We have been planning for a quiet time over winter, when all the major work has been done with the sheep and we can turn our attention to other interests.
The rams went in with the ewes two weeks ago and all the animal health things have been taken care of, the rams will come out in four weeks, then it will just be checking, moving paddocks, until lambing starts in mid August. Yay.
Martin is working on a pergola in the front of the house, a project about six years in the making. It will make a big difference to our winter comfort and outdoor dining. After that we hope to put up a shed, for goat milking and milk processing to increase the hygiene levels, we anticipate  Laura having six goats in milk by August.
Last weekend I attended a cheese school at the Old Cider Factory at Reidsdale, near Braidwood. It was just one day, and we learnt everything we need to start making our own cheese. The teacher, Barry, was very knowledgeable and is happy to be contacted about all things cheese, ( even after the course ) which is a bonus that  I will need. Yesterday, filled with cheese enthusiasm and a fridge full of goats milk, we made Halloumi, Paneer, Ricotta and Sweet Baked Ricotta, they all worked well and hopefully will eat well. Sampled the Baked Ricotta with stewed apples this morning, delicious .

The less pleasant part of rabbit raising.  A task I do not relish, always get a feeling of "butterflies" before slaughtering a home kill. The animals are treated with care and respect through their life, and the final act is quick and as stress free as we can make it. Although wild rabbits can be sold by a licensed trapper, we have to send ours to a recognised abbatoir, for public consumption, Another beaurocratic barrier for the farmer.

We are adding Chicken to the Rabbits and Lamb in being self sufficient in ethically raised superior tasting meat. Fifty meat chickens arrived on Thursday and have been under the heat lamp inside since them, but they are so messy it is time for them to go into the portable chicken ark. I have set up brooder lights and will cover the ark at night to keep them cosy. Easy to lose them all to hypothermia if they get cold. I purchased  some layer chickens at the same time and it is extraordinary how much more robust, hungry and growthy the meat chicks are. I have left the layer chicks inside as they just can't compete. These meat chicks are supposed to be ready to slaughter in six weeks but I think it will take longer.  Being raised outside on grass and grain and without  twenty four hour light so not eating at night will slow them down but should improve the flavour. So begins another educational experience.

One of our friends advertised on the Working Dog site for an older, or surplus dog, that was suitable for working a few sheep around the paddock and the yards, and needed a good home. She has had some interesting dogs come her way. The first one was an older bitch who had been rescued from a property by a Jillaroo, who wanted to save her from the kind of home where a "good flogging" is the training method of choice. Our friend has given her an safe home and she is proving to be very keen, if they lose track of her, she will have mustered anything around and be holding them at the gate. Next came Banjo who we picked up yesterday, he is said to be an excellent dog, "too good for a bullet" but will not work a full day. Martin said he sounded like the perfect dog for him, so he has come to work with Roy and replace Meg,( his working dog who died last year). There is another dog coming from out West who is older and works well, but the guy has 12 dogs and wants to move her on. So any of you who have a place, work a few sheep and need a dog let us know, who knows how many good older dogs are out there who would suit our smaller enterprises very well and could be rehomed in the lifestyle belt! 

When my sons were growing up, and we had a building project, we called ourselves "Bodgy  Bros Constructions). Well we are back in business, however I am on my own' except for the ever present "Murphy"!
I am trying to put a Pergola on the front of our house, and using loxons to fasten the post's stirrups to the concrete pads has proven difficult, with tolerances too fine for  Mr Bodgy . But after two days, the posts are swaying in the breeze.

Goat Girl showed her Dairy Goats for the first time, at Yass, and won her first ribbon  - much to her delight! She learnt a lot about fitting goats for showing, so should do even better next year.

Last weekend was the 150 anniversary of the Yass Show and the first year the Dorper Sheep made it on to the grounds. We were asked ( at Murrumbateman in October), by the show society's president to support this historic event. Our arrival was not without controversy and it took two hours before we got the nod that it was OK to unload at our allocated spot. The merino breeders in the "Sir Walter Merriman Sheep and Wool Pavillion", were deeply concerned about the impact that running with exotics would have on the value of their fleeces. We were informed that we would not be allowed on the grounds again next year. We thought that this must surely be, because they would like us to be with them,  in the shed showing!

My good friend Bill and I, decided to try making camembert cheese from Laura's goats milk. Bill's kitchen is more sophisticated than ours, so we used his fuel stove to heat the milk. It seems the most important thing is to maintain a temperature of 32 degrees C. Not easy when the only thermometer to use was his elbow! We added the starter, left for 90 minutes, added the rennet. left for 60 minutes, cut the curd, stirred gently for 15 minutes, left the curd for 15 minutes. Put the molds (cut off downpipe), on a sushi mat, poured off the whey, ladled the curds into the mold, covered and left for one hour to drain.Then gently turned upside down, did this hourly for 5 hours, when the cheese was about 35 mm high, sprinkled with salt, then after 10 minutes, painted on a milky solution made from a commercial camembert's rind. Now the aging at about 7 degrees C , and 95% humidity,  for 2 weeks. Then wrapped for a further 4-6 weeks.
One needs the patience of Job, no wonder "blessed are the cheesemakers"!  

Some days it all feels like it comes together, the veggie garden producing, lamb chops for dinner and goats milk in the fridge.