An Autumn Ramble with Kalahari Goats

goats in a stormy field

I adore this time of year on our Kalahari goat farm. The fields are burnished gold with cheery little flowers hidden among the tall grasses.

potato flowers

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.

field grass

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.

purple wild flower

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.

man in a field

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.

goats in a stormy field

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?

Signs of Spring in Winter

signs of spring

Although it’s been blustering and blowing all week, we’ve had some absolutely gorgeous winter days with all sorts of tiny signs of spring. It IS coming!!

Orange blossoms, brilliant blue skies, and tiny yellow flowers growing among the rocks.

signs of spring

I’ve been awfully sick the last few weeks, but in my good moments I love bundling up and going for slow, easy walks with our dog Luna. I love seeing the goats munching away in the fields and the teensy purple flowers that will soon carpet nearly every square inch of our Aussie goat farm.

We have five baby goats now – and they’re so strong and healthy. We’re looking forward to a whole batch of baby Kalahari goats due to be born next month.

nasturtium leaves

Robbie has been teaching me the basics of wood-working and I love it! The smell of newly cut wood and the deep pleasure that comes from seeing something beautiful and useful emerge out of hunks of wood is absolutely wonderful. We’ve got a couple of projects going right now: a medieval bench and a medieval box. I hope to show them to you soon. 🙂

wood working tools

What projects are you working on these days?