9 degrees celsius

We are just a small family of three, but what we lack in human numbers, we make up for in animals. At last count we had 23 in total, including a puppy, two recalcitrant cats, a couple of demanding sheep, 15 hens, a rooster, and a couple of stick insects too – and yes, they all have names. We like animals a lot, but our daughter Ruby is the real animal-lover in our family. She’s 9 years old, and has wanted to be a vet her whole life. She’s even built her own “vet clinic” in the side yard ... sometimes it can be hard to find the balance between supporting her and protecting others :) Anyway, back to our introduction ... Shane and I met in our 20s and both qualified as social workers in 2003. We’ve always worked with children and families, and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. However, a few years ago we hit a rough patch, and despite looking fairly good from the outside (pretty house, nice cars, good jobs, etc.), other than the joy we felt parenting our daughter, we just di