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Today we said farewell to three of the goats: Button, Velvet and Buttercup. This was a really hard farewell, especially for Jack. Our original plans had been to keep the six girls and then breed and make cheese. Those plans are on hold for the moment and as such we feel keeping all six goats is perhaps not a sensible way forward. Choosing who to go was based on splitting them into two trios who we felt would get on as a group and then deciding which group to keep. It was not obvious and final decisions were only made in the last 48 hours!! We wish them well!!
Today we said farewell to Chalk and Cheese, Juniper and Peppercorn, Ness and Miss Muckle. They have gone to live with a local smallholder we know who is as mad about fibre as us so we know she will make the very best of their wool and look after them beautifully.
We are now left with our three golden oldies: Muckle, Bressay and Whalsay and our four youngsters: Master Muckle and Chips, Lemon and Lime.
Choosing to half the numbers was hard but we are left with the sheep who best suit us and have parted with those who give fabulous and, as the photos show, wonderfully varied fleeces.
We don't really need to keep the sheep and alpacas inside - they go inside quite happily - even they must be fed up with the rain and the mud!
Blue sky and early spring flowers (crocus and primrose) - what a boost!
It won't last but we will enjoy it whilst we can.
Today the alpaca girls went to their new home leaving us with just the two boys Neptune and Hegemone. They should be in seventh heaven as they are off to live with a larger herd split into single sex groups. We will miss having the six but we won't miss the hard work of trimming feet and dealing with stroppy ladies at shearing time. We wish them all well.
Aside from Otter who is often not that bothered about treats and would just like to go round again.
Hawthorne, apple, rhubarb and Greater stitchwort
Today all remaining five rhea left our land for their new home in Wales. We planned the loading down to the last detail and it went brilliantly (well, aside form Nay getting shut in the bran with the rhea yesterday evening and being so scared that when David went to rescue here she leapt on top of his head, claws out, leaving David's head and face looking like a scene form chainsaw massacre...)
But, back to the rhea, the family who bough them are lovely and we have no doubt they will be well looked after and adored and we are also super grateful to Andrew who helped get the trailer on and off the land in all that mud!
And now to rewilding Oak field.......
After much um-ming and ah-ing, we made the decision to move on our last remaining poultry too. We hardly ever eat eggs now and whilst we love giving them to the dogs, it will be a whole lot cheaper to buy a tray from Edward down the road (and a lot less work). And so today, our remaining nine went to a friend just outside South Molton. The poultry area will now be left to re-wild and it will also be another place we can allow the dogs to explore!!
It feels a great decision.
Muckle, Bressay and Whalsay: to be 9, 10 and 11 this respectively!!
Our downsizing is complete... we now regularly have to play 'hunt the livestock' 🤣as our fields are home to just two alpacas, three goats and seven sheep. 🥰
It is definitely odd looking out onto such empty pasture BUT as spring trickles into life we are looking forward to seeing more 'wildness' on our land; and spending a bit more time with our dogs and on our allotment (but the last two perhaps not at the same time 🤣) and having more time with each other as David's health continues to improve!!! ❤
Already we are enjoying the fact our mornings now seem longer, and that we can sneak in an extra cuppa before the 'rounds' begin. We still have to deal with mud and poo and we still get mugged for feed on the afternoon shift, but it's all good!
And rug making is carrying on in earnest as commissions continue to come in and currently, there is the 'small' matter of ten extra sets of canine paws on the ground.
We are still smallholders I guess but in a very low key way.
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