Tag Archives: farm

This autumnal loveliness…

… Is hurting my eyes! Not really- everything is too soft and muted for that. But holy moley, every day brings some new ‘must stop a moment’ vista I can’t resist. My phone is feeling heavy with the weight of all that fog I’m stashing away inside. This photo was taken down at my neighbour’s pond where I lease a bit of land for sheep. They also have ewes, so we keep our sheep together and share the responsibilities of caring for them. I have the morning rounds which means I get to enjoy this sort of view every day while I’m digesting my oatmeal.

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Inspiration is everywhere – meet Bill

Bill is our Light Brahma rooster, a fine protector of hens and father of a lovely crop of pullets and cockerels, the latter who have been gracing our table over the past few weeks. Bill is also handsome, a trait which Dad captured perfectly in this portrait. Dad’s website has more samples of his work, if you are curious about what he does.

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Rosa – early morning march

It’s amazing how Rosa (one of the rescued cats from Mexico) doesn’t stroll or saunter along the top rail of the fence. She marches, steps out like she has a whole empty highway beneath her. Next time I feel hesitant, worried about safety nets, or unsure about taking the next step, I’m going to think about Rosa who has adapted so well to her new life here and strides forward like she owns the… fence.

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Banties Arrive

20120313-214659.jpg The bantams have arrived! As have the Ridley Bronze turkeys. I don’t have any good pictures of the Ridleys yet but will post as soon as I do. Meanwhile, my barnyard finally sounds like a real barnyard.

New Chicken House

20120308-150341.jpg The new chicken house is coming along very nicely. Just in time! The first batch of chickens and the adult Ridley Bronze turkeys (from up-island) are arriving this weekend (more poults from a farm on Saltspring will get here at the end of May). Note the re-purposed closet doors! As we continue to tear apart the house during the renovation, we’re finding all kinds of ways to reuse the bits and pieces. I guess I should also explain that this little shelter was originally used to house the pot-bellied pig we took in a number of years ago. When Mikey succumbed to pneumonia one winter, the goats took over the shelter. A couple of years after that, we moved the goats to a new, bigger shelter up the hill and installed our first weaner pig, Francis Bacon. When Francis became sausages and  chops, the structure was just crying out for new purpose in life. Voila – another incarnation as Chicken House No. 1.