Truthfully

Truth be told I feel sometimes like my blog doesn't not depict my real day to day life. I am a photographer, when I see good light or a challenge I photograph it. But this pitchfork above and bucket below are a more honest story. Most of the time I shovel poo, clean dirty bums and do dishes. I move lots of dirt around, I carry lots of water. I do more dishes. I cook a lot of food, second breakfasts and sometimes thirdies. Which in turn makes more dishes, because I feel a sense of guilt if my children are eating organic store bought noodles and sauce. Not homemade egg noodles cooked in bone dense broth. I own good work and dish gloves and I would not trade it for a non dishes and dirt life, ever. 

Our first duck eggs of the year.  Very exciting and they made good noodles. 

This was last week before the snow.  I often wonder what she is playing at out in the field.  I found this one day.
 I think it is beautiful. 

Lyra and Noah's maple syrup experiment boiling away. We got about 3 gallons of sap and we have about a half a cup of syrup, which I am saving for something special.

Friday night of last week, it started to snow and snow and snow. So beautiful and fun for everyone including the pigs. Their moveable electric fencing does not work in a foot of snow.  They slept most of the day and I made sure they had lots of food and water, by the late afternoon they were just bored and ran around the yard. Shaking the bucket of food did not work, eventually I gave up and took some photos. Noah helped me get them in when he got home. 

I think they are mocking me. 

I kept the wood stove burning and put the children to work. A year and a half is old enough to earn your keep around here. We made about thirty bee frames for the upcoming spring and no one was more willing than Morgan, screaming if he did not get his favourite screw driver. Tools, tools, tools.  Rivits all over the place, it was a fun and messy time. One of my favourite smelling jobs on the farm. I expect him to be able to make them himself by next year. 

Snowdrops & Cleansing Flights

Last week it was cold for here, dry cold and still. So cold that the lakes on Quadra froze. Lyra and Noah got to go skating at night out on the ice. The strange creaking noises, starry night sky and the smell  and warmth of the wood fire made me feel very canadian. Here is Noah fuelling the fire in Granite Bay. 

 Calving 

Lyra told me that the mom cow said" It's ok I know you, you can pet my baby".

During the cold snap, Noah, was looking in on a neighbours cows calving, as they where away on vacation. It was exciting for Lyra to go and see if the cows had been born. Which they were on time and without problems just a few hiccups.  The night after I went and checked out what was going on.  I noticed that the one year old (white one below) was chasing the little day old calf away from the mamma and confusing it by sending to another cow and the one year old would proceed to drink all the milk.  Noah went over after I came home to get dinner on and came home smiling and soaking wet in freezing weather. "It went great" he said, he brought the cow and calf up the barn. "Why are you soaking wet? Oh the calf peed on me but it's just milk pee".

Observing  

That's my smart girl 

Getting a ride back up the hill from Johnny 

And than the sun came out this week, it warmed up and we all felt like this. 

The bee's came out for a cleansing flight, which is a nice way of saying they all come out for a poo.
Lyra went right up and just stood there, I told her to leave the bee's alone. She said calmly "The bee's don't want to be left alone, they want LOVE and attention".   True words from my daughter. This is a girl who can't stand the seams in pants or if her socks are the wrong feeling, but she can stand calmly with bees crawling over her hands, arms and in her hair and she says their poo smells good (how often do you hear that).

Right now that winds are picking up and the rain is pouring, but the snowdrops are out and spring like always has kept his promise. 

The Duck is in love with the Sheep!

"Daddy, Daddy I have to tell you something! The duck is in love with the sheep". Says Lyra followed by a fit of giggles. Yesterday we went up to the Granite Bay Homestead to visit our friends and meet the new lambs. Born a few days ago in the this cold winter weather. Aren't they just so cute, nothing is so sweet as baby lambs. Emily keeps a few friesian sheep and milks them for her family. Farm life is always full of the unexpected and Em was just putting away the pile of hot water bottles when I arrived. The lambs looked so happy, free and frisky in the cold morning sunshine.

You can find Granite Bay Homestead Organic Eggs at the Local Food Market Saturday, March 1st.  I had some for breakfast this morning with Paul's fresh green onions.
Does anyone have tips for cleaning out chicken coop in the freezing weather. I tried to clean out the duck house today and after spending a good amount of time hitting the frozen sawdust with the shovel I realized there must be something this west coast girl doesn't know about cleaning coops in the winter? Please tell if you know. 

This is the duck who is in love with the sheep. Sadly last summer his one mate and true love died leaving him alone, he left the pond and marsh and moved in with the sheep. They spin a good tale and are good company on cold winter nights. They also are feed grain which might have something to do with it. He will find a new romance this summer, I'm sure of it. 

Back at our little farm. Noah just had to move this rock out of the garden. I would have dug around it. But it had to go. It's amazing what he can with with leverage. It has been moved. Did I mention we have rocky soil? 

The definition of Small, Medium and Large. I love to listen to them snore at night, it's very calming. 

My personal haul from the Local Food Market on February 1st.  I was impressed by the amount of fresh food for February.  We ate really good dinner that night of Mussels with garlic all mixed up with sautéed kale with pieces of garlic, rosemary toast and a dikon radish, beet, carrot salad and large glasses of grape juice. 

 In this cold weather, Lyra, has a maple syrup experiment going on down by this beach. Not much yet, but I did get this photo in the cold morning light.