Saturday - First things first.

Saturday morning is no different to any other morning on the farm.  First jobs for the day are letting the poultry out of their over night sheds and feeding them all. Water containers are checked and filled up too.  In the mornings they get bread with yogurt which they gobble up happily before going out to free range in the paddocks. The geese wander further afield and can be seen down in the creek line and up in the far paddocks during the day, but always return in the late afternoon to the security of their yard.
Next on the list is feeding the pigs, which are only weeks away from processing, as they have suddenly become huge!

Then I make my way over to the cow yards and dairy. Daisy is brought in and attached to the milking machine cups while she eats her breakfast.  I put a feed mix out for Lavender to eat in the small yard while the two calves, who know their routine so well, walk through the little gate and into their day time yard where they get a small feed mix of chaff, bran, dolomite and molasses.
They are being separated away from Lavender during the day times now and have the run of another paddock adjoining their day time yard.  We need to know that Rosie (foster calf) is getting her fair share of Lavender's milk; when they are all together all day, Blossom (Lavender's real calf) tends to suckle frequently, leaving little milk for Rosie.
In the evening when we are milking Daisy, Lavender gets another feed in her feed bin while the two calves are released to be with her again until the next morning. Both calves get a more equal share of her milk by controlling them like this.

A batch of soft quark cheese needs to be drained all day and night before I can make a cheesecake tomorrow. Slow food... To make a cheesecake on Sunday it must be thought of on Friday evening to get the cheese on the way.

A batch of plum jam goes onto the gas ring to simmer for hours today. The heat and the smells go up the chimney instead of lingering in the house. 

The days are still hot, 34 degrees C here today, and that seems quite cool in comparison to our temperatures of late.

Brian is doing some maintenance on the bee hives. Pressure cleaning and tightening loose screws before spray painting will keep these old hives going strong for another few years.

I'm making a few bottles of Fruit Fizz drink from rhubarb and plums which is a summer time favorite of ours as we never drink sodas or purchased soft drinks. Naturally fermented and containing pro-biotics it's difficult not to feel a little bit guilty while drinking it, but it is absolutely purely wholesome.... and delicious!
I'll give you the recipe for it in my next blog. Right now the jam is ready for putting into jars, the sourdough has risen and needs making into dough, an evening meal needs to be prepared, the vegetable gardens need watering,  the cow needs milking and the cream separated from the milk, the pigs need to be fed, and then a relaxing glass of wine to be enjoyed with this Blue Roquefort cheese I unwrapped yesterday.

Made in October and aged in the cheese ripening boxes for two weeks before wrapping and storing in the bottom of the fridge. Will definitely be making more of this.

I hope your Saturday has been one full of pleasures, achievements and maybe even a bit of relaxation.
Thanks for visiting. :)