Feather your Nest Friday, 31st May, 2019.

This was a less frantic week (until yesterday) and I got myself into a routine of feeding the calf and lambs,  working outside on bonfires and the garden and inside on the usual stuff plus working on my pantry.  This was good!

We had a week of lots of rain and the grass has grown.  Once again we can look out over a scene of gum trees and green paddocks.

Laffie has grown and bellows at the gate for breakfast and dinner.  After she has her drinks she gallops and leaps around the paddock.

Lucy had given me 8 large bananas as they were over ripe.  So I made two huge banana cakes.  

Some of this to Chloe and Luke. Chloe slices cakes and freezes them for Luke's work lunches.

In town I found a heap of rolls and focaccia breads half price.  I brought them home and made them into lunches for Andy and froze them.

I planted a whole row of Hollyhocks in the garden.

When it is cold it is lovely having the oven on as well as the fire.  I made a big pot of pumpkin soup and a tray of Gluten Free Scones.

Each week I have eggs to use up.  This week I made two large bacon, cheese and onion Quiches. 

And later in the week I made a big tray of baked Rice Custard.  This is so delicious.

Dad gave us two old chicken sheds.  One arrived on a big trailer and we unloaded it and sat it next to the yard that Laffie is in.  It was going to take four men to lift it in over the fence since the gate was too narrow.  So it was sitting there and the next chicken shed is arriving soon.  I am so pleased about these!  I will have a shed to use for baby lambs and so many options for the second one!   

During the week Andy had to go to Adelaide and we had a big storm.  I spend that day mostly inside working on setting up a new pantry...  the animal pantry!   Suddenly I need a place to store bottles, teats, bedding, milk powders and so on.   There is a wall in the laundry that can take a set of shelves so this is going to become the animal supplies pantry.  Anyway, I knew it was windy but I got a surprise when I went to feed Laffie later.   The chicken shed had blown away!   I rang Andy and asked him if he wanted the good news or the bad news?   The bad news was the chicken shed blew away.   The good news was that it blew clear over the fence and was now in the yard we wanted it to be in!  Hahaha!  We decided when the next shed arrives we will sit it in the same spot and hope for wind!  How crazy is that!?  It is not really damaged it just needs straightening up and finally secured into its final position!

I continued working on the new shelves as now I can also put out there some other items like paper goods, candles, matches and so on.   I knew I had lidded containers suitable for it all as when we moved I had used tubs for so many things.  So I went through all my cupboards and set things up better.  This freed up all the containers I would need. 

Then it meant so many things could go out of the kitchen pantry and this would free up a ton of room in there.  So that was re arranged and it looks so much better.  And now I have more room to build that up.  Do you notice how when you move and organise things it has a domino effect?  

That was all going swimmingly when the phone rang yesterday late afternoon.  It was Chloe.  She had just come home from work and she could see a Ewe had died in the paddock.  When she looked she saw a little head pop up!  A baby lamb set there with it's dead Mother.  So Chloe asked was I at capacity here or would I take it?  So you know what happened next.  Off I went with a blanket and a basket.  

When I arrived Chloe had TWO lambs.  The second one was tiny.  She had found it alone sitting in the ashes of a fire where they had a bon fire the night before.  It seems it was looking for warmth as it was an orphan too.  It was a very sad sight.   So two lambs went into my big basket.

While driving home I was figuring out what to say to Andy as he was on his way home from Adelaide!

I had Colostrum formula so I started by mixing that up.  Meanwhile the twins are crying because their bottles are due too.  Then Laffie starts bellowing at the gate. 🙄

The tiny lamb was the much brighter and stronger.  She drank pretty well and wagged her tail.  I sat them near the fire to warm up and she was quite happy.

The bigger lamb laid flat on the floor as if he had been run over.  I thought he was dead a couple of times.  I put the teat in his mouth and he did not move, blink or suck.  In the end I put my hand around his mouth and squeezed his mouth together to squeeze the teat hoping some milk would spirt in his mouth.  After a couple of minutes of this he started to suck!  

I still thought he would not make it.  They stayed by the fire over night and I fed them three times then at 8 am.

This morning the little one is full of beans!  The bigger one is drinking and standing!   I have learned it is hard to tell but I am hopeful!

So that was my week.  We had a Swap Party in The Tuesday Club.  It was so much fun and parcels have been sent out and parcels are arriving!   Thank you everyone who participated.  I hope many friendships are formed too.  And some of the swaps that took place are looking beautiful as I have seen photos of goods traded already.  Later we are planning a seed swap.  The main swap will be a regular event as well.  I love mail, both sending and receiving!

Today is Dad's Birthday so I am feeding the lambs just before I go and will be back within four hours!  

How did you feather your nest this week?  I hope you found ways to build up your pantry and preparedness, save and get ahead.  I love to hear how you did!   We can get so many ideas from each other but most of all we can encourage each other.

Today is our last day of Autumn! Winter tomorrow! xxx