Some news

We heard through the rural telegraph that a small field was coming up for sale not far from us. Only ten acres and it needs some fencing work, but it's enough that I can expand my flock of sheep, rotate the horses' grazing and even keep a few weiners. We drove by and looked it over. Talked it over. As home accountant, I reviewed our finances and did the sums. We can afford it if we pull our belts in for at least the next year. We've put in an offer, but we can't go any higher. And there's another interested party. We are keeping our fingers crossed anyway.

Back at home, one of the bantam hens is poorly, the horses needed their worming treatments, and Pearl has a mild case of bloat. I set up a small pen of sheep hurdles so the lambs can spend warmer days on grass in the sun, next to the apple tree. I also replaced the broken panes of glass in the greenhouse, collected two buckets of rotted horse manure for the tomato beds, and put my seed potatoes out to chit. And I took the dogs out for a run behind the quad bike because it was such a pretty evening with the low winter sun.

I can't remember being so happy, even without an extra 10 acres. But I'm still hoping.