A Farm Full of Baby Goats

twin kalahari goats

Our Kalahari Goat farm is overrun with cuteness this month as one mother after another delivers adorable baby goats.

We’ve had three sets of twins and one single birth, and each one is unique and precious.

twin baby kalahari goats

I love how the twins snuggle together, finding sunny spots to curl up against the winter chill. And it’s been chilly. Just 40 minutes south of us they had SNOW!! Amazing. We didn’t know how our Kalahari Red kids would do in the cold, but so far, they’re thriving.

baby kalahari goat

Their faces are so sweet and tiny, their coats amazingly soft in varying shades of rich reddish brown.

kalahari red kid

The older ones are already learning to climb and jump, looking hilariously awkward as they trot along with their mothers before randomly leaping in the air, limps flailing.

twin kalahari goats

My favorite thing is watching our Maremma, Apollo, undertake his baby-sitting duties. He’s such a good protector for the littles. He sits with them while they nap, licks them clean, and chases off any older ones who look like they might have bullying on the mind.

maremma guarding baby goat

It’s such a beautiful and happy time of year on the farm. These baby goats put smiles on our faces all day long.

What’s putting a smile on your face this week? xo

Life on the Farm After the Queensland Floods

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Sorry for the silence here of late! I’m afraid it’s been one drama after another here on our goat farm on the Darling Downs.

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.

pink cosmos

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.

chive blossoms

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. 🙂

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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.

female Pilgrim geese

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. 🙂

Darling Downs farm

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

Fall Happenings on an Australian Goat Farm

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Life’s been busy here on our goat farm with babies growing and mamas about to give birth any minute.

It’s hard to believe that only 10 months ago Felix and Gus were gangly little boys and now they’re almost men.

goats feeding

We’ve had a lot of company recently and that’s been great fun! We love sitting on the back porch with good friends, eating food and talking for hours.

I (Krista) have been taking a lot of walks on these gorgeous Autumn days. Our dogs Luna and Fletcher love going for gallops through the tall grasses, startling kangaroos and having the time of their lives.

I love all the interesting flowers and fruits here in Australia. So very different from my native Canada. And I can’t get over these long, warm days. So different from the snow and ice I’d normally be seeing if I were back in British Columbia or Washington State.

I’ve been in a baking sort of mood, churning out crusty loaves of bread and beautifully browned pies stuffed with caramelized fruit. I love how good the house smells after such ventures AND how gorgeous the baked goods look cooling in the glow of late afternoon sunshine.

dried dill

This weekend I’m off to Brisbane to learn cheese-making from my dear friend Ann from thisANNthat. We’re so excited about our trip, mostly because we also get to visit my dear friend Barbara from Winos and Foodies. I love Girls Days Out.

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Summer On Our Queensland Farm

Australian Sacred Grove

We’re well into Autumn now at Citadel Kalahari, but the weather has been so gorgeous you’d swear it was still summer!

Australian bush

The meadow grasses aren’t quite as green now. They’ve mellowed to a rich gold but are still sprinkled with wildflowers that are still blooming in spite of a few wild wind storms.

 

meadow in Australia

Wandering through the bush with our dogs Fletcher and Luna is a never-ending delight. Every time we don our wellies and head out for a trek we discover new beauties whether it’s a bush festooned with airy blossoms or a tree dripping with unknown fruit.

 

Australian flowering bushes

My favorite place is what we’ve dubbed The Sacred Grove. It is a natural circle of trees that is a sun-dappled oasis far enough from the goats and neighbors to be truly peaceful and serene.

Australian Sacred Grove

What is your favorite spot where you live?