Friday, January 20, 2017

Winter? Really?

What an odd winter it's been around here ... nice in many ways - fairly mild - no deep snow to fight but it keeps feeling like spring then disappointing me ... ha!




We have 12 large bales left after putting 3 out today ... let's hope it lasts until we have grass


1 goes out to the core of Team Valiant (that is Aldwyn, Valiant and Em Cee) in the pond field. When horses are in they eat small bales in hay nets ... and cubes - lots of cubes!




2 went into the barn yard today - often one goes in the barn yard and one in the strip field - but it's so mild today and projected to stay that way I am trying to preserve the grass in the strip field by locking everybody down in the barn yard for a bit ...sucks but there you have reality of this winter in Prince Edward County .




Thursday, December 8, 2016

here comes winter, here comes winter ....

We dug potatoes this weekend - yield was way way down as we dealt with major drought this year .. but they are tasty! We are so very grateful that as much as we enjoy  growing what we eat we don't have to depend on it to survive this winter. It would be a brutal winter without a grocery store. Sigh. Our usual hay yield is about 120 large square bales. This year we got 50 so another "fun" task for the summer was outsourcing hay. We got a hay elevator which made life much much easier!



We got water from the water station  through the summer at least weekly and often daily. Our ponds were entirely dried up which reminded us of what a precious resource water is. Our house well ran dry a few times but we mostly put our bought water ($4 for 250 gallons) into the well and were able to keep on functioning much as normal (although long showers, laundry and dish washing were all curtailed).

The barn well stayed functional all summer. I was proud of it. How silly is that? But sometimes it;s the little things that make challenges bearable.



We have installed two water posts in the paddocks closest to the barn. So far we all love them - the trick will be if they will stay functional and unfrozen over the winter. Cross your fingers.

The horses ended up having two months of the lovely fall off. Sigh So here comes winter and here comes back to work. Not the best time of year but hopefully we'll sort it out.


Big T has finished the educational milestone that brought us down here. I have no intention of leaving though. Will be interesting to see what is around the next corner. To celebrate his accomplishments Mum got him an amazing wood splitter which has already saved us hours of man labour and muscle and I had a writers cabin (we call The Tardis) to encourage him to stay close to home!


Life is good 
We are ever grateful. 



Saturday, May 28, 2016

Full Hearts Full Farm

We've been set up and in residence here a little longer than 2 years now

Our hearts are full of gratitude and wonder and our farm is full too.



 Cats




Chickens, Dogs, Rabbit, Parrots

and horses ...



no room left at the inn but Life is so good.


Saturday, January 16, 2016

in the depths of winter here

But it's really just started so o complaints from me yet!



What a summer and fall we had.



Routines are well in place and we both still love and appreciate our life here.



The dogs love it too.



The horses, chickens and bunny all seem happy too.




We had lots of guests. Lots of Love. Life is Lovely.


Saturday, June 27, 2015

nearly three months have flown by ...

and all the lovely promise of spring is turning into the delights of summer ...




happens every day but especially on a sunny warm day after a rain - you can see in the afternoon the actual real growth of the green.





the  pond remediation went well last fall ...lots of fun for the dogs every day - and the frogs seem grateful too


we are nearly all here now - and it's lovely

long walks with the dogs, lots of lovely rides




this springs projects included barn water and electricity and some fencing - we are so very lucky to be able to do these things

next, and likely last for a long long time is a little all weather surface for light riding,  the grass works well usually but in the real wet of spring and fall I don't want to tear up the hay fields or the agility field



busy is good
life is good

Saturday, April 11, 2015

What a winter ...

We pretty much hunkered down and "got her done". Mr Deere made life much more possible than it would otherwise have been.



No power or water in the barn meant lots of hot water bucket lugging. No heater that would work in the outdoor trough meant even more buckets of water.  Got good and fit!

The winter was long and cold but way less miserable than last winter. If I had to pick I'd pick this one but I'd be happy to have a non winter too.


Hopefully this will be the only winter of buckets we endure!


We moved the chickens and bunny into the barn. Smart smart move but i am looking forward to moving Mr Randy Roo back out. He's gotten a bit, um, cocky, in the small winter run. I end up spending lots of time with a rooster tucked under my arm as i do chores to avoid my boots being battered. He hates rubber boots but with the mud around here he's having to acclimate!










Sunday, December 28, 2014

we're all just running feral here

what glorious weather 


dogs (including extra guest)







horses



people 

many guests over the last week - loved having them but looking forward to a peaceful week too :D


chickens

are pretty confined which is a good thing as they'd have blown to Oz last week 

bunny is also safely confined 


in most exciting news ever the barn is DONE!




completed photos next time 

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Winterizing ...

not nearly as much as we'd like - as we are still waiting for the garage to be finished and the barn to be started - but slowly bit by bit it will come together


need to dig up garlic and move it - need to winterize equipment



need to figure out winter water for the horses


have a source of round bales for hay  which is great but have to get them inside if we can



the list is long but the gang is happy and we'll get it done



... won't we?

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Summer Loving ...

What a summer - it has flown by with a hundred things undone but what a lovely summer it has been

horses came home to the farm



hay happened - but it can have it's own usual post!


house is so close to done only we know it isn't quite




got to play some agility and some scent work - got to teach some of both too



dogs have decided this is indeed the good life


visitors came from around the world and around the corner - friends and family - canine and human so lovely to see them and share our corner of the world with them










we made it to Paradise and Sandbanks - more than once this summer!



work continues to be fun and fulfilling - in all it's variations



and I still have things to unpack and find homes for