Sunday 28 February 2016

Week #8 - Cover to Cover

I love a good book and the somewhat quieter pace of the winter months, means that I get to indulge a bit more than usual.... 


My bedside table typically holds a collection of books, many of which I'm half way through or currently browsing. 

Often they are an assortment of reference books relating to any number of current questions we are pondering around the farm.... which essential oil is best to ease a headache, when do goats come back into heat in the spring, what factors increase the success rate of hatching eggs.... and on and on.

I tend to keep my fiction books on my iPhone as then I can make use of every minute I find myself waiting for something throughout the day to read a chapter or two... while I miss the smell and feel of a real book, I can't ignore the sheer convenience that reading on my phone brings to my lifestyle. 

Recently I finished the Tearling series by Erika Johansen along with The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.... Currently I'm reading The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. 

When I'm on the move, I'm starting to enjoy listening to books and am a third of the way through Tim Ferris' The 4-Hour Workweek. I admit I'm skeptical but intrigued! 

Soon spring will come and gone will be the stolen hours of reading until winter comes again. How about you... What are you reading? 



Sunday 21 February 2016

Week #7 - Plant therapy

I hit it! I hit the wall! 

Even though this winter has not brought particularly bad weather... each February usually just after Valentines Day, I hit the "I'm totally done with winter wall!

On Monday our seed order came in and the urge to dig in the soil and plant something was palpable! The yearning for the smell of freshly turned earth and sunshine on my face was overwhelming. 

So yesterday, I turned to a little bit of plant therapy.... Got some pots out and some soil and started playing! Planted some herbs, lettuce, some spinach and some edible flowers. Put some calendula in as I'm hoping to use the petals to dye our soaps and violas to add to our salads. 

Can't wait to see the green shoots pop out of the rich dark soil, reaching for the sun. It's not the same as digging in the garden but it will have to suffice for now.... spring is just around the corner!


What do you do to get through the winter months? 





Saturday 13 February 2016

Week six - Through the eyes of a child...


There is little more amazing to watch then a child learning... Our experience as leaders in our local 4H club has given us many opportunities to see this first hand. Whether its learning to cook, sew or fix an engine, how to take care of an animal or grow your own food... watching them learn and grow is pretty amazing to see! 

This month we've been hatching chicks and thus have had a number of visitors! 

A couple of the 4Hers have been following the chicks progress and have waited anxiously for their eventual arrival.

The kids have learned how the egg is formed inside the chicken and how often they lay eggs. We have also learned how long it will take for the chick to grow inside the egg (21 days) and finally they've watched them emerge and thrive. 

While they may not grow up to be chicken farmers, they have learned important lessons of life, natural selection and the responsibility of caring for another being. 

Hope they look back on these experiences as fondly as we do... 

Sunday 7 February 2016

Week 5 - Winter's embrace

February brings us fully into winter's cold embrace.... For us February is a month of ordering seeds, planning where and what we will plant, and repairing and cleaning equipment (well at least in theory, we should be doing this... at times the warm fire is more welcoming).

On days like today, it feels a bit like winter's embrace is more like a headlock... The wind and snow are creating challenges everywhere, with road closures and flickering power outages. 

However, regardless of the weather, chores must be done and work has to continue. The animals need more care and attention than ever in order to keep warm and healthy so out we go....

How do we deal with the snow and cold? 
Engineer crazy sled inventions from recycled things!
Dress warm!
Some of us enjoy it more than others!




















How do you embrace winter? Whether you are a hibernator or a snow lover, here's hoping you have a healthy dose of whatever makes you happy today! Stay warm!