It’s late morning and I'm making Ellie’s cheese today. Lovingly tended over the next 2 days, it will then be packed and labelled ready for sale later in the week.
David is battling the elements out in his tractor doing hedgecutting. It’s a busy season for him at this time of year as he is in constant demand by many of the local farmers. Once the crops are harvested, he has only a very short time to get into the field and do all the hedges before the tractors come back in to cultivate the land and sow the seed ready for next year. On more than one occasion, he has been followed round the field by an impatient plough!
Evening milking will start around 6pm. The new parlour is now in action which saves us many hours each day – milking 12 goats at a time rather than 2 is much better!
Here's Betty and Wilma in the old parlour:
And this was the first trial run in the new parlour. It has stalling for 12 goats but we were only brave enough to bring 8 in for the first time!
The goats have done really well in getting used to the new parlour but, goats being goats, are now finding new and interesting ways to be naughty when they get bored. And of course, with 6 times as many goats being milked at a time, there is 6 times more scope for bad behaviour! I'm sure you don't get as much trouble milking cows or sheep or camels ...
Does my b*m look big in this?? Betty and Wilma won't thank you for posting this .. not their best profiles I think!!
ReplyDelete