Rafia, boxes and bows

Wrap, wrap, wrap .. bits of rafia and ribbon everywhere.  Stacks of gift boxes and little wooden camembert boxes all over the place.  It must be that festive time of year again!!  Yes indeedy folks, the Ellie's Dairy team is currently hard at work making extra cheese and making it all look pretty for your delight.  Dairy Fairy Julie and Notting Hill Marketeer Rosie have been spending their evenings wrapping our wonderful soap whilst yours truly seems to spend every spare minute tying bows round little boxes!

So, no excuse for lack of blog ... Just one of those festive things.

Quite a lot has been going on (apart from the wrapping) since we last met.  Our little stud boys have moved on to their new homes.  Massey and McLaren went to join our girls in Herefordshire and Ferguson and Landini went to Somerset to work in one of the big herds down there who have had many of our boys in the past.

We also said goodbye to our lovely boys Fenn and Clark as they moved to Somerset with the two younger boys.  Although we are very sad to see them go, we know that they will be very happy (and very busy!) in their new home.  We have used both of them so much that it would be difficult for us to keep them working after this season and so it makes sense for them to move whilst they are still young and enthusiastic!

I hope that Clark is getting lots of hugs in his new home as he was a bit of a mummy's boy and demanded quite a lot of attention.  So, that leaves us just with Hugo as our solitary working male for the moment.  He had a bit of a rough start in life at his previous home and it took him a long time to settle down with us and start working.  It would not be fair to move him somewhere else as we know that he would not be happy.  Although we have used him an awful lot, we should be able to find a few ladies for him each year!

Farmers markets have been moving along very nicely, although we have had some particularly challenging weather to deal with.  West Hampstead last Saturday was horrendous and, after one gazebo took off in the wind, many of the traders took their awnings down for safety.  Fortunately, it stayed dry but we did all feel rather naked without our covers on!  It all looked very bare!

Borough Market is beginning to get that busy festive feel to it and it all looks lovely with the decorations up now.  Tomorrow is our Evening of Cheese and we are really looking forward to being part of it, along with all the Borough cheesemongers.  It's going to be just one HUGE cheesefest!  Can't wait!

The goatie girls have just been taking it easy as usual.    Not inclined to go outside at all in this windy wet weather, they have been spending their days just lounging around in the barn. Comfy straw and big yummy bales of haylage are just too tempting!

And finally ... this is how Marlin scratches her bottom after milking!