Sunrise came softly, gently.
Colours of pink and blue stretching lazily across the horizon.
Outside, Ava the dog was barking. Waking me up. The universe has other ideas for my Saturday sleep in.
All the birds, waiting their turn to sing. Choreography, Mother Nature the conductor.
It’s cold at 6:30am. My breath steams.
The dog is proud of her early morning work. Bumps her head under my hand. Looking for recognition and a pat.
Outside the house yard, are seven deer. Magically camouflaged in the long grass.
I wonder was it them Ava barked at. Although I suspect a fox.
With startling regularity, we have had various sightings of them.
Across the creek. In the headlights on the drive.
With cubs to feed, vixen become increasingly daring.
And with five new hens (thank you Mrs Fernandes), alongside the fifteen bantams, our yard would be an enticing appetiser.
Maremma Guardian Dogs are big yet agile. Fast and furious.
Whilst in downtime, they appear gentle and goofy.
In attack mode they are fearless, swift and deadly.
The perfect guardian in a hostile (for hens) environment. And thus, our hens are never locked up. Free to come and go as they wish.
This week we welcomed a new sow (Gladys) and boar (Bob).
Their relocating owners needed to re-home them. Thank you Doug and Roda!
The contrast in size between them and our three little pigs is astounding. They are BIG!
The amount I’m feeding them has doubled. Which translates to twice as much manure (hooray for the compost) and faster moves of their electric fencing.
This ensures they always have fresh pasture to graze. Parasites are either left behind or collected.
Bigger pigs dig more. The strength in their snouts phenomenal. They are doing a great job disturbing (not decimating), the hard dry earth. I’m astounded by the work they can do in such a short time.
We are easing into Winter. Allowing the pace of life to slow down.
I still watch with a slight sense of FOMO the long sunny days playing out on the other side of the world, Ireland.
And yet our Winter here in Australia is mild, workable. Temperatures rising to 23 degrees with expansive big skies.
I’m relishing the daily cycle of “Mumming”.
Lighting fires, making biscuits, cooking meals, hanging washing out.
And grateful for the simple joy those jobs bring.
