Trying to get on with the cheesemaking – after all, that’s why we’re here.
On Friday, Tara and Roscoe picked out some sheep for me to milk. Making the ‘Wright’ choices (Tara Wright – 😉 yes?). Based on years of experience.
This is the final group. I call them the Alpha League:
Getting my milking machine up onto the landrover was always going to be difficult – much higher than the car. But luckily one of the old doors here at Easterdown was perfect! Not easy, but perfect! And off I went today.
I milked about 7 at a time. Unbelievable – I got 9 litres of milk from 18 ewes. That compares to a normal dairy sheep. And these Closewools were not traditionally milked. Not that my milking ability or technique could ever be thought of as traditional.
Tara worked out a method and helped me for the first 2 hours. She came back later and said she was Very Proud of me! It’s tough, but I have an excellent teacher who is giving me the opportunity to learn something I’ve dreamt of, and well, what can I say except I am the luckiest person in the world.
Only other thing is that in theory, the Landrover should be able to create electricity like a tractor can – from a hydraulic generator connected to part of the drive shaft. This will mean I can go out into the fields and milk the sheep in situ, and is one of the next projects. Along with the underfloor heating. No I haven’t entirely forgotten that we need to finish the house – but we are building a dream, not building a ‘dream house’. How much better to build an entire new life and lifestyle than merely to build a new house.
Love your philosophy: “we are building a dream, not a dream house”