a lichen bouquet and a couple of blogs

This beautiful 'rock with lichen' was placed on it's cradle of fence wire by my beloved David a couple of years ago when the lichen was tiny. When he was out mending fences a few days ago, he brought me home this photograph ~ like a lichen bouquet.

Blogs ~ oh! So many blogs, so little time. Being uber busy is the only thing holding me back from spending hours and hours visiting and getting to know fascinating people all over the world. A couple of blogs I happened on this afternoon while looking up some totally unrelated item... breedemandweep a blog written by Jenn Mattern, a mom among other things :) and her Canadian husband David Lane who has a blog called Porchlight Paintings. One of my favourites; moon pie a blog by a gal named Kate ~ I love her writing and photography and she shares a whole pie (or is it pile) of recipes too. This is just a wee thank you to all the online folks who inspire and delight me from time to time. Till next time. Nicola

Early July days on the meadow

July; the bones, the beauty.

home again, home again

Oh what a wonderful world! Here we are back from our June break feeling rejuvenated and so looking forward to our summer on the meadow.

It is a spectacular time of year! The hay on the meadow is getting tall (not quite as high as an elephant's eye yet, but soon) and the wildflowers are coming into full bloom now.

We had a great time visiting our family and some of our friends back home in the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys. David's Mum and Dad, our sisters and brothers and nieces and nephews, cousins and children and friends. Great meals, good laughs and the worlds best cherries (from Ray Lou's orchard)!

We came away feeling all loved up and reconnected.

We had a friend look after our place while we were gone. She did a lovely job and it was nice to be away without any worries about home. (Thank you Aki !)

A wonderful break and good to be home!

sheep in a heap and some good good music

We had a magnificent downpour today. The ground loves the rain and we don't mind a bit. This little scene of the sheep in a heap was taken yesterday.

It's a quiet Saturday ~ well, everyday is quiet out here in the middle of nowhere. While we work, we've been listening to Yael Wand's newest CD called 'At Your Door'. Her previous album 'Antimony' is one of our all time favourites and this one is wonderful too. You can listen to a few songs from At Your Door by going to her myspace page which we have included in our links list here. Yael deserves to be more well known.

Early May days. Letting the sheep into their next pasture.

A delightful late season snow fall.

May rain storms, contented sheep, happy hummers. Life is good.

Colours on the wings of spring!

Early May on the meadow

Early May. A couple of photos from our most enjoyable wander around the property the other day. An opportunity to check fences and access damage to trees after our recent wind storms.

More lambantics

Just for fun ~

And at the end of it ~ a rest and snuggle with Mom :)

Some portraits of our lambs on a fine spring day.

A little sun, a little snow ~ an awful lot like April

A moose we met on our drive home from town the other day. (Or was it the other week :) Time flies and it's hard to believe it's the middle of April already!

It’s been an off again on again weekend on the meadow as far as sunshine goes, but full of birds and wildlife and the antics of our lambs of course.

A lone moose arrived and hung about in the meadow yesterday, not the same moose we met on the road. Our meadow moose had a very blonde head.

We watched a pair of nesting harriers fend off the advances of a golden eagle this morning. That was quite a show and one of the only times we've seen both harrier's at once.

Most of our wildflowers will stay tucked underground for awhile yet but we have an ever increasing crop of dandelions and they are a welcome harbinger of spring. The pussywillows are about to burst forth all along the edges of the creek and surrounding the meadow! The Canada Geese make themselves at home.

It is getting on 6oclock and time to warm up the wood stove and think about what to make for dinner. Till next time ~ here's hoping spring is arriving on your doorstep too.

Before and after

It's been a bright and beautiful Easter weekend here on the meadow. A busy weekend too!

It was sheep shearing time which meant a fair amount of preparation to set up for the Sunday morning arrival of our friends Brian and Debbie.

David had the sheep dry and fasted. He made auxiliary pens to have the ewes and the ram ready for their shearing. The shearing area was set up and ready to go when Brian arrived.

Brian is a professional shearer who first sheared our sheep last year. He does a lovely job. It's hard work and takes a strong back. His wife Debbie is his ready assistant handing him his tools and his upturned milk carton bench as required.

David brought the ewes to Brian one at time, introducing them by name and disposition. Once the shearing began, David would retrieve the ewe's lamb and hold them close by to minimize the lamb's and the ewe's stress levels. Once the shearing is complete, Brian takes to his milk carton and trims the sheep's hooves. With that, they are all done and David turns them out into their new pasture with their lamb. We gather up the beautiful fleece, seperate it from the tag and bag it up in empty chicken feed bags. The ram was sheared last, his fleece is the very nicest of all the sheep... just beautiful.

The actual shearing operation took just 2 hours then it was time for a shower and some lunch.

They are a happy flock of sheep today. The little ones are full of beans while the ewes and 'Mr.' seem relaxed and content.

Yesterday was also a day of new spring arrivals as our sandhill cranes returned to the meadow. Our bluebirds arrived and an osprey visited too.