Somehow days creep into weeks & into years....
And no, I'm not talking about my lack of blogging ~ I have a good excuse for that! It's more these little ones who are middle ones now & getting bigger every day....
As any mother knows, it seems that time really does take up wings & fly.
This son, the one I held with such awe that I, a young 22 year old woman, could be blessed to hold close & be a mother to, has done what I always knew he would do ....he's equalled me in height. In fact at the rate he is growing he'll soon be looking down on me. Looking eye to eye with your own child is strange. They are still your own dear child & need to be treated as such, however being the same height makes you acutely aware of how they are growing up so quickly.
This one, our dearest Zai, has recently celebrated a birthday.
It's hard to believe he is now 12. It seems such a grown up number ( & I'm not even going to consider, not even going to think about the next birthday...no way...I am definitely NOT old enough to almost have a teenager....).
As is Zai's custom, and he is the only one who does this consistently over the years, a few weeks before his birthday he presented us with a list of gifts he would like to receive. I scanned it quickly rather content in the knowledge of what I had planned on getting him for his gift. Then he gave it to his Dad. At the top was 'a puppy'.
If you have spent long enough around us you would know that Dave has been staunchly against a dog here at Sunnyside since our last two failures. It is horrible having to have to get rid of a dog & we have had little success with the two we have had here at the farm. Both ended up getting sheep. Both had to leave. Saying goodbye to a loved pet is heartbreaking for all involved, especially for the tender hearts housed here at Sunnyside.
So I was rather surprised when Dave approached me with the idea of getting a puppy again. We'd been offered a kelpie pup from good friends. I'm fairly sure after our vehement declines of their kind offer they were shocked when Dave rang them up & asked to see the pups. To say he was smitten is an understatement. The evening before Zai's Birthday Dave snuck in the most adorable kelpie pup. Intelligence shone from his eyes & since he was loved on by our friends, he is ever affectionate.
The next day Zai was shocked to find a puppy waiting for him at the end of his 'birthday hunt'!
And that is how Bolt has come to be another member of our chaotic, busy menagerie of animals.
The timing has been fantastic as we are currently feeding poddy lambs. This means he is around lambs often as he comes to 'help' feed them. We also have some of last years' poddy lambs which still stay near the house. These perceive Bolt as a threat & since they love me ( far, far too much for lambs that must be sold in a couple of weeks (sob, sob)) they have tackled him a few times to keep him from getting to close to me. This has meant he has a healthy respect of sheep. Not great for a sheep dog, I know, but then he isn't here to be a sheep dog. He's job is to watch over the house & yard. He does a fairly good job of watching over any shoes that are left outside too.
Zai had a lovely 12th birthday celebration & asked for a South America cake which he had designed. (World cup fever was running riot through the house at the time of his birthday).
12 years....hard to believe!
Now he's hoping he grows taller than his Dad!! We shall see!!!
Blessings
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