The donkeys have arrived!

And my gosh are they gorgeous!

this photo: Jo Peak

Having donkeys was on the tip of my 'critter wishlist' when we moved here. But all sorts of obstacles had to be overcome before they got here:
> earn extra money to pay for the field shelter (no less, by running a chicken training workshop!)
> attending the mandatory course in donkey care (my first attempt was cancelled due to the donkey farm being snowed in at the end of March)
> getting the field shelter in place (means spending ages researching suppliers, deciding what I needed, carrying all the parts into the road-inaccessible field, having it put together...)
> getting the Donkey Sanctuary to visit twice before my paddock was 'approved'
> then waiting 4 1/2 long months for that phone call from the Sanctuary (that call came last week!)

Yesterday they finally arrived - just 2 weeks short of the one year mark since our move here.
They will be (re)named as soon as I get an inkling for 'their' names - suggestions welcome!

Killing fields

The worker bees have started evicting the drones...

I never realised it was going to be in such huge piles of dead bodies....

Gazelles? Goats? Sheep!

I'm thrilled at the arrival of 4 gorgeous, gazelle-like Soay sheep!
It all happened somewhat accidentally - the internet is a great place for coincidental discoveries. I was, really, looking for infomation on hay (making/byuing/selling) which led me to a link of a local breeder selling Soay pet lambs, which led me to read up on this unusual breed, which made me think they'd be just perfect for here, and they'd be perfect for me, too.
I never really intended keeping any sheep, as everyone else does here anyway. But this is a wild, primitive breed, not messed about with moderns stock breeding ideas, so it's hardy and able to get on with its life without human interference. Just my kind of animal, in theory. Then we went to look at them 'for real' at a farm on Anglesey, and that did the rest for me:
I have fallen in love with these sheep!

By the way, the ram is called Elton.

Beehive boggle

Did a beginners' beekeeping course last week - hurray! Fascinating stuff, and have been dreaming of bees every night since.
It is also mind-boggling stuff, especially as you need to get yourself a beehive (and other bits of equipment) before you can give a colony of bees a home. But beehive is not like beehive is not like beehive: there is a confusing number of versions and options, from the minor detail to the drastically redefined. Reading more and more and more about it all has been a major distraction and obsession for the last few days.

One thing I know: I would like to keep bees as kindly and naturally as possible. But then there is nothing natural about keeping bees in a wooden box (quote from the weekend course) - indeed. Surely though, there must be different degrees of intervention...?!

'Modern beekeeping' has changed little for over 150 years, so there is a lot of "it's always done that way" attitudes around. And those who dare to have differing opinions are often just as opinionated. Apparently, if you ask two beekeepers the same question you'll get three contradicting answers.
So how on earth is a beginner to draw their own conclusions and make their own informed decisions? Yes, you have to start somewhere and make it up while you going along, but then this brings us back to the question of the bee hive...

The girls

The newst additon to our homestead in the Welsh hills.
They arrived in early December and started laying in early February, 5 perfectly formed eggs every day, unfailingly (and occasionally a mishapen extra egg).

A perfect reason to learn how to make poached eggs (just not worth trying this with supermarket eggs!)

Falling in love with a Battersea dog....

Geese on the beach

These geese live in the shallow salty waters of a Greek island beach - and in the evenings will occasionally waddle past customers at the beach-side taverna. Hilarious.

Dogs too!

On my way back home, impatiently missing my furry, purry gang, now that the chicken excitements have come to an end (temporary, I promise). Besides the feathered company in these last two weeks I have also enjoyed other good company:

Little Peanut, Robyn's dog - fun-loving fellow chicken (and dog) trainer from Idaho. Never met a dog that was so much like his name. And he made me revise my opinion of small dogs too. And super-smart, pretty girl Wilee, companion to Ursula, super-smart dog trainer and people coach from Olympia.

We enjoyed beach and trail walks, wild strawberries, convivial dinners and inspiring conversations. They even let me play cool after dinner clicker games: 'shaping' Wilee to jump from chair to chair, and Peanut to get into a basket. It took less than 20 minutes for both of them to 'get it' - just with a clicker and treats. Thrilling.

Danish duck family

Fox cubs!

There is an empty plot behind my garden; a real jungle, with secrets and surprises:

Territory

Psipsina really keeps an eye on 'her' home now. Intruders have no chance: the other day a fox sneaked in, and was immediately attacked with forceful, noisy determination. Today a new black cat came so much as near the garden door and was given a clear message about what would happen if she came any nearer.
With the kittens almost 8 months now, and out and about by themselves all the time anyway, I doubt this is her mothering instinct. This really is about her home = her territory. Uninvited guests keep out! (Maybe she'd would do the same with would-be burglars?)