Saturday’s always seem to get beyond me – I end up spending time and the time gets away from me. I hope you are all having an amazing weekend.

Alpacas are amazing too
Saturday’s always seem to get beyond me – I end up spending time and the time gets away from me. I hope you are all having an amazing weekend.

Alpacas are amazing too
Earlier this year, the twelfth of February to be precise, I reported that a friend of mine in San Francisco worked in an office that employed a herd of goats to do some landscaping around that building. Indeed, goats can digest all sorts of plants that are poisonous and quite a nuisance to humans. In fact, the digestive and grazing abilities of goats are now being employed to fight wild fires in California. With increasing wild fires brought on by the climate crisis, herds of goats are increasingly being called upon to clear out brush and areas at high risk of fires. Using goats in this way is totally green, as herbicides can be detrimental to the environment, and mowing equipment uses fossil fuels and creates air and noise pollution. Additionally, goat herds are low risk and more economical – in Laguna City, California where goats have been clearing brush for nearly twenty years a safety report estimates that a man-powered clearing crew costs $28,000 per acre while a herd of goats costs only $500. Goats may not be able to solve all of our problems, or the climate crisis, but every effort definitely helps!

From empathy to environmentalism – aren’t goats amazing?
A new study from the Queen Mary University of London indicates that goats lead rich emotional lives. Their research has shown that goats can recognise the calls from their goat friends and distinguish those calls from the sounds of unfamiliar goats, an ability scientists call emotional contagion. The study even showed that goats respond to specific emotions of other goats, for example when their friends are happily enjoying a meal, illustrating that goats have empathy. Empathy is an amazing trait that goes hand-in-hand with compassion – aren’t goats amazing?

Empathy and compassion are wonderful traits to have.
It is perfectly acceptable to take up space in the world. You are an amazing and deserving of acceptance and respect. I have been really inspired lately, surprisingly, by recent sports events and want to share an amazing quote from an amazing woman:
Putting yourself out there is hard, but it’s so worth it. I don’t think anyone who has ever spoken out, or stood up or had a brave moment, has regretted it. It’s empowering and confidence-building and inspiring. Not only to other people, but to yourself.
-Megan Rapinoe

Always use your platform to bring positivity and goodness in the world.
Sometimes it may not feel like it, but I assure you, your hopes and dreams as within reach. 
Two years ago, I was spending some time on the internet (to be honest, as I do everyday). I came across the most magnificent collection of portraits photographs by Kevin Horan, published in the Guardian. This was before the Goat of the Day blog, perhaps even before I thought about specializing in goat photography and understanding the connection between positive vibes and goats. I was totally inspired, and many people have shared these photographs with me since. One of the best parts about starting Goat of the Day is that people share the goats they come across in their lives or on the internet with me. So, today’s goat of the day comes courtesy of Kevin Horan and the Guardian. I hope that you all find inspiration somewhere this weekend.

Meet Lily, the goat of the day. Maybe one day, I will be so lucky as to take goat portraits in such a setting.
I hope that you all are having a fabulous Friday and have an amazing weekend ahead.
As humans, across the world, there is more that we share in common than what we perceive as difference.

Next time you think negatively about someone, remember, deep down they are made of the same stuff as you.
Take some time this week to nourish yourself – whether that is through delicious and nutritious food, enjoying some self care, or relaxation. I especially like to nourish myself this time of year with gelato.

The more your nourish yourself the more you can be there for others