TAS Diary Archives
February 23, 2006
Reservoir Hens
We leg ringed our hens last weekend. We've never bothered before but I thought we should have some means of telling them apart. I envy people who can identify each hen - ours remain a kind of collective. Obviously, I can tell the Brown Leghorn from from the five RIR but the RIR are sufficiently similar that I can't tell them apart easily; likewise the Light Sussex. To be honest, sometimes I confuse Tess and Meg with each other and Cassius and Felix (if they aren't together).
Anyway, our hens now sport nice coloured leg rings in pink, purple, blue, green, yellow and red. They're like Reservoir Hens!!
A tale of two poorly pussycats
Dan took Cassius for his annual check and booster last Tuesday (Valentine's Day - don't say I don't know how to spoil a bloke!). When he came home without him, I was a little concerned. Cass has been sneezing for a couple of weeks - dry sneezing, not snotty ones like Felix. He had a sneezing fit at the vet's and burst a blood vessel in his nose, poor boy.
Anyway, the vet had a look and thought he had something stuck up his nose (more like something that would happen to Felix, really). It turned out that he had a rotten tooth that was making his eye and nose run. We had noticed the runny eye and nose, but were just bathing them wth salt water; we had been told previously that he had very deepset eyes that might be prone to mattering. The offending tooth was broken when we got him but it wasn't extracted because it wasn't giving any problems at the time and, being a canine, woudl have had a really deep root.
So Cassius is on a course of antibiotics, still hasn't had his booster but seems well on the mend, eye and nose now completely clear.
Felix, not to be outdone, has been wheezing and snotting for Britain. Cass's problem set me wondering if his teeth might be a problem. A visit to teh vet on Tuesday confirmed that his teeth were in good condition but that he does have an upper respiratory tract problem, caused by his cat flu infection as a kitten. The vet doesn't think we'll get clear of it mut she thinks it can be managed. So Felix is on antibiotics and eye drops. I'm pleased to say that there seems to be an improvement already. However, the vet wants to test him for Feline Leukemia Virus and FIV, so we've that to look forward to.
Today, Dan had cut a bit of willow and Felix was chasing it round the garden. Tess decided she wanted the willow, took it off Dan and started running round the garden with it in her mouth. Felix didn't care who was dragging the willow - Dan or Tess - and took off in hot pursuit, leaping on the end of the twig. Tess nearly had a heart attack when she noticed him! I think they might have good fun come the summer and I can't wait to see Felix's reaction to the pigs!
February 17, 2006
Effortless gardening
This week I've achieved so much - sown loads of salad, herb and tomato seeds, lifted piles of parsnips and leeks, moved compost bins, planted out strawberries, weeded beds, bought straw for our incoming pigs, and plenty more I don't even know about. And worked a 40 hour week. And never had my wellies on once.
The secret? Write a list on a Sunday night, give it to your wife (who now happens to take school holidays due to childcare arrangements) and by the following Friday, with a bit of luck, it's all done! Who said this gardening lark was hard work?
February 7, 2006
Further adventures of Felix the Cat
Felix has been up the chimney again. Fortunatley, he "swept" it so well last time that he wasn't half as dirty this time. We've closed the wee flap, so he can't try that one anymore.
He also seemed to have been paddling somewhere - he came rushing in, from outside, we think, because he was cold, wet to the ankles (or the cat equivalent of ankles). Our first thought was that he had fallen down the toilet - he's quite interested in the toilet - but investigation confirmed that all toilet seats were down. It wasn't wet underfoot outside, so the best we can come up with is that he has somehow fallen into the birds' water dish. With Felix, nothing is impossible.
He had to have his face washed today. His eyes, periodically, get a bit gungy. So he lies on his back, cradled in my left arm, while I wash and dry his face. Cassius would never tolerate such treatment!! If Felix gets unhappy, he attacks my hand by holding it in his front paws and giving it a really severe licking! Cassius would be through to the bone!
Never a dull moment!
February 2, 2006
Marmalade and potatoes
Well, I made marmalade for the first time this week - 8lbs of it. It's rather nice (thank you, Delia) and I have enough oranges to make another 16lb, which will be enough for a year and then some.
Dan's chitting his potatoes, so out front hall is now full of the bench, egg boxes and potatoes. They are bigger but fewer in number than in previous years (being sold by weight, of course) - I don't know if we'll have to buy more to keep the stocks up.
Egg update
We got our second egg today - or, should I say, the dogs did. Felix rolled the first egg off the worktop on to the floor, so the dogs got that one. Today's was broken, so they got that one too.
It's not fair...