We have our goats divided into groups and each group has a Maremma dog attached as a guard. When I take the older male goats out for a walk, I’m always accompanied by my favorite Maremma, Apollo.

He’s the loveliest fellow, big and cuddly yet fiercely protective of “his” goats. I love him.

He’s wonderful for keeping an eye on the little ones when they virtually disappear in the tall grasses.

And he looks on like a bemused papa when the goats mob little trees, reaching as high as possible to nibble tender leaves and branches.

With Apollo keeping a watchful eye, I’m free to capture photos of gorgeous things like these thistles.

And these shimmering coral grasses that danced on the breezes like something out of a fairytale.

After a long walk through the bush and fields, I like to rest with a cuppa and something delicious like Lemon Zest Scones.

I like these beauties because they can be ready to eat within 20-30 minutes. This week we’ve been eating them topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream and roasted strawberries. Bear declared that they’re the very best strawberries and cream he’s ever eaten, and I agree completely.

Where is your favorite place to go for a stroll?

Lemon Zest Scones

Ingredients:

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
zest of 1 lemon (2 if you like it REALLY lemony)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla or lemon extract
1 large egg
2/3 cup milk or cream
1 egg, beaten
raw sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

1. In medium-size bowl mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and lemon zest together until well blended.
2. Add in butter and cut in with pastry blender or hands. Chill for 15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
4. In cup whisk together milk and first egg.
5. Pour into chilled flour mixture and toss with a fork to moisten until it holds together as a clumpy dough.
6. Pour dough onto floured surface and knead very lightly, only enough to make sure the dough holds together.
7. Press dough into circle about 1.5 inches thick. Cut into triangles and place on baking sheet.
8. Brush tops with remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with raw sugar to create a sparkly top.
9. Bake for 12-15 minutes until scones are golden brown.
10. Best eaten warm or at room temperature.

It’s the time of year when our usual paddocks have been eaten down to the ground and we need to take the goats foraging for better pasture.

Thankfully we have acres of delicious grasses for them, they’re just not fenced in yet.

So each day I take the goats for a walk, keeping an eye on them like goat girls of old to make sure they don’t wander into the neighbor’s horse paddocks.

It is a wonderful job and although sometimes I moan and groan about it, I never regret my time spent wandering the fields soaking up sunshine and finding all sorts of beauties hidden among the waves of grass.

This week we had an adventure when our big daddy goat, William, couldn’t handle the proximity of the girl goats on heat and launched himself out of his pen for a bit of naughtiness.

There is no way on this earth that I’m strong enough to haul off a full grown amorous male goat, so I hollered for Bear and he came trucking out of his workshop, through the fields, and helped me round up and separate the miscreants.

He laughed at me later when he discovered that I’d stopped mid-chase to capture these photos, but I couldn’t help myself. The dramatic sky and bronzed fields and amazing light just had to be captured.

Chores aren’t always easy, but in surroundings like this, I can always find something to inspire me.

What is one of your regular chores that you enjoy?

They start misty and quiet, thick waves of fog rolling over the fields and into the bush.

Then the sun eases over the neighboring hills, turning the fog into golden clouds like a blanket of light.

Every spider web and blade of grass are highlighted as if with a golden pen, each tiny detail radiant in the growing light.

As the sun climbs higher the soft grasses are turned into dancing fields of light, feathery and soft.

I can’t get enough of it.

On such mornings, hot breakfasts are in order. This weekend we used up leftovers by making Spiced Currant Rice Porridge with Pear Caramel Sauce. Scrumptious.

This morning I made Creamy Semolina Porridge studded with cranberries. I’d never had semolina porridge before, but my friend Ann insisted that I would love it and she was right. It truly is comfort in a bowl, akin to the Cream of Wheat I had as a child in Canada. After only one bowl I am a loyal fan.

What is your favorite kind of morning?

Cranberry Semolina Porridge
Serves 2 hungry people or 4 regular

Ingredients:

1 cup semolina
3-4 cups milk
pinch of salt
1/4 cup dried cranberries
brown sugar or caramel sauce
cream

Directions:

1. Place semolina, salt, and cranberries into saucepan and add milk, stirring to desired consistency.
2. Place on stove over medium-high heat and bring to boil, stirring regularly.
3. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking.
4. Ladle into bowls and top with brown sugar or caramel sauce and cream.
5. Serve warm.

Yesterday friends arrived to spend ANZAC Day with us only to announce that they’d spotted several of our goats in the neighbors paddock. The guys headed for the fields and tracked down the escape artists and got them safely back where they belong.

A wander along a side fence showed us exactly where they’d escaped. Tufts of kangaroo fur on the barbed wire showed where they’d managed to punch their way through the wire, trampling sections almost to the ground, providing a handy escape route for curious goats.

I love seeing kangaroos and wallabies hopping through our fields and the woods, but they’re going to be the death of me when it comes to fences.

Thankfully this morning was another gorgeous Autumn day as I grabbed clippers and clips and headed to the fence to get everything mended and goat-proof once again.

Luna happily accompanied me, trotting along the fence and coming back often for pats and ear scratches.

I worked steadily but not fast, very happy to bask in the sunshine and take breaks to gaze over the sun-baked fields.

Within an hour all the gaps were mended and the fence is tall and strong once again.

The ring leader – this little miss – made a bee line for her escape hatch. Finding it blocked she contented herself with grazing where she was supposed to.

The others followed her lead and were soon happily noshing on weeds and grasses.

I, on the other hand, was more than ready to get out of the blazing sunshine and sit down with a cold glass of mango juice and soda water.

It’s been a good day.

What projects have you been working on?

It is well and truly Autumn in Queensland now, and I love it!!! Mornings are chilly and require flannels and cozy blankets with my cuppa. We’ve had a lot of storms and blustery days punctuated by sunshiny days so gorgeous I can hardly stand it.

I do love it here.

We were surprised one morning by five new baby Muscovy ducklings peeping from behind an old bicycle in the shed. They are unusual with their little brown heads, and absolutely adorable. Their mama is fantastic, very protective of her little brood, keeping them safe from marauding magpies and naughty goats who think it’s grand fun to stand on top of their pen. They were already swimming by Day Two and are growing so fast.

In addition to a bunch of fun medieval projects (click here to see some of them) we also been working on a few just for us.

Bear has been waxing bow strings and collecting the accoutrements we need for our new hobby of archery. We have such fun practicing together and with good friends here on the farm, aiming for hay bales and actually hitting them now and then.

I’ve been working on transforming old furniture we’ve collected on forays to dump shops and thrift stores. I love old wooden chairs, and I’ve been turning rather grotty ones into delightfully cheery ones with coats of glossy enamel paint in vivid colors. I’m particularly fond of this bright orange one. It makes me happy every time I see it.

Tomorrow we leave our happy holidays behind and embrace the new term feeling strengthened, refreshed, and restored.

What fun things have you been working on lately?

Easter break starts today and I will be taking a blogging break until the middle of April. I am so excited to knuckle down and tackle all sorts of projects: clearing out sheds, building fences for new paddocks, and finally getting the taxes done.

But before I leave to start penning a Holiday To-Do List, let’s make some concord grape juice.

I don’t know if you have a Farmer’s Market near you, but we do and I absolutely love it. If you get there first thing in the morning you can find all sorts of good deals. Boxes of carrots for $2, boxes of ripe tomatoes for $4, and gorgeously fragrant Concord Grapes for only $5 for a half box.

I adore concord grapes. Just the smell of them whisks me back to my childhood in Canada when my friends and I would pick bowls of them off their vines, then head out to their playhouse to listen to audio adventures and eat grapes.

I pondered what to do with these beauties once I got home, toying with jams, jellies, or cordials. I finally settled on simple concord grape juice.

Working with grapes always takes a bit of time due to washing and picking every juicy globe off its stem. But once that bit is done, the rest is easy as can be.

Mash the grapes well with either a potato masher or via a quick wiz through the food processor, then pour them into a large stainless steel pot. Set it on the stove over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes then remove from heat.

Let the grapes cool a bit, then set a fine mesh colander over another large stainless steel pot, line the colander with cheesecloth then pour in the grapes, letting the juice filter down into the pot below.

Cover the grapes and let them drain at least several hours, even overnight.

When they’re done draining, toss the solids (or add them to your compost pile), and bottle the juice. If you want to save the juice you will need to freeze it or can it. Otherwise, just bottle and refrigerate and sip by itself or added to sparkling water or champagne.

What is your favorite juice?

(See you in April! )

I’m loving it. After weeks on end of rain and bluster, this quiet, glowing, warmth is exquisite.

I love it especially in the mornings as the sun peeps over the horizon, flooding my kitchen with a wash of gold.

It compels us to linger over breakfast, turning our faces to feel the heat of the sun after the chilliness of morning. We talk, we hold hands, we sip our cuppas making them last as long as possible.

This month I ran out of my beloved Earl Grey tea, and instead of buying a new stash, I decided to be brave and try to conquer the boxes of green tea that somehow breed and multiply in my tea drawer without me ever buying a single bag!

Until recently I did not like green tea. I found it bitter and rather like drinking grass-flavored water. Shudder. But somehow my taste buds changed and now I quite fancy it. Especially with honey and a drizzle of milk or thick slice of lemon. And doesn’t it look magical steaming in the sunlight?

This week we’ve been noshing on a crust-less quiche absolutely stuffed with healthy veggies: zucchini, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and a bit of Manchego cheese to give it a bit of richness.

We liked it so much I’m going to stock up on zucchini at my earliest convenience so I can make it again. It goes beautifully with a bit of toasted and buttered brioche.

What is your favorite breakfast on a sunny morning?

Crustless Veggie Quiche

Ingredients:

2 medium onions, peeled and diced
3 zucchini, washed, quartered and sliced
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
8-10 eggs, beaten
1 cup of milk or yogurt
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced thinly
2 cups smoked ham, chopped
1/2 cup Manchego cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix all ingredients together in large bowl.
3. Pour into greased casserole dish.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes until top is golden and quiche set.
5. Serve warm or cold.

As I bent down to check on a mother who’d been sitting on a clutch of eggs for a while, I was astonished to find little yellow balls of fluff peering back at me.

Utterly unaffected by the gale outside, they snuggled into their mother and were cozy as can be.

We’ve been swooning over them ever since. Seriously, they’re so darn cute I can’t keep from slipping outside multiple times a day to see how they’re doing.

The day after they were born the baby Muscovy ducklings were already out, toddling through the mud, sticking close to Mom to avoid the pecking beaks of the older Muscovies.

Today they were adventurous little things, trucking all over the farmyard with their Mother, climbing into empty cages and even exploring under the house.

They are ridiculously cute, and such sunny spots of brightness on these stormy days. They make me very happy indeed.

Just look at those gorgeous little faces.

I already started mourning their growing up-ness when I discovered another broody Muscovy who has taken up residence in the shed. Hooray for more babies in a few weeks!

What is bringing a bright spot to your days this week?

We would start early in the morning just after sunrise to work as many hours as we could before the searing heat of the afternoon. The morning light was absolutely gorgeous.

To build a great goat fence, you need to start with great tools and materials.

A Tractor.

We used our trusty red tractor to carry heavy coils of thick fencing wire and to help us hold fence posts in place when it was time to tighten up fence lines. It is a life saver (not to mention a back saver!).

Fencing Supplies

Our most important tools are fence clippers and clips. Bear slipped thick rubber tubing over our fence clippers to make them easier to use for hours at a time. It really helps keep blisters at bay.

Wheelbarrow

Our handiest tool is the wheelbarrow. When you’re building a large fence, you never know when you may need a pair of pliers to twist a feisty bit of wire in place, a big hammer to pound a wobbly fence post in place, or wire-cutters when you get to the end of one stretch of fence.

Instead of running back and forth to the shed to get tools as we need them, we pile every possible tool in our wheelbarrow and take it with us. I can’t tell you how much leg work has been saved by this simple habit.

It also provides handy shade for our dog Luna who loves hanging out with us when we’re working.

We have our very own homemade post hole digger invented by Bear. He attached a huge drill bit to the end of an electric drill, and, using it like a jack hammer, drills a fence post hole into the ground. We can then easily pound each fence post into the ground using a large hammer or similar tool.

Perhaps the most important tool of all is a sturdy farm stool. Bear has a cheery round orange one and he built me one out of a wooden plank and some old metal chair legs. It cleaned up beautifully with a coat of red paint and a painted yellow bird.

The nice thing about working outside is the view – great swaths of Australian wild flowers meandering through the meadows. I love it.

Now that we’ve got our fencing tools in order, next time we’ll look at actually building a goat-proof fence. It’s more fun and satisfying that it sounds.

First were days of pouring rain and massive winds that sent leaves pelting our roof like massive drops of rain.

Then came the 2013 Queensland floods which wreaked havoc up and down the state and down through New South Wales.

Just as we started to dry out a bit from the floods another huge rain came through last night. Phew!

But today the sun came out in earnest and everything is perking up beautifully.

My garden has stopped drooping under withering winds and is blossoming and producing again.

I’ve been collecting handfuls of tomatoes and they managed to emerge with only a few splits here and there.

Our poor ducklings nearly died when their pens went from dry to flooded in just a short time. So Bear and I bundled up against the deluge and got them up out of the water and up into straw-lined dog kennels, making sure to wrap the soggiest ones in towels so they could warm up quicker.

We thought for sure that we’d lose some, but when we came to check on them the next morning, they were happy as can be, waddling through puddles and looking as though they hadn’t resembled drowned rats the night before.

We were SO relieved.

Our new Pilgrim geese weren’t fazed in the slightest by the storm. In fact, they seemed to enjoy it! Strutting around in the maelstrom with the adult Muscovy ducks while all the other farm animals were hunkered down in shelters and pens.

We’re so glad that all our animals made it through the floods.

Today it was time to tackle the projects that we put off until the weather was better.

We donned wellies then slipped and slid our way to the paddocks. Working in at least six inches of thick black mud and the remaining flood waters, how we laughed as we nearly fell on our faces while wrangling goats. Finally we got the randy boys separated from the girls and joined up with the menfolk in the upper paddock.

Then we got all the ducklings moved into the pen with the grown-up Muscovy’s and they are happy as pigs in mud, toddling about in the big open space with two ponds for them to swim in.

Tonight we can bask in the knowledge of a job well done and collapse into bed knowing that everybody is safe and sound. It feels good.

What is your latest project that you’re proud of?