Its hard to believe that my last post was about the first calves arriving, and now here we are, calving season over! What a long season it has been! 1100 calves, all fed and out in the paddocks now, after endless weeks of battling, feeding, moving, early mornings, late nights and countless freezing cold mornings! Phineas has adored every minute of it, perched on my back, toes pointed out to try to kick calves or to sneak into their milk! He loved counting them, pointing to each one counting "two, two, two" round each mob of 45! Of course, after counting them all, he had to pat every single one, every single day! Alex too loved tagging along and didn't miss a day. He delighted in adopting all the slow feeders, reassuring every one that I tube fed or tagged, cuddling them and telling them they would be alright! He is an expert at coaxing the stubborn newbies onto feeders, mothering them the whole time. Zoe on the other hand, had no time for the farm life, and avoids it at all costs.
In the midst of the calving chaos, we decided, after all our "never, ever, no thanks" talk, that we would get married, so one early spring day we eloped to Kaikoura. It was a beautiful, warm day and after what must have been the shortest service in history we walked the beach, climbed barefoot through the rocks and watched the waves roll in, a tsunami warning freshly canceled after a huge earthquake of the coast of South America. It was a perfect day, simple and sweet and we ended it with a walk to the old Port Robinson lighthouse where we watched the sun setting over the cliffs of Manuka Bay. As our time as an unmarried couple ends, so too does our time in Rotherham, calving is over and new adventures are calling....
