January brought a month of rest from soap-making, markets, and reflexology. It gave an opportunity to spend three glorious weeks catching up on chores in the garden. Our happy place. Bliss!

The ponds filled up which delighted the dog and ducks but by mid-month they’d dried up again.

I never tire watching the ducks enjoy paddling in the ponds. If you ever think of getting ducks, remember, everything about a duck is wet!

It was wonderful to catch up on garden chores that got left behind during the hustle and bustle of summer and fall. The raised beds and surround are tidy, fruit trees pruned, and the blackberry along the fence-line is under control. To feel we are ready for Spring is a good thing!

There was a deep satisfaction and sense of accomplishment this month. It didn’t prepare us for what came in February!

Whirlwind. That describes 2024. To keep things manageable as you scroll down, I’ve decided to offer a series of notes, photos, and slideshows by month. You might want to grab a cup of coffee or tea because it’s a long post!

January:

Iris, in the background is beginning to look pregnant. Hazel, foreground, though looking pregnant, sports a lovely thick winter coat – not a baby bump!

It was a busy month making lots of cold process goat milk soap in preparation for the Spring and Summer markets. I wanted to get ahead of things and the soap needs a month to cure.

February:

February was all about provisions for the pantry – lots of nutritious bone broth. A 16 quart Nesco roasting oven on a low setting is a perfect size for a large batch. The broth simmers away for three days then is strained, cooled, and pressure canned in pint or quart jars. There is nothing like homemade bone broth. Yum!

Soap making continued. As soap came out of the molds it was cut and placed in rows on racks to cure. After a wash and dry, new batches of soap were poured into the molds. Soap-making brings out the science geek in me!

We thought we’d trial some new seeds and had high hopes for the Sorghum. Sadly, we didn’t get them planted in time. We had an odd hot/cold/hot Spring so things were quite stunted. That being said, the Sorghum gave it’s best and did produce some seed in the Fall. We’ll try it again in 2025.

A project of some urgency got completed – the kidding enclosure! We really wanted to have this done in time so the kids had an outdoor area where they could jump and play. A nice sized pen for several young goats!

March:

We enjoyed creating a new limited edition soap named BeeBalmed Goat Milk Soap. A delicious blend of organic Bergamot, Lemon, and Lavender essential oils, this new soap was a successful sell at the markets.

April:

April was a busy month. Saxony duck eggs were set in the incubator and Iris, due on the 10th, gave birth first to Willow and not long after, to Wren. Two beautiful doelings. Well done Iris! The kidding pen, completed in February was put to good use.

The first milk from a doe is called colostrum. Colostrum contains protein, fat, minerals, vitamins and immunoglobulins. It’s the vital first milk all mammals need for nourishment and their immune systems. These lucky kids were treated to five litres of it! Iris gave them the best start possible.

May:

Spring! The air was filled with the scent of apple blossom. A promise of fruit to come.

Seven of twelve duck eggs hatched. Of the seven, two were female. Those aren’t great odds but are pretty typical. We kept the two females and one drake.

I adopted milking Iris this way after she tried to lean on me. A 135 pound goat leaning on you isn’t any fun. To be honest, milking this is easier on my back and arms. Works for both of us!

Iris produced litres and litres of milk a day. More than enough for the doelings, we began making chevre and yoghurt. So good!

June:

In June the ducklings started to go outside and explore the wider world and paddle in their first kiddie pool! Honestly, it is impossible to be cranky around a duck. They are little comedy acts and give hours of entertainment.

Iris set the bar high at 3 litres of milk twice a day – that’s a lot of milk! Milk was measured and frozen in 1 litre bags for future use in soap-making. It didn’t take long for the freezer’s to fill up and spill over into friends’ freezers!

Paul’s Himalayan Musk heritage rose gave a glorious performance. It’s hard to believe that rambling rose is only five years old. Clearly, it loves it there! The stately Verbascum outdid itself as well. Bees and bumblebees love it!

Spilled milk. Yup. It happens and it’s messy. Ooph! By the way, don’t panic. The brownish colour on the paper towel in the spilled milk photo is teat dip!

The ducklings continue to thrive!

August:

There is never time off from soap-making, cutting, or getting ready for and going to markets. It’s the busiest time of the year. This bring immense joy as both locals and tourists comment on how much they enjoy the soaps.

Surprise, surprise when we found a few hazelnuts on the ground. This is the first year we will get a modest crop. Stay tuned for the picture of the bumper crop in the Fall. < cough, cough>

Despite having the worst case of peach leaf curl I’ve ever seen, this little peach tree produced just the right amount of exquisite peaches. None made it into canning jars. They were all eaten!

No matter the size of the farm, there are always chores to be done. Wouldn’t have it any other way!

September:

It’s hard to believe how fast ducklings turn into ducks. They’re getting their adult plumage and are quite magnificent! Saxony ducks are a great dual-purpose bird. They produce about 200 – 240 large eggs a year. I think they’re a lovely, friendly breed of duck. Quite happy to follow you around and get underfoot when you’re in the garden!

We didn’t get the bumper-crop of hazelnuts we’d hoped. The squirrels got to them first. Still, the small offering which remained was tasty!

Look closely at the bar of soap in the picture and you will see the most exquisite tiny wasp sitting on the soap label. It seemed to enjoy being part of the market vibe that day. Unless I pointed it out, no-one was the wiser it was there.

The goats went on a road trip to a local fair and sanctioned goat show. Wonderful venue and show. Everyone enjoyed themselves!

October:

October 1st and Iris continues to give 3 litres of milk twice a day. The freezers are bulging with milk and soap-making continues for the winter markets. The pace really hasn’t slowed down all year.

Friends will be boarding their three Khaki Campbell ducks and one Cayuga duck here until March. Lumber arrives for the creation of what we’re calling Fort Dux. A new secure night-time pen for the ducks. We hope they will all get along. * Spoiler alert: they do!

For several evenings we were given a stunning show by the aurora borealis. Breathtaking. What wasn’t breathtaking was Dawg! He enjoyed himself though!

November:

Willow and Wren are no longer the little babies. Happy and healthy they are visited at the end of the month by a sweet fellow who was quite the schmoozer!

A dear friend made a mason bee house for us! With his help, we learned how to clean mason bee cocoons and save them over winter in the crisper drawer of the fridge. LOL, not for the faint of heart! Looking forward to putting them out and seeing them hatch then lay eggs in their new mansion!

We had an extraordinary wind storm. The wind blew in completely the opposite direction and uprooted an eighty foot douglas fir. The tree came down between two fencelines with the root-ball a whisker away from the fenceline. Created quite a challenge pulling the fence back up. The goats enjoy playing in the root-ball though!

Ducks. As I always say, it’s like having toddlers underfoot. Gosh we love them! In this video, it’s time for bed.

December:

Well, if you’ve hung in this long, congratulations! The rains finally came and the seasonal ponds filled, giving the ducks an opportunity to do what they love to do – dibble and paddle about, and duck-dive!

Willow and Wren are thriving. We look forward to them kidding end of April!

We hope you enjoyed the recap of 2024. We hope to post more regularly this year!

See you soon!