Rain

Finally, the rain came - with thunder and lightning on Tuesday night. The plants love it, both "weed" and desirable alike. We spent a lot of the week weeding out barnyard grass, that arrived on the farm in horse manure, and didn't get broken down during the composting process...

Bonnie, our female piglet, seemed to be losing ground in terms of weight gain versus her brother, Clyde. In fact, she seemed gaunt at the start of the week, and we thought maybe she has worms - so we are adding some diatomaceous earth to their feed. I'm having to keep Clyde out of her food - he is so much larger that he bullies her out of the way. She's seeming a little better these last couple of days - fingers crossed.

Friday is our harvest day, for the markets that go on in Wakefield and Chelsea, so we grabbed radishes, spinach, lettuce, bok choi, rhubarb. There has been a LOT of work close to the ground this week, and my back is a little achey. Still, I went for a run at the end of the day and that felt fantastic!

The wildlife is amazing - butterflies, dragonflies, horse and deer flies, blackflies, mosquitoes, frogs, spiders, snakes, various birds, and last night a real treat - fireflies! Absolutely beautiful. And then sleep.. and a Saturday morning lie in - to 8:10! Which really felt great!

Now I'm sat in town, doing "computer stuff" and drinking a nice cup of Earl Grey. My ecological footprint is still no doubt way above that of your average Indian or African, but I feel pretty comfortable with the current lifestyle - composting toilet, outdoor kitchen, fresh veg from the garden. Ok, so... I just bought a car. It's liberating, being able to get to town when I want, not just on Thursdays and Saturdays. But there is no infrastructure for public transport here whatsoever - there is only one commuter bus from Ottawa to Wakefield per day, and getting from Wakefield to the farm is an hour's bike ride - at least!

Well. No point beating myself over the head. I'm changing, I'm helping to grow food for 80 families (the CSA) and however many more (at market).

The night sky is beautiful, the lakes and rivers are beautiful - the world is beautiful. It's great to really be able to see it.