It’s become very apparent of late that, down in the goat paddock, our young ladies thoughts are (without getting all Alfred, Lord Tennyson on you) lightly turning to thoughts of love. Obvious signs aside, the whole mood of the paddock has shifted as the girls surrender to good, old fashioned bouts of of The Juliets. Geraldine, in particular, has it bad, spending a couple of days last week staring soulfully down the garden path periodically emanating plaintive whickers.
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“O Romeo, Romeo…”
In short, there was no hiding from it: in the interests of next year’s milk supply we needed to find a goatie beau and, after last years disastrous attempt at initiating proceedings, it had been decided to offer the suitable suitor board and lodgings in return for their *ahem* undivided attention. Young Bob fitted the bill perfectly.
As a resident of The Farmer’s place of paid employment, Arion Farm Education Park, his vitality is well proven to the point of verging on legendary, yet he is a sweet natured, biddable gent. Like both Geraldine and Ruby, he is a purebred Saanen which should in theory make selling the off-spring easier and comes with the wonderful Dr Steve Lucas of Belfast Veterinary Clinic’s (who we called in to check out our ladies health and get an experts opinion on Ruby’s readiness for motherhood and also counts Arion among his clients) stamp of approval. So, after a quick word with all the paddock neighbours…
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today Bob arrived on The Homestead.
Today’s weather could only be described as wild, wet and windy, yet Bob’s welcome to the paddock was relatively warm
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despite his courting countenance.
As we crept back down the path, leaving them alone to sort out the accommodation arrangements, we allowed ourselves to bask in a moment of quiet pride.
Fingers crossed, next years milk supply is sorted.
Union Homestead 
Love your humoristic way of describing the unfolding of nature 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings 🙂
I truly enjoyed it!
You write so well, I enjoyed the account of the future of your milk supply.
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Let’s hope it all works out as intended; as you know, this isn’t always guaranteed for us Homesteaders.
I am still laughing when writing this comment…really, you start writing a book!! (Tennyson eat your heart out!) But seeing the handsome and dashing Mr. Bob Darcy…your milk supply is in the bag! Have a great weekend, Johanna
Glad to evoke a chuckle, Johanna 🙂 Mr Bob Darcy has spent his day behaving (thankfully) in a way that would horrify Jane Austen so all is looking good with regards to future milky coffees 🙂
This was a delightful read. Your writing style makes me smile. 🙂
Thanks for your kind words and hi to all at Patchwork Farm 🙂
Haha, he’s got some classy moves that Bob. I’m certain that in no time he will seal the deal. Thanks for sharing this borderline scandalous affair. Oh my.
Glad you enjoyed our steamy story. So far, so good as far as deal sealing goes 🙂
I love it when a plan comes together.
Here’s hoping!
Hilarious! Glad the visit has been successful. So you plan to sell the offspring, I gather. I wondered what the market for chevon was like…
The only experience I have of billy goats is the one that used to live on a boat down the bottom of our village, and would be walked on a leash every day up to the park that surrounds the library so that it could graze while it’s owners took turns coming into the library to spend time on the internet. That goat was a cranky ornery thing, and had a special antipathy for dogs, which accompany many of the little old ladies that totter up the path to the door of the library and then tie their dear treasures to the railing, not realizing there is a ferocious billy lurking in the rhododendrons just the other side of the door. They didn’t tell me about billies when I took on the library job. And smell! Peeeuuuwww. I think they’ve moved their boat thankfully, because we haven’t seen them in a while.
Yes, the paddock is emanating quite a distinctive odour at the moment. Peeeuuwww sums it up quite nicely. As for temperament, however, Bob is the most lovely, easy going dude. All the girls, even the paddock cynic, Leia, are totally smitten. Farm Girl will not hear a word against him, swearing that he doesn’t smell at all, but we think that has more to do with the way he lets her lead him around the paddock which none of our independent ladies will have a bar of. Needless to say, the washing machine is getting a bit of a workout at the moment. She has been banned from her usual fond farewell to the goats on school days for the duration of his visit…I mean, there are those who already think we’re decidedly strange without adding “Reek of Billygoat” to the mixture 🙂
As for the kids, there is really no market for chevron at all…some of the flasher restaurants have it on their menu periodically but you can’t buy it in butchers or whatever. We’re thinking we will attempt to sell initially, but the freezer is always an option…have you seen The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel? We quite fancy roast goat curry 🙂
No – haven’t seen it yet, though I’ve had it home a couple of times from the library fully intending to watch it. Have you seen Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel? The library doesn’t have it yet, so I guess that gives me time to watch the first one still. I will make sure to watch for the goat curry.
Have you seen One Hundred Foot Journey? Lots of curry (I don’t think any of it was goat). I don’t watch many movies – can’t stay awake long enough, and OHFJ was longer than I thought it would be, but worth the effort.
I’ll look out for it. I loath movie theatres so only see things once they’re no longer cool and I can watch them in my PJs at home 🙂
Chuckling. Loved this one. The pics of goat love are cracking me right up. Super glad you kept us out of the nitty gritty. Haha!
Some things are best left unsaid 🙂