There's a new Spring in my step!

Spring has sprung in the Midlands!

And not a moment too soon as we are still desperate for some rain... Temperatures are soaring and everything is "greening up" - a welcome sight for tired eyes. Tired of looking out over dust and brown, dead nothingness. All of that is changing now, and there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon. One thing is for sure, everyone is a lot happier now that the grass is growing! It feels like a dead weight has been lifted off our shoulders. We still have a long way to go, but it feels more bearable now with everything around us making an effort to be alive again!

And boy have we had life in the last few days! A baby boom from the heifers - 25 new babies in 2 weeks! There are calves EVERYWHERE! It's such a welcome sight to have all these little moos running around. Its awesome to watch those first few wobbly steps as a new born calf finds her feet, and so incredible to see them instinctively head for that udder the minute they have the standing thing wrapped up. Nature is amazing.

 Being Spring time, there is the mandatory need for a major change. This usually comes in the form of an epic spring clean. This year it has come in the form of a veranda face lift! Out with those raggedy old draughty windows, and in with some functional spacious retractable doors! Gin and tonic evenings on the stoep just stepped up a level...

Before...

Destruction!!

The end result - magnificent!

There is finally some water in the dams (thanks to 24hour pumping out of our new boreholes) and we have been grafting at pivot maintenance to get the irrigation back up to speed after 8 months of dormancy! Replacing stolen cables, resurrecting hidden hydrants, and digging up 600m of old pivot lines to build new transfer schemes, have all been worth it just to see that first bit of water being irrigated onto the Kildare desert after the most debilitating drought in over a century - something that could become a more regular occurrance with global warming. It literally brought tears to my eyes watching that pivot start up again for the first time since I got back to work after Isla was born. That's how long it has been! Hard to believe that a whole year has passed since the arrival of our little monkey changed our lives forever...

At least someone is appreciating the warm weather - hows this sexy little chick in her cute farm cap? She cant wait to get into the little pool her aunty Robz got her for her 1st birthday. Definitely got those thighs from her mom. Not too sure about that complexion though - must be a serious throw back from the Irish/Welsh genes!

I'm pretty sure that she will have to share her pool with a couple of labradors though... they cannot wait for Summer. Neither can we to be honest - that rainfall!! Bring on the floods!!