I’ve decided to try and keep a bit of a record of life while under the new rules of alert level 4. Basically this means staying home .

I am really blessed to live in a beautiful place; fresh air, natural surroundings, birds, farm animals and no close neighbours. I’m at home with my husband and grandson aged 11.6 years.

This blog will not be a political rant, a health review on Covid-19, a religious sermon or a recipe page. My hope is that for you …. the reader …. it will be a little bit of fresh air. Something to read while you relax / unwind / escape from whatever situation you find yourself in. I want you to meet and enjoy my animals, our life style and feel our peace.

It was a bit damp with a cool Autumn edge to the temperature when I went out to run the dogs this morning. They were keen to get out of their kennels and have a run. Let me introduce them:

Bo – is the male of the pack, an older black lab x, (a huntaway type). Mica is the top female dog, a heading dog bred for sheep but certified as a Protective Species Conservation Dog, (you can read about her in previous posts). Pearl is Mica’s 3/4 sister, (same father and related but different mothers), she is also a Protective Species Conservation Dog, but works with different species than Mica. Petra is the baby of the group. She is a Hungarian viszla X border collie and is just rising 16 months and is still puppy-like in many ways.

Each day the dogs and I walk what we call our top loop track. It’s roughly 1km of rough track flanked by regenerating native bush. Some of the tracks on our land were here before we bought this place but were overgrown with bush. Gradually my husband on his digger is opening them up again. Great for morning walks!

Currently it is fungi season and we are very fortunate to have a wide variety of species on our place. It is a passion of mine to foray for them and then capture the moment with my camera. There is a spot on the side of the track near a small creek that grows a beautiful blue mushroom (Entoloma hochstetteri

Each day I get to watch these beauties grow from the forest floor. I never grow tired of them! After getting back home it’s time to feed the chooks (hens), we have five. Feed Holly, the horse and put her out onto fresh grass and then get Moon and Willow, our two goats. Moon is still young, but Willow had a kid last year and is still milking. We get about 2L of milk a day and it is enough for us. Surplus milk is used for cheese making. Soon it will be time to get Ollie (the billy) from his paddock and bring him up to the girls for mating.

Top left – Willow on the milking platform, eating nuts from the bucket and waiting for me to milk her!

Top right – Two litres of fresh milk

Bottom left – Warm milk for Petra’s breakfast

Bottom right – Moon

After the goats have been fed and milked they are tethered onto fresh grass, although they are very partial to blackberry and gorse. Petra is put away and all the dogs get their morning biscuit. Then it’s time for my breakfast … phew! I’m hungry.