My shiny red cream separator has just set me onto the path of 10 oz of sweet (French style) butter. An added pleasure, the separator comes from Ukraine, near Zaporizhzhia.

Viola’s kids are now a week old, full of energy and into EVERYTHING. It’s cuteness overload. Viola is producing far more milk than they can consume and so today I’ve made feta cheese for the first time since October. #AngloNubianGoats #goatsofmastadon

Well this morning Viola had her kids, two females which is fabulous. Unusually for an AN, one seems to be pure white, and the other a more usual chocolate brown. #goatsofmastodon #AngloNubian

A fence skipper #SheepOfMastadon #AlwaysOne In the hills here we don’t expect to lamb for another 2-3 weeks. It’s foul out. They are safely under cover.

My wife’s picture from the weekend of Anna resting peacefully on a hay bale. Anna is a largely Toggenburg British goat. She’s it in kid this year. The tyres you can see in the background are waiting to be filled with compost and plants. Very direct recycling which works well for us. Soil near the house is stony and impoverished.

I definitely need to be a bit more active on here. Goats, anyone? #goatsofmastodon We aren’t kidding for another two months. We’re high and cold so that’s sensible but I’m envious seeing other people’s photos.

My new beautiful horse has come. He’s an absolute poppet. Beautiful, responsive and calm.

Well, yesterday I made the Christmas mincemeat (for the non-Brit, this hasn’t had any mince in it for at least 100 years). Usually the apples are our own but an ‘accident’ with goats means this year they are bought in. The wine turning it a beautiful red is however our own making from the elderberries we picked on holiday in County Durham.