Our new Wiltshire cross lambs!

Lambs? Check.
We picked up our small flock of 13 ewe lambs and brought them home via the windy country roads in the only trailer we own that's big enough - the horse float. At least they were safe from the weather...

When we first opened up the back ramp they didn't quite know what to do. Were very scared. But eventually one of them poked her head out and grew brave enough to step down the ramp a little. Suddenly they were all springing out, leaping up as only lambs can do and I was hard pressed to get a photo in time!

Our hope with these ewes is to breed our own lambs and sell off a number for meat later on. ( I don't really want to think about that). As they are self-shedding there is no expense or hassle with finding a shearer to do such a small group. Yay! Aren't they sweet?

Flossie's moment to shine!
And as a bonus, today Flossie, our border collie pup, actually perked up interest and worked them a little. I noticed she had a very gentle touch, keeping well off them and balancing nicely with her handler to keep the flock contained between them. Nice work, Flossie! It's made hubby feel a bit more confident in her breeding... Up until now she's only been interested in herding chickens and barking at the cows.

Her little exercise today lasted about 3-4 minutes. Just enough to keep her keen and give her an idea of how much fun she could be having! I think the fact that these sheep aren't humanised (the previous owners hand fed the sheep that live here still) meant they reacted more strongly to Flossie's presence, which perked up her interest. It's always best to work new young dogs for short periods at first, so today was just a 'taster'. Our other dog, Polly, whom we bred, is descended from Jodie, who started competing and doing very well when she was just 18 months old.

Dogs - A family tradition
My Gran bred Bedlington Terriers in England, and later Dobermans after we emigrated to Australia. She loved dogs her whole life and I inherited her love of them through my mum. Here are a couple of Gran's naughty Bedlingtons.

Flat packs and six packs
Built up some muscle today. Or was that strained some muscle today? Anyway, with the help of my fabulous and very dear friend, I put together 3 sets of flat packed cupboards and drawers for the laundry. Definitely a two person all-day job. Then we had fun putting stuff away and making the place tidier.

The awkward thing about moving is how long it takes to finally unpack and find homes for your possessions. Until then it's difficult to find what you need and rather frustrating when you can't remember in which box or bag it's contained. Argh! After seven weeks, now the room looks much better. We also found a couple of extra floorboards, of the same wood as the floor, that had been used as rudimentary shelves, which we can use to later replace the rotten floorboards we've temporarily fixed.

internal planks under the plasterboard

House not being eaten!
To my utter relief, I have good news about the house construction, particularly the internal walls! I have had serious concerns the Portuguese millipedes are feeding off the rotting carcass of our 100 year old home. But today when we pulled off some skirting and window frames to re-secure them properly we saw how solid this place really is.

Apart from the original wooden external weatherboards which remain under the vinyl cladding, every wall consists of thick, wide horizontal planks, which are then dressed with plasterboard to finish on the inside. And those internal boards are in amazing condition! They look like they were nailed there yesterday. Because they're thick and nailed horizontally they add immense stability and strength to the house. No matter how strong the wind, this old girl will remain resolute.

Thank goodness!