Goodbye Meg / Winnie moved / Mucking out Rosie - The Accidental Smallholder

Posted: Monday 30 January, 2017

by Rosemary at 6:30pm in Smallholding 2 comments Comments closed

Monday 23^rd January

Ooh, full sun today. Zaza came for her Monday morning play with Bryn.

Meg was much better this morning; she came out with me, had a big pee, supervised my morning tasks and ate all her breakfast. She even played in the hay. By 11am, she was shut in the dining room in her bed and sound asleep. We think she needs to rest more, which is why she’s good in the morning and poorly at night. But she’s such a sticky beak that she has to see what’s going on.

Bryn just goes to sleep – even if you shout him to go out, if he’s tired, he just ignores you.

Tuesday 24^th January

Sadly, Meg was put to sleep today. She wouldn’t eat this morning and was very incontinent. She came out with me this morning to “do the rounds” but she was wobbly and quite confused, so we decided that it was time to call it a day.

The vet came out this afternoon and it was all very peaceful. She’s buried under where the new patio is going to be and we’re going to include a memorial stone in the patio design.

She’ll be missed – after more than 16 years together, she was just “aye there”.

New cattle tags arrived today from Fearing, with the new applicator. It fits the last of the old tags, which is good.

Wednesday 25^th January

First morning without Meggie – weird. I kept expecting to feel her butt against my legs.

Moved Rosie into an outdoor pen to let me muck out her area. She was very well behaved – considering she’s been shut in for six weeks.

Winnie is going up to Astwood at the weekend – that’ll give me the first opportunity to use the new “ScotMoves” system. Yay!

Thursday 26^th January

So tired today I ended up going back to bed. Think it’s part physical – we’ve been up in the night with Meg for weeks – and part emotional.

Managed to make a start on Rosie’s pen though and moved some more rotted manure into the polytunnel - two beds done, two to go.

Mucking out Rosie's pen.

Baked two fruit tea loaves tonight, for tea-break sustenance.

Friday 27^th January

About 2/3 of Rosie’s pen now cleaned out; the muck heap bay that I’m using is full, so I’ve filled the box trailer and it’s going to the community garden tomorrow. It’ll need 6 months to rot down but it’s braw stuff.

Moved a bit more manure into the polytunnel.

Saturday 28^th January

Cold, wet and miserable today - first rain we’ve had for ages, but there’s no wind, so it’s not so bad for working outside.

Dan finished putting manure in the polytunnel, which emptied another muck bay and then finished Rosie’s pen. It’s great to have muscles on tap :-)

I tidied up the pen and put down some rubber matting, which I’ll scrape every day – it’s a slightly different configuration to the previous pen but it’ll work better, I think.

Rosie's new pen.

Winnie was taken up to Astwood, having had her ear tag replaced. She loaded not too bad and travelled fine.

When we left, the five of them were charging round the paddock, so I’m hoping the boys will run out of puff quickly, so she gets peace.

Moved Rosie into her new old pen and she seems very happy. I’ll clean up her outside pen tomorrow.

Dan finished pruning the gooseberries before we went for a couple of bales of hay. When I went out to do the evening feeds, the snow came on – it was wet though, and didn’t lie.

I turned out the linen cupboard – we seem to have cornered the world supply of VetBed.

I found my original peg loom, which is good, so I got out the half finished wool cushion cover I’m making and am determined to finish it.

Having turned out the cupboard, I then ran out of steam, so it’s all piled in the spare room :-(

Sunday 29^th January

Frosty, this morning and very pretty – with a stunning sunset tonight. It’s a pretty good forecast for the week, if you believe weather forecasts.

Dan finished hedge trimming this morning – this is way ahead of the end of February deadline and isn’t like us.

I moved Urquhart and Ted into the paddock beside the pig pen then Dan and I sorted the electric fences in Sheepfold and filled the water trough and hay rack.

Bryn, Urquhart and Teddy.

Amid much excitement, I moved the ponies back into their own field. Of course, this means back to poo picking but such is life.

Checked on Winnie and the steers – all seems to be well. They’re probably halfway through the bale of straw we put out for them a couple of weeks ago but as the grass disappears, the rate at which the straw disappears will increase.

Robbie and Fraser are huge; Pedro and Paulo are in good condition too.

Blizzard is bawling a wee bit. Next weekend, when her milk’s gone off, we’re going to let Ace out of his pen, at least during the day.