It's that time again.

We left on Saturday afternoon (after our very successful brunch! Cross it off the list!), intending only to check on the goats and be back in the city for aikido on Sunday morning. The kid was cranky, having had his usual nap interrupted by a house full of people, so we pulled over on the ridge of Kangaroo Ground and I fed him in the back seat of the car. The view over the valley from there is a heartwarming thing. It's not a huge sweeping vista, nothing too dramatic. But it's green, green, green. Especially this year. Rolling hills, vineyards, and the mountains in the background. And from the road, with the grass gently waving up against leaning fence-posts grey with weather and age, it's a beautiful thing. Soothes my ragged edges. One for the memory, rather than the camera.

It was dusk when we arrived, and the yin and yang of springtime made the stay much longer than planned. Specifically, baby goats and fallen trees.

She's a girl, and she's funny! Longer ears than any of the previous babies, and a whole lot of personality, even at a day old. I said we should call her Sunday, seeing as we found her on a Sunday. The Boy said we should call her Paddock, because we found her in a paddock. Little baby goaty. She's the cutest.

Not so cute was the massive gum tree that fell in from the road, taking out two of the windbreak trees and the next door paddock's electric fence. The big chainsaw is temperamental, so The Boy tackled the clean-up with the little saw. A butter knife, compared to the size of the trunk, which is not visible in the photo. It was a long day.

The kid was happy enough.

 So was I.