Sheep Yard Sundays

For the last couple of months each Sunday afternoon we've been 'sheepworking' as the Muddy Kids call it, but now with the last of the lambs being sent to the Saleyards we're getting back some family time on weekends.

 

At least for a few weeks anyway, before harvest starts, and then early next year we'll be back weighing lambs on Sunday afternoons. It's great family time on the farm, drafting them, then bringing them around and weighing them. The Muddy Kids love it and so do I. I'll miss it, until it comes around again, but will definitely be making the most of some extra time with the family.

 

The best bit about now is watching the baby lambs frolic in the paddock, they'll be the one's we weigh next year! They are so cute when they're little and running around at their Mum's feet. They're still keeping us busy though with lamb marking and tailing and checking for flies. The Muddy Kids are having a ball at present and falling into bed exhausted - perfect really!

 

 

 

Jumping the Fence

Having not been raised on a farm I can remember the first time Muddy Hubby asked me to jump the fence with him. I just looked at him and said 'Are you serious?'. Yes indeed he was, as he nimbly jumped over the fence to go and check a crop, with his long legs he was over in seconds. All I saw was the top strain of barbed wire and a fence that was three quarters my height and I had images of cuts and bruises as I got myself stuck. I am no lightweight that's for sure, so for me to jump over that fence would have been a miracle in line with pigs flying.

 

I have since learnt that where there's a will there's a way and while I do sometimes stand there and put my arms up to Muddy Hubby and ask him to lift me over the fence like he does the girls (I think he's only attempted this once!), he has learnt to hold the wires apart so that I can climb through. It is still not very graceful and almost always I stumble through and stop just short of falling flat on my face, but at least I get to adventure through the crops too and see what's happening, rather than just watching from the ute.

 

 The Muddy Kids on the other hand are starting to be old hands, if Muddy Hubby doesn't whisk them over in his strong arms, they start to climb over themselves or try to climb through with a little help. They definitely put their Mum to shame with their fence jumping skills!

 

 

Checking Canola, Not long now...

Lupins Pods

Muddy Puzzler checking Lupins

On the Bright Side

In the effort to be a little less stressed and try and go with the flow a little more, I've had to let some things that I really love move to the wayside for a while, try and focus on the bright side of life and the everyday.

I'm really missing boot camp and my body is showing the changes with me not going, but on the plus side I am grateful for the chance to take my Muddy Organiser to Ballet and watch the joy it brings her, watch her confidence grow and her dancing definitely improve!.

I have been annoyed at having to travel to the big office for work this week but very grateful that I could tick off things on my to do list and move forward with some projects, at the same time as seeing some wonderful work people face to face, always better than the phone.

4 of my coffee mugs have been broken in the last week or so, plus 2 child locks on the cupboard doors as my Muddy Bubby finds his feet with walking and exploring, so while I will miss my lovely mugs I have something to put on my Christmas list and absolutely adore watching the look of excitement and pride on Muddy Bubby's face as he gets more confident with walking.

I have zero freezer space left after packing away all my Pork, Ham and Bacon, but on the bright side we have been having beautiful roast Pork and I have finally managed to get sublime crackling!

I am struggling to get my head around living with a Vegetarian, who used to be a Vegan who has certain things she can eat and certain things she won't, but am loving being able to expand my cooking repertoire and have an excuse to try new recipes.

The Ducks have moved out of the house yard and into the Duck Yard for day and the Chook Yard (foxproofed) at night, I worry every night when I hear funny noises that it's the fox coming back to take them, I send Muddy Hubby out to check, and when he's not here I traipse out myself ready to take on the fox. On the bright side our back step is no longer covered in Duck Poo and the Muddy Girls have been using the Duck's box as a stage to sing and dance on.

Each day when I focus on the bright side it makes my day go a little better, makes me remember to be grateful and appreciate what I have. Linking up with Maxabella at Village Voices for 52 Weeks of Grateful. Take a moment to think about what you're Grateful for, you won't regret it!

Starting to Turn

The temperature's rising, the sunshiney days are getting longer, the ground is warming up and our crops are starting to turn, as the days move closer to harvest time. Our Canola has pretty much dropped all of it's flowers, it's gone from the brilliant yellow to green as they drop their flowers and now as it's warming they turning less green. Canola has skinny pods full of tiny canola seeds, at the moment these seeds are still green, we picked a few off yesterday and opened them and there's a few black/browns seeds starting to appear. This means we're still a little way away from harvesting the canola.

 

The lupins are filling up their pods. They have brilliant white flowers, and as it warms up they have dropped their flowers and are concentrating on filling their pods. At the moment though when you open the pods the lupins are still green. They need to be white seeds to be ready to harvest. The Muddy Kids love checking the crops, chewing on the seeds to tell Muddy Hubby whether they think it's ready to harvest or checking for grubs. The grubs love the canola and lupins so it's important to keep an eye on them.

 

Muddy Hubby has also been keeping busy with some hay work. He's cut and raked some Oats and has started to bale it today. The raking uses a big rake pulled behind the tractor that turns the hay to help it dry, at the same time as bringing two rows into one to make it ready for baling.

 

This is keeping us busy in our house, what's happening in yours?

 

Grateful for the chance

This week my Grateful post is simple....I am grateful for the chance to be a Mum. Everyday since I have been a Mum I have been so grateful for being so blessed. These past two weeks though as I've watched my Muddy Baby Boy go from 'baby' to 'little boy' in the blink of an eye I am extra grateful for having the chance to be a Mum to a Handsome Muddy Boy, as well as 3 gorgeous Muddy Girls.

 

Each day he challenges me in different ways to the Muddy Girls at the same age, whether it's climbing whatever he can, trying to run before he walks or just trying to change his nappy. Each Day he gives me a different set of clothes to hang on the line, rather than just shades of girl. Each day he makes me feel very blessed for the chance to be his Mum.

 

I can 100% honestly say that it would not have mattered to me if he had been born a girl, as long as he arrived safe and healthy I considered myself lucky. When he arrived I was a little in shock (I had all the girls baby clothes ready to go again) and each day I see him grow and change I am so grateful that he is mine to love and care for and that I have the chance to be his Mum.

 

 

Linking up with Maxabella over at Village Voices for 52 Weeks of Grateful. What are you Grateful for this week?

 

 

Dancing Handicap?

The Muddy Kids and I spend A LOT of time in the car going here, there and everywhere and most often it's the place where we listen to music the most, getting our groove on as we cruise along. What I've realised lately though is that while we get pretty inventive with our dancing and facial expressions, it's all above the hips. When it comes to using our legs and feet to dance around the house to music, their movement is a bit limited. We've never really practiced our dancing outside of the car. It's all been constrained in car seats, with head, arm and shoulder movement.

 

So this week with school holidays we've been burning off some energy playing musical statues, and all the effort goes into the face, arms and shoulders, they're a little lost to even keep time with their feet! I think I've already given them a dancing handicap, or maybe they've just genetically inherited it from Muddy Hubby?

 

Do your kids get their groove on with the whole body, or do they limit it to above the hips like mine?

 

Lamb Tailing

Once our Ewes have had baby Lambs it's time to tail those Lambs, give them an ear mark, vaccinate them and backline them to help prevent flies. It's generally a job for about 3-4 people (depending on the number of lambs in the mob), but with the Muddy Kids and I we had an extra large workforce to help get the job done.

 

The Muddy Girl's first job was to put the rings on ready for Pa to tail them. They were also pretty good at overseeing and telling me just which one they wanted to put in the lamb marking cradle next. Then at the end they had time for some cuddles with the lambs. 

 

It's this sort of thing that I love about farming, we can go to work with Muddy Hubby, spend some time together, help the Muddy Kids get to learn the Family Business and best of all we're outside and using up the energy for a good night's sleep!