Standing now!!!

 Noisette is up and walking - meeting the aunties and looking good :)  Wont keep hourly updates, but you can expect to see her a lot!!  Cute or what eh!?

Its a GIRL!!

Sweet Pea went into labor this morning, and first I saw the nose, then the whole head popped out - checked my book - not good, should have head resting on front feet to start.

Phoned my friend Ruth King of Lavender Park, and she talked us through finding the front legs - bent at the elbow - not good.  Phoned the vet and they talked us through what to do next, most of the way through this conversation I realised it was beyond our skill set to tackle and asked them to come out, which they did - but we're a long way from Crookwell so it was quite a wait.  The vet got a bit lost, so I was in full panic mode by the time he pulled up.  Muscle relaxants and some realignment administered, and then a big push from Sweet Pea and out she came.

We've called our little nut brown baby Noisette - she hasnt arrived in ideal conditions as its threatening to rain, but she is a good size cria and seems very strong despite her protracted birth.  Yay!!!! At last!!!

Wedgewood Quilt - the quilting

Yes, it is a zingy quilt, and yes it was easier to make than it looks, strips, sew and cut and re-sew.  The quilting has 2 black dogs in each bottom corner to represent Belle and Charcoal whose kennels were just outside the master bedroom, and in the middle is a bay horse to represent Bozo - the rest is covered with sheep - just like Wedgewood!!

Birds and Flowers but no Cria

Enjoyed a busy, tiring but very successful weekend at the Shoalhaven Poultry Group's auction at Berry, sold 5 silkies for very reasonable prices.

Yesterday evening, Eddy was outside bbq-ing when he heard a thud, and found this bird on the ground behaving like it had been stunned - must have flown into the window.   Its a shiny bronze cuckoo - says in my book they hang out in dense forest or tall scrub, so surprised to find it in our backyard!!  Put it up on top of the budgie breeding boxes out of harm's way while it recovered, and half an hour later it flew away :)

Finally finished my entry for the Hanging of the Quilts next weekend at Yass - phew!!  Even with the clothes line at full height it was still too big to suspend, but you get the gist!!

Another iris - this is one I brought from Nowra Hill in a pot - its still in a pot, but should make it to the garden after its finished flowering!!  It looks much darker in real life.

Sweet Pea Update

Its a balloon Penelope.
Its a baby John
*POP*
Its a BALLOON Penelope!!

With each passing day our cria gets more or less likely!!  If she really is pregnant, then we are venturing into rarely charted waters, day 387 since definite spit off on Oct 2, and so each day the likelihood of Sweet Pea giving birth must be increasing.... at the same time, I have to admit that its starting to look increasingly possible that even WITH cria kicks being visible, this may be a phantom pregnancy!!  Boo hoo!!  I'm not sure how she's managing the cria kicks, but it must be a possibility that this is a very elaborate hoax, and I will be very disappointed if that's the way it turns out - after Azzura's pregnancy (mysteriously) resulting in no cria earlier in the year, I'm not even slightly well placed to be looking at a second non-event.  Being a llama farmer is turning out to be the school of hard knocks!!

Think positive thoughts people!! TIA :)

Iris - such jewels!!

The iris continue to star, today I found some fabulous new ones in the side garden.  The apricot has fully opened and has 3 floweres on the stem - looks fantastic :)

Baby blues in the front garden

And new to the front garden this lovely peach coloured iris - several stems - to die for!!

And this was today's find in the side garden - how good is this??  Came out of nowhere - smashing!!  Love it!!

And in the front garden the sulphur yellows continue to do well :)

When we first looked at the house I was thrilled to see so many iris in the garden, but Freya was quick to remind me that there was a good chance they'd all be gone before settlement - I am so pleased that they were still here when we moved in - I am enjoying them immensely!!

Lose Lose!!

This morning, on my way to do my stint at Murrumbateman Field Days I met several roos!!  The first 4 encounters passed without incident, but when I met #5 and #6 it was a different story, they jumped out of the creek bed while I was crossing the causeway - I've got no choices on a causeway (bridge with no side rails) and #5 crashed into the side of my car taking out the side mirror.... not a good result for me or the roo!!