A Green Guide to Country Crafts.....

Have I told you about this fantastic new book? No? Well I really should then! You mean I haven't mentioned that my wool is featured in it? That is very remiss of me - had better put that right straight away!

We went to the launch party for the book last night at Alder Carr Farm Needham Market - we were invited by my very good friend and author of said book Nic Gouldsmith (www.halfpennyhome.blogspot.com). We had a fab evening and got to meet some lovely people, all of whom had a hand in the making of the book.

Here are the author's Nic Gouldmsith and Jacquie Mann

A basket made out of Wensley fleece on show

Other handmade goodies - all the instructions are in the book for all of these fab projects

The barn cafe at Alder Carr Farm

Joking aside, the book is full of fab projects from soap making, to dyeing, to candle making and rug making. All the projects are explained fully and the photography is just amazing. This is a book that you just can't do without! So, put it on your wish list now .......

T x

ps Thanks to Ali for holding the fort last night while we were out gallivanting! No new arrivals in my absence :(

Time for an update?

Well, just stealing time for a quick update!

Firstly, Beatrix - she is a girl on the move now! We had a slight blip last week when she picked up an infection but seems to have got over that fully and is back out with the big girls again - still sleeping indoors at night as the weather is still a little on the cold side - but out on sunny days racing around.

We also have a few new arrivals.

Mara - daughter of Mable - produced 2 lovely ewe lambs - only one can be seen here feeding, but rest assured the other is latched onto the other side!

Izzy - wild and woolly - produced a pigeon pair - unfortunately we lost the little girl a day later so just has her little boy left now who she is totally devoted to - was a total nightmare last year and ended up killing her lamb - I think she may have turned over a new leaf!

The final two black girls have been busy - Ella - daughter of Tillie - producing twin girls on Sunday morning early

and Sable - daughter of Rosie (who is Tillie's sister - all white) doing the same - twin girls - on Monday morning at 2am! So had an early start!

Both are doing really well - I am so pleased as both lost their lambs last year and I wasn't quite sure how they would fair this year - but all seems well and they have both taken to motherhood like a dream!

Well, 23 down and just 2 to go now - both first timers and both due on the 25th March - so we wait with baited breath and the tantalizing thought of a whole night's sleep soon!

Will keep you posted

T x

Beatrix it is!

We decided that after a week of uncertainty whether she would make it, it was probably time that our little girl had a name. So keeping to our true Potter theme her name is Beatrix - I think it suits her very well!

She is coming along leaps and bounds now and is spending the days outside in the goat house with the big girls, but still comes in overnight as it is pretty chilly out there. We are trying to work to her being outside with more company of her own sort 24/7 but it is slow progress. Still this morning we found an old coat belonging to our dear Bertie who we lost a couple of years ago - we haven't told her it is a dog coat - but she does look fairly smart in it and seems to enjoy the added warmth - there is room to grow into it though!

Watch this space for more lambs pics - 2 more sets of twins under our belt - only 4 ewes to go now - I am longing for sleep! T x

Picking up the Pieces

Just a quick update on events here.

We have sadly lost another of the triplet kids so just have one left with us now - a little girl. She is doing well though, drinking from a bottle, and I think has even grown a little. She is so sweet and we are desperately hoping that we can keep her alive - she is now all we have left from this terrible tragedy.

All hands are to the pump and even Mr R has been encouraged to do his bit!

No more lambs yet to report on but 4 due in the next couple of days so we hope for a busy weekend!

All for now

T x

Cottontail RIP

Well, the very sad news is that Cottontail passed away last night. The pregnancy toxaemia proved to be too much for her body to take - she will be so sadly missed. T x

Cottontail has produced triplets!

Just a quick post to say that my lovely Golden Guernsey goat Cottontail has produced triplets over night - 2 girls and a boy - I think the names will be Flopsy, Mopsy and Bob! They had a bit of a rough start and spent 3 hours under hair dryers trying to get them back up to temperature because their cores had got so cold - but they made it through the night being fed by tube straight into their bellies and look fairly good today.

Cottontail however is not so good as we speak. She has pregnancy toxaemia and is very poorly. The vet has been, she has had 7 injections and an oral drench, with more to follow later, so now we just hope for the best. She has no milk to feed the kids, so there goes another extra 3 jobs to add to the day - heh ho - it's worth it they are fab!

Will keep you posted on progress and photos - but here is a quickie!

Oh, and Mable had twin boys on Sunday morning - no names or photos yet - watch this space!

T x

Quiet doesn't necessarily mean not busy!

Thought I had better bring you up to date with the current situation! Since I spoke to you last we have had 3 sets of twins and another set of triplets! And at last our first set of black lambs - hurray!

Everyone is doing well despite the cold winds and the awful weather - I had just forgotten how cold it can be living here and especially at 4.15am on Tuesday morning delivering triplets - exhausting and that was just me!

Anyway here goes - be prepared for the 'cute' factor!

This is Ebony with her twin black boys! I think they are going to be named Sammie & Davis!

Next came Cadre with her 'twin' girls - she was scanned as triplets but there was definitely only two in there!

Then came Rosie, completely unaided at around 3am with her boy and girl!

Closely followed by Masquerade and her triplet girls

I thought you might also like a picture of the other set of triplets that were born a couple of weeks ago. All three are great and despite having spent the first day or so under a heat lamp, Midge is now thriving and loving being hand fed by a bottle - not quite sure where a tiny lamb puts 7oz of milk at a time but there we are - hollow legs I reckon!

Still we are cracking on now - only another 3 weeks to go and I can have a full night's sleep - bliss! Roll on!

T x