Where does the time go?

I realize it  has been extremely quiet on the blog. But believe me it’s not so quiet elsewhere.  The Homestead is buzzing and that’s not just because of the royal family in the beehive.
There has been 7 kid goats born,  2 lambs raised and many baby chicks born.

The kid goats seem to think the farm truck is a great jungle gym.  Whenever they escape the paddock ( which is often) the little monkeys go straight for the truck.  Fortunately the lambs are a lot more occupied with eating grass to be naughty.

The view as always spectacular,  even in the rain.  But rain, hail, snow or sun the cows need to be milked.  This was taken as I was bringing the girls in to be milked in the afternoon.

As Autumn starts  and all our baby animals grow and the garden starts to wind down to sleep for the winter, I ponder what I will do to keep busy in the cooler, darker months of winter at the bottom of New Zealand here. I find I crave bright colors and creativeness during winter.

Knitting comes to mind as does that patchwork bed quilt that has not been started yet. Or even the quilt to finish for my youngest homesteader. I think of warm cooking, slow cooked casseroles, warm fudgy cakes and puddings and hearty thick soups with fresh homemade bread. Like this tasty spelt sourdough loaf.

All these things conjure up images of quiet nights by the fire with a warm soup and something crafty to do. Knitting is great because as you knit you can create a warm blanket on your knee. I usually don’t knit all that much, dish cloths and scarves so far have been as adventurous as I have gotten, maybe this winter it is time to expand my skill set and create something just a little bit more substantial, say a blanket.

Tell me what do you do to ward of any winter blue feelings? Maybe you live somewhere warm and don’t get the short, cold winter days of southern New Zealand.

How do you keep warm and busy during the slower winter months?