We are entering the depths of winter, when the temperature drops and the snow may fall. It is tempting to retreat inward and hibernate, but neither goats nor humans are solitary creatures. Take care of yourself, but brave the weather, there may be a delicious hot beverage out there somewhere to share with a friend!
Venture out into the cold, you never know what wonderful adventures you might find!
I don’t know about y’all, but goats sure do spark a lot of joy in my life.
I wonder how many goats Marie Kondo would recommend for a joyful life?
You can do it, just put one foot in front of the other. Breaking down goals into smaller steps makes them seem less daunting, plus more goals gives you more reasons to celebrate success.
You’ve got this!
Two years before I knew I would actually be living in Cambridge, U.K., I discovered something amazing on the internet: The Oxford-Cambridge Goat Race. During this time, I was not involved in photographing goats, making inspirational internet posts, or the wide world of information on our caprine friends. However, I was fascinated by the concept of a goat race, and immediately placed the Oxford-Cambridge Goat Race on my life’s bucket list. One day in the early springtime at Spitalfields City Farm in London, one goat representing Oxford and one goat representing Cambridge race. The event includes live music – including mariachi bands, some delicious foods, and loads of goats. I was lucky enough to attend this event in 2017 and 2018, where I met Bramble.
Bramble was a Golden Guernsey Goat, a rare breed goat known for its golden goat, with moderate milk yield good for cheese and yoghurt production. The Spitalfields Facebook page described Bramble as a “matriarch of the herd” and was well known for her strong spirit. Sadly, Bramble passed away earlier this week. I looked through my archive and found this photograph of her from 2017, running the yard, prepping her farmyard friends for the big race day. Rest in peace, Bramble. If you are keen, you can donate to Spitalfields City Farm on their Facebook page.
Goodbye to a caprine friend ❤
Perhaps not so long ago, there was a longstanding belief in fairies. Fairies were small, sometimes kind or sometimes mischievous beings with magical powers that sometimes offered assistance to humans. In Welsh folklore, a particular family of fairies, the Tylwyth Tag, were known to comb the beards of goats on Fridays to prepare them for Sundays. It is certainly unsurprising that creatures known for mischief would be associated with goats, and perhaps this is a cute way to explain why most goat beards appear to be so silky and straight, as though fresh from the fairy salon.
What a fantastic beard.
There is something about the cold, damp days of January and February that always makes me want to hibernate. However, everyday the sun rises a smidgen earlier and sets a smidgen later. There is always something to look forward to, even if it’s an extra few moments of sunshine.
Get yourself up and out even if it’s cold!
Sometimes if you are confused, all muddled up or just feeling like a mess the best solution is the simplest solution. Most quandaries, questions, problems and inquiries are best solved by the simplest solution. The idea of the simplest solution stems from Occam’s Razor, a fourteenth century maxim that holds true today. So, when you are feeling jumbled up, breathe and just keep things simple.
Simplicity is best.
Walls are useful architectural features to separate different rooms in your house for dining, entertaining, sleeping and bathing, but otherwise, it’s better to keep an open floor plan in your mind. Besides, no matter how tall and strong you may build your silly wall, a crafty goat will always find a way to the other side.
Invest in each other, not in walls built on falsehoods and wrong assumptions.
Whew, and with that the festive season is over – we have made it through the first week of the year, children return to school tomorrow, and it is officially time to get back to business so to speak. Have a moment to sit, relax and regroup before the next week begins.
Looking forward to the week ahead!
New year, new you, find the way to happiness with this diet, this philosophy or a new regime! Alternatively, perhaps the way to actual happiness is to lower our expectations. That doesn’t mean succumbing to mediocrity or giving up on your hopes, dreams and goals. It just means redefining our expectations – pat yourself on the back for getting started, or accomplishing a part of your goal. Or, reflect on all of the good things in your life. Or take a moment to recognise what is going right – you wake up every morning, perhaps enjoy a tasty caffeinated beverage to a world where everyone is connected in some way or another. It’s a wonderful time to be alive!
Low expectations result in few disappointments: today, there is grass, it is green and delicious to someone.
Goat of the Day 