The Big Four O...

After much organisation and a lot of help from neighbours, family and friends (and the drought...in that the lack of rain meant we didn't have to hire a marquee) we made sure that James had a 40th Birthday party that would take away the need to have any sort of midlife crisis. We had such a brilliant night that most people forgot to take photos - and those that were taken are a touch on the blurry side. At last count we had about 70 people and 20 kids running around madly. Felix needed a day off on Monday to recover. We had fire buckets around the house for warmth, a pig on the spit and of course the Goducken... although actually it was partridge, inside guinea fowl, inside a duck, inside a chicken and finally a goose. Expertly boned and stuffed with sausage meat by James. James' parents were here for the party as part of a 3 week stay that meant our fencing up the drive is well underway and the paddocks have had their yearly slashing with thanks to Peter. Woody has been very lonely as Coco has gone off to learn the meaning of life with a very nice Springer Spaniel called Ash. She pined for her pig dog friends for a while but apparently gave in after it seemed apparent they were not coming to rescue her. We pick her up tomorrow and now wait to see whether or not she will be pregnant with crossed fingers.

We are aiming to open our farm shop by end of June or July at the latest and are madly growing up our 'smallgoods' pigs for salami and bacon which there seems an endless demand for. Last but not least it seems this seems like a good place to announce that we have booked our trip back to the UK for Christmas this year. We will be flying out on December the 21st exhausted after ham sales and very much looking forward to coming back and seeing everyone. Felix and Emi are very excited, firstly about seeing their cousins, secondly the Queen and an equal second is the possibility of snow....their words not mine. I thought I would share a conversation that Emi and Felix had between themselves last week whilst eating their dinner:

Emi: "Who was born first"
Felix: (chewing on his food and thinking about it pauses) "Jesus" (he has started scripture lessons at school which seem to have had a big impact..hmm)
Emi: "No..I don't think so"
Felix: "Yes, I am telling you it is true"
Emi: "Um..no, you were born first, then me...it definitely wasn't Jesus"

Geese and Guardians

Fantastic Mr Fox is still busy at work up here. Margie, the original goose, who had lived through almost everything was finally taken. This left my Embden goose Patricia to wander around honking tragically. Luckily one of our good friends and the local Agriculture teacher found me a flock that needed a new home and showed up with them in the back of a stock trailer some days later. Initially we thought we might take the numbers down by filling the freezer with 6 of the young ones. I kept the whole lot in the stable with a pathetically grateful Patricia for a week to get used to me and fed them every day in preparation for being locked up at night. They are very big geese but thankfully seem pretty friendly. James and his Dad (more on that later) chose one as a five bird roast (or as they are known her a 'Goduckhen' (very unsure of spelling). 2 hours later they emerged covered in feathers with tweezers, a blowtorch and god knows what else. The rest of the geese have had a reprieve as James has sworn never again. They are happily floating around on the very low damn with the ducks. I am sure the fox is very grateful we have stocked his winter larder. Two days ago James did an impressive vault over the fence and sprint down to the damn on hearing a commotion and literally scared Mr F running off with one of the females clutched in his jaws. He came up to the house with her looking very dead however we put her on some straw and twenty minutes later she was up and around...albeit walking in tentative circles with some pretty serious bruising. She has had antibitotics and much TLC and subsequently all geese now sleep up next to their night house unless they really have to go down to the dam and get a drink. I really really don't like foxes any more.

In acknowledgment of our fox issue we have been joined by Pharoah, who looks more like a large teddy and less like a scary fox killer to me. He enjoys eating horse stud nuts, carrots and makes a funny camel like sound when he sees me. He likes a scratch along his neck but not on top of his head. He looks like he can spit a long way.... I am yet to find out but he seems to like people very much. I am hoping he likes our sheep very much too. He is one of James' alpaca breeders old stud bulls who has been retired and castrated. He even has a cute head collar and walks along quietly enough that Emily announced that she would like to ride him instead of a pony. Apparently they are fearsome flock guarders who round up the sheep and then attack the fox by striking with front legs. He doesn't seem to like the dogs which is a good sign, however this morning I let him out with the sheep and after walking off and looking very protective (above), I have just found him waiting for me by the gate calling for his morning tea. Lucky for him he is very cute and I guess will join the rest of the cute yet hopeless pets that we seem to keep around here (see diabetic ferret posting for more on this).