Sheep shearing

 The sheep have been sheared. Looking good happy again. Learning experience heading sheep. 

How much fleece do I have! 

Looking forward to some time to spin pick, and dye! 

Project Dyeing

The mordant kit has arrived plan is in place for sheep shearing. Plan to pick plants, petals, flowers, leaves and even onion skins and dye fleece for needle felting, wet felting and spinning wool. Have a plan to knit some items too. 

Might take some planning. 

Step one - research I.e how much to pick  and learning the dyeing process. 

Step two - hope for lovely weather and do some foraging. Will make a change usually forage for food now foraging for colour!! 

Step three- shear sheep and keep fleece step four - spin some wool 

Step five- dye fleece and wool - enjoyable bit experiment with colour! 

Step six - create needle felting kits to sell

Step seven - get knitting

Animal update

Truffle caught her first mouse! 

Ninja caught his first bird

Chickens and ducks all doing well. Mother hen doing a good job looking out for her three chicks. Orphan chicks doing well best of mates. 

Pigs growing well enjoying theirselves. Sheep and lambs all doing well. 

Bees doing really well looking forward to loads of honey. Looking forward to creating honey related sauces. 

How Cute..................................

Mother hen is doing well with three chicks.

I was trying to get a picture of the chick running round the duck house with potato peeling in its mouth. Instead I got this shot but I really like it.

Mum hen well she has rejected a chick. It has got stuck in its shell so I had to help. after I helped mum didn't want to know. She has also kicked the duck egg out of the nest. I think she had had enough of sitting on eggs. Duck egg in incubator so we will see. The rejected chick is with chicken that came out of the incubator completely different ages but seem happy cell mates. The older chicken enjoying the heat lamp again!

The chicks with mum kept escaping to mums dismay the noise she makes shouting them back. I found the escape route so they are safely with mum.

This week has been great Nephews have been feeding and watering the animals. The grass has been strimmed and the house all Hoovered been a great help. Loved the day trips out shame we didn't catch any mackerel fishing yesterday.

When relatives come to stay...........

Lol - funny moments that will amuse me for a while. Might be had to be there moments!! 

From sheep chasing nephews..... The boys shouted the sheep to fuss sheep. The sheep ran up to them for the fuss. Boys run as scared of sheep. The sheep gave chase up the field.

Nettles under the hammock. Nephew says dad sit on hammock. brother falls off hammock! Ouch lol!!

Lad - Let's catch a duck to fuss it - so chases duck to catch it - Cockerel chases Lad! 

Ninja and Truffle too noisy to be worried. Chasing laser pointer up walls!! Bringing their mice kills home!

Never a dull moment. Fishing tomorrow! 

Another hatched............................

2 down - 10 to go including a duck egg!! Yes she is sitting on a duck egg. I wonder if the duckling will have a identity crisis when born with chicks! 

And the protective Dad!!

Into the fourth Year.................

Just starting my 4th Year on the smallholding and a lots happened in last 3 years!! More a bout that in a moment but heres todays good news story.  

Here is the Broody lady sitting on 12 Chicken eggs and one duck egg.

This am went to feed the chicks and got dive bombed by the Cockerel. I looked round to see The broody hen and her first hatched chick running round the pen. The hen had abandoned her post in the duck house over the eggs. She sat on the chick in middle of pen. Nothing for it but a plan. Pick the chick up and the hen and place  over the eggs!! Easy plan you may say. I forgot about the over protective Dad and aunties!! Anyway after Chicken attack plan achieved and broody hen now back on rest of eggs.

Here is her first chick she has hatched

Back to starting my fourth year! There has been highs there has been lows there has been lots of learning. Would I do it again.....................yes. Am I still living my dream............................Yes. Do I want to change my life.......................................No.

I just love living my dream