Good evening.  What an insane day!  I did manage to get my currant jelly made but for whatever reason it is not setting.  I followed the instructions exactly (for a change) but there it is, all runny.  It will have to be re-boiled. 

When the jelly was done I went outside on the upper deck to hang some washing on the racks I have attached to the deck railing.  As I pushed open the sliding door I felt something touch my head and shoulder.  I stopped and brushed my head and shoulder but felt nothing.  After hanging the wash I turned to come back in and saw what had hit me, clinging to the small rug inside the room:

Yes!  A bat!  He was hanging out under the bamboo blind that is on the outside of the sliding door.  When I moved the door and screen I must have knocked him from his perch.  I did let out a gutteral shriek when I first saw him which I'm sure was heard across the lake!  Upon closer examination, I noticed the poor guy was kind of blinking his eyes and probably wondering what the heck just happened.  I just picked up the rug and slid him outside, and left him on the chaise. 

My friend Lois arrived later, coming to see the progress on the new barn.  Dennis was unloading a bundle of fence posts up on the site so Lois and I walked up to check the barn and take a beer to Dennis.  We each had a beer and discussed how the doors should be hung.  As Lois and I were leaving I checked the water bucket in the ram pen.  Just Ben and the 2 ram lambs we took to the fair were in there.  The others were in the large paddock behind.  I did not notice but Finn and Niko must have sneaked in behind me.  As I left the pen I closed the gate.  Rhaq and Bridget were with us so I guess I saw black and white around me and thought all was well.  Lois and I are just opening the gate to cross the road to the house when we heard a yell from Dennis.  He was really yelling so we thought he must have hurt himself with the trailer, or the bundle of posts falling on him or something.  I threw my beer down, as did Lois, and we started running  back up the road.  My shoes came off so I'm running in my socks.  I lift up my head to see a lamb running like the devil towards me.  All I can think of is to get the heck out of the way and get the gate shut.  Lois must have had the same mind because the next thing you know we are both running back to the gate with the lamb in hot pursuit.  Behind the lamb are Finn, Niko and Dennis waving and yelling things I won't repeat.  We dive for the gate but not before the lamb shoots past us with Finn and Niko on his tail.  Finn gets him over the road and into the safety of our yard.  Now that I know Dennis isn't hurt I stop to find my beer in the ditch, (it landed right way up so still beer to drink!) and try to find Finn and the lamb.  I sent Niko into the house, found Finn who then went straight to the lamb and held him there.  I grabbed the lamb and put him in one of the pens.  Dennis was so mad at Niko.  He said Niko and Finn were in the pen with the lambs and Ben, but Finn came immediately when called.  Niko did not come and chased Ben into the fence.  Ben tried to jump the fence but instead hit it with such force it stretched the page wire into the shape of his body.  He then tried to jump it, but the top of the fence has 3 strands of barbed wire,  His head caught the wire and he flipped right upside down and over the fence.  Poor Ben!  But he got up and trotted off, so he was ok.  The lamb that ended up down the driveway hit the gate so hard it popped it out of it's latch.  He then ran into Dennis, knocking him over.  By the time Dennis got up, still yelling and swearing, the lamb was past Lois and me and heading for the house.  Once we checked to see Ben and all the lambs were ok, we were in dire need of another beer on the porch. 

After that we went to check out a fence that a neighbour needs done.  After visiting and discussing the merits of posts 10 feet apart or 12 feet apart, we came home.  Dennis was watering the sheep while I took Finn up to gather the ewes and bring them down to the paddock closer to the road for the night.  I wandered up the trail where the sheep usually come then heard Dennis calling that the sheep were in the paddock.  I turned around to see Finn going through the gate and the sheep running in front of him.  I quickly called Finn to stop and come back, but he ran the sheep into the range gate, knocking it right off the post.  They were now somewhere in the new barn area.  Brother!  Dennis had to fix the gate while I took Finn and re-gathered the sheep.  After some mis-fires we finally got them back where they belonged, gate fixed and closed, and Dennis poured himself a Scotch.  I really have to get a stop or at least a slow down on Finn.  We clearly need better gate latches, dogs with more control and a whole lot more beer!

So, just to calm things down a bit, here are some pictures of the house and gardens:

Yes, the roses are still blooming.  These pictures were taken today, prior to all the chaos.  Ok, time for bed.   I have to drive grandson Matthew to Prince George tomorrow to see his orthodontist.  I leave early and will be home late so things should be quiet tomorrow.