What is it about lambs? They are so cute and such time wasters! I just love watching them as they really find their legs and start prancing around - hilarious. If you haven't seen my video about these four new additions to the farm I'd highly recommend you take a look (unbiased recommendation of course!!). As usual you can find my channel via the link at the top of the page. Subscribe and hit the notify button to get advised as to when I publish my videos!!
Any way back to the week that was. The week did start with the exciting arrival of these lambs but the arrival also saw us saying goodbye to one of my muscovy ducks, Brooke. When I had been busy helping Beth with her lambs - I did have to assist with the delivery of one of them - it had become dark, I hadn't got all the ducks away as my presence was needed elsewhere and that's all that Mr Fox requires to help himself to a meal. I heard a duck going off from up at the hay shed and there's little you can do although, torch in hand, I ran down there as fast as I could but I'm sure she was already being carried away!
Another disappointment this week was when crows started to steal eggs from my duck house where Ash had been sitting patiently on fourteen eggs. I think this had disturbed her and she just stopped sitting on them. Once I'd realised this I removed a few eggs and opened them up. Cold, little, dead ducklings - so sad. They had been so close to hatching but oh well, another live and learn moment, perhaps I should have been shutting her in the duck house day and night! That is what I intend to do with Misty and her nest - pictured above. She has five eggs which hopefully will hatch at the start of September.
It certainly is the time for the creation of new life. The dam at night has once again become quite deafening with the sounds of mating frogs. The little guy in the picture is a Brown Tree frog although there are also lots of Common Eastern Froglets out there as well!!
I've been doing lots of work up in my swales at the moment in preparation for spring. I've been trying to get a bit more planting done and some of the grass cut and used as mulch around the plants to try and help them establish. I did publish a video on my peach tree guild and what I've planted there (have a look!!). I love that my daffodils have made their way out of the long grass to brighten up the area!
With this warmish weather at the moment makes you think of the growing season and plant starts. I don't want to go too early as my microclimate here is a little behind Melbourne and even other areas in town, but I have decided to get started on some of my warmer season crops and grow them to a decent size before planting out and see if I have more success this year. (A decent summer would help, of course). Pictured above is some ginger and turmeric starting to sprout. I have them sitting on a heat mat with a cover over the top and insulated with an old emergency foil heat blanket (you know the type you pack when you go on hikes). It worked really well. Now that the shoots have appeared, I'll be leaving the cover open so that light can get to them, but I'll close it again at night to keep it toasty warm. I've also just planted some chilli, capsicum and eggplant seeds and keeping them on the heat mat as well.
Well that was another busy and exciting week with my little lambs here. Annie, another pregnant ewe, isn't due for another 10-14 days but I'll keep you posted on that!
Enjoy your week
Cheers!!
Comments