Little lambies

With as much patience as they could muster, Pepper, Finn, Omkara and Harvey waited for some time up close with the lambs.

All the little lambs not much more than a week old, they skitter off with too much approach and so we sat and watched and waited and enjoyed and finally were allowed right in close...

...  it was so.o.oo worth the wait.

Peek-a-boo and togetherness ...

Whose there .. ?

We are .. !!

You're turn ...

Peek-a-boo

How about a helping hand .. ?

So long, farewell and may love bless you on your journey ...

Wednesday August 11th ...

Natalie, Luke and Ella were engrossed in play with rocks, sticks and a trickle of water... ...

The game they were creating required great co-operation between them, and they were interacting and co-creating so beautifully and elaborately for such young children.

They were finding the 'right rocks' and building bridges with them, and houses, and they were fishing and moving the rocks and doing very 'hard work' ... ...

Monique and Lola were playing fairy princesses ...

Monique, "... and now I'm going to burst into tears!" she said to the step sisters in the imaginary play ...

Fairy godmother Natalie came to give Lola and Monique them a ball dress......."It's the loveliest one I've ever seen!" said fairy Monique.

"These are my golden slippers" said lola showing off her gumboots ...

Lola and Monique went off to the ball singing ... ... 'ba ba ba ba bee bee we're going to the ball'... ... and Lola said "Yeah, now let's fall in love..come on."

Today was Ella's last day with us for a few weeks as she is off to Switzerland to visit her Grandmother. The group will miss her big heartedness and enthusiasm and look forward to her return in the Spring.

Wednesday August 18th saw Kari's last day at the farm ...

I have had the joy and privilege of working in this beautiful program and with these wonderful,individually amazing, funny ,wise, inspiring children for nearly a year now.

I am so grateful to Danella for the opportunity for this, and so grateful that I got the opportunity to get to know Lola, Monique, Natalie, Luke, Ali and Ella ... and others that have been a part of my group on Wednesdays in the past, Daniel, Angus, Charlie.

They have each opened to me and shown me so much of their beautiful selves.  I feel that I have grown with them and feel so much richer for my time with them.

I am so grateful!

We have laughed and cried together, explored the farm together and had many treasured times.

I will miss them all, yet am so excited that their adventure continues on with Carly and that they can share their magic of the farm with her.

We had a party for my leaving ... It was very cold and very windy and we had to keep getting up and running around to get warm, mind you, the treats were good ...

One little hand diving into carob and rice cakes ... mm.mmm!

It was also a day of playing vets, making cakes, finding chicken eggs, feeding the pigs and loving the new baby lambs ... all made for a rich day for all.

So Kari, we thank you, we all gained much through your time with us.

We wish you nothing but the best and truly, may love bless you on your journey ...

Beautiful moments ...

A treasure for Magnus ...

Hair for a p'incess ... Daisy of course

Golden curls on the goddess ... who else but Dawn

Enough's enough ...

Well there we were down the back of the farm on friday morning with a big dilemna for Jyra.

All at once, both hands and both boots were dirty!  Not a good thing in Jyra's world.

Silly me, I thought a dust and wipe of the hands would be best, only to discover that brought out the feist in Jyra, it was her boots she wanted clean.

What a frustrating grown up I turned out to be and a few tears needed to be cried over that...

...mind you my lap and my arms were a pretty good place to be for the that.

Within a moment, I felt her little body get very still and relaxed and thought, 'It feels like she's about to drop off to sleep.' Almost with the thought came little baby snores and yes, 'Little Jyra' had gone to sleep.

With a hike back to the barn needed... ...we discovered some transport near by...

... and by the time we got to the barn, I had to make her more comfy our 'Sleeping Beauty' ...

 ... meanwhile Magnus is peering at her 'bed' and looking a little sleepy too and before I knew it ...

Magnus was sound asleep too!

Now that's a first, little sleeping farmers ...

very gorgeous indeed.

Wandering along on thursday ...

A day with Pepper and Omkara ...

The baby lambs are starting to arrive ... ...

... and we have two new cows, 'Tiny Sally', she's the big one of course, (standing in our picture) and 'Dora the Explorer', who under 5 wouldn't want to meet a cow with that name ... and ... yes she came with a reputation for climbing through fences and taking herself off exploring...

"What's that?" asked Omkara looking up into the sky at the stack from the local brewery in the skyline.

"Hmm..mm." says Pepper taking a look and a moment to consider before answering most enthusiastically "... it could be someone really tall with a hat on top."

Peppercorn Autumn Taylor ...

Omkara Quillari Carvajal

You look like a chicken ...

On wednesday as I was doing 50 things in the barn at once when Pepper who was standing behind me said, 'Danella you look like a chicken.'

I replied, 'Do I Pepper?'

She said, 'Yes' and Harvey added, 'You do.'

I turned to face them more with my hand on my nose and said is it because of my beak?'

They both replied, 'No' and moved back behind me and left me wondering.

Pepper then said, 'Your bottom looks like a chicken.'

Then Finn agreed, 'Yeah, it does.'

All five children were now behind me looking at my bottom and telling me I looked like a chicken and laughing. 

My mind boggled.  What on earth about my bottom looks chicken like?

With that thought, I put my hand to my right hip and came to touch my gloves in my back pocket.

The children all obviously transfixed said in response to this moment, 'Yeah'

... and I suddenly got it.

In my back pocket with the fingers sticking out were my red gloves. 

Fingers all askew like the comb on a chickens head!

Yes I did look like a chicken and it was my bottom in the most innocent and nicest of ways.

Pubbles, Prairies and Pubby houses ...

This week as we walked and played on thursday, I heard Milana squeal in delight and turned to see what she was doing.  She looked up with HUGE smile and said, 'Pubbles!'

On friday morning Daisy called to us all while we played in the Witches garden, a very special little paddock that houses a magical grove,

'Oh..Aya, Come look at my Prairie..'

My mind picturing cowboy movies and a stretching field of grass, I went over to see and asked where it was, her prairie.  She said as she pointed high, 'In da sky wif wings'

Instantly I knew she meant Fairy and my mind read 'Prayer-ee' in thanksgiving for the wonder of Daisy.

Happy that this had happened she called to Dawn and George, 'Come in my Pubby house, come in my Pubby house, you can see my Prairie.'

Thursdays girls ...

Dakota milking Patsy ...

Milana too ...

Snuggle bunnies in the hay ...

Thursdays sky ...

Looking at our reflections ...