Bergerie Heritage Hill Farm
121 CHEMIN LAPOINTE J0B 2A0 Cookshire, QC, Canada

This day on Heritage Hill Farm is brought to you by the colour Purple. I started the day down the road in our neighbour's berry patch. With some curious chickens and flittering wrens keeping me company, I spent a couple of pleasant hours gathering up 3 litres of black currants. Holly, the farm dog, woofed a cordial greeting and then curled up in a sunny spot on the lawn for a wee snooze. I was tempted to join her but the currants weren't going to pick themselves. As I picked,... I couldn't help but think of an old poem I memorized years ago: "The kiss of the sun for pardon, the song of the birds for mirth; one is nearer God's heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth". The sun really was benevolent today, caressing my face with gentle warmth instead of clobbering me over the head with fierce and fiery heat. By the time I had picked, cleaned and sorted the currants, my hands were stained a lovely shade of puce.....possibly permanently. Our neighbour generously allowed me to raid his flower beds, too and I came home with an armful of pink and purple phlox to grace my dining room table. If mid-summer has a signature scent, I think it must be phlox....with rich undertones of new mown hay, of course. That's what the Shepherd was doing today: mowing hay, as were Holly's master and several other neighbours. I spent another pleasant hour late this afternoon in my kitchen garden picking the first big flush of beans. It wasn't song birds keeping me company this time but bees: dozens of them, all busy on the tiny purple blooms of my oregano. I talked to them as I picked the beans but I don't think they could hear me over their own happy buzzing. I told them how I always plant some purple beans in memory of my grandfather. He grew - and shared - tons of them and as a child, I remember being in awe of his "magic" beans that went into the pot purple and came out green. Some of those magic beans will fill our supper plates tonight, along with waxy new potatoes, cucumber & dill salad and some rib eye steaks. This meal will be the first one this season that is entirely the work of our own hands....so satisfying. I'll admit to a smidgeon of pride. Raising plants and animals for food may not be rocket science but it does require some know-how....and some humility. Which is why I only allow myself a smidgeon of pride. If pride has a colour, I'll bet it's purple. See more

When I went out after supper to tuck my little chicken nuggets in for the night, I couldn't resist snapping a few pics in the kitchen garden and flower beds. I worked in the garden until nearly dark last evening and just 24 hours later I swear the broccoli has doubled in size! Even though we have been hand watering the beds during this dry spell, nothing is as good as a rainy day....and we certainly had that today. It has cleared off now and tomorrow promises to be lovely. Ma...ybe the broccoli will double again! There is a bit of a lull right now; the proverbial calm before the storm of preserving starts. The beans are just starting to blossom, as are the tomatoes. We've had two cool, crisp cukes from the little washtub with the single plant covered in blossoms and developing fruit and last night we had our first huge feed of beet greens. With all the extra fuss around getting groceries these days, I am so happy to start 'shopping' in my back yard. Homegrown simply can't be beat...and that especially applies to chickens. By the time I got the 60 day olds installed last night it was dark and they have only needed more water and feed once since then. That won't last long either.....I'll have a week or two before they need larger accommodations and refilling feed and water at least twice daily. They're a lot of work for a few weeks but it will be worth it to enjoy their company at the supper table this winter....along with the broccoli and beans that are just getting started. Another stretch of hot sunny weather is forecast for the next few days so I expect the gardens to have a big growth spurt in response to the abundant moisture that fell today. I am beyond grateful for all that rain.....it gave me a break from weeding and carrying pails of water and gave the thirsty ground a much needed soaking. There's an old joke among farmers/gardeners that God sends us a few rainy days so we can get the housework done. Well, today I got some long-neglected paperwork done, gave the housework a lick & a promise and took a nap, with the blessed rain drumming a sweet lullaby outside my window. Heavenly! See more

So this happened today....new recruits at Camp 'Grain-ada'! Billy Bacon and his buddies sure seem to like their cozy cabin and outdoor playground. They are all racing around happier than pigs in...well, mud. Many thanks to Grant Kirby for his help with the pig wrangling...and the photos.

It was Moooving day on the farm today. Most of our critters seem happier in their new digs but the Shepherd and I are pooped! This morning started with loading the bull, the cow and her calf into the trailer to transition to their summer pasture just down the road. We couldn't walk them there because they would have planted themselves in the hayfield permanently. The move was deemed urgent due to the bovine escapades of yesterday. Apparently, the bull spent the day lolling in...Continue reading

No Covid-19 shutdown of this baa-baa shop! The Shepherd took advantage of some warm sunny days and started the annual 'shave & a hair cut' routine with the ladies.They were looking pretty baa-d with all that shaggy tangled wool....and pretty darn relieved when they hopped down out of the beauty parlour's clipping stand. They are now several pounds lighter....just in time for summer sunbathing! A mature ewe averages about 7 pounds of wool in a year....and just 1 lb. of quality... wool can make make around 10 miles of yarn! No wonder they looked so happy to be rid of it. This is the first time the Shepherd has tackled shearing on his own, usually we hire a pro. He's always wanted to do it himself but preferred to bring the sheep up to his level instead of bending down to hers. Back in February, the Shepherd teamed up with Robert McVety and they manufactured this nifty clipping stand. When they spent several days holed up in Bob's garage, I figured they were mostly chewing the rag, so I was suitably impressed when this dandy blue stand emerged. The girls are happy to shed their winter woolies; the Shepherd and his back are very pleased. Our new, bright blue beauty parlour station works like a charm....good job, gentlemen! See more

We are always grateful for our farm life but all the upset and uncertainty around this pandemic has served to make us doubly conscious of how very blessed we are. The Shepherd has a day job that is unlikely to become redundant....roads are an essential service. He isn't crowded into contact with other workers in a factory or office but sits alone in a truck cab. My work with the school board can be accomplished remotely, I don't have to leave the house as long as my internet ...doesn't go down. We are able to 'visit' with friends and family via telephone and video chats and we don't go out anywhere because lambing season is in full swing. 'Self-isolation' perfectly describes our life style at this time every year so it all feels sort of normal....until we listen to the news. I think it's the cognitive dissonance that is getting to us....on the one hand, the entire world is in turmoil and on the other hand our little farm world just keeps unfolding the way it always has. We haven't had time to stockpile toilet paper.... there have been 9 lambs born in the last 18 hours to add to the dozens born in the last 2 weeks. It has literally kept us hopping with no time or energy to worry about much else. Outside, we know it's sugaring season because today the sugar snow came down thick and fast, covering the ragged edges of our landscape with a blanket of beauty. Inside, we notched up a small success when the Shepherd was able to reunite a wee ewe lamb with her mother. For some reason, this little gal wasn't nursing so she came for a short stay in the Rubbermaid B & B beside the wood stove. It took some patience to teach her to suckle but eventually she got it. Her mother was delighted to have her back in the pen....and I am delighted to stop bottle feeding every 3 hours. We don't usually name our sheep but I may make an exception for this little lamb; a redhead born on St. Patrick's day can only be called Lucky! I think when we can finally pull ourselves out of the lambing pens, we will emerge into a world that is very different in some ways. Something as shattering as this pandemic will change many things about the way we live our lives. But we'll be holding onto those things that don't change: the cycles of life, the changing of the seasons and love....love for this little piece of the world that we cherish; love for our critters and love of this crazy, circular seasonal life we have chosen. Whatever else it brings, I hope the enforced down-time of the pandemic will help everyone focus on what they truly love too. See more