My quilting thoughts and inspirations sprinkled with a glimpse of life down on the farm

Saturday, December 18, 2021

Dogs and Calves

Nigel has been given the job of looking after my Scrappy Christmas Ornament quilt until I get back to it. Unfortunately my Slow and Steady approach to this quilt is proving to be very slow and a little unsteady as it moves from the Must Be Completed before Christmas list, to the It Would Be Nice If It Was Quilted before Christmas list. Never to mind.
In the meantime I have made some Christmas gifts for two young fellows who I hope will appreciate them —
This is a Red Boot Quilt Company design (updated link). A fun pattern to use. And look how delightfully scrappy it is! I spent ages finding the right scraps from my extensive non-quilty collection. 


Here's a sneak peek of something else I've been working on lately —

I was delighted to receive some lovely Christmas wishes from Maria in the mail the other day. I love the clever wee bookmark she enclosed. It sits nicely over the corner of the pages.
Below you can see it in action in my latest Vera detective novel.
Thank you, Maria!

The beginning of the week was spent sorting calves.
First up, it was the last feed for the 11 that I was still feeding —
After this last meal of deliciousness, they were drenched and vaccinated, and then drafted into different mobs (girls/boys/to keep/to sell).
Next came drafting, drenching and sorting of the older weaned calves out the back —
(Not a great photo of the whole yard work thing but when you're working....!)
We brought all the beefies home for sale (all 75 sold and now on their new farm.)
You can see it was a drizzly day for working - gloomy sky shots - check out the tyres on the bikes - hehe; the clay track doesn't like a bit of rain!

And because I am really behind in photos/blogging this year, I'm just going to pop in a couple of photos of what we usually do when we wean our calves.
I get them to follow me along the bush track as far as possible - getting them to follow the feeder is the best way as they think they are hungry (although they already have full bellies of grass!)
Then I shoo them and follow them out the back, through the bush to the runoff. 
While I walk behind them (usually they run down the hills so I get behind really quickly!) the MOML goes back home and gets Emmadog. This is the one time of the season where she really earns her keep as a farm dog. She keeps the calves moving so that we actually get out to the runoff. Otherwise they'd start to dawdle and we'd be there forever!

Once we get out the back, they have lots of grass to eat, and quickly forget about milk!

And to give you a wee smile; here is a pic my DIL took this morning. We had two small children stay overnight, then this morning we went next door to collect three more as their mum had some work booked. The easiest way of course is to pile them all in the back of the buggy. And yes, I am a Ganma-driver when I have this precious cargo on board! (Ganma drivers are a bit like Nana drivers!) Nice for the kiddies to have some cousin time ♥
'til next time,
happy stitches,

23 comments:

  1. Oh how I LOVE all of these pics!!! I was first attracted to the dogs that you used non-quilt fabric. Then the pics and descriptions got better and better! I miss growing up on a farm, but I do love my life now. Oh the days of separating the cows! I had a lot of energy and was a helper like Emmadog back in the day. LOL.

    We still have the mud driveway. Your pastures are gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You picked great non quilting fabrics for those lovely dogs… they’ll be much loved….
    Pleased your card and the handy book mark arrived. 👍
    You can just finished the Ornament Quilt for next year as it’s always busy on the farm.
    It’s so nice that you live close enough to have all the grannies …
    Love the photo of you and them in the buggy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Awesome pics and oh well the ornie quilt isn't quite done. But time working, and enjoying life and with the littles is much more fun.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would say those small vehicles sure come in handy so you do not need to walk in that mud! Looks like you are having a wonderful time with all the kids - and cows!

    ReplyDelete
  5. It is no wonder that that quilt remains in the "to be finished" pile with all else that you have going on there. I love the picture of the little ones in the back. They'll soon be too big to all fit in there. ;-(

    ReplyDelete
  6. That final photo with the littles totally made my morning! Merry Christmas to you and yours.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love those cuddle dogs.... Toni's toys are delightful I have made a few over time.... great to see all the cousins together... wonderful memories...
    Hugz

    ReplyDelete
  8. Those dogs are so cute! So are the kids! :0)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Such a gorgeous photo of all those happy smiling faces! And it's always so interesting for us townies to read about life on the farm. Love those two patchwork pooches too. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The dogs are extra gorgeous. Lots of fun.
    Looks like it is still a very busy time for you, but what fun to have all those gorgeous children together!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great shot at the end there Raewyn and I love those scrappy toys. xx

    ReplyDelete
  12. I so love seeing the photos of your farm. Takes me back to when I was a kid and would visit my cousins on my aunts and uncles beef and dairy farms. I am impressed you get any stitching done at all! Love the sneak peek at your stitching and I also love the two dog dolls.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love these glimpses into your life, Raewyn!
    And that last photo--ADORABLE!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Loved your last photo, super special! And, with all the farm happenings, I'm surprised you get any time at all for your stitching! Merry Christmas Raewyn.

    ReplyDelete
  15. The dolls you made are adorable. They will be treasured gifts.
    I enjoyed your farm photos and your explanation of the weening process. We never had a farm but I was always around them growing up in south Alabama.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I’m sure those puppies will go down a treat. It’s interesting seeing some of your farm work. I bet the kidlets all had fun together. It doesn’t matter if your quilt doesn’t get finished for this Christmas, there is always next year.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Lovely pic of you and the kids, and great job with the chrissie gifts. Love to hear your farm methods

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great to see Nigel on the job! The puppies are gorgeous and I am sure will be much loved. Always enjoy the farm photos, good to see Emmadog doing her thing. The photo of you and the grands is beautiful. I bet they all had fun together. You had some serious tyre mud there!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Nigel has very good taste! And I am not sure what made me grin more, those scrappy puppies or the kids piled in the back with the Ganma driver!!! Thanks for sharing some photos and descriptions of work you do on the farm - you are so impressive to keep all these plates in the air! Merry Christmas, Raewyn!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Love the doggies...bet they were a hit with their new owners...

    ReplyDelete
  21. Happy New Year, Raewyn! Just scrolled through your last two posts to catch up on your happenings! Wasn’t disappointed, not that I ever am. I love your soft toys. I bought this pattern awhile back, but haven’t made it yet. I also bought the people doll patterns…….they are all cut out but are still sitting in my suitcase, unpacked. One of these days ~sigh~! Glad to see everything’s going well at your farm. XO

    ReplyDelete
  22. Cutest stuffed doggies EVER! Where can I find the pattern? My daughter would enjoy making them!

    I always love seeing your beautiful home with the cows and kids.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting and taking the time to leave a comment. I read and appreciate them all and try my best to reply. Have a great day!!
(If you are a no-reply or anonymous blogger and would like a response, please leave an email address.)