Tarot Reading
This is a personal entry. If you don't believe in things like Tarot you could possibly stop reading now, unless you might be interested in what I think is important enough to include here.
I did the first Tarot reading for myself when Paul came home temporarily early last year. I won't elaborate except to say that the outcome card was 10 of Wands: "Some struggles are not worth the effort. Know when to walk away."
I did my second Tarot reading yesterday, and again I won't elaborate because most of it is personal and eerily accurate and appropriate. However, the very first card, which represents the past or the root of the question, was The World: "This is completion, success, arrival. Everything in your life is in harmony and you have succeeded with a big project. Share your insight and wisdom with others, while you are in this stage of enlightenment."
This doesn't refer to a physical project, I think this refers to the last two years of depression and working through that to where I am today. I don't think that I am truly out of it but I am at a stage where I can see a future and I can look back. What I wanted to say to anyone who is seeking advice on the subject, is that just because your husband doesn't love you any more it isn't the end of the world. We are stronger than we think we are. I acknowledge that I had support from friends and family and I am very grateful for that, but those who don't have that support will also find the strength to move on and start a new life. There is light at the end of the tunnel and it is a bright light.
I admit that I am not on my own yet, as my son is still living at home and will be for a while, but I am at a stage where I know I will be okay on my own and I am ready for that challenge. I feel as though I have risen to my challenges so far and I have been able to ask for and find help for those things I couldn't do myself. Unfortunately, with my increasing workload that is becoming more often lately. But I'm sure I will get back to a time where I will be more engaged with the farm and animals.
I may not be 'enlightened' or sharing 'insight and wisdom' or maybe I am and could, but I need to think on that a bit more. I would just like to encourage others to push on through the bad times, start making plans, dare to dream and work towards dreams and plans one step at a time.

Harry (a boy no more) and the Cows (visiting a bull)
This morning two local stockmen arrived on horseback and took our cows and Harry to a neighbouring property's cattle yards. They castrated Harry and attached his ear tag. They also injected Harry and the five girls with 5-in-1, to protect them against various diseases. Then we left them all there to run with the neighbour's bull for about six weeks. I am so excited that we will have lots of lambs and calves next year (hopefully). Below are the photos from this morning.

The Saga of Bobbie and Rambo
When our new ram first arrived he was understandably a bit unsure of his new situation and I thought this was why he was up one end of the paddock and my ewes were down the other end. When this didn't change after a day or so I started to suspect something was wrong. After a few days we realised that Bobbie was stopping him from getting anywhere near the sheep, thinking he was a threat. When the ram first arrived he was charging at the fences in an attempt to escape (which is why I decided to call him Rambo). Bobbie may have decided that this behaviour made him a threat. After a few days of Bobbie guarding the sheep our neighbours even commented on the screaming noise he was making. To try and solve the problem, I managed to get Rambo and the sheep into another paddock and left Bobbie where he was. Then Bobbie was running up and down the fence screaming and spitting at Rambo (I was so worried that he would try and get over or through the fence and hurt himself but he didn't). Also, the girls wouldn't move further into the paddock and stayed close to the fence to be near Bobbie, which meant the ram was also near the fence. After three days Bobbie calmed down and could see that Rambo wasn't a threat after all, so I let him in with the rest of them. Now they are one big happy family and roam all over the large paddock they are in and Rambo is just one of the flock.

A New Ram (and crutching too)
This afternoon we had the sheep crutched. Plus we also changed the covers on Ebony and Fluffy (or Pinky - I can't tell which is which now). Of course the usual happened: We ran around the paddock for ages trying to get them to go through the gate and in the end they followed me in with a bucket of food. I got them to follow me into the corral and then the shed when I first went out there but they immediately went back into the paddock before I could run around and close the gate and put up the wooden railings. My mistake was that I didn't give them some sheep pellets. I didn't think it would work since the paddock is knee high in grass. Never under estimate the power of 'special' food. After all the fuss in the end it took about 15 minutes and they were penned up ready for the shearer.
We also have a new addition to the flock - a ram. I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew. He seemed quite agitated when we first put him in the paddock and actually charged at the fence trying to escape cutting himself, but he should soon calm down (I hope). He is a good quality ram, however he had recently been unwell and so wasn't as saleable as he could have been. Because I want to keep his progeny from my three merinos I will only keep him for two seasons and will have to sell him when his first daughters are of breeding age (or keep them separate - I'll work that out when the time comes). We haven't named him yet and I don't know if we will since he is temporary. But Blackie only lasted three weeks, so you never know. As you can see in the top photo we put a cover on him, which seems a touch too big, but his wool will bulk it out after a while. In the bottom photo he is the sheep in the distance. My girls don't mind me standing among them if I'm still, but understandably he reacted like a normal sheep.