Country life

It's on weekends like this that we especially enjoy the country life. On Saturday morning Brendon was outside with Hannah and Hezekiah while Ruth and Rachel did some mucking out. Ruth has been longing to go with and help Rachel and finally got a chance. That's one side I don't understand - wanting to muck out - but we have encouraged Rachel to take all the help she can get.
Brendon called me to come and look at a lamb that had just been born. She was right next to our fence - so tucked behind the row of trees I managed to get these lovely photos. It was so special to see the little thing manage to stand for the first time and then find mothers milk.
It was wonderful to get a HUGE batch of milk on the go for Feta on Saturday. I had a bit of a worry at first in the morning as my starter had not set. Thankfully after a hour or so longer it had set and I could get started (just a little later than expected). I was again thankful for my new BIG pot. It only just fitted into the chilly bin to keep warm while the curds set. And they were beautiful curds too.
Thankfully I still managed to have enough of these containers for it to sit overnight while the rest of the whey drained out (they sit upside down in the chilly bin and it always amazes me how much whey drains out). On Sunday I was pleased to see it was almost 2kg of cheese. And although it is just nice to know how much I made - it's actually necessary because you need to know how much brine to make. I was very pleased with the results (and the girls are all pleased that there will be more as we are down to our last couple of pieces from the previous batch).
Brendon was pleased with what he got done this weekend too. He cleared this section of the hedge really quickly (it was quite overgrown with grass and weeds) and the younger girls helped him with boxes and straw. We still hope that the trees are not completely dead - but it seems many people have lost well established plants after the heavy snow we had this year.