Well today I decided to make cheese with a kit that our Courtney gave me a little while ago. Being lucky enough to have 7 litres of goats milk on hand, I'd decided upon making goat feta, chèvre frais and finally ricotta from the whey. I didn't quite realise that the feta would take so long, … Continue reading Making goats cheese

Don't want to labour the point about the bread oven, but yesterday it was lit for the first time, just a small fire to help dry out the external layers of vermiculite, also to burn the inner wooden frame that guided the oven dome. This was watched as always by various members of the menagerie … Continue reading The firing

We now have the door for the bread oven. A lovely old cast iron door was bought from ebay (of course), but needed a surround to fit it into place. A welder friend did this for us, and so now it is full steam ahead. Robert is hard at work laying the outer bricks of … Continue reading The outdoor bread oven

Now no-one dislikes spiders more than I do, but you really have to admire their handiwork at times. These stunning cobwebs greeted me as I walked out from the back door - suspended over the lemon tree. Nice work spiders but now, where's the broom …..

Busy here at present but the life and times of the animals goes on regardless. Ex-feral Tom, self-appointed king of the household, thinks that size does not matter at all when it comes to ownership of the old bean bag in the lounge room. This morning there was the usual scrap with Rosie the kitten to … Continue reading Animal antics – the bean bag cat

I'm sure people who dwell in this little end of the Molesworth valley wondered what the echoing chip, chip, chipping was from early this morning, here is the explanation - Robert, convict labourer style, removing the mortar from the last of the second hand bricks for the bread oven.  There's enough to finish the top … Continue reading Echoes in the valley

If it seems I've been a bit quiet of late, here is the reason why - in and around classes in the cooking school here I've made almost 300 bottles of cordials for an order - blackberry, cumquat and elderflower.   Also, on the stall at our gate this morning - there will be loaves … Continue reading Busy times

In case anyone was wondering what is happening with the bread oven, progress still being made. Just waiting for the door surround to be welded and then it's full steam ahead to baking time!  

Something a little odd in the chook yard this morning. Eenie the duck has just hatched two baby chickens, and a very attentive (and protective) mother she is too.

Here are some new (and unexpected) kids on the block. This hen had been hiding her 8 chicks in the shrubbery and only wandered out with them a couple of days ago. Of course there are various birds that would like to feast on the babies, but it's interesting to watch not only Tom the … Continue reading New additions