And we are off – miss c is back in the saddle… (an English saddle, those wild wild west cowboy saddles hurt my bony bum.) And me and my saddle (but no horse of course) are moving fast now.
Thank you for your patience with me and my absence.
Spring has hung it’s hat here for a while. No season stays, the season will drop to the earth for a while then move on. And we follow. Yesterday it was blowing and cold and raining hard- spring nevertheless. 
Yesterday Hop and Pop Poppy came home from the West barn. She trotted with much anticipation on and then with much anticipation off the trailer and went straight into her old pen with the big outside run and began to look for food. As you would – being a pig and all. And pregnant too I hope.
Long leggy Auntie Sheila was out –
Due to driving rain I brought Sheila into the barn from her outside house. In error I had left the door open to the sunroom in the barn where Tima has been sleeping and Sheila shambled straight in and claimed the best corner at the door ensuring no intruders.
Tane is still in the big inside pen so he cannot get Tima pregnant and deeply unimpressed by this carry on.
Alex was brought into a small pen so I could put a halter on her. I want to halter her in case she has any problems with calving – she is a heifer after all. Quite to my surprise she stood beautifully and though nervous she let me attach the halter then detach it again because even this big calf halter was the wrong shape for the miniature cow. I was pleased with her behaviour. Though still timid she is kind.
Aunty Del loves the camera – she is such a flirt.
Later in the afternoon I discovered that Sheila had pulled down the blanket I use to tuck Tima in at night. This one is the same colour as her old blanket from the bad winter when she slept alone. She had dragged it into the middle of the pen then lay down beside it.
When I came in to see what she was up to, she lifted her head and made her good night noises. When I picked up her blanket she wriggled further into her bed and making these low grunts appeared to invite me to cover her up.
So I did. This was early in the evening about 4pm and at her night time check she was still sleeping soundly, still under the blanket. And it was a miserably cold and stormy night last night. My clever pig.
When Tima came in to go to bed she was aghast. But very quietly agast as one does not want to disturb the biggest pig. So she lay down quietly on the other side and did the best she could.
Good morning. I hope you have a lovely day.
My brain has caught up with its skull and I am ready for action. My roaming is finished for the year now. Barring any emergencies we are looking towards months of good solid farming with all its attendant ups and downs.
I am looking forward to this season – I have a good feeling.
Love celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
80 responses to “The season begins”
Some days I would like to act just like Sheila, hiding under a blanket and sleeping.
Welcome back, Miss C.
That picture of Tima will pull at my heartstrings all day. 😉
I love the pig in the blanket. She’s too darling!
Thank you for all the photos today allowing us to check in on the animals and you as you press forward through those still very ominous skies.
Big Pig in a Blanket. There’s your book title. (What a nice smile Sheila has snug in bed! Pigs are very smart and they do learn. Good memories. Clever is the best word for pigs.)
The peacock waterfall is quite a beautiful photo. Stay snug yourself and hang on for spring’s bounce and joys
Welcome back to the fold. xx
It’s been quite cold here lately, and today it’s raining as well. All the goats have chosen to sleep in, and if I feed them before the Matriarch Doe is up and about, they don’t eat as well. So it will be brunch instead of breakfast today – an unexpected perk of installing barncams!
We’ve also had it cooler and freezing rain the past two days, but today is decidedly milder and appears the rain has lifted. I love the update on all your lovely farmy animals. It sounds like the addition of Alex will turn into a great positive and, of course, Sheila wrapped in a warm blanket is a lovely image. She looks so settled in and happy, I wonder if she prefers that location to her outdoor hut. Well, perhaps in bad weather, anyway. I am looking forward to all the birthings due in the next while. Hope you are well, and wishing you a lovely day too. ~ Mame 🙂
its great to have you back….lots of love
Sent: Friday, March 25, 2016 at 2:20 PM
Good morning from Parham, Ontario. We had the blast of freezing rain last night but got off fairly well with the temperatures warming up above freezing this morning. Loved the banner picture today. Celi, your shots seem so rich and full of colour. They always do … but today’s are very sharp. Loved Sheila’s antics … and poor Tane and Tima’s faces! Your shots of Auntie Del are magnificent. Thank you for bringing us into your life – it brings happiness into my mornings!
Hi Parham! I had to look you up on the map as I’d not heard of your town before… and find you even have your own Wikipedia page. Impressive! Especially since it described the town as having two general stores and three churches! Not bad for a population of just 250! heh heh… But you are in a beautiful part of the country. 🙂
Welcome back! 🙂
Isn’t Sheila clever? But poor little Tima must have been shocked to have her blanket stolen! The photos made me smile. Your animals are such characters, each with their own personality.
Oh it’s so good to have you back! Sheila is astonishing in so many ways, her great size for one thing. Just spectacularly humongous. And her intelligence to match. She had to lift her head to spot that blanket way above her. And then to pull it down with her teeth and drag it with her. But best of all is her emotional intelligence. Making it clear she wanted to be covered. (We won’t mention a certain sense of entitlement.)
Laugh. Ah yes – that sense on entitlement for sure! c
Life on the farmy is good. Here it’s life on the beach. Carnival atmosphere as all the Mexican families come to the beach for Semana Santa, Holy Week. Looking forward to returning to Manitoba spring in late April. Hopefully Spring will be there before I am. Have a lovely day.
sheila looks so cozy and large under her blanket…..welcome back. i think transitions are sticky . ..the spaces in between…..winter into spring…under a blanket is a fine place to be.
So good to have you back! I also can’t stop looking at that header photo, but those piggy antics are the best!