the accidental smallholder :: diary archives

Remembering Copper

We recieved a card through the mail today from our veterinary practice, following Copper's death. I though I was pretty together but the verse in it just broke me up. It's by Isla Paschal Richardson:

...Grieve not,
nor speak of me with tears,
but laugh and talk of me,
as if I were beside you...
I loved you so -
'twas Heaven here with you.

Comfort zones

I'm not very good at getting out of my comfort zone or even very close to the edge of it. But I've done two things in the last few days that I've never done before.

Firstly, I bought clothes from a second hand shop for the first time ever. Claire and I had a wander round Dunblane on Saturday (after driving and our trip to the Scottish Rock Garden Club Show). Dunblane is quite posh. We had a wee browse in the two secondhand shops and I bought a really nice fleece for £3. I NEVER get a bargain - so this was a real treat. Cassius adopted it immediately (it's kind of lamby) and I had to prise it off him to put it in the wash. Smells of horse poo now, so I think he'll leave it alone.

Secondly, I killed a rabbit. I remove spiders from the bath, cry at the death of almost any animal (except wasps) and am a general softy. But this rabbit was suffering. It was over at the stables and was obviously pretty seriously unwell. Didn't seem to be mixy, though. I WAS going to phone Dan to come over and do the deed, as I usually do, but decided I should grow up and do it myself. It was done in an instant and I was just so relieved that the poor thing was out of its misery. Smokey was watching - not sure if he thought it was his turn next, but I can't lift him by his back legs! - so I had a wee cuddle and a blub (Smokey's used to it). I'm not planning wanton carnage but I'm glad I've got over that particular fear.

I think I could deal with shot rabbits now so that's the next target (if you'll pardon the pun).

Long light evenings

Isn't it great now we're on BST? I've just come in from picking horse poo out of Smokey's field. Granted it was getting a little murky by the time I'd finished. However, I got enough to cover about 16 square feet of bed, which is OK for a start.

I'm on holiday from Friday for two weeks so I'm planning to get quite a lot done including what passes for spring cleaning here. I think I feel a list coming on...

We go driving...

I've had such a nice weekend (and it's not over yet!). Claire and I took Smokey driving yesterday. It was quite hard work for him - uphill in trot with the gig and two (lightweight) passengers - but he rose to the task. He CAN move when he wants (see him in the field!) but I think his preferred working gait is trot. When he settles into a rhythm, he feels like he could go forever with very little effort.

Claire took some video from the backstep. Note the modern handheld camera techniques - Oscar next year.

I just wish some motorists would have a bit more patience and pass us a BIT wider. A few yesterday couldn't have been more than 6" from the hubs. I was considering strapping a large carving knife to the hub - a la Boudiccea - to see if that deterred them!! Alternatively, I think I'll get one of those things that cyclists get to encourage motorists to pass wider. Probably easier on the insurance!

"I don't believe it"

The incubator packed in again - this is the third time this has happened - and the third time we've used it. That is, it has happenend EVERY time we have used it. It has been repaired twice before. This time it goes back forever.

One of the two eggs we opened was fertile. I couldn't bear to open the rest. I am absolutely disgusted / cross / frustrated. The incubator is a Covatutto, in case anyone is thinking of buying one.

Anyone in Central Scotland got a broody hen?

Third time lucky?

We've just started our third attempt at hatching eggs in the incubator. First two times, the damned machine broke down. We've got nine eggs in - temperature is fine, but I'm having a problem keeping the humidity up, so I've resorted to misting twice a day.

Keep everything crossed!!

Copper

Today we said "goodbye" to our wee tortie cat, Copper. At close to her 18th birthday, she'd had a good long life and she was so poorly that the decision wasn't hard to make, in the end.

Copper came to live with us three years ago, as a companion for our old cat, Homer. She was a real character - a real "little madam" and I'm sure she must have been a real fiesty youngster. Although she was quite a big cat (a 5kg cat in a 6.5kg body!), she had tiny paws and bustled about - she was a very busy cat, with an agenda to stick to. Like many females, she was quite vocal and was very good at letting you know exactly what you were required to do. Because she didn't go out much latterly, her claws were quite long , and we would hear her tippy tapping on the wooden floor, through to our bedroom in the early morning for a quick cuddle. Because she wasn't able to jump up on to our bed, she would scratch the bedside cabinet and call loudly to be lifted up. Actually, she probably could jump up, but why bother when you have well-trained humans to do the lifting!

Although she was diagnosed with kidney failure in October, medication and a special diet kept her well over this winter. In fact, on Sunday, she was out around the garden, chewing the newly emerging catmint and generally supervising operations. She was a bit quiet on Monday, which I put down to over exertion at the weekend (you know how it is!) but yesterday she was clearly quite unwell. Blood tests by the vet confirmed she was in acute renal failure. She came home last night to a roaring fire and lots of cuddles and Sarah, the vet, came out this afternoon to do the deed.

Copper's buried beside Homer, under a mass of Tete-a-tete narcissi. We'll miss her hugely.

Moving on 2

Now that I've got Smokey at home (or near enough), we had to bring his gig down. We could have put it in a horse trailer, but we, ie Claire and I, decided to drive him home. Now, this was a kind of openended decision because we'd never had him on the road before, so we'd never dealt with sloping surfaces. So for the first time, Smokey would be expected to provide the brakes for the gig on downhill slopes, by taking the weight on the breeching strap of the harness, which runs round his thighs.

For safety's sake, we decided make the journey early Sunday morning. I took Smokey up on Saturday and left him in his box overnight. On Sunday morning, again for safety, we decided to lead him down the sloping road from the stables, to see how he would go. He was brilliant! After about 1/4 mile, we jumped on, Claire driving and me on the backstep, and off we went. Claire was like the Queen, waving elegantly to motorists, passersby and folk looking out their windows. Horses in Alloa are a rare sight these days!!

The only time Smokey got a wee bit spookey was when we passed the glassworks. It's quite enclosed and noisy, then to crown it a bloke came out of a side door wearing a helmet with huge ear defenders on it - Smokes had to have a real good look at that!

Our biggest traffic tailback was at Tesco - about nine cars, I think. Almost all motorists were really good, though a few got a wee bit close when passing us.

Can't wait to do it again, now.

Moving on

Dan has finally decided to take the plunge and resign from his job at the Council and go freelance. But that's not what this diary entry is about.

Partly because Dan will be working away a bit, we decided to approach our neighbour and ask if we could graze Smokey with his horses. A trial period has been agreed so weekend before last (is it that long since we posted anything?), I long reined Smokey from Blackfaulds home. Claire came with me for moral support.

There are three other horses across the road - one retired trotter called Johnny's Decision (Johnny); one trotter called Coalford Legend (Coaly) and a two year old soon-to-be trotter called Winning Hand (Andy). Smokey was turned out with Johnny and Andy and we waited to see what would happen. In an ideal world, we would have kept Smokey in a seperate area for a while, so they could get used to each other. But it's not an ideal world!

Claire took the videos - I think they're pretty good! If you listen closely you can hear the intakes of breath as Johnny and Smokey show each other the soles of their hooves. But none of them are shod and no harm was done. We all had a good laugh when Johhny went for his "bath".

Some interesting horse behaviour on show - Smokey managed to expend a whole lot less energy than the other two. In the last clip, the reason he pulls up short is that he saw the haynets tied to the fence.

The videos were taken on Saturday. There was a bit of chasing on Sunday; by Monday it was really half-hearted and now they're all quite content. Andy's being gelded next week, all things being equal, so that will put his gas on a peep and quieten things down a bit.