You'd think we were starting a farm

Here in Tasmania, it is, as I've said in previous posts, EXTREMELY rural. I've heard it compared to, say, Mississippi or West Virginia in the U.S.

We live in a sort of rural cul-de-sac and our neighbours have horses, ponies.... more horses, and dogs. So we ourselves have started to collect our own plethora of animals.

First, we got our chickens (chooks if you're Australian). Only one, our most red one, lets us pick her up consistently. It's probably mostly because she gets picked on endlessly by the other three.

Then our rooster, Eutychus. We got him free from my in-laws since they have a lot of roosters already and if you have more than one or two, things can get messy. But when we brought our boy home, it was night, because apparently at night, chickens are so sleepy you can just grab them and they won't do anything. So he was put into a box, brought home, and fell asleep in the box. As my husband tried to tip him out into his new home (with his very own girls!) he didn't come out. So further the box tipped. And after a minute of coxing and tipping, out fell the rooster. Face first into the straw, no movement. After me freaking out a little that we'd killed him, my husband patted him on the back and he startled awake. Only to, 2 minutes later, fall back to sleep amongst his harem.

But his name totally makes sense if you check out the story of Eutychus.

Euty and the chicks

After him came our lawn mowers. I guess our neighbours don't like to maintain their fences because two of their ponies got out and, according to our landlord, they come over to eat the grass down anyway.

Our barnyard backyard. At least they keep the grass down and I can use their poop for compost.

Then there was the cat that we think might belong to one of the neighbours, but we're not sure as it travels back and forth between two houses on two sides of us. And now stops at our place to try and come inside. She's EXTREMELY friendly, and purrs if you pretty much just look at her.

I also kind of made the mistake of feeding her. I really miss my own cats... and dog.

And now, we have ducklings. Two of them. They've doubled in size in about a week and provide me with endless amusement, along with endless warm fuzzies (except when I have to clean up their poop). They're inside at them moment since it's too cold fo

r them to be outside and they have no mama to take care of them, and we don't want them getting eaten by rats, or snakes, or Kookaburras.

Taken about a week ago, they now can barely fit in that bowl together.

And, for your viewing and "awwww!"ing pleasure, the ducklings first swim.