FIFTEEN MINUTES
Fifteen minutes of extra day light may not seem like a lot but at the end of yesterday it was just enough to finish everything up in daylight with time left over for the dogs and I to walk around the perimeter.
The cold has broken for a few days and I think that today we might even get above freezing.
It is milking day today. Lady still comes in to milk every other day. I went down to every other day expecting her to dry up but she has been giving exactly 30 pounds of clean healthy milk every time with no trouble at all. Del looks to be dry. For the two full days I have been home I have watched her udder and the calves and there is no sign of her having milk at all. This is a surprising result for her but last season she did not milk very much anyway so maybe I should not be surprised.
Txiki is a lovely wee heifer. Running to fat like her Dexter mother. I won’t sell her. Now that we have Inky I have a shot at beginning my miniature herd as planned.
Inky is already much shorter and stockier than her cousin.
Still holding the brown curls in her ears. Still friendly.
It being a lot warmer yesterday than the last few weeks Wai was out long enough to have his photo taken. By the look of him he is still managing to get right into his pile of straw and keep warm. Like Sheila, he spends time arranging his bed each evening.
There is a snowfall of 5 – 8 inches going in and out of the forecast for Thursday night. It comes straight after a very warm few days with rain (Wednesday 51F, Thursday 56F) so we will see. We don’t usually have that much snow here so I will be surprised, however we need to be prepared. Snow in top of frozen rain is not pleasant.
Yesterday I went out and brought extra feed for the stock and vegetables for me (there was not one vegetable in the fridge).
Today hopefully things begin to thaw and we can clean out these cow pens and get the hoses out to fill the water troughs. John had to carry a lot of buckets while I was away.
The chickens stopped laying altogether. As the days lengthen I hope they will begin to lay again and soon. No eggs for breakfast is a bit sad. It was very cold plus they had also run out of their favourite feed and they are a fussy bunch.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
WEATHER:
Tuesday 10% Precip. / 0 in
Cloudy skies with some morning fog. High 36F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night 30% Precip. / 0 in
Cloudy with drizzle developing overnight. Areas of fog with some patchy freezing drizzle. Low around 30F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
37 Comments on “FIFTEEN MINUTES”
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thekitchensgarden 
That’s beautiful light in the snow! Perhaps after all the kicking to start with, Lady Astor has finally decided she likes milking.
Yes – that low pink light created some wonderful shapes..
Welcome back…saw Wei..he looks so very much better. While it’s only January yet, heard next week’s “cold” will not be quite so bad, but that is the midwest for ya!
Nothing quite that awful in the forecast so far – just lots of snow – maybe. John will set up his beloved snow plough and that usually changes the forecast.
Wonderful photos. Yes, 15 minutes of daylight makes a big difference.
Yes it does. i could finish everything and still be in to make Tea in time.
Wish I could send you some of our 34C heat and it is only the beginning of January! The picture of Wai and Peghorn is calendar worthy, New Kid certainly kicks out wonderful colours. Tima looks good too. Enjoy those extra 15 minutes. Laura
Today is lovely so far – still and soon to be above freezing – there will be no sun for a few days though – the clouds are thick
34C sounds like bliss after 47C
So do I we are recovering from so many days over 40C and a monster Sunday of 47C. I haven’t visited for such a long time and Wai looks so good. Elaine.
Oh no! 47! That sounds like hell. Where are you? I thought you were in Aussie?
I am in Aussie it’s a hot summer!
Thought so. Yes my daughter is in Melbourne and it is unusually warm. Ah well. We will work with what we are given.
Welcome back. Happy New Year! Your animals look so happy, I am so glad that the cold finally broke — it has been brutal.
Yes – I was happy not to have to deal with that..
No doubt the animals are breathing a sigh of relief with the warm spell! Ours are too! We also have another cold front headed in this weekend, but it is only for a couple of days. Jack already has the brassicas germinating in the garage and they’ll go into the greenhouse the end of the month. We are fired up for spring planting!!! 🙂
That sounds great – the brassicas not the cold. John has started nothing so far – he has been too busy with the farm – Though I cannot even imagine spring at this point I should get to ordering some seeds.
Wai look amazing! So happy for him. And we had ice and snow on Christmas Eve. It’s not fun.
He had a great morning too – trotting around the barn chatting..
Oh my friend, Wai is looking most handsome these days. You’ve done a beautiful job with your tender loving care in getting him better ❤ You are so wonderful! XOXO – Bacon
I cannot help but remember the state of him when he first came – I am so glad we got through all that and he survived and is thriving to boot. Something magical about that pig.
I’m always anxious to hear how the conditions are for you compared to what we have here. We’ve had extremely cold weather for this area, but then a few days or a week later we reach the 50’s and 60’s. I see robins everywhere this winter, which is very unusual. It makes me hope we might have a short winter season. Fingers crossed for you too!
It will be very strange for us to be in the 50’s in january but as long as it is not of a duration that kicks the trees back into gear it will be ok. Hope you guys do have a short winter – all your wildlife will enjoy that
Everyone looks happy and healthy, so bravo John for great care while you were away. But I bet the creatures heaved a bit of a sigh of relief to see you back, because no-one understands them like Miss C. Your two lovely woolly black heifers are spectacularly glossy and cosy in their winter coats.
awww Wai looks great- warms my heart as does the photo of sunshine on the calf! Have a lovely day.
Like you I’m loving the extra time at the end of the day! It’s worth celebrating!
Chickens on Strike! Bring us the good stuff!!!
Lovely cows too. Will pray that the snow is not that high for you.
It’s amazing how good Wai looks. It’s truly remarkable.
I agree, Wai looks fantastic and those two beautiful heifers are stunning. Glad you are back, glad also that you had a lovely visit in your homeland.
Have a smile on my face about there being ‘not one vegetable’ in the fridge and you having to buy some for yourself! Is Big John a totally meat-and-potatoes guy then? And surely am not used to you having to purchase the most necessary of foodstuffs . . . the sooner that spring arrives on the farmy, the better . . .
Snow reflection and shadows – the first abstract art? Beautiful but brrrr. Each day a little more light – and it does make a difference
Isn’t it funny that Wai and Shiela attend to their beds and the kune kunes don’t? Roosevelt was a pot belly and would spend hours ripping his blankets into pieces and then arranging and rearranging the pieces in his bed. Percy just dives in nose first, if I didn’t pile up his straw he wouldn’t be able to dive in.
I love the photo of Wai. Seeing him look so good is amazing. There’s just something about that pig….
He is rather special and this morning he is sharing a slice of hay with Tane which is s new development
It’s lovely to have gradually longer days…each evening I close the curtains later and later!
Nice isn’t it- even though usually the cold weather is coming after we move into more light
True 🙄