Cameraless

Sorry - blogging has taken a back seat due to lambing!  Also the camera has broken - can't recognise memory card all of a sudden.  Tomorrow - if  sheep with a prolapse behaves herself - I am off to the camera shop so expect a cornucopia of photos in the near future.

Here are some lambs - photos taken on phone - to be going on with!

 

That's my natty leopard print lambing bag hanging on the fence post!

Lovely set of Black Welsh Mountain triplets

 

And, Judi, if you read this - can't seem to comment on your blog but I love that Fairisle jumper!

Pole Dancing

Today the mud was beginning to dry up but I don't think it will be for long!  Very windy on the hill for the last few days and the Grave Digger was clinging on to the sign post as he attempted to repaint the letters.  Is there no end to this man's talents?!

Lambs not coming for another week or so but Grace - the little Southdown - caused a bit of a panic with a prolapse of her cervix.  It is now safely back in with a spoon, normally they fall out when I do it but Kev tied it in with a bit of bailer twine so I think it is staying put!

The other ewes are all having a bit of a funny five minutes with a lot of head butting and falling out with each other!
Alpacas are all well, if muddy but for some reason the photos will not come of the camera card so have to leave them for next time.  Their fleece has gone to Two Rivers Mill so I am eagerly awaiting the return of some new yarn to knit up in time for the next market.

What a lovely surprise!

Still raining!  Gales as well so everywhere is even muddier and I am going through several sets of clothes a day.  Overall it has been a bit of a sad few days and I hadn't planned to blog yet but today I had a lovely surprise which has been just what was needed.  Went down to the library van and had to do a double take as on the counter I saw this!

Try to ignore the fact that I have not done any cleaning for days!  A beautiful stand for leaflets - copy of the logo!  Here is the other side -

So pleased with it - thank you to the Knight and the GHN - what a wonderful surprise!

Smiling over that is going to keep me going through mud, wet and rain this afternoon as I check sheep - sheep who are due to start lambing at the weekend!  I would rather sit by the fire and knit at the moment but little Grace the Southdown is looking very big udder wise and very gaping back end wise.  The flower Lady is producing far more than I am at the moment and brought round beautiful hats, scarves and arm warmers yesterday.  I am also hoping to get to the mill on Friday as I need more fleece spun - a thicker yarn this time so I can experiment with cables.  I have also had discussions with The Natural Fibre Company regarding mixing Southdown, Romney and alpaca.  I haven't quite decided yet but it might be rather interesting.

Can't put it off any longer - got to go and check sheep!

Will it dry up soon?

 

It is supposed to be getting colder and drier - so far we have a bit of cold but still getting rain.  Mud is the big problem as the alpacas - and the sheep - are churning the ground up and turning field shelters and poly tunnels into bogs.  All I can do is put down straw and hope for the best but I do worry someone is going to come a cropper as they charge down for feed.  Sapphire is limping but I can't see anything seriously wrong so I will give her a day and see if it improves.  This is the sight that greets me every morning and I have to push everyone out in order to stare in dismay at the state of the floor and attempt to make it look less like a toilet/mud bath!  Roll on spring!

This morning I managed to make it to computer club and have finally sorted my laptop a bit - I couldn't open word documents which meant the last invoice I sent ended up as a blank bit of paper - not ideal!  Computer club is only down the road in the village and I shall be going again as it is very helpful.

Carl was a bit over excited last night as I told him I needed him for 20 minutes in the bedroom when he got home from work - the excitement did not last when he realised it was to turn the mattress and hoover under the bed!

At the moment I am feeling my age as artists I grew up with seem to be dying - Lemmy first and now David Bowie.  I had posters of Bowie on my wall as a teenager and his records remind me of my youth - record players, LPs, Sunday evening chart countdown which I listened to on a radio with a green light that had to warm up before you got the station!

Sun, Rain, Mud!

The sun has shone!  It wasn't when I did the sheep but then it did and the girls all drifted out of the poly tunnel and paddled in the sun.  It is a bit colder which is nice and I managed to check all round the sheep without having to shed a layer of clothing.  Quick rush home to get the camera for some nice drying, sun glinting alpacas - and it rained!  Alpacas shot back in the poly tunnel and the weather has been grey and muddy ever since.  Not sure what Lina was whispering to The Slink but I think it could have been a complaint about the state of the poly tunnel!

Carolyn was the only one who ventured out this afternoon - and that was only to hide behind a tree.

The sheep do not have the luxury of a field shelter or a poly tunnel but are not worried about it.

Sunday was, almost, a complete break from animals.  We went over the other side of Winchester to do a husbandry visit but then returned for Sam's 21st birthday celebrations - a day  at Muddy Bottom Pay and Play.  Driving around in mud - a lot of mud - did not, at first, seem much of a day out but I have to say it was brilliant.  Sam had some good mates there with him  and they all knew their vehicles and were well equipped!

 

 

Sam was itching to go through to the other bit but can't until he has some other bit of equipment on his truck - I don't suppose it will be that long before that materialises!

21 - almost!

A very happy New Year to all!

As usual Christmas was upon us before we were ready for it.  I cooked the turkey and then trundled it down to Mother's to have dinner at her house (being a lot cleaner than ours and possessing a table and dish washer).  The turkey was the strangest beast I have ever had in my oven - it appeared to be breastless.  Initially, I thought I had cooked it upside down but closer inspection of leg joints confirmed it was the right way up, however, the breast appeared to have sunk and was situated underneath it.  The only explanation I can come up with which is reasonably feasible was that it was an old bird and rather saggy.  It tasted okay, just looked odd. 
Christmas Day night was very noisy as Sam, Kristy and both tractor lads appeared (one brought his Parp Parp Penguin cracker to add to the festivities - his Mother has told him to give it back and not to let it darken her doors again!).  Carl put on his new shearing trousers and vest and tried to remember how to shear a sheep whilst Kristy and Sam demonstrated the proper use of Star Wars light sabres.

Boxing Day we visited Carl's parents which was far more civilised and where we ate far too much beef.  Since then there has been a lot of rain and wind but, despite this, we have managed to get the sheep checked over and feet done where  necessary.  The home girls have taken up residence in the poly tunnel but are still filthy - quite happy though.

 

Despite the mud we now have to get on with halter training the three little boys as they need to go on the sales list before too long.  It is also, and I can't really believe this, Sam's 21st birthday on Monday - time has flown - seems only yesterday he was like this!

Happy Christmas to all!

Summery photo - no rain or mud!

Rain and wind - lots of rain and wind.  Mud - lots of that as well.  The girls are temporarily back in the front field and the garden as the back field is just too wet.  They find this very exciting but I am not sure I am going to have many strawberries next year.  This morning they were all jam packed in the poly tunnel having strewn hay around with gay abandon.  Photo did not come out well so a summery one instead.


Sadly my truck blew up the day before yesterday.  I left it running whilst taking Greeves his hay and there was a sudden noise like a pile of scaffolding collapsing.  I drove it slowly up to the sheep with a lot of clanking going on and by the time I had got back to the barn it was steaming from under the bonnet.  I abandoned it and Carl has now diagnosed multiple problems - luckily he has also fixed multiple problems so I am field mobile again.

Well, we have a tree up, most presents and cards are done and delivered, mine pies made, mince pies eaten.  I have the best ever Christmas crackers this year - I have a bit of a thing abut crackers.  I don't like pulling them, I just like looking at them and guessing what is inside.  I have still got left over crackers from donkeys of years ago that I bring out every year but a few years ago now I realised that Sam was opening them and taking out any good prizes and then sealing them back up again so I doubt if much of any use is left inside them.  This year's crackers are disappearing fast as they are particularly good and people keep walking off with them!  They are penguins which you can reuse, they don't bang just make a little parp sound (you can make a cheap Lidl version with a McDonalds cup - just push the straw up and down in the lid - we discovered this on our long journeys at the weekend!).

Last bit of present wrapping - accompanied by a GHN produced CD!!

Incidentally,  me wheel spinning out of the drive as the Carol singers approached was not, despite whatever the Grave Digger might think, avoidance tactics!  Kane (the new ram) needed checking as he is a little feisty at the moment

A very Happy Christmas to anyone reading!!