Saturday 23 May 2015

Homespun, hay, and hungry hunters.




It's getting colder and greyer at Hill Shadow. We still get blue skies, but colours are duller. The air is crisp. Morning frosts are a regular occurance now, and the report this morning said it was 3 degrees celcius.



I'd believe it.



I've been knitting lots of warm woolies! I'm about 3/4 through Ben's woolley socks (he MIGHT get to wear the before the end of winter!). I discovered my friend Bec over at Peg and Jane spins the most amazing wool by hand (amazing skill!) so I've HAD to buy some and cast on a little cardi for Tara. Im in love with this wool! And knowing that it came from a small family farm in country Victoria, spun by Bec, and knitted by me, makes it all the more special.





And we bought a new little runabout car for Ben - FINALLY. We just couldnt do the too-ing and fro-ing in in the freezing pitch black early mornings and all hours of the night anymore! So this is Ben's little work vehicle. And life has settle down CONSIDERABLY since!




It was great being a 'one car family' for all those years, but completely impractical now!



Last weekend we scored a few mouldy bales of hay from one of our agisters! Unsuitable as horse feed, but perfect for another bale garden! I've filled with layers of green clippings, cardboard, manure, straw, and compost, but so far I've just planted some peas and some bits and pieces from the garden. Not really sure what I'll put in there yet.



And of course in true Hill Shadow Farm style, we've had some #accidentalfarming happening, with a butternut pumpkin popping up on its own in the garden and these... er... things.



There's 2 of them. Pumpkins? Marrows?



Someone who has been loving all the wet weather is Katie!



MUDPIES!!! Perfect after-ballet activity!



And speaking of hay, we picked up this load for $4 a bale from an ad on Gumtree! BARGAIN! We got 20 bales, but I'm so getting another 20 when I can! What a steal!!! It's so nice to have the barn full for winter. Its a comforting feeling; abundance.



Some of the old hay we were given went out to the chooks as a nice warm bed in their chookhouse. And Ben up-cycled this old coffee table into new nesting boxes for the girls - aren't they brilliant!?









Unfortunately: Disaster. A few nights ago, we made a fatal communication error. I thought Ben had shut the chooks in for the night, he thought I had. We hadn't. I woke in the night to frantic clucking and I knew. I bolted out in my pjs and gumboots and in my torchlight I saw the flashing eyes of 2 cunning foxes in the dark, licking their lips having helped themselves to our henhouse like theives in the night.

I felt so horribly guilty. We lost 5 girls through stupid forgetfulness, and we both felt absolutely horrible. I now have a very loud piercing alarm set to go off each evening to remind us to SHUT THE CHOOKS IN!!!



You know what IS good about winter though? Baking. Specifically, my husband's baking.


Just LOOK at this apple pie!!! Tonight he's making lemon meringue. God help my waistline! I shall have to chop wood for hours to work it all off!

The other thing I cant wait for about winter...


3 more weeks!

What do you look forward to about winter?

Keep warm
xxx