spring onions, radishes all sown yesterday. And mowed front lawn and half the back before my back gave out on me and screamed for me to stop! More rain on its way today, so the other half of the back lawn will have to wait 😦
I’m interested to hear about your Woofer experience. The people in our area use Workaway, which is a similar thing and also worldwide. We are going to have our first Workaway in May. It’ll be a new experience for us. There is plenty to do here!
Using different size pebbles and rocks and lowering and heightening the distance that the water falls will give you plenty of noise as it moves along. I looking forward to seeing the design of this project. Glad the two girls have gone to a good home. Perhaps shackle Lady A before she becomes too settled in bad habits at milking time. Laura
I’m excited about the upcoming water constuctions and glad the cows have found another good home. It’s dry here; hope we get rain this week. Blessings. 😊
Another busy farmy day and I am looking forward to seeing how the rainwater catchment system works. I only use rainwater at home but we only have the one tank and would love to get more so will wait and see what you guys do.
Have a beautiful day and wee Naomi looks lovely in her red chain collar.
🙂 Mandy xo
I’m so glad you’ve found a good home for Elsie and Potter, and that you will be able to keep in touch. The Woofer visitor sounds ideal, and the prospects for projects is really exciting.
I’ve started a crochet project for some specially warm indoor slipper socks. If it works out well I’ll make you some.
Enjoy your day
love,
ViV xox
I LOVE the picture of Naomi in the red collar. She really is a beautiful little thing.
OK, one last try; my previous two attempts to comment just disappeared. I wonder if you’d be interested in a Japanese Deer Scarer (Shishi-Odoshi) water feature, made from bamboo? You get a nice trickling sound till the water burden tips a pipe on a pivot, which then clacks (the scaring part). I wanted one myself and went hunting on the web. There are loads of different YouTube videos and other instructions for making them. I’ve seen them in operation and it’s a soothing, repetitive sound. Miss Naomi is looking very fetching indeed in her red bling, she really is the most beautiful little girl… I’m very glad Elsie and Potter are going to a good home; peace of mind for you, and a bit more safety!
Excellent news 🙂
Lots of good news this morning!
So happy for you that Elsie and Potter sold so quickly , and what a bonus to maybe have found a kindred farmer to share breeding! I adore Little Miss Naomi’s necklace. I wonder if she will now be full of spunk or always dainty (can a cow be dainty?!?) and angelic. I’m looking forward to seeing the rainwater catch system. One of my favorite pictures is of your different size pitchers spilling water down to the next…
Frankly i cannot believe how fast she sold. And I have two more people asking about cows and calves. Makes me think about just raising milk cows. hopefully better behaved ones! c
It is a rather nice feeling when things all begin to click in a positive direction, isn’t it? I cannot begin to picture in my mind what this new water feature will look like, but find the entire idea ingenious.
Good morning Celia, I have just joined your site and am enjoying the peacefulness of your life compared to my urban one. My sister is Faye Blondin in Ontario. She said that I had to introduce myself to you. I live in central Alberta in a small centre just outside of Red Deer Alberta, pop 90,000. I do live with a charming black Lab named Neo. He keeps us busy walking and fetching. I am an avid outdoor activity person just like Faye. Love your photos and your tales. Hugs to all Del
Your name is Del? How wonderful. My great aunts name was Del and we all just loved her. That is why I named a calf after her. Thank you for coming over to visit, Welcome. Welcome. Love to Faye! c
Naomi is a cute little thing. I’m hoping that Naomi’s mum doesn’t become a kicker also. All the best to you, c, and to the farmy. xx
I got john in to hold her tail up this morning – it is really a matter of perserverance, sometimes it takes a while to train a cow. c
Nothing but good news. I talked to my brother in Germany yesterday . He now has a herd of 26 sheep many of them babies.
Wow! He is farming again.. what a delight for you all and your old family farm. That is wonderful news and we know what your fields look like so even better!