Home again, home again, jiggety-jog.  Another journey finished.  Driving from Langley to Colleymount in one day is a reminder of how big this province is.  Good to be home but not good that we are still up to our eye-balls in winter.  -17 C yesterday but we warmed up to -14C last night.  March 6.  Ok, I will stop complaining, but life here does wear thin at times.

The sun is shining today and the sky is blue.  The ewes are now separated from Gentle Ben, our ram. Lambing should begin in 3 to 4 weeks.  We are adding a little bit of grain to the ewe's diets now and serving the best hay.  They all look well and contented and huge.  7 pregnant ewes should equal about 14 lambs.  Our brown mixed-breed ewe had a single last year, her first lambing.  It will be interesting to see if she singles again.  It is not unusual to have a single for a first lambing. 

Chicks have been ordered to arrive on May 3.  They will hatch May 1st then sent by Canada Post to us.  The post office here opens at 6 a.m. and will allow people to pick up their chicks at that time.  Dennis usually leaves for town around 5:30 a.m. to be there by 6:15.  Another busy year begins.

My trip to Victoria was good.  I saw all six Imax films that were showing for the film festival, mulled through bookstores and had tea at Murchies.   I was able to spend 2 nights with daughter Susan in Kamloops on the way down, and had breakfast with her in Cache Creek on the way back.  I spent a night with my friend Lani in Langley on the way to Victoria and 2 nights with her on the way back, celebrating her birthday with her on March 1st.  I spent most nights with my sister Claudia in Victoria, but did spend a night with my friend Martha in Metchosin, catching up on our lives and talking about border collies.  Martha trains working and trialling sheepdogs (MarCar Border Collies).  She also raises pups from time to time when she has an approved list of buyers.  Martha screens every buyer and has an excellent contract whereby she takes back any pup at any time if things do not work out for the buyer. 

Speaking of sheep dogs in general and border collies in particular, this trip reminded me of how much I love working with a border collie and sheep.  I miss being able to go out and practice moves with my dog.  Rhaq is now too deaf and poor-sighted to work.  Finn is able to work, but slowing down considerably.  Niko never will work due to the abuses he endured with his first owner.  Life is so difficult sometimes.  Dennis is weary of farm work and being tied down to the farm.  He talks of selling the sheep and the farm.  I would love to be able to work sheep and dogs 12 months of the year,  I don't mind selling this farm but would like to have acreage and sheep somewhere else where spring comes in March or sooner!  Therein lies the conflict.    

Well, enough of this.  Time to face reality, which is doing laundry, cleaning up this mess from painting the upstairs and getting outside with the dogs.  Life is today and now.  Time to get on with it.  Bye for now.