Jakey-Boy

Jakey when he first arrived in October 2009.

He is on the left, and he is a Jacob ram.

Everyone said he was too small to make lambs. 

But he wasn't.

During the 2011 / 2012 winter these arrived:

  

Twenty two lambs, that's what he gave us.

Fourteen this year, or thereabouts.

We lost count.

It has been a bit of a year so far.

Went out to the Sheep Paddock yesterday,

and there he was,

a stiffo on the ground.

We are upset.

RIP Jakey-Boy, 

you did us a grand service.

Bits of kit

In the post are: 1 milk separator so I can get the cream out of our goats milk. This is coming from the Ukraine, from 'Merry-Farm'. Seen the YouTube video, which is in English Apparently the instruction booklet is not. It is in Russian apparently, but with an English translation which is not understandable. 

Then there are cultures for making cheese from the goats milk coming from the UK, from BrewUk. This was  a handy site, might have a go at making a brew later on. Also, cheese moulds, thermometers, butter muslin and other stuff from Homestead Farms, who also had hoof stuff for the sheep, and harnesses for the puppies whose lead walking training has not been done yet, and they are as big as Boolie (our Springer Spaniel) so they are inevitably going to be pulling me along at full pelt, hence the harnesses. 

From Amazon UK, there is a Kenwood food processer coming so I can turn the cream which comes out of the milk via the Merry-Farm separator into butter. It was the same price as an electric butter churner, but will help me with other things such as prepping the veggies. I could churn the butter by hand. You do this by putting cream into a glass jar and shaking that jar up and down for ages. I had a trial run using milk. After five minutes my arm ached and my hand felt like it was going to drop off. But I have opted for a manual separator rather than the electric one, so I should still get some exercise. 

Then from UKJuicers there is the biggest bit of kit and that is an Excalibur dehydrator. 

From America I have already received the All American Pressure Canner. 

Now all I have to do is read the books which are also on their way, keep watching helpful YouTube vids, and then start practising the skills of cheese making, butter making, canning, dehydrating, and going round the bend. 

And this all because for years I had the urge to grow my own veggies. Then I met Lester. Then France came into our lives. Then an urge grew in Lester to have farm animals. Then we moved to France, to our undeveloped five acres of land which we have spent the last five years making into a smallholding. That is why I need to learn these new skills, because I have to do something with the harvests, both animal, fruit, and vegetable, that we are producing. 

Phew! And here I am, at sixty six years of age, learning all these new things. And I couldn't do it without all those other people who have the skills which I don't have at the moment, and who take the time to post up vids on YT to help people like me learn, plus the inspiration I get from the blogging community. 

The Internet is not such a good place for many things, but for learning new things then it is priceless. 

So all this lot is supposed to be arrived in a week or so. Meanwhile I had better get on with trying to get the veg plots going. Or maybe I shall collapse in a heap. Which I don't have time to do. But I would if I did. Or maybe not. Life is just too interesting.........

To the woods!

Been out in the woods today with Lester, playing 'let's thwack our way up the Amazon'. OK, that is an exaggeration, because our woods are titchy, and it was not that hot, and there were no mosquitos about because it is too early in the season although no doubt it is going to be a hell of a year for mozzies because of the wet and mild winter but not at the moment.

So what were we doing messing about in the woods? Cutting a path so we can get to the river bank, that's what we were doing. And why would we want to be making a path? So Lester can carry the electric pump down to the river's edge so we can get water from there to the veg plots.

....and ssshhhhh! Don't tell a soul because we aren't supposed to 'borrow' the river water because the river authorities say we can't unless we have a license, but since the river 'borrows' our land to flow over when it is carrying too much water, I think it is only fair that we avail ourselves of the water on offer when we need it.

However, it being Sunday, within a few yards of the water's edge a lethargy hit us, dwindling away our pep and vim, rendering us useless to carry on, so off to bed we went, and that was us finished for the day. Ah well, start again tomorrow.

PS. All potatoes in. Onions and garlic in. Four rows of sugar beet in. Flower seeds round edge of plot were in but are now residing in the digestive tracts of the ***** chickens, who did a raid on the veg plot whilst we were having our afternoon nap. One hen now gone broody and sitting on eggs in the portable once upon a time rabbit run. The other 'broody' hen went off the idea of sitting on a pile of eggs after one day, so those eggs are now indoors. Lucy the cat is now practising her survival skills after pouncing on, but not managing to completely overwhelm, a wood pigeon. Blue the rottweiller puppy and sister to Maz, is in disgrace after developing a passion for chasing, and almost catching, hens. 

Hope you had a restful Sunday, and hope you have a good week ahead......