It’s a lovely sunny afternoon on the Grounds. I am off to collect Blaise from his grandmas' house up the hill . I walk past the tiny home on my way, just as Vedika and River are heading out to the post office…. would River like to come up and visit Margie's new canary and pick up Blaise with me? Both mamma and River think this is a good idea, so we walk off up the hill to find Blaise. Blaise runs out of the house, so happy to see his friend River, and gives him a big hug. The two boys go inside and grandma gets them a nice little cup of chai and we all sit in the lovely northerly sun on the verandah and on the grass and chat away. Sunny the canary is there in his little cage, chillies and grass seeds dangling down inside, mostly well pecked. He strikes up a song and we all laugh, its so rare to hear a canary sing, you mostly read about it in picture books! A couple of other visitors wander in and enjoy a cup too, the boys play chase around the house and the adults talk in the warm winter sun.
Then it’s time to keep going for an afternoon walk. First stop the cows, they are all there at the fence waiting for some sweet hay and some company, they huge gentle eyes staring from their giant heads with wet muzzles. We say hello and watch them silently for some time, taken by their huge presence in the face of a two year old,
then walk back over the damp cool creek and back onto the road. Next stop are the chooks. A few of them have escaped which causes great excitement as the boys take chase and hunt them back to their pen to rejoin their twenty friends. Now to the sheep, it’s time for them to come back to the yards for the night, rams, lambs and mothers alike. We call from the gate and they all come galloping up, the youngest ones first this time, how they learn quickly! Onto the road they go and we keep up pace behind, chatting about ‘big rams’ and little lambs and how 'one day when I am a big boy I will give them a cuddle'. Past the three little pigs we go, forever curious at any passers by. The sheep graze the commons, mowing down the cape weed to save a job for the mower. The boys stand by, some other kids run up to watch over them too. Twenty minutes and we run them into the yards for the night. The boys head home, each to their homes, tired, hungry and ready for another sleep that will bring a new day of adventure and life on the farm.
Lucie Bruvel, Founder and Member, Shepherds Ground