Caring For the Animals

It can be really hard, because you have live stock and then there's dead stock. I lost the little lamb in the last post, but I managed to get some very good care for her mother, who is now doing well. The mother, Rosie, had mastitis so was unable to care for her twins and probably didn't give them any colostrum. That doesn't bode well for any newborn.
It's been a long hard weekend, but we now have 10 lambs which include 3.5 sets of twins. One of the ewes couldn't deliver her 2nd twin so Derrick now has his assisted delivery certificate (a breach stillborn lamb), mother is still marginal. Here is her surviving daughter which I am bottle feeding:

On Saturday morning I found that Lila (a neighbour's Dorper ewe which visited with her twin boys, and has stayed for almost 12 months) had delivered twin males, and again one is black and the other is white:

Lila and her new 'boys'

Only a couple of ewes left to lamb. Hopefully the weather will be a little more settled for a few more days.

It's Sprinter!

Well, how else do you explain the spring/winter weather in one day. This morning I woke to find that one of my lambs had died overnight and his twin sister wasn't looking too good either! Poor Mum! she was struggling to feed I think - her udder is very tight. So I brought the little one into shelter - actually the glass recycling bin plus an old quilt - feed her and let her sleep in the warmth. Took her to her Mum this afternoon, only to find it hailing! Then when I was at work people were coming and telling me how cold it was outside and that there was snow on the ranges! So I've been coaxing Mum into the house paddock where there is a small barn - at least shelter from the wind and rain and I don't have to keep climbing up to the top paddock to catch a lamb to feed it (actually it isn't that far, I'm just not fit enough!).

Special Treatment!

Yay! At Long Last!

We have catkins on our walnut tree! It's only about 9 years old, but we were told that it would start 'fruiting' from 7 years - so ...

Walnut catkins

More Citrus Preserves

Today's batch of lemon curd and both Moroccan Lemons and Limes - yummy!

What To Do With...

... a plethora of eggs and limes?
Make lime curd and pavlova roulades!
Eggs:

Limes (I see that these are currently $13.99 at the supermarket!):

Now for the juicing:

This takes a while, but can't be rushed:

Then, yummy, yummy!

Now, to use up all the egg whites.
This is the hardest part:

Gently does the cooking:

A little later, one mixed berry and one passion fruit (these are just over $2.00 a piece of fruit!, I think I'd better get some vines!)

I did find it difficult rolling the pavlovas, so let the cream/fruit mixture sit on the top for a few minutes before rolling. Now, into the freezer and I will wrap in foil when they are easier to handle.
Great presents!

A Bus Trip to Wellington

Today I joined 47 other Rose City Quilters members for a bus trip to Wellington to see 2 quilt shows. One was at Upper Hutt for Pinestream Quilters, and the other was in Kilbirnie, for the Wellington Quilters Guild 20th anniversary Under covers.
We had a lovely day - no worries about parking, driving, the rain on the way down and the wind on the way back!
Here is a close up of the quilting design on a wool quilt (quilt pattern is Amish Square in a Square):

Aotearoa Amish by Fyvie Murray

Plus, this quilt, I really loved the simplicity of colour and design:

Strata III by Debra DeLorenzo

Here is a close inspection of the coloured strip and the surrounding blocks:

I also love the straight line quilting - very effective.
Great day!

Welcome Home

The welcome committee - new members x 12 - when I came home this evening.

Cot Quilt for a Little Girl

Flower Fairies

Very simply put together, measures 33.5" x 52" (85cm x 132cm). Quilted with flowers, vines and leaves in the sashings and feathers in the border. Backed with the same fabric.
Now on for some serious stuff - a symposium challenge to continue working on.