All Day

I spent all day Monday outside at the chook pens, the vege garden and the orchard (except for a quick plate of pea and ham soup for lunch and a trip to town to the nurseries while G picked up a trailer).

The girls have made a deep dust bowl in the corner of their pen; they love to shuffle down into it and have a dust bath.

I raked the pens out of old manure and hay and food scraps.

I mixed the chook scrapings with old horse manure and a bucket full of beautiful dirt from the cattle yards and threw in some blood and bone.

I made a small mix in the worm farm and am going to let it sit and ferment for a while. When it's ready, I'll mix it with dirt and use it in the concrete tubs or dig it into the vege garden.

Two of the latest batch of teenagers found a nice little hole near the old hay bale to have a hay/dirt bath in.

They were soon joined by some friends.

They looked so cute all in together; not long after, two more came along - and then there were seven but I didn't get a shot of that. I sat and watched them for a little while as they all fluffed themselves into the dirt and hay and jockeyed for position. I actually wanted to get to the bale but was happy to leave them alone until they finished their bath.

When I finally had access to the hay bale I threw some around.

The girls attacked it with fervour and sent it flying through the air; it spread quickly.

Everyone got some.

No-one missed out.

Then, all hell broke loose. I heard Poofy bark, looked up and THE GOATS WERE BELTING DOWN FROM THE COMPOUND HEADING STRAIGHT FOR ME AND MY PATCH. They screamed around my little square, jumping up on the low coop and knocking stuff over. Then they disappeared into the trees, frantically snatching at low lying branches. They had escaped through The Compound gate when G took the bobcat in.

 Gibbo turned up, looking sheepish, a lead in his hand with which to catch Peppie. I enticed her with some grain and tied her up. G disappeared on the bobcat to continue moving gravel (I have to get this job finished while there's still some daylight); I got left with the troublemakers. The young ones took an unhealthy (for them) interest in the contents of the vege garden. One lithe jump and they'd easily be in there. I tied Marauder 1 up but she broke free. After much bucking and carry on I wrestled  her into the dog pen. Marauder 2 came crying and looking for his sister. I grabbed him by the back leg and we had a little dance around as I grappled with him. I managed to get him into the pen while trying to stop his sister escaping. They're a bit bigger than the last time I locked them up; not quite so easy to lift. My calm and stress free day had taken a sudden turn for the worse; my blood pressure went sky high as I discussed, loudly, with no-one in particular, why goats are such damn infuriating animals.

When I finally got back to Peppie she had pulled the red cord so tight around her neck it wasn't safe to leave her so I put her in the silkie pen. Now she couldn't see her bebes and they couldn't see her.

There was a lot of anguished crying and calling out to each other.

Finally Gibbo came back and took all three back to The Compound.

The veges continue to do well and, after  a slow start, are looking healthy and strong. I gave them a dose of Charlie Carp.

Gibbo shaved the top off the big bump at the end of the driveway; hopefully, water won't pool here now.

The bamboo appears to like it's new home - I moved it one foot to the left of where it was first planted! I put a little more effort into it's new planting hole. It's shooting fresh leaves.