Christmas is going to be busy here. We’re having it here to celebrate the first year on the farm. We’ve decided to forgo tradition and make it a grazing day: cold ham, cold turkey, cold chicken, salads, dips, cheese, crackers, lots to drink and lots of sweets. And all day to consume them!

Hopefully the day will be good to us, but despite the weather bureau’s long term forecast about a hot day with afternoon showers, I’m not optimistic. Ever since I’ve lived in Tasmania Christmas day has been COLD.

So I’m planning to set up the gazebo for an outside setting, and bring in trestles and a door to set up an inside table as well. Better safe than sorry I say.

I’m also planning to wash and clip dogs. Can’t have grimy dogs around here at Christmas! Barney is quite happily going through his days, completely unaware that his fuzzy face is soon going to shaved off and the accumulation of grime and smelliness is about to washed off. Mischa’s too. Well, she wont be clipped, but she’ll be washed. Her whites will be white again!

My two will go from a greyish white to pure white again. And I’ll be able to see their gorgeous faces again. Its been too long since they were last done. And they love it. They love being farm dogs! In fact, thats one of the best things about living here instead of Fentonbury. In Fentonbury they were locked up all day when I was at work, here they get to spend the days in the yard and they love it.

Ben is gorgeous. He’s definitely my horse, comes to the fence to say hello and get a face rub and comes to me all the time. I love it. Then Wally comes over and pushes him away in case I have carrots.

Wally meanwhile has been scoffing down his food as quick as he can, then rushing over to where Wayne feeds the ducks and chooks so he can clean up the wheat and layer pellets. With the amount of chickenfeed he’s getting, its a miracle he isn’t laying eggs!

Dancer is being a real girl., playing one boy off the other. Poor Ben is the one getting picked on I think. Maybe I made a mistake encouraging Wayne to get her… Poor Benjamin… I may separate him a while. We haven’t had time to work with him at all lately. I’m really hoping we can get back to it soon. I’m eager to ride him.

z