Pregnant Pauses

Helen's colostrum was milky this afternoon.

Kim is building a nest.

Cliff and Albie are standing by nervously, holding trotters in a very masculine gesture of support. Roger, just over the fence, is waiting with his flock (or what remains of it, after the Pitt Island girls were lured into the top paddock with the super-secure fences).

Nicole Ritchie agreed to appear on camera,
shortly before helping us to lure her mum
back from the neighbour's paddock, and
into the top paddock with the super-secure
fences. She declined to give autographs,
although Albie asked so nicely.

Roger is still convinced that he is the father of Helen's unborn kid, however Albie says that Roger ought to be content with his four current children. Big Suffolk doesn't seem overly concerned about the variety of mothers that Roger's children have, and the Pitt Island girls are still trying to figure out how they got trapped in the top paddock with the super secure fences. Nobody has challenged Cliff's paternity (who would go there, say the sheep, Kim's such a pig).

Paternity and maternity issues aside, we are all very excited about tomorrow.

Saturday's slow-roasted shanks

Saturday, who looks just like Nicole Ritchie only smaller.

Yesterday, Saturday was born. Saturday is an Arapawa Pitt Island cross. Roger his proud, because Saturday looks just like her dad, and nothing like her mum, Arethra (the Pitt Island ewe with the scurs and the inability to spell). Saturday is Nicole Ritchie's younger half sister - the two are almost identical, but Nicole and her mum Whitney are currently residing in the neighbour's paddock, and refuse to be photographed. Nicole was born about two weeks before Saturday.

To celebrate Saturday's arrival, here is a recipe that we have called Saturday's Slow-Roasted Shanks (even though Saturday still has all her shanks, and will do so for some time)...

2 lamb shanks

1 cup celery, sliced
1 cup carrot, sliced
1 cup onion, finely chopped
6 small-ish potatoes

2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 large bay leaf
salt and pepper

4 tomatoes, puréed
1 cup white wine
1 cups chicken stock

Combine all ingredients in a roasting pan with lid. Cover, cook long and slow at no hotter than 150°C (302°F), for about 2 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone.

In other news, after some trouble with the big bad wolf, the last of the three little pigs moved to the freezer last weekend. Karina and Petra, aged just 17 weeks, moved into the three little pigs' house shortly afterwards. Karina plans to grow up and have children with one of Kim's offspring (due later this year), while Petra has plans for a more more culinary career. Kim and Cliff have been toying with the idea of finding a new home, and are thinking about moving out after Kim has her next litter of piglets.

Helen is still pregnant, moody, hormonal, and due to kid this Thursday (despite an early mix-up with dates which had us expecting the kid two weeks ago). She's been spending time with the cows next door, and hasn't been keen to come back home for anyone. The cows next door have accepted Helen as a senior member of the herd, and will follow her all the way to the fence when she gets dragged back home. Back in our paddocks, Roger and Albie are both excited about the prospect of fathering Helen's kids, but that is another story...

Countdown...

The expectant couple

Three days ago, at feeding time, Helen asked if she could have hers to-go, in the neighbour's paddock. The reason, we suspect, is that she has grown too large to fit through the boundary fence. Two days later, the lure of feeding time became too much, and Helen decided to brave the fence. She almost got stuck, but after a lot of pushing and pulling, the fence gave a satisfying twang, and Helen popped right through. She hasn't ventured back since. Yesterday, Mr Farmer discovered a very small amount of colostrum in Helen's udder. The countdown has begun - Helen should kid at the beginning of August. Albie is super-excited to be a dad, and (having been led back home from the neighbour's paddock), has not left Helen's side.

Wet weather gear

Big Suffolk (left) inspects Paul
(centre) and Stevie's (right)
new wet weather gear, with what
we would like to describe as
gratitude (but is probably more
like suspicion).

Big Suffolk timed the twins' (now Paul and Stevie) birth right on the edge of a very big storm, which is a bit of a sheep tradition. Mr Farmer didn't think much of my generous offer to bring Paul and Stevie inside and raise them for Big Suffolk, but he did suggest that Paul and Stevie might like some bread bag rain coats for their birthday. Stevie models this season's latest look from Pak n' Save - the white toast slice (baked fresh in store daily), and Paul models this season's latest look from Budget - the white sandwich slice. For smaller lambs, Vogels have a wonderful range of petite-sized wet weather garments - happily, Stevie and Paul are more the size of your average loaf of bread. Helen is disappointed that the two bread bags wandering around the paddock are full of lamb, not bread - she gave the bags a very thorough inspection before they were transformed into rain coats. Big Suffolk didn't really seem very grateful for her twins' new gears, stamping her feet and glaring at me while I put the jackets on Paul and Stevie. One can't expect too much from a sheep, I suppose.

One of the leghorns (right) doing her best to ignore Yortu
(left).

Yortu the traveling turkey is still with us, and is currently watching me type from a sheltered spot under the eaves. Yortu roosts alone, right outside our bedroom (and will need to re-assess her idea of acceptable hygiene habits if she wishes to continue roosting outside our bedroom). She rises before the guinea fowl, and hasn't quite figured out how to get up into their roosting tree, so wanders around calling out "I am a lonely turkey hen, looking for company". Yesterday, Yortu was almost coerced into eloping with a wild pheasant from next door while the guinea fowl slept. This morning, the guinea fowl rose a little earlier. No marauding pheasants have been heard so far.

Albie and Helen seem to have had a falling-out, and Albie has disappeared off into the neighbour's paddock in a huff. Although usually very pleasant-natured, Helen has been known to be difficult during the later stages of her pregnancies. The rumour in the paddock is that Albie thinks Helen is a bit too friendly with Roger, and is having some doubts about the paternity of Helen's unborn kid (obviously Albie has a splash of Nubian in him). Some of us are suspicious that Helen may have left Albie in the neighbour's paddock on purpose. I think it is time that Albie was shown the way back into our paddock, but Helen is all for leaving him next door.

Two birthdays

The two new lambs, some 12 hours old, as yet
anonymous. Mr Farmer apologises for the blurry photo.

When we checked on Big Suffolk last night at around 8 pm, she was muttering things about epidurals and cesarians. The lambs, however, hadn't even started to arrive. Helen and the flock were nearby, just in case, and Albie was just over the other side of the fence, saying some very soothing things to Big Suffolk.

At 12.30 am, Big Suffolk was found in the paddock nursing twin boys. Albie, from the other side of the fence, said he'd never been through such a life-changing experience. Helen has been all clucky since - hopefully she is due in August. In the meantime, everyone is thinking very hard about names for the two newest additions to the flock.

Yortu is still here, but has fallen in with the wrong crowd. Early yesterday evening she was inducted into the Guinea Fowl Gang as a prospect - the Guinea Fowl Gang comprise two (possibly) male guinea fowl who wandered up the driveway one day, several years ago, with a little bit of coercion from Mr Farmer.

Yortu and the Guinea Fowl Gang, cruising the 'hood.

Initially, the guinea fowl lived as one with the chickens, even starting a romantic relationship with one of the Rhode Island hens. It never amounted to anything, and, since said hen decided to end the liaison, the guinea fowl have taken to chasing all of the chickens away and stealing their food. Yortu is currently happy to share with the chickens, but we wonder how long it will be before she becomes a patched member of the GFG. The search is on for a suitable partner for Yortu - someone from a stable background who is interested in settling down with Mrs Right, and starting a family, and might be able to convince Yortu to get back on the straight and narrow. Single gobblers are hard to come by at present, however.

Albie is still on the other side of the fence, in exactly the same spot as he was yesterday. He claims he needs the alone time to think hard about names for his two wee god-children, but everyone knows he's just forgotten how to get back through the fence.

Christmas and a birthday

Yortu, checking out the pigs.

It's been an exciting day on the farm. First, Mr Farmer spotted Yortu in the front garden. Nobody is sure where Yortu came from, but it's been several hours, and Yortu is still hanging out with the sheep. She's been invited to move in full time, and is allowed to bring a boyfriend and raise a family (or come for Christmas dinner).

Big Suffolk, in labour.

In other news, Big Suffolk was spotted in the top corner of the paddock shortly after Yortu's arrival, looking sheepish. On closer inspection, her water had just broken - Mr Farmer claimed that he could see not one, but two, water bags. We might be expecting twins. Big Suffolk is still in labour, but Helen is standing by as her birth buddy, trying to redeem herself. Helen is in trouble because she took Albie into the paddock next door yesterday, and left him there. Albie has been sitting patiently by the fence ever since.

This little piggy... (or, pork, red wine and mushroom pie)

These are not the three little pigs. Inglis (front, centre) is
just dreaming about pie. The three little pigs refused to
appear on camera, and the pies disappeared too quickly to
be photographed.

In response to the dismal, wet, cold Winter weather, the three little pigs have been in the kitchen, making a rather tasty pork, red wine and mushroom pie. Here is their recipe:

700 g pork, cut into cubes
seasoned flour

15 ml oil

half a clove of garlic, finely chopped*
1 brown onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small carrot, diced

300 ml beef stock
3/4 c red wine
pinch thyme**
2 bay leaves

20 g flour
200 g button mushrooms, quartered***

1/4 t red wine vinegar

Coat the cubes of pork with the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess flour. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat, add the pork, and brown (about five minutes).

Add the garlic, onion, celery and carrot to the pork, and cook five minutes or so, with the lid on, until the vegetables are soft. Reduce the heat to a low heat.

Add the beef stock, red wine, thyme and bay leaves. Simmer very very gently for two and a half (maybe even three) hours - with the lid on for the first hour and a half, then with the lid off for the remaining time. Now is a good time to start making your pastry (or to get your pastry out of the freezer, or to whip off to the supermarket).

Add the mushrooms, and simmer very very very gently for a further half an hour. By this time, the meat should be starting to fall apart. If not, keep simmering very very very very gently. Once the mushrooms are in, start rolling out your pastry, putting it into pie tin(s) and baking the empty pie shells in the oven until only just cooked.

Sprinkle the flour over, combine, and mix until the sauce becomes smooth and thick. Season, add vinegar, and spoon into your pie shell(s). Put the lids on your pie shells, glaze if you can be bothered, and bake at 180°C for about 15 minutes, until the pastry is cooked.

Pastry****

225 g flour
100 g butter*****
1/2 t salt
1/4 c water

Rub butter into flour and salt. Add water a little at a time, until a stiff dough forms. Leave to rest 20 - 30 minutes in the fridge, then roll out into your desired shape. Pastry makers with time constraints can skip the resting part, but do be aware that your pastry will not behave nearly as nicely as it should without a good rest before rolling.


In other news, the Ride-on Mower has found a full-time position elsewhere (no grass for her here, no more work until Spring), Helen and Albie are still very much in love, and we are now saving for a donkey to replace the Ride-on Mower, much to Mr Farmer's distress.

*you could use more garlic, but Mr Farmer's stomach and garlic don't get on, so I didn't.

**or try rosemary, if you're adventurous. That is what the three little pigs will try next time.

***field mushrooms would also be excellent, but it's not the right time of year for them here.

****this is short-crust pastry. If you have time on your hands, or a supermarket nearby, this pie would be excellent with flaky puff pastry.

*****or use 50 g lard, 50 g butter - apparently lard makes an excellent pastry, but we don't often have it in the fridge. Margarine works wonderfully, too.