Not because everything unfolds the way you imagined, but because they remind you how fragile life can be, how resilient nature is, and how extraordinary it feels when a community quietly gathers around you when you need it most. This was one of those weeks—a week filled with new life, difficult decisions, little victories, and countless reminders that the best moments on the land rarely arrive without a few challenges along the way.
For months we’d been preparing for Luni’s first litter. The whelping area was ready, towels were folded, scales and notebooks sat waiting nearby, and we’d spent countless evenings talking about what the week ahead might look like. Experience teaches you to prepare for every possibility, but life on the land has a way of reminding you that preparation can only ever take you so far.
A New Moon and New Beginnings
Just after three o’clock on Wednesday morning, beneath the New Moon that inspired Luni’s name, her first puppy arrived safely. For a few precious moments, everything felt exactly as we’d hoped. Tiny paws stretched into the world, soft cries filled the room, and a tired but incredibly proud mum welcomed her first baby.
One by one the puppies arrived, each carefully weighed and their birth time recorded by hand. Those little notes may seem insignificant now, but they’ll become part of each puppy’s story forever. Then, just as we believed the labour had come to an end, everything changed. After an unexpected eight-hour pause, Luni went back into labour, and we knew something wasn’t quite right.
The Long Road to Gympie
One of the realities of living on a rural property is that help isn’t just around the corner. When an emergency happens, every kilometre feels longer than the last.
Over the next day we made two emergency trips to the Gympie Vet Clinic, working alongside our veterinary team to give Luni and her puppies the very best chance. Those are the journeys that rarely make it onto social media. They are filled with quiet conversations, uncertainty, second-guessing every decision, and hoping you’ve acted quickly enough.
When we finally pulled back into the driveway with Luni safely beside us, the relief was almost impossible to put into words.
Sleepless Nights Around the Fire
Back home, the fire burned almost constantly as the whelping area became the centre of our world. Sleep came only in small pockets between feeds, weight checks and making sure every puppy had the opportunity to nurse.
Large litters are an incredible blessing, but they also mean every puppy has to compete for precious milk and warmth during those first critical days. One little puppy needed extra support, so bottle feeding quickly became part of our daily rhythm, each tiny drink feeling like another small step in the right direction.
These are the moments people rarely see, yet they’re the moments that remind us responsible breeding isn’t simply about bringing puppies into the world. It’s about being prepared to stand beside them through every challenge that follows.
Even Obi Knew Something Had Changed
One of the quiet highlights of the week was watching Obi. He spent hours sitting patiently on the other side of the fence, keeping watch over Luni and her puppies. He never barked or tried to push his way in. Instead, he simply sat nearby, calm and attentive, as though he understood exactly what was happening.
Anyone who has spent time with livestock guardian dogs will recognise that quiet instinct. Even when they can’t be directly involved, they seem to know when their family needs protecting. Watching Obi keep his silent vigil reminded us once again why we love this remarkable breed.
When the Best-Laid Plans Fall Apart
Before the puppies arrived we’d carefully planned how to identify each one. A little food colouring seemed like the perfect solution—simple, easy and foolproof.
Or so we thought.
Within a matter of hours our carefully organised system had completely failed. White puppies, it turns out, have absolutely no interest in staying colour coded. Since then we are become experts in working out how to really track and record them, comparing daily weight charts, sewing super-soft collars and in the meantime learning each puppy’s developing personality while occasionally wondering if we’re holding the same little fluffball we were looking at only minutes before.
Sometimes homesteading has a wonderful sense of humour.
The News We’d Been Hoping For
One unexpected blessing from our trips to the vet was knowing every surviving puppy received a thorough health check much earlier than planned. Each one was examined for cleft palate and given a clean bill of health.
After such an emotional week, hearing those words felt like finally taking a deep breath.
There is still plenty of work ahead. The first weeks of life are always delicate, and we’ll continue watching each puppy closely, but for now Luni is recovering beautifully and her puppies are growing stronger every day.
For this week, that is more than enough.
While Life Continued Around Us
Even when one event seems to consume every waking hour, life on the homestead quietly continues.
Outside Rocky Creek Escape, our White Sapote tree produced fruit for the very first time since we moved onto the property. Visitors often notice the abundance on the property, but what they don’t always see are the months of quiet work beforehand. De Wet has patiently nurtured these trees using alpaca manure from our paddocks, wood ash from our winter fires, wood shavings from Wildhorse Woodworx and mulch gathered from around the property.
No expensive fertilisers. Just patience, observation and working with nature rather than against it.
Watching those first fruits appear felt every bit as rewarding as harvesting a much larger crop because sometimes the first harvest simply tells you that you’re heading in the right direction.
A Message That Made Our Week
Amidst everything happening with the puppies, another milestone quietly arrived. Our very first Lemon Myrtle Comfort Wrap™ sold through Madeit Australia, and a few days later we received one of the most heartfelt messages we’ve ever read.
“I am over the moon with each and every product… beautifully crafted… lovingly made with pure, fresh natural ingredients… filled with the essence of place.”
Those words stayed with us.
Every Comfort Wrap begins with herbs grown or wild harvested here on the homestead. The rosemary, mint, eucalyptus and lemon myrtle are dried naturally in the Queensland sunshine before being blended with rice and rock salt and sewn by hand into every wrap. Hearing that someone could genuinely feel the care woven into every stitch reminded us why handmade still matters.
Community Is the Heart of Every Homestead
Earlier this week we also shared a simple reel thanking some very special people who have helped us recently.
Dean Landroth from Deans Custom Fab, Rick Barton and Julia Corr from Mystic Glen each stepped in when we needed an extra pair of hands, practical support or simply encouragement during an incredibly busy week.
People often describe homesteading as becoming self-sufficient, but we’ve come to believe it’s really about becoming community-sufficient. It’s about neighbours helping neighbours, friends showing up without being asked and knowing that none of us are meant to do this journey alone.
This week reminded us just how fortunate we are to be surrounded by people like that.
Looking Ahead
As I write this, the puppies are sleeping peacefully beside Luni while the fire continues to glow nearby. Our notebooks are steadily filling with weights, feeding times and little observations that will one day become treasured memories.
There will no doubt be more sleepless nights, more unexpected challenges and many more lessons waiting for us over the coming weeks. But there will also be first wobbly steps, first barks, playful personalities beginning to emerge and, eventually, the bittersweet task of helping each puppy find the family they were always meant for.
For now, though, we’re simply grateful.
Grateful for healthy puppies.
Grateful for Luni’s incredible strength.
Grateful for the wonderful veterinary team who helped us through such a difficult week.
Grateful for our community.
And grateful that you’ve chosen to follow this journey with us.
Thank you for being part of this chapter in the Wildhorse Homestead story. We can’t wait to introduce you to each of these little personalities as they continue to grow.
