The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Rupert the bear on June 27, 2015, 10:39:57 pm
-
Today I have been mainly,
greasing my equipment,,,,(Oooh er missus ),,, ahead of haylage making
-
Today was shearing worming vaccinating of my sheep, exhausted tonight... And I only did the handling someone else actually did the shearing...
-
Today I have been mostly fetching a 14foot gate on a 7 foot trailer from 25 miles away. I have also been mostly milking one of our new goats.
-
Today I have mostly been checking up on my goat who is/was due to kid today although I did pop out for an anniversary meal with my OH.
-
Planting stuff out in the garden which should have gone out a couple of weeks ago. And weeding....endless weeding :garden:
I couldn't do anything near the house for the racket the builders make - they're lovely, but using a jack hammer thing to get the old mortar out from between the stones of the walls is bound to be a bit rowdy.....and the radio loud enough to compete :tired:
-
Today I have mostly been checking up on my goat who is/was due to kid today although I did pop out for an anniversary meal with my OH.
Happy anniversary ! did the going out for a meal to make her kid method work ?
-
spent the day mourning for my second lot of peas and thinking far too much about how I am going to dedicate the remainder of my life to the removal of every pigeon on the planet.
-
I have mainly been very lazy ::)
-
...catching up with this weeks Gardeners World, Beechgrove Garden and currently this weeks omnibus of The Arches :excited: :thumbsup:
-
...recovering from a 10 mile walk/ jog up on Dartmoor yesterday and spinning :spin: !
-
moved the meat chicks to pasture, moved sheep to our rented grazing, emtptied the caravan ready for its departure on Wednesday.
Today I will be trying to find homes for the stuff I took out the caravan ::)
-
Today...like any other day
I have moved chicks around and cleaned out poultry coops. Greased up the hay bob ready for whenever we get a weather window of about 5 days.
Dispatched 2 Welsh Black fowl males that were ready for the freezer.
Going out for lunch next to the golf club.
-
Today - catching up on washing up and tidying kitchen because it's raining + gardening prog on radio.
slicing slugs till 12.30 in the morning if that counts as today.
-
trying to think on how to explain this weekends excesses to nurse at the diabetic clinic on Tuesday,
Top is chicken and ham pie, very rich and creamy ( did have some veg and new potatoes as well)
bottom left chocolate and caramel shortbread and right raspberry cheesecake all home made apart from the dishes.
Mrs RTB is a jolly good cook but I'm sure she want's to kill me off with kindness :)
And before anyone says anything , No I just cant resit, and even if I did She'd kill me, So may as well go happy :excited:
-
Today I have been mainly insulating and boxing in stud work in the extension. Itchy, flaky Me. :P
-
Today I have been mainly apologising for the fact my chickens have dug up my husband's tiny carrots :-[
-
today I have been mainly mucking out the large stock trailer before getting it ready to transport animals again tomorrow
-
Today i have been collecting rainwater for the veggies before the heatwave :raining: and then following the selectively blind chicken around the garden - she falls off the steps and bumps into buckets but she can see the lettuce and squash just fine ;)
-
Today I have been mainly checking up on my heavily pregnant goat whose kids were due yesterday.
-
Any news MGW?
-
Still checking up on her every so often. She's very restless tonight so it could be time. Bit worried that she's not bagged up properly.
-
Yesterday I was mostly too tired to write this after scything the thistles to move the electrice fence for the mini shetlands, then scything some docks and nettles (ouch) then more scything of hymalyan balsam. then we crovected the sheep and extended the goose house and pen. Tell me again why we do this? :tired:
-
Tedding hay(lage?) while singing Wurzels songs and Saw Doctors Hay Wrap. Fixing tedder whilst singing in French.
-
Tedding hay and refusing to look at met office weather.
It will make hay
It will make hay
It will make hay...... :innocent:
-
Today I have mostly been being a rousie - skirting and rolling fleeces, then lining them up in my wool shed for a proper workover when it's raining and I can't do anything outside. Mr F hand shears them and did 7 today - not bad for a decrepit old man :innocent:. Two more days should do the rest. All the tups and tuplets were done a week ago. The flies are starting to lurk, but no-one has been struck :relief: There's a constant breeze which helps to keep them away.
I absolutely love :love: shearing time, when I get to play with all those delicious freshly shorn fleeces, and plan how to use them :spin:.
-
Mainly I have been driving my truck, in body . In soul looking forward to my "Smallholders Holiday " working ion the croft. Cut the hay park tomorrow afternoon, then choose a God to pray to for continuing fine weather and operational limbs :fc: :fc: :fc: :fc:
-
Today - I have stayed in the house (- shutters closed, windows closed) to escape the heat. Tonight I will mainly be in the pool !
-
I haven't done much.. some strimming i'd been putting off really needed to get done.. long sleeves necessary to avoid being plastered. I got what i'd planned done but had soaked the t-shirt, got close to overheat ad drank 1.5L water when finished! Recovered from that over an hour or so and went and cut the privet hedge. I cooked myself enough doing that that i cheated and went upstairs and sat in my airconditioned room for a while...well worth having installed, spcialy since it's a reverse flow inverter system that's economic to run and can take the chill of a room when it's not worth a wood fire in winter
-
Today I have mainly been stupid, set cement mixer up on a slope which is a very bad idea, now have cuts scrapes and bruises where it toppled over still running...
Makes the list for top 5 stupidest things I ever did at work...
-
Trying to convince people it really is going to rain and they need to get a move on. Then baling in the rain. Being right doesn't always feel good. :raining:
-
I have been stuck at work in the office, although b/friend has been trying to keep our new 8 wk piglets cool in the heat (we had 34 degrees here).
-
Cuddling the new pigs and photographing some of the craft stuff that I have made and putting it on my Pinterest board so that my mum can see it without me having to email her pictures.
-
getting itchy feet wanting to get home to cut the grass , then it rains , then its sunny again :-\
-
Been outside so I can keep an eye on Pom. I did a bit of hoeing so the weeds could die in the heat then sat and did some spinning. Drank about five pints of water though.
-
mainly looking at the sky, looks like thunder again :gloomy:
-
Weaning and weighing lambs and ignoring the weather ( grass still down ) :huff:
-
today I have been mainly apologising for the fact that my chickens stripped my husband's precious white currants in 15 minutes :-[
( not that he would have been any happier if they had taken half an hour :innocent:)
-
mainly sorting fleeces, with a lot of much-appreciated help from MammyShaz :wave: :-*
-
Fast Show fan? :farmer:
-
Today - like several others we stay in - BUT - all we can find to do in the house is make it warmer by blanching peas, making courgette chutney, spinach and chick pea curry, various quiches and even a s----- vake that was in the oven for over an hour. 28 in the house seems a lot cooler than outside though.
Oh - woke at 6 to plant out leeks.
-
Today I mainly drove, Fife to Stirling pick up friend, visit client collect money, discuss project, up A9 to fencing supplier, spent fortune, home for midday collect kids from school as holidays start here, up to farm where our sheep live to visit and take 2 trailers of hedge clippings and weeds to the dump, round to bulk materials supplier for 2 cube of bark for work tomorrow, just home, need to cook but that can wait a few minutes...
-
I keep ignoring this thread because I thought the title was "Today I have been manly", and I generally haven't.
Today I have mainly been digginoles.
-
Today I have been mainly getting ready for the lambs who arrive tomorrow!!! :excited:
( ...and panicking about it at the same time)
-
mainly counting down the hours , minutes and seconds until my week off starts , and at 5pm I appear to have forgotten what and where I do for a living :excited: :excited:
-
Going out to buy goat feed and to the garden centre.
-
I keep ignoring this thread because I thought the title was "Today I have been manly", and I generally haven't.
Today I have mainly been digginoles.
And you can't get much more manly than that!
-
Mainly trying to stop my heart sinking right through my boots as I saw the state our roof is in, when they started stripping off the slates :tired:
-
I keep ignoring this thread because I thought the title was "Today I have been manly", and I generally haven't.
Today I have mainly been digginoles.
now that is Manly
-
Today I have been mostly eating home produced goats milk yogurt with home grown strawberries and home produced honey :excited:
-
Today I am trying not to cry as big work car is broken, and I'm tight for pennies currently, about to put up gazebo over engine bay and start fault hunting, worst case it's head gasket and thats way beyond me but I've been given a list of easy stuff.to check first...
-
Mainly recovering from paying for the mini bale wrap !! Holy Cow ! up again , I thought the oil price had gone down, and it had to come from Dingwall some 120 miles away. No one round here is stocking it any more >:( .
-
.....battling the dreaded red mite! No sign of them in the small hen house until today- went to collect eggs at lunch time, egg and nest box just crawling with the little blighters. House emptied, given generous spraying with Smite, now drying out before putting new bedding in. More hen powdering! The joys of hot summer weather!
-
Today I am trying not to cry as big work car is broken, and I'm tight for pennies currently, about to put up gazebo over engine bay and start fault hunting, worst case it's head gasket and thats way beyond me but I've been given a list of easy stuff.to check first...
Am with you there :'( Just been told the fuel injectors are stuffed in the Landy :gloomy: :gloomy:
-
.... watching our very first lambs making themselves at home :sheep:
-
I keep ignoring this thread because I thought the title was "Today I have been manly", and I generally haven't.
Today I have mainly been digginoles.
now that is Manly
Today I have been mainly chopping trees down with an axe and wrestling crocodiles...
-
feeding baby, mopping up baby sick, on repeat cycle, same as all days just now! I did get out for 2 hours to give some gimmers their Cevac jab, haven't seen them since clipping (my husband has seen them every day, though!) and was delighted with how they are looking.
-
Today I have been mostly showing somebody else's Zwartbles in the pouring rain. "Mine" came third though - I was well chuffed! ;D
-
I keep ignoring this thread because I thought the title was "Today I have been manly", and I generally haven't.
Today I have mainly been digginoles.
now that is Manly
Today I have been mainly chopping trees down with an axe and wrestling crocodiles...
About time too!!
Couldn't you find any damsels in distress?? ;)
-
One of the trees landed on a passing maiden - she did look a little distressed now I think of it. I would have rescued her, but a lycra clad croc caught my eye and I had to wrestle. Priorities.
-
I keep ignoring this thread because I thought the title was "Today I have been manly", and I generally haven't.
Today I have mainly been digginoles.
now that is Manly
Today I have been mainly chopping trees down with an axe and wrestling crocodiles...
Liar ;D ;D :roflanim:
-
I keep ignoring this thread because I thought the title was "Today I have been manly", and I generally haven't.
Today I have mainly been digginoles.
now that is Manly
Today I have been mainly chopping trees down with an axe and wrestling crocodiles...
Liar ;D ;D :roflanim:
Aww come on I'm pretty sure devonlady needs fire wood.......
-
Not as much as she needs someone to get that tree off her :tree:
-
Today I have mainly been celebrating my eldest \grandson's 18th birthday!! How the years fly :'(
-
Today I have been mainly sleeping. Got up at 9.20 to milk the goat, then back to bed until around 2pm. The reason is that I was doing my voluntary work as a Street Pastor and didn't get to bed until 5.30am.
-
Hi MGM....excuse my ignorance but what is a Street Pastor?
-
Today I have finally spent some time in my garden, lots done, lotsmore to do...
Oh and our first bee colony arrived today, can't wait till wed/Thurs when we move them into their new home...
They were out flying today and did start bringing pollen in really quickly which was good to watch...
-
Hi MGM....excuse my ignorance but what is a Street Pastor?
I would imagine something along the lines of Gods AA or RAC service.............Hell here I come
-
I would imagine something along the lines of Gods AA or RAC service.............Hell here I come
That's not a bad description I guess! ;D
Today I have been mostly trying to save an ill lamb :-\ .
Unfortunately it didn't work :'( .
-
that's sad :'(
-
Hi MGM....excuse my ignorance but what is a Street Pastor?
We go out at night to help people who, for whatever reason (usually alcohol induced), need help. WE give out flip flops to girls who can't walk in their very high heels, space blankets to those who are cold, sick bags and water to those who need them, very often holding the sick bag for them to use and mopping them up afterwards. Last Saturday we helped two girls who were assaulted by an older woman as they attempted to board a train, stayed with them until the police and the father of one of the girls had arrived and two SPs who witnessed the assault then gave statements to the police. We also helped other girls who were barely able to stand due to being drunk. We also try to avert fights, often successfully.
This is my group. http://telford.streetpastors.org.uk/sample-page/ (http://telford.streetpastors.org.uk/sample-page/)
Today, I have been mainly crafting - spinning and knitting.
-
I have great admiration for you and all those who give their time to help others.
Today I have mainly been...preserving. Chutney, jam and bottled cherry tomatoes. It's now 34 in the shade and I am going to cool off in the paddling pool before starting on card making. :sunshine:
-
Hi MGM....excuse my ignorance but what is a Street Pastor?
We go out at night to help people who, for whatever reason (usually alcohol induced), need help. WE give out flip flops to girls who can't walk in their very high heels, space blankets to those who are cold, sick bags and water to those who need them, very often holding the sick bag for them to use and mopping them up afterwards. Last Saturday we helped two girls who were assaulted by an older woman as they attempted to board a train, stayed with them until the police and the father of one of the girls had arrived and two SPs who witnessed the assault then gave statements to the police. We also helped other girls who were barely able to stand due to being drunk. We also try to avert fights, often successfully.
This is my group. http://telford.streetpastors.org.uk/sample-page/ (http://telford.streetpastors.org.uk/sample-page/)
Today, I have been mainly crafting - spinning and knitting.
Now you wont get that service from the AA or RAC I doff my hat to you
-
Mainly getting ready to bale, but its now thunder and an awful downpour at least its haylage and can wait a day or so, now watching the cctv footage of the swallows leaving the nest for the first time this morning , tension , drama, suspense and elation , don't get this on satellite tv :D
-
What a wonderful thing to do, Mad Goatwoman! Today I have been mainly watching our new piglets (whilst feeding sicky baby).
-
baling and wrapping the haylage between showers, more to-morrow
-
I have been recovering from the shock of being mounted by a cockerel. :o
Damn thing came round behind me while i was in the pen catching an escapee. Surprised me I can tell you. Good news though he was very gentle - no claws
-
Mainly getting ready to bale, but its now thunder and an awful downpour at least its haylage and can wait a day or so, now watching the cctv footage of the swallows leaving the nest for the first time this morning , tension , drama, suspense and elation , don't get this on satellite tv :D
following on, this nest is by the main door to the steading and just above the milking stand so about 7' up .
The occupants every year are used to the traffic of humans , cats and the goats sometimes the horse and then the twice daily milking machine routine, I set up one of the spare cctv cameras we have for kidding watch / general goat entertainment entertainment. These are the four I watched take their first flight yesterday.
-
Q :roflanim: :roflanim:
Rupert, what a lovely picture!
-
Recovering , after baling and wrapping 145 x 60kg haylage bales, yesterday, Mrs Rupert the Bear helping to wrap and stack, drive tractor and act as mosquito decoy. Why is it all day there is a breeze and then as soon as we start wrapping the wind drops and we are sitting targets for the little blighters.
Next cut in a couple of days and do it all again .
-
Trying unsuccesfully to pen Manx Loaghtans...... again! ::)
-
Mainly laid slabs...
Went to tickle sheep this evening to relax, kids on school holidays has left me more stressed than normal...
Two of this year's ewe lambs are becoming nicely hand tame which is very pleasing...
-
Gardening and spinning.
-
Cutting thistles - 2 acres!
Quote -
watching the cctv footage of the swallows leaving the nest for the first time this morning
ours are just leaving as well, metal barn so support diagonals gives them great practice learning to fly up out of harms way, very noisy and entertaining :)
-
We, with the help of our elderly fantastic neighbours, have spent all morning in temperatures hitting 27 barrowing 10 cubic metres of wood for our winter heating down the length of our plot and stacking it neatly in the barn. Phew...pooped.
-
Doing more or less nothing :( I can't seem to get going today
-
Discovering that looking busy is harder than being busy!
-
Picking currants for more jam making
:yum:
-
...getting used to sheep-keeping. My first time dagging and checking feet. And I thoroughly enjoyed it all.
-
its another cherry-tastic day. :excited: I inherited a 30 ft high cherry tree on my new allotment last year and was going to chop it down but it has produced the most tasty cherries and there are even too many for the birds to eat. I am building a new shed right near it today so getting plenty of fruit today.
Looking for best cherry recipes too if you have any. :eyelashes:
-
oooooh! Im so jealous. Cherries are my favourite fruit
-
oooooh! Im so jealous. Cherries are my favourite fruit
Mine too. No recipe, just eat them as they are
-
Agree. Recipe is :
- Pick
- Pop in mouth
- Chew
- Spit stone
;D
-
Laying more slabs, I both love and hate council grey slabs, I love they are durable and cheap... I dislike the fact they are so heavy to lay, 55 laid this week, all done for now...
Oh and whilst I'm moaning, the grit in my hair from the diamond slab cutting saw is ridiculous...
-
Today I been mainly scything (again). I wasted a bit of time watching Junior (our only gosling) having a swimming lesson given by his whole family in the geeses new pool. I trimmed overhanging and dead wood from the tangle that is our 4 acres of woodland and the BH has got on with more work with the new goat and Shetland pony stable. Roof is ready to go on now :excited: .
-
Mainly partying. Our branch of Street Pastors is four years old and we had to celebrate. It was this afternoon as one team is now out doing their bit on the streets of Telford.
-
Having a serious discussion with my 11 year old grandson (who has low spectrum autism) on the sex life of poultry. He has been having sex education lessons at school and, like most autistic children worries about things until he understands them completely.
When I was about 14 I asked an elder sister what sex was. Sex, she told me was what posh people got their coal in!!
-
Today I have been mostly fencing :-[
(http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j216/Blutack/TAS2011/gate2.jpg)
and hanging a gate :roflanim:
(http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j216/Blutack/TAS2011/gate1.jpg)
And the professionals make this stuff look so easy as well!! :innocent:
-
Practice makes perfect Womble :) :)
-
Today was mainly a chill out day as I over did it a bit this week,
Church this morning,
Lazy sheep watching session,
Sofa time...
Must admit am now deeply amused by wombles gates, although he's such a nice chap I won't mention it when I next see him :-D
-
Apart from rescuing newts out of water barrels I decided to pick the cherries - 12lbs - some fell into my mouth too.
-
Building another raised bed. As we are on a steep slope with a high water table it's the only way to get anything to grow but getting the damned things level is a huge job and involves lugging lots of bigs stone around as well as the sleepers.
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h339/whitbylast/IMG_0233_zpsowwtm83j.jpg)
-
...giving our new shed a lick of paint. I have also been feeding the local clegg (horseflies) population and the result is I have been left with lumps everywhere >:( Dam things love me for some reason.
-
clipping the rest of the sheep.
Hard work, but it's a good feeling knowing they are all finally done. :relief:
-
.............. lazing around with short bursts of activity :tired:
Didn't sleep well last night :tired:, so at 8 when the dogs wanted out I was grumpy >:( >:( ; I fed them, took my own breakfast back to bed with me, lay and read the end of my werewolf/vampire/witchie book (kindle not real book - too heavy for my painful muscles); nodded off a bit, :tired: woke at 10.30 and leapt out of bed remembering the ducklings and hens hadn't been fed and watered. :-[
Sorted them out, then my pal called to ask if I fancied going to a car boot sale at Falkirk, picked her and her family up and off we went. Loads of tat around :innocent:, got plenty at home, so bought nothing, then found a large trailer stall with a great range of plants. :excited:
Bought some 'probably too late to do anything' begonias and cineraria, a wee hebe, a couple of grasses for by the pond and a stipa gigantica (I think)
A wee cheese sandwich, cup of coffee :yum: and half an hour of TV later, and I was ready to do some planting. Got them all in bar two. A wander around in the sunshine next, chatting to my hens and ducklings, hosepiped their runs and filled their water tubs, chased the dogs with the spray :yippee:
Had a cuppa with Irene, then came home to play with the dogs for a bit - some fun training :innocent:
Tea time next :hungry: then some chill time playing games on here :excited: before bed. :relief:
-
other than feeding chickens, feeding goats, putting new bed frames together, making 2 batches of bread and raking up cuttings from OH's strimming the other day ......I had a day off :-J
-
Milked and fed goats, cleared up dog poo, packed my lunch, went to church, left before the end because I was on Samaritan duty at 1pm, came home and fell asleep, late dinner, late milking, late watering - I could barely see the greenhouse, let alone the tomatoes - and it's nearly bedtime again.
-
-. I have also been feeding the local clegg (horseflies) population and the result is I have been left with lumps everywhere >:( Dam things love me for some reason.
same here. ended up at A&E last year, wanted to keep me in for intravenous antibiotics, have to take 'Piriton' tablets as soon as I get bitten, currently 2 blister like swellings on my hand from todays bites, if not for the tablets my whole hand would be like a balloon (literally). It's clegs not the bigger horsefly that I have problems with.
Today - cutting and piling thistles, that's our field done, now to start on rented out field, looks like tenant isn't going to bother (again) even though he gets it cheap with the agreement he controls the weeds. Time to find a new tenant.
-
....hiding from the rain :raining:
-
Making ice cream and cleaning up the house
-
Same as Kimbo and also being at war with Fakro (roof lights that REALLY bring the outside inside :gloomy:)
-
Searching for and trying to round up bullocks, the beggars!!
-
Mowed the front lawn,shod a few frisky horses ,moved an ibc to the other side of the field by hand ( it was empty but still no fun) Cooke fsmnutters dinner and now watching last nights Dragons Den !
-
stuck in the kitchen!
2 kgs of jam, 30 bread rolls, 5 litres of tomato soup, 2 lemon drizzle cakes, 2 choc and beetroot cakes and 3 litres of strawberry cordial and I'm done for the day!
-
stuck in the kitchen! 2 kgs of jam, 30 bread rolls, 5 litres of tomato soup, 2 lemon drizzle cakes, 2 choc and beetroot cakes and 3 litres of strawberry cordial and I'm done for the day!
We'll be up tomorrow to collect them :excited:
Thanks
-
stuck in the kitchen!
2 kgs of jam, 30 bread rolls, 5 litres of tomato soup, 2 lemon drizzle cakes, 2 choc and beetroot cakes and 3 litres of strawberry cordial and I'm done for the day!
Sounds like my kind of lunch 8) 8)
-
would much rather have been outside with my girls :goat:
-
..... getting too hot >:(
What is it with this weather? :huff:
-
Spending time with my two weaners who are off to the abattoir tomorrow :yum:
-
Fed everything then went to the nurse for a blood test. Came home and mucked out, pick up dropping in two paddocks, put on the washing. Took in Toto and Dolly, let Pitstop have his one hour in the paddock. Hung out the washing. After lunch Emma and I worked Toto and Dolly both in full tack now. Emma got on both and we had a wee walk about. Had a quick clean round the cottage and I have just put tea on. Still the pollytunnel to water and Pitstop to hay for the night.
-
Fed everything then went to the nurse for a blood test. Came home and mucked out, pick up dropping in two paddocks, put on the washing. Took in Toto and Dolly, let Pitstop have his one hour in the paddock. Hung out the washing. After lunch Emma and I worked Toto and Dolly both in full tack now. Emma got on both and we had a wee walk about. Had a quick clean round the cottage and I have just put tea on. Still the pollytunnel to water and Pitstop to hay for the night.
That made me feel tired just reading that !, better take yesterday off to recover :-J
-
trimming goat hooves and clipping sheep and moving them up to their holiday croft til tup time :thumbsup:
-
Listening to opera music whilst gardening and pding buffaloes.
-
Grappling with goat to hold her still while she had her hooves trimmed. One was particularly bad so I soaked it for a few minutes in warm, soapy water, which did the trick.
-
trying to decide if its the goat show Saturday or second lot of haylage, depends on the weather i suppose , but on the other hand I like goat shows
-
Picking gooseberries - seems to be a very good year for them - nearly 8lb off one bush.
-
Having lunch with a friend. It took four hours. ;)
-
Cleaning lambs' bottoms ::)
-
Sheep bothering, removing a window and closing over the cavity after Mrs Me declared war on it, assembling a flat pack wardrobe, eating my own bodyweight in chocolate
-
..... selling Laced Wyandottes! Only 1 male 9-week chick to sell now, so Im a happy bunny :bunny:
-
Sorting through ewes post weaning, ready to go away for grazing till tupping time.
Now enjoying my last 15 mins of peace before the children break up for the summer :)
-
burning old hay/straw/muck etc :farmer:
-
dodging the rain :raining:
-
Weeding the vegetable patch. Rain plus warms days makes the weeds grow like triffids!
-
Crovecting sheep
-
Tidying house as the gparents are going to be staying for a few days
-
burning old hay/straw/muck etc :farmer:
I LOVE a bonfire :thumbsup:
-
burning old hay/straw/muck etc :farmer:
Burning, child, burning!! Where's your compost bin :o
-
burning old hay/straw/muck etc :farmer:
Burning, child, burning!! Where's your compost bin :o
How big a pile?
-
...returning from a couple of nights away up in Grantown-on-Spey :thumbsup:
And on our return home just got the grass cut before the rain comes later on tonight/tomo morning :D
-
The usual jobs and had to drive around town to do shopping, look for a substitute feed for animals, until the normal batch comes back on Tuesday. I also had to look for new wellies as these are killing my feet. >:(
-
thought it was Christmas because I've been ho ho ho'ing for four hours straight. :innocent: :santa:
-
In a Huggy Bear type way?
-
burning old hay/straw/muck etc :farmer:
Burning, child, burning!! Where's your compost bin :o
How big a pile?
not that big a pile but too big to warrant spending 8 hours pushing my barrow over rough ground to get to it , the main pile is over on the other side of the croft AKA the midden
-
Got up early (again,) to carry water from the stream to the large veg plot. No rain for 2 months and yesterday's forecast for a storm has now been updated to scorching. Off to pick beans and yet more courgettes :roflanim:
-
Started the day off with dispatching the first two cockerels from this years hatch :( a job I really dislike but getting used to it a bit more. IF only they didnt crow
-
..... recovering from yesterday's Graduation Day ( my son's) on the other side of the country. Doesn't time fly?
-
Did some gardening, checked the sheep and fell down a sloping part in the field cause of the rain :roflanim:, milked the buffaloes and am about to mend a few fences.
-
Finished ed the second lot of haylage all wrapped and stacked, all before Mrs RTB returned from the Goat show.
Mind you we were up at 4am ! Now I will take lots of ( prescription ) drugs have a hot shower and go to bed , hope not to wake up for a very long time......
-
Oh!, I would so love to go to bed at 7-30, some nights I long to :tired:
-
Started the day off with dispatching the first two cockerels from this years hatch :( a job I really dislike but getting used to it a bit more. IF only they didnt crow
If it makes you feel any better, Q, if you don't dispatch your cockerels, nor keep them locked up in single-sex runs, then as they reach sexual maturity, groups of them will start gang-raping your pullets and can even kill them. (Ask me how I know.) So you're not just disposing of them to stop the noise, you are protecting the hens. (It used to make me feel a lot better about it, knowing what would happen if I didn't.)
-
(Yesterday I was mainly) indigo-dyeing at our Guild Summer Garden Party.
I had a lovely day and brought home lots of lovely dyed fibre and yarn :)
-
.... baking.
I thought Id better finally do something with all the fruit our old bachelor farmer friend brings to us. So he's going home tonight with a rhubarb tart and a gooseberry tart!
I expect he will think: " not before bloody time"!!
-
I've been cleaning the house and washing up. Now its time to sit and relax and make a get well card for a friend.
-
Picking jostaberries.
-
^ I'm sure that must be a euphamism for something? ???
-
:D :D
Naughty boy!
-
Dot and Dabbing
-
...... feeling unaccountably blooming
knackered tired out :tired:
-
Today I have mainly been hoof trimming my goats
-
Picking more blackcurrants! Today's harvest has been put into red wine to macerate to eventually make creme de cassis!
-
...enjoying the last day of my holidays by barrowing soil from one end of the garden to the other where there was a skip which was duly filled and now awaits collection. I am cream crackered :tired:
-
^ I'm sure that must be a euphamism for something? ???
What must? Picking jostaberries? Picked loads. Just wondering what to do with them now the freezer is full of goat.
-
driving about with 15,000 bees in the car :-\
-
driving about with 15,000 bees in the car :-\
I hope they all had seat belts. :eyelashes:
-
Bee safe on the road
-
oh i had every conceivable pun thrown at me yesterday from you've been a busy bee today and you'll be buzzing today oh and what a hive of activity
today though I will be mainly mixing concrete
-
..... wondering whether the drizzle will ever stop :gloomy:
-
What must? Picking jostaberries? Picked loads. Just wondering what to do with them now the freezer is full of goat.
Boasting or complaining? ;)
-
oh i had every conceivable pun thrown at me yesterday.......today though I will be mainly mixing concrete
You'll be set for a hard days work?
Sorry......I'll go now :-[
Today I have been mainly getting back into the swing of being back at work after our annual leave. Thank goodness its only a 3 day week.
-
Had a day off to go up to the Driffield show!
-
Went out to buy a camouflage jacket. Couldn't find one though :-\ .
-
Too well camouflaged I presume
-
Got rid of tons of ragwort, looked at the sheep and, scrubbed up and then helped a friend. I collapsed into bed and slept like the dead, I feel very refreshed now. 8)
-
Nursing a bad back :gloomy:
-
Nursing a bad back :gloomy:
Am sorry to hear that. Try and take it easy and I hope you get well soon :)
-
so far today I have been mainly wondering what happened to summer while slipping around in mud and being blown around by gales. Given up now, come in and made a big pan of veg broth
-
Battering chisels and blunting saws on a piece of Oak in an attempt to make a bench for the kitchen after seeing the price of one from the shop :sofa:
-
Uprooted tons of ragwort, still got tons left, and cleaning a building spotless ready for a new calf. Really hoping it will be a heifer as genetics are outstanding. :excited:
-
....been torn between praying for rain for my grass and for sunshine 'til my neighbour gets his hay in!!
-
Sloshing about in the torrential rain seeing to the animals :raining: , the first heavy continious rain we've had here for ages! The ground sure needed it though, the geese and ducks are loving it, the pony's standing under the trees, the pigs and me are not too impressed :gloomy: , lol!
-
Lucky you. I got the 4x4 stuck while sponging ewes the other day, on a flat field, in July. :sunshine: :raining:
-
.....been getting wet :excited: :excited: My neighbour got the last of his hay in yesterday evening and I prayed for rain and it has been raining ever since. Lovely gentle rain that is soaking into the ground, not running off :) :)
-
...fencing, fencing, fencing. Bad back is now 50% worse :(
-
...fencing, fencing, fencing. Bad back is now 50% worse :(
I feel for you, mine is breaking :gloomy:
-
I laid 56 2x2 council grey slabs today...
My back is feeling all your pains...
-
They are serious heavy
-
...mainly warping up with a friend. :weave: :excited:
-
...mainly warping up with a friend. :weave: :excited:
So what's weft to do........?
-
wasting time on this damned machine :-[
I did just finish and email out a couple of meeting minutes though. :eyelashes:
Off outside now to see if the grass is dry enough to cut after last night's rain :fc:
-
Spent 3 hrs pulling ragwort from hedges, all prickly and sore now. Where has the day gone? ???
-
...shovelling and barrowing soil again in order to make another flower bed in front of our shed. Have now got rained off so now showered, tea'ed up and catching up on here.
-
wasting time on this damned machine :-[
I did just finish and email out a couple of meeting minutes though. :eyelashes:
Off outside now to see if the grass is dry enough to cut after last night's rain :fc:
And guess what, it's raining again - so no grass cut AGAIN!!!!! :rant: :rant: :rant:
-
wasting time on this damned machine :-[
I did just finish and email out a couple of meeting minutes though. :eyelashes:
Off outside now to see if the grass is dry enough to cut after last night's rain :fc:
And guess what, it's raining again - so no grass cut AGAIN!!!!! :rant: :rant: :rant:
am sorry to hear that I hope it clears up soon. :) we got a dry day here but more rain this evening and for the next forever I bet. :rant: I really need to cut for hay but whenever the grass is big enough the rain never stops :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant:
-
Doesn't it always rain in Wales :innocent: :sofa:
-
Today I have mainly been Cursing myself,
Let me begin, today has been a rare day of sunshine and little breeze, not willing to start a major job I decided that our Miele chest freezer top of the range and not very old required the rust spots on the lid be dealt with, after all living in an out building this sort of thing happens, Thus having all the materials at hand I sanded down the lid and re applied the primer coat , a couple of hours later a quick rub with the wet and dry and a wipe off and I have an exquisitely smooth surface.
Its getting quite warm now ( well 16°C here in Aberdeenshire is tropical ) and after the shake for 2 mins I apply the first light coat of Plasticoat appliance white and then a second , it dries nicely in the heat.
Then another rub down and eventually the final coat, just enough in the tin as well, left and right then up and down and its done , looking good looks like that will last and so in my moment of pride …............. I put the paint tin down on the still wet paint on the lid.
Go on in your own time
-
:innocent: I wouldn't dare! I'm bound to do something similar - there is such a thing as Karma :excited:
But I will have a little :roflanim:
-
Doesn't it always rain in Wales :innocent: :sofa:
Not always, but these past few years have been extreme weather ( apart from last year of course which was gorgeous weather). I feel like crying sometimes when this weather won't let me cut for hay :'( :'(
-
Today I have mainly been Cursing myself,
Let me begin, today has been a rare day of sunshine and little breeze, not willing to start a major job I decided that our Miele chest freezer top of the range and not very old required the rust spots on the lid be dealt with, after all living in an out building this sort of thing happens, Thus having all the materials at hand I sanded down the lid and re applied the primer coat , a couple of hours later a quick rub with the wet and dry and a wipe off and I have an exquisitely smooth surface.
Its getting quite warm now ( well 16°C here in Aberdeenshire is tropical ) and after the shake for 2 mins I apply the first light coat of Plasticoat appliance white and then a second , it dries nicely in the heat.
Then another rub down and eventually the final coat, just enough in the tin as well, left and right then up and down and its done , looking good looks like that will last and so in my moment of pride …............. I put the paint tin down on the still wet paint on the lid.
Go on in your own time
Ah man am so sorry to hear that, I've done similar to that and I know how frustrating it is. :(
-
Doesn't it always rain in Wales :innocent: :sofa:
Yes. Visit Scotland.
-
..... fencing again, interspersed with a lot of driving Mum's Taxi for a 19 yr old who cant pass her flaming driving test :rant:
One bright note though ( before we get the deluge over the next few days).....got to watch the last 45 mins of the local village cricket match in glorious sunshine. Very proud to say my 21 yr old son took 5 wickets for 34 and was applauded off the ground :sunshine:
-
.....a lot of driving Mum's Taxi for a 19 yr old who cant pass her flaming driving test :rant:
Get her a bicycle , she'll soon pass :)
-
Why pass your test when you have a free taxi? :innocent:
-
So you can make a fortune taxi-ing people around!
Today: Selling rams and buying tractors - good day!
-
repainting the chest freezer top........... for some reason :huff:
-
Tackled the closed up hen house which is full of red mite.......can't stop scratching now.
-
Avoiding the rain. :gloomy:
-
wheezing :( :unwell:
-
.....a lot of driving Mum's Taxi for a 19 yr old who cant pass her flaming driving test :rant:
If you don't mind me asking what's the driving instructor like?
I have a driving instructor near me and everyone he has taught passed first time, he makes sure that you go in for your driving test at the correct time and not a minute before. All my brothers passed first time with him and he has a solid reputation for instructing and a really nice guy too. Today I have another building to clean. The cow can't be too far away from calving now and her bag is huge.
-
Metal detecting with a topper. So far I have found an old set of chain harrows :hshoe:
-
...... sneezing, coughing and blowing my nose :unwell:
-
..... Helping OH remove a huge branch that almost came down from the tree in the hen run. It was hanging on by one very thin bit of wood and bark, but proved a bit of a devil to get down. i am amazed we didn't squash any if the hens, they were running under the dropping branches looking for grubs and insects! Lots of logs for the winter!
-
.....a lot of driving Mum's Taxi for a 19 yr old who cant pass her flaming driving test :rant:
If you don't mind me asking what's the driving instructor like?
I have a driving instructor near me and everyone he has taught passed first time, he makes sure that you go in for your driving test at the correct time and not a minute before. All my brothers passed first time with him and he has a solid reputation for instructing and a really nice guy too. Today I have another building to clean. The cow can't be too far away from calving now and her bag is huge.
Kind thought WBF but its not the driving instructor! My daughter has no concept of steering, cant judge speed and is far too cocky. TBH Im glad she doesn't have a license as she isn't safe to be out alone in a car
-
...... sneezing, coughing and blowing my nose :unwell:
Oh no, you too! Get well soon :hug:
-
picked more rag today and now am feeling sooooo stiff. Everyone get better soon. :)
-
Making cheese and knitting a blanket for the new grandchild due in September. :knit: :knit:
-
Learning to use a drop spindle. Having been spinning lace weight on my wheel for several weeks I am finding spinning thicker and learning together a bit hard. My OH now reckons he knows how the drop got put onto the word spindle.
-
..... same as yesterday ! :unwell:
You get well soon too Sally :)
-
..... same as yesterday ! :unwell:
You get well soon too Sally :)
Ditto and likewise! :hug: :unwell:
-
Pulled more ragwort again, its popping up everywhere drives me insane. Then to boot got charged by a young bovine I managed to stop her in time, she was just being playful, but am angry and shaken up. I guess I just feel depressed today the weather is highly depressing. :rant:
-
I feel your weather pain, topping a flat field in 4 wheel drive today and had to leave a patch reedy as was spinning
-
I feel your weather pain, topping a flat field in 4 wheel drive today and had to leave a patch reedy as was spinning
ha ha spinning? i've had my 4x4 stuck in the middle of the croft since January, still too wet to get it out >:(
-
More cheese and more knitting.
-
Took grandchildren to Pizza Express and then to see Minions movie, great way to spend a wet day!
-
I feel your weather pain, topping a flat field in 4 wheel drive today and had to leave a patch reedy as was spinning
ha ha spinning? i've had my 4x4 stuck in the middle of the croft since January, still too wet to get it out >:(
4 x 4 tractor
-
making a list of all the jobs around the place that need doing very soon, very very soon .
-
Cleaning out kitchen cupboards :raining:
-
doing laundry
-
Today I have mainly been sorting out the drainage in the lower field ;).
-
checking a heifer which is due two weeks from now am guessing. :)
-
Rounding up sheep to treat a lame lamb only to find when I turned them away again that I had 2 lame :-\
-
.... constructing "Fortress Vegetable" in a belated attempt to save husband's veg from the chooks
-
.... constructing "Fortress Vegetable" in a belated attempt to save husband's veg from the chooks
Kimbo - is your full name Kimbo Slice? Do we have a celeb tas-er?
-
following my goats around, looking at their bums as they are due to kid any day :excited:
-
.... constructing "Fortress Vegetable" in a belated attempt to save husband's veg from the chooks
Kimbo - is your full name Kimbo Slice? Do we have a celeb tas-er?
Okaaaaaay!!!??? :o
Me ,I can be anyone you want me to be :eyelashes: But a 20 stone Black male US boxer is going to take me a bit of time, given that Im a middle-aged white English woman with not a lot of energy right now ;D
Sorry to disappoint
-
Ok Kimbo, your secret is safe ;)
-
:roflanim:
Im just off to talk to my mate Mike Tyson!
-
Yesterday I was mainly talking about Mules on TAS! lol
-
Managed a complete sheep round up just me and the kids all lambs had final jags, whole flock sprayed with crovect...
I know my sheep are being kind to me as other than a couple of broken horns on this year's lambs I appear to be managing all the routine stuff ok now :-D
Broken horns have been treated as well before anyone panics...
-
'Celebrating' the return of broadband and the landline after a week of no service due to BTs' faults!
-
All together now: We're strimming in the rain, just strimming in the rain :raining: ......
-
....today I shall be mostly travelling! We are off to Copenhagen for a few days then to Germany next weekend for a family wedding. Behave yourselves whilst I am away!
-
We will :innocent: enjoy your time.
-
Have a lovely time, Louise and a safe journey.
-
...... dagging sheep. Or rather, dagging one oversized lamb. He wasn't terribly impressed but at least he's cleaner behind now.
And I gave him a worming while I was there! ( well, that was at the front end of course ::) )
-
after hoisting myself up the scaffolding I have applied a coat of aluminum sealer to a flat roof, another one off the list , now to take the scaffold tower down :roflanim: In reality take off boards and tilt it over and roll it over to its parking space, not before sitting on top enjoying the view and the company of the swallows who are curious of the appearance of something new , Oh and to torment the dogs too by calling them they look in every direction but UP :innocent: :innocent: :innocent:
-
Oh and to torment the dogs too by calling them they look in every direction but UP :innocent: :innocent: :innocent:
baddy! ;)
-
Getting stung by a bee on the chin, ouch I do not recommend this activity to anyone...
-
Milking the buffalo and then back to bed for a big nap, had hardly any sleep last night :tired:
-
AI ing ewes
-
sitting in the :sunshine: and :knit:
-
Sitting in the what?? :raining:
-
Fitting new kitchen, only nothing fits! Had to move a radiator so the fridge door will open!
Also waiting for ebay buyer to collect old kitchen....6.30pm and no show :(
-
Gandalf, what is this "sun" she speaks of ?????
-
Sunny here :) been picking blackcurrents. Now to make jam- first time for everything- wish me luck!
-
AI ing ewes
ooooh!
Me, are you going to have the first TAS lambs of 2016?
-
Admiring my neighbour's pigs. An enormous pile of Landrace piglets and his new Durocs, an in pig gilt, a young gilt and a young boar. Lovely looking pigs, lengthy with enormous hams!
-
AI ing ewes
ooooh!
Me, are you going to have the first TAS lambs of 2016?
Oh maybe!
-
Going to church this morning then a trip to the charity shop with loads of stuff that's been hanging round for ever. Followed by yet more cheese making.
-
AI ing ewes
ooooh!
Me, are you going to have the first TAS lambs of 2016?
Or the last of 2015?
-
Thats more likely!
-
Getting sheep in for dosing and clipping, then off to pick a load of ragwort and before finally collapsing into bed checking all the water troughs for the night. ::)
-
yesterday was - treating ewe for flystrike, patching up hole in fence where goats managed to sneak through, scrubbing water troughs, realising that my card details were no longer in date so my baaath time website is out on a limb (!) going to a gig, drinking beer, cooking on a BBQ, collapsing in bed and waking up with a sore throat and poorly child.
-
educating the city kids who are in the holiday house next door about where their food comes from ;D
-
AI ing ewes
ooooh!
Me, are you going to have the first TAS lambs of 2016?
Oh maybe!
I bet there'll be some Suffolk breeders already tupped?
-
NOOOO Sally, they all lamb from Jan 1st on don't they? ;)
-
Moving hundreds of books from the sitting room to the dining room ready for the decorators to come in on Wednesday. Had help so it wasn't too bad but I'm dreading having to put them back again. I like them in alphabetical order.
-
planning the re-roofing of a garage , this will be interesting as I'm a bit wobbly, the plan involves 2 scaffold towers a hoist and a mobile phone...........just in case :thumbsup:
-
planning the re-roofing of a garage , this will be interesting as I'm a bit wobbly, the plan involves 2 scaffold towers a hoist and a mobile phone...........just in case :thumbsup:
Take care :)
-
Mainly hoping BT have finally sorted out my internet connection.......waiting for engineers call at 1100 hrs, it's already dropped out twice again this morning.........grrrr!
-
yesterday was mainly topping.
A good feeling :) and now I can actually see my sheep!
-
Dodging the showers :raining:
-
Brush cutting thistles and weeds in the heat, quite warm or what :relief: also halter training young bulls, went very well. Now I've just washed my hair and am resting just before I tidy up the garden for a family BBQ :excited:
-
Taking the kids to Dinosaur World
-
So what did the baby goats make of the Dinosaurs ?
-
Getting loads of washing done as its :sunshine:
-
Picking up horse poo.
-
So what did the baby goats make of the Dinosaurs ?
Curry.
-
Boom Tish ! you're here all week !!
-
Riding the rails to visit new born nephew!!!
-
.... getting eaten by horse flies :rant:
-
Riding the rails to visit new born nephew!!!
Congrats
-
Boom Tish ! you're here all week !!
Bad joke/pun-master in residence
-
Riding the rails to visit new born nephew!!!
What a lovely thing to do. Bless him.
-
Dagging, foot trimming and worming my sheep.
-
......up to now, getting ratty with the dogs who started stirring at 5.30am :tired: and then doing washing as the forecast today is :sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine: :excited:
-
......up to now, getting ratty with the dogs who started stirring at 5.30am :tired: and then doing washing as the forecast today is :sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine: :excited:
5:30am dont you just hate it when you want a lie in and that happens :dog:
-
......up to now, getting ratty with the dogs who started stirring at 5.30am :tired: and then doing washing as the forecast today is :sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine: :excited:
5:30am dont you just hate it when you want a lie in and that happens :dog:
I woke up at 5 am, stayed in bed till 6 and then when I knew I was wide awake I got up and when for a cool morning walk in the sunshine. Did anyone see the mist on the hills? absolutely gorgeous. I was so tired when I was pulling up the rag that I just lay down and shut me eyes for about 10 mins. :tired: Its going to be near 20c today I think
-
..... trying to sex my 14 week Laced Wyandottes who are due to go their new home in the next 48 hours.....and , Yes, I may have sold more pullets than I actually have :-\
-
Making handmade horseshoes just for fun ( and it saves a heck of a lot of money) and keeps the skills up to scratch!
-
cleaning out the ducks and poultry, taking kitten to vet for jag, checking horses and then wrapped up in a duvet nursing a bugger of a sore throat and looking at sheds online.
-
waiting around while my 7 year old had surgery to remove a piece of Lego he stuck up his nose ::)
-
waiting around while my 7 year old had surgery to remove a piece of Lego he stuck up his nose ::)
Hope he's OK!
-
Ooh sounds painful, bet he wont do that again
-
Hope the lego is OK those things are expensive... ;D
-
Just come back from England on a business errand and then helped my brother do the milking, knackered now :tired:
-
Visiting family in englandshire, been here 48hrs bored and fed up just want to go back to my animals, 48 hrs to go...
-
Visiting family in englandshire, been here 48hrs bored and fed up just want to go back to my animals, 48 hrs to go...
I know how you feel too, when I stay away I have to come back after 48 hrs, as there is never anything to do in the city. ::) At least its nice to see your family though eh? I always try and make the best of seeing family, they usually come to stay with me as I can't really leave the farm for more than a few hrs. I always have a cracking time though, its nice to have a break sometimes. When I see my family we always go shopping and then go out for dinner, so that's nice. when I do go away though I never stay more than two days and I always have another family member looking after the livestock, usually my bro :)
-
Visiting family in englandshire, been here 48hrs bored and fed up just want to go back to my animals, 48 hrs to go...
Do you want one of us to call you on your mobile with "an urgent message to come home" ;) ;) ;)
-
biting the bullet.. Today is the day to merge the hens into one flock. I have had 3 hatches this year and so far kept them separate from the main flock. The new ones are roughly at point of lay. The three new groups of 3, 3 and 2 are joining my main flock that has dwindled to 7 over the years and 2 of them are quite old now.
So far, fingers crossed its too hot for fighting.
The boys that have been kept out of the way are none too pleased though.
-
Ooh sounds painful, bet he wont do that again
Oh I so hope that's true but given what a scatter brain he is who knows ::)
-
waiting around while my 7 year old had surgery to remove a piece of Lego he stuck up his nose ::)
When I was MUCH younger apparently I stuck a piece of coal up my nose, just got to the hospital and I sneezed it out. And no I don't remember so don't ask me why ;D .
-
waiting around while my 7 year old had surgery to remove a piece of Lego he stuck up his nose ::)
When I was MUCH younger apparently I stuck a piece of coal up my nose, just got to the hospital and I sneezed it out. And no I don't remember so don't ask me why ;D .
Coal you say , these days youngsters now stick coke up their nose :-J
-
Struggling against new technology ( Smartphones my **** ) and a poorly functioning body :gloomy:, On the bright side my poorly performing and better paid bosses incompetence make me look really good .
-
...... getting very hot 8)
-
driving :(
But on the plus side, a pal now has a really lovely old loom to use, and a really lovely old loom has a new home where it will be much loved and used :)
-
Sorting out two old ewes, am gonna send them to the abbatoir in a month. :excited: gorgeous mutton :yum:
-
Waiting................. for the weekend ,tomorrow ,Friday I will be on autopilot
-
Rearranging plants in the garden, in the rain and halter training calves. So boring ain't it? ;)
-
...... getting very wet :gloomy:
-
Reading this forum, rather than writing my HR policies :innocent:
-
Trying to make cement defy gravity and changing my hairstyle - "extreme hold"
-
Felling weeds oops meant sycamores behind the house for firewood... It's not the best but we have lots of it so that's what we use... Problem is its a bit of a climb to carry it out to the house...
-
Cleaning old bags..... I mean cleaning away old feed bags :innocent:
-
A bit of roofing between showers , why after hoisting ones self up it rains ? 4 mins up then 4 mins to get down ( did consider the quick route down ! ) gave up on roof and drilled a hole for a drain pipe through a granite block wall , used all the propper stuff , The bit went through 18" of granite like a bank vault wall :innocent: :innocent:
-
... picking the white currants off the one bush the chickens didn't notice :yum:
-
Cutting 30 acres for hay, really hoping it doesn't rain. Then had to do a little shopping, quick dinner and back out for milking, just finished now and ready to collapse into bed. :tired:
-
I was at Peebles agri show today showing my bantams and had a wee natter with cheviot of tas who was learning folks how to spin wonderful lady.
-
...watching the Dad of 2 of our Ryeland lambs win the overall championship at Haigh Show.
-
................spending the morning getting dinner prepared for my children and grandchildren coming; then the afternoon at Culross Summer Fete: then a walk with the dogs, then back home to spend time with my lovely family. Youngest granddaughter staying overnight and coming to the office with me tomorrow - so she's off to bed, while I catch up on emails.
-
Today i have been mainly building a goat house :excited: :goat: :goat:
-
Early visit to my sheep
Church
Bee lessons, now know why mybees are grumpy so adding a second brood box tomorrow...
Building bee frames...
Suprise visit from friends...
Yummy cake...
Nearly bedtime now, good day I think...
-
Had to go to England on business, when I came back had a BBQ with the family. Now off out milking the buff before collapsing into bed. Have to be up early tomoz for the baler.
-
Nursing my knees after yesterdays up the ladder,down the ladder,up the ladder, dow............ well you get the drift
-
driving ::) I got a cancellation appointment for the MRI scan for my hand so had to trek into Aberdeen.
-
,........ thinking it was Monday!!
-
,........ thinking it was Monday!!
Oh No devonlady, not you too!
I spent all yesterday thinking it was Wednesday, to the point that I got husband to drive us to the Clitheroe auction mart...... a day too soon! :dunce:
-
......sitting in a technical meeting :tired:
-
Haranging BT...........nearly a month without a reliable, stable phone and internet connection >:( . Threatened to get on to Oftel, just got loads of apologies and platitudes from customer 'care' (sic). Decided that BT Openreach should be renamed Blasted Troublesome Out of reach! >:( >:( >:( .
-
Cosmore, you have my deepest sympathies. So, so frustrating.
Today I have been, and will continue to be, mainly giving myself a crick in my neck by peering into the incubator. One Buff Sussex out, 8 more to go
-
Stacking the wrapped bales in the field, temporarily, and betting which animal will calve first. Its a battle between two animals, but I think my bet is safe. :excited:
-
Teaching a nine year old grand-daughter to knit!
-
Teaching a nine year old grand-daughter to knit!
I wish I had learn t to knit
-
Teaching a nine year old grand-daughter to knit!
I wish I had learn t to knit
It's never too late :eyelashes: :knit:
-
Teaching a nine year old grand-daughter to knit!
I wish I had learn t to knit
It's never too late :eyelashes: :knit:
Indeed it's not! It's like everything else, easy when you know how, get someone to show you.Phoebe picked it up in no time although I cast on twenty stitches for her and by the time her mother picked her up she had twenty seven!!
My mother, who was born into a tiny Cornish fishing community remembered the men, when they couldn't get to sea spending their time knitting their own guernseys.
-
Yesterday I was mainly scrubbing the house clean, clearing up the garden and setting up a stage with hubby. Today we are mainly having a mini- music festival at home! Due to various smallholding issues, care for mum issues, oops I booked the wrong dates issues etc my 4 daughters won't have a proper summer holiday this year so a local band, who the children adore (!) have offered to come and play a gig at ours. Few friends coming over, BBQ to be done under an umbrella judging by the rain clouds currently but do we care? no... we are going to make it a day to remember for the kids :D
-
Pulling up more rag, stacking hay bales and checking the buff. Its not too far away now and am nervous/excited :excited:
-
Today I am going to be out and about trying to persuade people to sign a petition against TTIP
-
...... emailing, texting and phoning people to try to find a couple of little pals for my poor lonely Buff Sussex chick. He was the only chick from 12 eggs, which wasn't exactly the plan :innocent:
After a tense few hours I finally found 2 English Cuckoo Marans so all is well again..... especially as the Marans look like girls :thumbsup:
-
at the sawmill getting the last of the current roofing timbers cut ( I can still count to twenty ! )
-
up to my arms and ears in fleece, fleecey folk and fleecey talk ;D :spin: :excited:
-
been a birthing partner for Willow while she delivered her twin girls this morning :goat: :goat:
I was even doing the breathing control/panting thing :-\
-
been a birthing partner for Willow while she delivered her twin girls this morning :goat: :goat:
I was even doing the breathing control/panting thing :-\
I've done that many times when assisting a buffalo give birth. :roflanim:
Clydesdaleclopper? is that the same petition about those people who are dumping toxic waste in a village and killing tons of people?
-
Clydesdaleclopper? is that the same petition about those people who are dumping toxic waste in a village and killing tons of people?
No it's a trade agreement between the EU and US that fundamentally threatens democracy by including Investor State Dispute Settlement. There is some information here https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2014/10/12/information-on-ttip/ (https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2014/10/12/information-on-ttip/) and here http://corporateeurope.org/print/1802 (http://corporateeurope.org/print/1802)
I got 29 people to sign the petition from a couple of hours in Huntly town centre :excited:
-
Clydesdaleclopper? is that the same petition about those people who are dumping toxic waste in a village and killing tons of people?
No it's a trade agreement between the EU and US that fundamentally threatens democracy by including Investor State Dispute Settlement. There is some information here https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2014/10/12/information-on-ttip/ (https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2014/10/12/information-on-ttip/) and here http://corporateeurope.org/print/1802 (http://corporateeurope.org/print/1802)
I got 29 people to sign the petition from a couple of hours in Huntly town centre :excited:
It's disgraceful, according the '38 degrees' it will give companies like Monsanto the right to sue the british government for losses if they are banned from selling their evil pesticides that could wipe out our bees.
they have an online petition, please sign it folks.
-
Driving across Wales to drop mums reliable old dog back and pick my lunatic back up! I did miss him I must admit. :dog:
-
Prepping for a work trip to englandshire, sorting house and stuff so it'll survive without me...
8 days away feels like it takes that long to get organised...
-
Keeping an eye on a heifer of mine who is close to calving, any day soon now :excited: and arranging a time for a woman to pick up my two Buff Sussex she has bought. :)
-
Up the ladder, down the la............. again , slowly getting the roof made
-
....starting to construct the accommodation block for our new arrivals in 9 days time :&> :&>.
-
Celebrating the ruby wedding anniversary of two dear friends.
-
Cleaning the chickens pen, and keeping an eye on a heifer due to calve, today me thinks. why does the day pass so slowly? ::)
-
Watching fit young men working :innocent:
Work started on our patio today.....
-
Steady, Bionic, steady!
Today I have cleaned out all the chicken coops, ordered Tim Tyne's sheep book at last and had the last ( :fc: )sarcoid treatment for Hamish the Highland.
-
Watching fit young men working :innocent:
Work started on our patio today.....
hope they aren't on TAS ;D
-
Watching fit young men working :innocent:
Work started on our patio today.....
hope they aren't on TAS ;D
Why?? She might get a hefty discount if they know she "appreciates" them!! :innocent:
-
looking at the corridor artwork at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary,
many corridors many pictures . I did suggest to the porter that it might be an idea to put some on the ceiling for those of us prostrate on the trolley or even a series of cartoons linked in a way like a flip book, the nurse gave me some more sedation...........................
I eventually escaped , as you can tell
-
You ok, Rupert?
-
You ok, Rupert?
Oh yes quite fine :-J
I've been scanned, x-raxed, had blood let,wired to wonderful machines , touched up by female medical staff ( in the line of duty ) had the hairs ripped off my chest for the ECG and treated to coffee by the consultant !
Best question of the day " when did you last have alcohol ? " reply " about 10 mins ago when my arm was swabbed for the cannula " Ha ha ha ha its the drugs y'know and all of this free on the NHS .
Back to work tomorrow ,I'm sure the medication will wear off overnight , and if it doesn't keep away from any blue trucks in Aberdeen tomorrow.......
Seriously for what people say the health service up here are very good ,all my appointments all joined up in to one trip, the staff kind and understanding even for an old duffer like me
-
Glad you're ok Rupert, take life easy for a few days.
-
driving the truck and up the ladder etc etc ,well it is a clear blue sky
Oh and the drugs have worn off :(
-
went to Aberdeen , its manic at street level. Trying to bimble through the payday weekend crowds was a nightmare, soon as my appointment was over straight on the bus home :relief: back to the serenity of home ( and "the" roof )
-
Spreading muck, weighing lambs
-
Milking a heifer which calved yesterday, and sharpening hedge clippers. Not much is it? At least yesterday I sorted out my flock of sheep, examining them all closely for their weekly checkup.
-
...feeling like I am a proper smallholder!
Have been harvesting my veg patch, pickling and preserving and making varies foods to use up courgettes. Cuddling my goats and mucking out various animals :thumbsup:
Now snuggled on the sofa with the dogs :relief:
-
warping, sleying, threading & beaming :excited:
-
Watching my granddaughter do her first x country :hshoe: :horse:
-
Watching my granddaughter do her first x country :hshoe: :horse:
Did she do well ? I bet you were proud of her regardless
-
Recovering from having my mum to stay for two weeks. :roflanim: Not that she was any trouble but she wanted to go out every day, my car is off the road and I can't get my wheelchair in the courtesy car so it meant buses. I'm exhausted. She's only 85 so has more stamina than me.
-
Sorting out the garden and finishing off loads of letters, glad that's all done. :relief:
-
Repairing netting with baler twine, as you do.
-
Digging a drainage channel in continuing torrential rain :gloomy: to allow the overfull pigs wallow to drain off - it had become a lake! :raining: .
-
Trying not to scratch. It turns out the reason I was feeling so exhausted wasn't due to my mum but was because I have shingles. Ouchy ouch ouch. :unwell:
-
Oh MGM am sorry to hear about that. When my mum had shingles a few years ago she went to the Drs and he prescribed a cream, from the pharmacy, which dries it out and helps it to go quicker.
-
Trying not to scratch. It turns out the reason I was feeling so exhausted wasn't due to my mum but was because I have shingles. Ouchy ouch ouch. :unwell:
Oh boy, that really does take it out of you. I think they can give you antiviral meds now, which may help. Sending {{{hugs}}}.
Someone just recently told me that while you can't give shingles to someone, you can give them chicken pox if they haven't had it already.
-
when my mum had shingles, because I have never had chickenpox nor my siblings, I was looking after her and I never came down with chickenpox or shingles, isn't that weird? In was helping her apply the cream too, butb I never caught it. Weird. ???
-
Watching my granddaughter do her first x country :hshoe: :horse:
Did she do well ? I bet you were proud of her regardless
She is still on the lead rein so mum had to run round with her, they missed out a couple of the bigger jumps but she was so pleased with herself for not falling off!
-
Sad, the swallows have departed :'( its going to be quiet around here.
At least next year there will be more places to nest as the roof is nearing completion and the new door wont seem to close properly ;) ;)
-
Buying presents for people and feeling depressed. :gloomy:
-
Sad, the swallows have departed :'( its going to be quiet around here.
At least next year there will be more places to nest as the roof is nearing completion and the new door wont seem to close properly ;) ;)
Gone already? We had some fledged today and another nestful still to do so. I don't think these late clutches have time to put on enough weight to migrate :(
Our adults usually go about the middle of the month, but sometimes the late hatchers linger on until October.
-
picking the biggest, juiciest plums I have seen in a while.... :)
-
Sad, the swallows have departed :'( its going to be quiet around here.
At least next year there will be more places to nest as the roof is nearing completion and the new door wont seem to close properly ;) ;)
Gone already? We had some fledged today and another nestful still to do so. I don't think these late clutches have time to put on enough weight to migrate :(
Our adults usually go about the middle of the month, but sometimes the late hatchers linger on until October.
Looking in the diary they have left 2 weeks early and the first of the geese have been seen.
On wednesday at work the swallows in the warehouse were lined up on the ledge in front of my desk some 3 feet away about 70 of them , they too have gone.
-
For all of my adult life (50 odd years!) I have been determined to see the swallows go. I've seen them lining up saying ready, steady but the going of them always comes as a complete surprise!!
-
For all of my adult life (50 odd years!) I have been determined to see the swallows go. I've seen them lining up saying ready, steady but the going of them always comes as a complete surprise!!
I've never seen them depart ,its so sudden although as you say they are getting ready, it's their arrival I look forward to until then its the Blackbirds for amusement and company
-
Went to the rare breeds sale at Thainstone and got a lovely new cockerel and some geese to bring on for xmas dinner :hungry:
-
Rendering
-
Busy day tray. Went into town got some shopping and some pressies for mum, as a nice surprise :) then had a family BQQ and in the middle saw a buff giving birth and it needed pulling, pulled it and its a big bull calf. The mothers licking it clean now.
-
Hi all .only just joined.
Today I have been trying to entertain 30 screaming children having a party at the farm and will mostly be doing the same tomorrow.
The trials and tribulations of running a children's farm. :relief:
-
Watching a starling on the bird-feeder and realising it's the first one I've seen in the garden for ages.
-
Sad, the swallows have departed :'( its going to be quiet around here.
At least next year there will be more places to nest as the roof is nearing completion and the new door wont seem to close properly ;) ;)
Gone already? We had some fledged today and another nestful still to do so. I don't think these late clutches have time to put on enough weight to migrate :(
Our adults usually go about the middle of the month, but sometimes the late hatchers linger on until October.
Local fete today so not been here much, but our second lot have only just fledged, feel like proud parents seeing a second lot out, noticed about 14 sat on the edge of the house guttering yesterday, I really hope they haven't tried to set off yet, hope they are about tomorrow, Though I presume they just head down south before the main migration, I hope they do anyway, give the babies a chance to build up a bit.
-
I understand that they can eat while migrating. Those little spiders that leave threads all over the grass fields can float to about 2 miles and are scooped up by the migrating birds.
-
Hi oaktreefarmandy and welcome to the forum. Today I have been mainly bringing in all the lambs for looking over, as they're all going to mart tomoz. All the males that is.
-
Finally had the weather :sunshine: to do the spraying of weedkiller on the forest of weeds that thrived in the August rains!
-
checking the outside lighting
-
Tour of Britain - Tour of British Fleece
For me, today was Balwen. New to me, softer than expected. It'll join the Badgerfaced (both) and Jacob (grey) in the 'for weaving a cloth to make a bag' collection.
-
mowing all my grass(half acre), cleaned the duck run, hosed down the hen and duck pens, hosed down the tarpaulins, walked the dogs :excited: :thumbsup: , weeded, redded oot my strawberry bed (an old stainless steel commercial sink)and run away from little white beasties and a mountain of ants :-[ :-[ (Strawbs were useless this year - probably because of the beasties ??? ), done three wash loads, hung out one, tumbled the other two, fed the dogs, cleared out the email contacts list for our dog club, put casserole steak in the slow cooker for my tea, and am aboot tae eat it with the home grown cauliflower i picked this morning. Then I think I'll veg in front of the TV! :relief:
-
mowing all my grass(half acre), cleaned the duck run, hosed down the hen and duck pens, hosed down the tarpaulins, walked the dogs :excited: :thumbsup: , weeded, redded oot my strawberry bed (an old stainless steel commercial sink)and run away from little white beasties and a mountain of ants :-[ :-[ (Strawbs were useless this year - probably because of the beasties ??? ), done three wash loads, hung out one, tumbled the other two, fed the dogs, cleared out the email contacts list for our dog club, put casserole steak in the slow cooker for my tea, and am aboot tae eat it with the home grown cauliflower i picked this morning. Then I think I'll veg in front of the TV! :relief:
............ and relax
-
...enjoying an absolutely stunning day of weather (:sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine:), weeded a couple of flower beds, put edging around a new flower bed, treated a companion bench with teak oil, 3 loads of washing done too but all hung out to dry (no tumble drier here Doganjo ;D), planted some newly bought perennials, shopping done for the week and I managed to have haddock and scrambled eggs while listening to the Archers omnibus :excited:
-
Doing this on Loch Lomond!
Because sometimes I just need to get away from all the jobs on the smallholding and hang loose for a weekend ;D
-
sorted out lambs for the mart, my stomachs in a twist as I have no choice but to sell them at this time of year :'( then checked the 2 newborns ( buffalo calves) with their mothers :love: Am now just relaxing and watching a film with my best pal.
-
Frightening my superiors with my Chinese language skills....
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D and breath ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
(One of our clients is a Chinese oil major, another is a Spanish one ( a double whammy ! ), and me ,just the wobbly old truck driver in the slow lane , excuse me now ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D )
-
Collecting four pedigree Ryeland shearling ewes to add to my flock and now packing for a long weekend camping up in Robin Hoods Bay!
-
Listening to foxes calling to each other.
-
Frightening my superiors with my Chinese language skills....
Every so often I order Chinese beer in Mandarin in our local Chinese buffet. They never understand. Sigh.
-
Catching up on my forensics course on Future Learn
-
Spinning, outside in the morning, with pals, as the Tour of Britain passed through the village.
A good day :excited:
-
Milking the buff and feeding 5 calves, more on the way, but not for another 3-4 weeks. Then cleaning out the hens bedding and putting in fresh, doing a spot of fencing. Also cleaning out buildings and weeding gardens.
-
Making beetroot and apple chutney.
Just back from the allotment with the next batch of beetroot and onions.
-
Shovelling pea gravel...
-
studying, arghh
-
Drs appointment and then went shopping
-
Having time wasted by others
-
Spinning again :) :spin:
Still Touring, today they are in the Peak District so I span Whitefaced Woodland and Derbyshire Gritstone :)
-
Went to my dear brother's memorial service. It's hard to say goodbye to someone you have known and loved for all sixty five years of your life Can't stop howling!!
-
Went to my dear brother's memorial service. It's hard to say goodbye to someone you have known and loved for all sixty five years of your life Can't stop howling!!
:hug: :hug: Howl away, losing a sibling is a devastating loss. :hug: :bouquet:
-
Went to my dear brother's memorial service. It's hard to say goodbye to someone you have known and loved for all sixty five years of your life Can't stop howling!!
:hug:
-
Went to my dear brother's memorial service. It's hard to say goodbye to someone you have known and loved for all sixty five years of your life Can't stop howling!!
:hug: :bouquet:
I went with OH to Ludlow Food Festival which was amazing. I couldn't believe how many stalls were selling chutneys.
-
getting all the sheep in to split off the lambs for weaning, home slaughter of one of last years boys that OH didn't ring properly ::) , sorting the electric fencing to keep the billy kid away from the girls. Gearing up for butchery tomorrow.
-
Separating older ewes for the cull, they're going off to mart tomoz, and tidying up the rest of the ewes for the tup, going in next month. Just hoping i get a decent price for them.
-
...sleeping off a 2 day migraine.
Then big chicken muck out
-
helping my friend, Eve, clean her new house ready for the move tomorrow ................ taking my other friend, Enid, and her partner Eoin, for lunch in honour of her birthday ............... then took the dogs for a gallop in the fields ..................... then back to help Eve. Time to relax and browse t'internet now with a coffee. :relief:
-
spending a really lovely day at the Lleyn ram sale in Carms, I never bought anything though. Then back home and feeding calves, tidying house in preperation for when my extended family come to stay on Monday. No time for relaxing this week :tired:
-
Cleaning out hen houses and worming lambs!
-
tending to a loyal and faithful family servant, a new timer and elements for our 1960's Duralit 6 slice toaster, its the least I could do.
-
at 03;00 hrs (now) I finished the roof ,its dark,cold and tipping down with rain but I finished the roof. :thumbsup:
Time for a nap !
-
I'm glad you're down off that roof!! Have a day or two off now.
-
fixing boiler agh
-
Spending time with extended family, I haven't seen in two years.
-
Keeping an eye on some gilts having their first babies :pig: :love:
-
Being pathetic and crying - I bust my hand and wrist at christmas time and OH is away at the moment so I'm having to do everything and it hurts like f*** (please excuse the language)
-
:hug:
-
Being pathetic and crying - I bust my hand and wrist at christmas time and OH is away at the moment so I'm having to do everything and it hurts like f*** (please excuse the language)
Oh no. Surely it shouldn't still hurt that much? What do the medics say?
-
I'm glad you're down off that roof!! Have a day or two off now.
Hush your mouth devonlady, smallholders dont have days off .....Anyway;
Up at 7am milked the girls ,took Mrs RTB's car for MOT at 8:30 woke up at 09:15 as it had passed :thumbsup:
been on auto-pilot since.
I have another roof to do :-\ , sometime.
-
Well the joys of the NHS I had to wait until 4 th July to see the consultant, then wait 6 weeks for a MRI and I don't get my results until the end of October. Consultant suggested either a fracture of the wrist that they missed on my first x rays or possibly wrecked ligaments. My osteopath thinks that it is a displaced scaphoid fracture where the detached part had gone necrotic. I'm just so fed up of being in pain and unable to do normal stuff for 9 months.
-
I had a scaphoid experimental replacement (by inserting a plastic 'bead') done on my right wrist at the same time as the carpel tunnel op, after healing it was the first time in years no pain - now if only they could cure the arthritis it would be perfect........lol!
-
. . . . . making more chutney.
notes to self. . . ask the man in the red suit for a sharp knife for chopping onions ( nine years of using blunt knives
is nine years too long :thinking: )
. . . don't make chutney when OH has day off :innocent:
-
Been clothes shopping and had a really good time with my family, its so nice to be able to get away from the farm for a few hours
-
Been getting well oiled............ well my
equipment machinery ! I may do a bit of touching up tomorrow ( paintwork ) , might even tidy up the house ( might not ) as Mrs RTB comes home :excited: . must remember to burn the paper plates....... :)
-
Looking at a buffalo due to valve next week. Seeing more family, busy as a hive of bees around here, still I dont see em very often. Was wanting to go to welshpool ram sale, but decided. that would be very rude if family are here. You lot sound more busier than me :roflanim:
-
Looking at a buffalo due to valve next week. Seeing more family, busy as a hive of bees around here, still I dont see em very often. Was wanting to go to welshpool ram sale, but decided. that would be very rude if family are here. You lot sound more busier than me :roflanim:
Go to sale WB , take family and treat it as a bonding exercise
-
I just might..... :thinking:
-
Digging in posts and smiling after last nights win :thumbsup:
-
Playing cats cradle with the electric fencing so everything has oodles of fresh grass to go at. Got wet jeans as very heavy dew and fog.
-
Digging in posts and smiling after last nights win :thumbsup:
Well?! Come on, don't leave it there!! What have you won?
-
I think it might have something to do with Wales beating England at some sort of game involving an odd shaped ball.
-
I watched some of it too. Cheering on Wales :innocent:
-
I think it might have something to do with Wales beating England at some sort of game involving an odd shaped ball.
Oh, nothing interesting then. (how can I get the emoticons back, I lost them after Microsoft made "important" changes)
-
feeling ill and angry cause my phone has just decided to break :rant:
-
feeling ill and angry cause my phone has just decided to break :rant:
I would see that as a cause for celebration , peace and quiet Mmmmmm
-
problem is I have no other phone and I need a phone to contact people and in case of emergency. Ah well guess I have to go buy a new one. ::)
-
composting yet another pair of pruners.... I use them to cut up the bigger stuff and by the the time i have finished the compost the pruners have disappeared....
Its not the first time the pruners have gone in with the compost but strangely I never find them again.
-
pottering about cleaning water troughs, retreiving lick buckets from all the croft, making jam and enjoying the sunshine :sunshine:
-
trying to shift a cold. Feeding calves, moving buffalo onto fresh pasture and picking blackberries and rosehips. The :sunshine: is gorgeous and warm here today :)
-
composting yet another pair of pruners.... I use them to cut up the bigger stuff and by the the time i have finished the compost the pruners have disappeared....
Its not the first time the pruners have gone in with the compost but strangely I never find them again.
The vegetable knife is my favourite compost ingredient!
-
Visiting Beeducked, sitting in the sun, getting my separator to work, choosing which of Beeducked's boy goats is going to have the pleasure of my girl, Caldi (it's Max because I love his spots) and meeting Blossom and Petal the large black pigs (not so large yet) and tickling their tummies. Oh and eating lots and lots and lots of homemade goat milk ice cream.
And, not to forget, waiting for the phone call to tell me number seven grandchild had been born. Instead I had a text telling me that they were back home, DIL had had 'some treatment' that wouldn't start things for 24 hours and they are going back to the hospital tomorrow. Baby is already two weeks late so I wish they'd get a move on.
-
Putting of doing my vat returns.
-
Visiting Beeducked, sitting in the sun, getting my separator to work, choosing which of Beeducked's boy goats is going to have the pleasure of my girl, Caldi (it's Max because I love his spots) and meeting Blossom and Petal the large black pigs (not so large yet) and tickling their tummies. Oh and eating lots and lots and lots of homemade goat milk ice cream.
And, not to forget, waiting for the phone call to tell me number seven grandchild had been born. Instead I had a text telling me that they were back home, DIL had had 'some treatment' that wouldn't start things for 24 hours and they are going back to the hospital tomorrow. Baby is already two weeks late so I wish they'd get a move on.
I believe congrats are in order MGM, I hope everything goes smoothly.
Mainly feeding calves today and cleaning out their building, if I feel OK later. Then sorting out stuff, so I don't have to rush to get it done before the weekend.
-
Sitting outside in the sun :sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine: carding alpaca fibre :llama:
-
Supervising goat sex :goat: :fc:
-
“Enjoying” a day at the Foresterhill “health spa “ ( ARI ) :-J the corridor artwork is unchanged from my last “Me” day but the attention from dusky maidens plying me with drugs , scanning me with a scanning thing and doing what the NHS staff do best with care and compassion is most appreciated . Not to mention the stretch limo to and from the door , well ,the park and ride bus !( I'm easily pleased )
And when I got home I have to admit that I sat in the warm sun :sunshine: , under a clear blue sky and did nothing.
-
Visiting Beeducked, sitting in the sun, getting my separator to work, choosing which of Beeducked's boy goats is going to have the pleasure of my girl, Caldi (it's Max because I love his spots) and meeting Blossom and Petal the large black pigs (not so large yet) and tickling their tummies. Oh and eating lots and lots and lots of homemade goat milk ice cream.
And, not to forget, waiting for the phone call to tell me number seven grandchild had been born. Instead I had a text telling me that they were back home, DIL had had 'some treatment' that wouldn't start things for 24 hours and they are going back to the hospital tomorrow. Baby is already two weeks late so I wish they'd get a move on.
I believe congrats are in order MGM, I hope everything goes smoothly.
Mainly feeding calves today and cleaning out their building, if I feel OK later. Then sorting out stuff, so I don't have to rush to get it done before the weekend.
Yes, Magnus Tashi was born this morning after a very short labour. He's absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to meet him in a few days.
-
What an excellent Name
-
Congratulations Lesley! Have you finished the shawl? :spin: :knit: :hug:
-
Welcome to the world, Magnus. Leslie you are catching up on me, only three more to go!! Congratulations!!
-
...... Quilting! I promised number two daughter a new quilted bedspread for her new flat. She is coming home at the weekend to remove more of her belongings from our garage, so I need to have it finished by then! I have the quilting finished, just need to see on a binding and then it is done!
-
doing my day job
-
Looking for a holiday house in the Yorkshire Dales for next July!
-
Selling apple juice and sausages...
-
Cleaning out calves and taking cat to vets, about its paw.
-
I seriously couldn't find any more pruners so I had to turn the compost to find the ones I buried the other day >:(
-
I wish I could remember, its been such a blurr to-day :cold:
-
Crutching ewe lambs....so pain killers and sofa this eveningsd
-
Spent the day shopping for gifts to give to my friend, which am staying with this weekend. Will be great to see them after such a long time :excited: Bad news is I need to make an appointment with the dentist asap, as my filling has cracked and is super sensitive :rant:
-
re-pointing the steading ,using my new pointing gun thingy that I saw mentioned on here, works a treat ,but the mozzies are about even 25ft up
-
driving our tractor for the first time. Figured out how to get the draw bar attached, hook up the roller and roll the fields. On the very last turn before heading back to the barn, I discovered that the corner of the field that was supposedly drying out, wasn't. Spent an hour trying to dig it out before calling our neighbour who kindly brought his big 4WD tractor over and pulled our little 135 out in seconds. He said 'Don't worry, I've had just about every neighbour help get my tractors out of a stuck over the years.'
-
Attacking brambles in our field so that we can check the fence behind them so we can get sheep.
Also clearing years worth of ivy from the fruit trees.
Dans
-
This week I have been mostly recladding a barn for a client.
The process was much hampered by the 4 inch nail through my foot last Friday, which has made ladder work very uncomfortable.
Next week improving a hay barn. Then it's holiday time, can't wait...
-
clearing the hedgerow at the top of the hill to put new fencing for the sheep and goats
and today, cutting the grass in the orchard, ……plus 100 other things ;D loving it :thumbsup:
-
Doing some Nuno felting ;D
-
Topping reeds
-
Sat watching this view.
-
Worming ewes and Autumn shearing
-
Autumn shearing? Feeding calves today and keeping an eye on a cow which is due to calve any day
-
Getting organised to go and meet my new grandson tomorrow. :excited: :excited:
-
sitting in my truck waiting for some very,very,very exeedingly expensive ( and heavy ) subsea oilfield equipment to be tested and loaded on to my truck so that I could take it very slowly ( as it was heavy and cost several million dollars , so they said ) from one side of Aberdeen to the quayside, where they put it on a vessel to take it out to the oil field ,where they will chuck it in the sea...........
To me it was worth 13 hours worth of wages . :thumbsup:
-
Rescuing a grandchild who had locked himself in the lav. It involved leaping gracefully through a small window and pirouetting off the wash basin (I don't think!) I could have sold tickets!!!!
-
Checked the buffalo that was due to calve and she has calved, it's a heifer! :) Also just cleaned a building and mended a fence.
really tired now... since my cold went I have been so tired. :tired:
-
Sitting in a holiday cottage on Kerrera over looking Oban bay...
It's a tough life but sometimes needs must... :-P
This afternoon I'm going to Walk the mile to see the island herd of Highland cow's... Thats kind of smallholdery...
-
plucking up courage to chop more onions :-\ ( last batch of chutney - hopefully )
-
Went to the local garden centre this morning for some winter bedding plants and also raided the 'sale' bench :o
Treated ourselves to breakfast too.
Then emptied the flower trough of summer bedding, separated out all the spring bulbs in it, freshened up the compost in it, planted new bulbs in it and topped it off with some pansies.
Showered, tea'd up, stove on, browsing TAS - Happy Days :thumbsup:
And we're on annual leave this week too :excited: :excited: :excited:
-
hoovering the entire house! Got a new filter for the hoover so went a bit mad, don't panic, it won't happen again for a while ;D
-
Checking / testing my new led floodlights, I feel like a moth to the candle, I have made sets of barn doors to cut down on light scatter on the bigger ones , still more to do...
-
Talking to internet providers who are supposed to be providing internet, but are not, really fuming :rant: also rearranging the garden and looking after a newborn calf.
-
Trailing round Ikea in a sort of disabled conga - me in front in my electric wheelchair followed by a friend who is blind, holding onto the back of the chair, who was then followed by my OH holding onto her. We did think about singing and doing the side kicks but it took me all my concentration to get us all through without smashing anything.
-
wearing a happy grin.
04:00 got up as very heavy rain :raining: woke me , went out to the newly roofed building and looked up at the nice dry roof :thumbsup:.
went back to the still warm bed, just a bit damp ....but happy.
-
Mucking out calves sheds, now making a nice sausage and macaroni bake with homemade buffalo mozzarella :yum: :yum:
-
Breaking my finish mower >:(
Was doing a cut of the fields and noticed an odd small of burning rubber. Looked back to find smoke billowing out of the mower gearbox cover. Investigating showed some old wire fencing had been picked up from, presumably, the edge of a field and had locked the cutters. The PTO had kept spinning so the drive belts quickly burned against the spinning pulley.
Bugger.
-
Last night, in the dark ... re-enforcing some stock fencing in order to stop my ram lambs jumping in with my ewes! One did get in, but as they all have sponges in I doubt whether he got lucky. If he did then it might make it a bit harder for me to get the sponges out next week!! :(
-
Trying my hand at plastering as the plasterers have been coming over "tomorrow morning" for the past two months
-
Crawling along the M6 and then the M40 on the way to visit my family in East Sussex. Not the whole way obviously but far too many miles doing around 15mph.
-
Throwing out cheap smelling air fresheners, feel kinda bad cause they were gifts from family, but they have to go as they're not making my brothers sinus's any better, plus the smell is horrible.
-
getting mentally prepared for my return to work tomorrow in the knowledge that I completed my list of jobs ( :thumbsup: ) Take my advice ( I'm still not using it ) beware of a Big Blue lorry in Aberdeen.....
-
Working and being badgered by holiday makers who assume every sheep with its head in wire within 100 miles of my front door must be mine.
-
Making Christmas cake no.2 as Poppy the springer took a liking to no.1 :rant:
-
Seperating a calf from its mum and trying to find out what's wrong with one of my chickens >:(
-
Looking for 3 sheep who have gone walkabout ????
-
Looking for 3 sheep who have gone walkabout ????
Dear Bo Peep..............
-
Working and being badgered by holiday makers who assume every sheep with its head in wire within 100 miles of my front door must be mine.
Just as every straying animal is assumed to be mine!!
-
I had an angry answer phone message (our number is on the gate for the accountancy business): "I am a holiday maker (oh here we go) and have been camping (illegally) in the layby (main road 1/2 a mile away) looking over the hedges from my camper van (ivory tower) I have seen (everything I can possibly take umbridge at including but not limited too) a sheep with its head caught it has been there AT LEAST 3 hours, I came to your (private) yard to tell you about it but apparently there was no one home (no there bloody wasn't mate) your dogs were most unfriendly (not as unfriendly as my wife was when she picked up the message buddy - lucky escape!)"
No name no number, no indication of where the sheep would be found. I checked all my boundaries in the dark.. thanks mate - I hear Scotland is nice this time of year
Nice of him to make the effort on one hand but rather than pompous his way around the countryside telling random people to "do something" why not pull it out? Its not my sheep, its not my land, its not even close!
Oh and today I have been mainly plastering (again)
-
changing my bank!! Had enough of RBS and their nonsense, shutting my local branch etc >:(
-
Trying to apply for a mortgage ...
-
Hope it all goes well for you foobar, all the best :thumbsup: and let us know how you get on? I've been cleaning out buildings, something I've been trying to do for ages but couldn't, due to fencing and calving. Now listening to grieg whilst doing my accounts :(
-
Trekking into Aberdeen to see the consultant about my hand. Now I only have to wait another 3 months to get a steroid injection and then wait to see what they might do after that ::)
-
Hope it all goes well for you foobar, all the best :thumbsup: and let us know how you get on?
Thank you, I will. You will be able to hear the cheers from up your way I'm sure if it all goes well!! :D
-
Did the weeks messages this morning, came home & put it all away (while listening to the archers omnibus), put washing on, made soup, hung washing out, processed my cooking apples for the freezer, made bread, bagged up 15 black bags of leaves for leaf mould (don't have an area for a leaf bin at the moment), cleaned out the stove and got a new fire going in it, made a cuppy and I'm enjoying it at the moment while I'm on here :excited:
-
had a day off, weathers been gorgeous and spent some time with family
-
Trying to figure out which vaccination gun to buy ??? .
-
very grateful to my neighbour for bringing his tractor and post banger round and spending half the day helping get 250m of stock fencing posts in place. Would have taken ages with a sledgehammer.
-
lying down perfectly still for hours and hours , starving having fasted from 6am and then disappointed to find the radioactivity didn't give me superhuman powers , maybe I'll try truck driving tomorrow ...
-
Bottlefeeding a newborn calf, he is gorgeous. I'll try and take pics of them all to post, can't seem to remeber where my camera is though :thinking:
-
lying down perfectly still for hours and hours , starving having fasted from 6am and then disappointed to find the radioactivity didn't give me superhuman powers , maybe I'll try truck driving tomorrow ...
At least you won't have to don a pair of tights and a cape ;D
-
lying down perfectly still for hours and hours , starving having fasted from 6am and then disappointed to find the radioactivity didn't give me superhuman powers , maybe I'll try truck driving tomorrow ...
At least you won't have to don a pair of tights and a cape ;D
#
Oh I dont know ;) , been sick all night, hot cold,hot cold ,at least wonder woman is looking after me !
-
Waiting for an hour at the vets whilst he looks up what I mean by "CODD in my sheep" and finds a suitable antibiotic for me ... at an extortionate price ... :(
-
Watching the forecasted heavy slow moving rain - moving very slowly and saturating everywhere with temperatures around 16c, oh for some frost!
-
Swinging a chainsaw about 20 feet above the ground and feeling very manly
-
Swinging a chainsaw about 20 feet above the ground and feeling very manly
Lumberjack Eh? ;)
-
Swinging a chainsaw about 20 feet above the ground and feeling very manly
Lumberjack Eh? ;)
I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok, I sleep all night and I work all day. :innocent:
looking after a new calf, only two more cows to go, then out to the chippy for a quick dinner and back home checking emails. Just having a rest before tucking meself into bed with a nice book, long day tomorrow. :tired:
-
Typing away on the internet like the rest of you
-
making marmalade then playing a highly addictive odd socks game on facebook which I take great pleasure in as its the only time I seem to be able to find matching socks!!!
-
Another odd socker here :)
Spinning assorted bats that I carded at a carding afternoon with other guild members.
-
Early this morning I finally got the last stock moved so I could put the tup in, he seamed quite pleased to get in with his ladies at last...
After that I was honoured to lay a wreath on behalf of my church at the local remembrance parade...
Now I'm chilling out in front of the fire...
-
feeling depressed, will this rain ever stop?! can't get much done
-
Sitting in the lovely Malta sunshine, G&T in one hand, book in other thinking about home! :sunshine:
-
Painting the porch at one end and the utility room at the other end of the house
-
cooking, studying and throwing food and encouraging words at the animals at various points during the day :raining:
-
Watching OH and my step father lop off the top of an evergreen which is blocking the solar panels, whilst cooking dinner with my mum, entertaining a 4 month old and a quick attack of ivy on a plum tree.
-
making 10lbs of bramble jam :blackberry: and wondering if storm Abigail is going to be as bad as they reckon (Dan we need a windy emoticon :-) )
-
feeding a calf which was dropped by its mother, first time calver and a crap one at that. Milking the mum and feeding the milk back to the calf, the calf is very strong and up on his feet and is drinking what I give him eagerly, so he will be fine.
-
Trucking down the A487 with a bale on the front of the tractor singing that JCB song "I'm Luke I'm five and my dads Bruce Lee" etc :innocent:
-
Trucking down the A487 with a bale on the front of the tractor singing that JCB song "I'm Luke I'm five and my dads Bruce Lee" etc :innocent:
Glad to know its not just my OH that does that Me ;D
-
Having a check that is all secure before storm "OH MY WERE ALL GOING TO DIE" arrives, anything loose has been tied down, genny checked , supplies to hand in the bedroom ,duvet checked and ready if its as bad its as they say , then its a stay in bed day I'm off work anyway , over cautious Me??.
Nope ,
Its a reverse sods law process , by being prepared it will be a nice bright sunny autumnal day :fc: :fc:
-
filled the car with petrol, if power goes off we cant get petrol from the pumps and the petrol station is 15 miles away! Got spare gas bottles, candles, generator filled and spare petrol etc etc etc.
Already had hail and lightning tonight :gloomy: and the GP surgery aren't taking appointments for Friday as they don't think they will have power.
-
Having a check that is all secure before storm "OH MY WERE ALL GOING TO DIE" arrives, anything loose has been tied down, genny checked , supplies to hand in the bedroom ,duvet checked and ready if its as bad its as they say , then its a stay in bed day I'm off work anyway , over cautious Me??.
Nope ,
Its a reverse sods law process , by being prepared it will be a nice bright sunny autumnal day :fc: :fc:
09:00 east coast of Scotland;
Hah! It's working so far, had breakfast outside in the sun soaking up the little warmth ,It's calm and quiet my coffee tastes nice, the chickens are playing silly sods , the geese are grazing, there is birdsong in the air .
Am i tempting fate ?
-
Having a check that is all secure before storm "OH MY WERE ALL GOING TO DIE" arrives, anything loose has been tied down, genny checked , supplies to hand in the bedroom ,duvet checked and ready if its as bad its as they say , then its a stay in bed day I'm off work anyway , over cautious Me??.
Nope ,
Its a reverse sods law process , by being prepared it will be a nice bright sunny autumnal day :fc: :fc:
09:00 east coast of Scotland;
Hah! It's working so far, had breakfast outside in the sun soaking up the little warmth ,It's calm and quiet my coffee tastes nice, the chickens are playing silly sods , the geese are grazing, there is birdsong in the air .
Am i tempting fate ?
10:01 east coast of Scotland;
Fate tempted :( :(
-
feeding calves. We have gorgeous sunshine too thankfully. After a week of solid rain, sludge everywhere and my wellies are leaking. >:( One more buff to calve and I'm starting to wean the first batch of calves, they are huge :o
-
Prodded , poked , touched up ( female Dr ) so much for yesterday, today ,Prodded , poked , touched up ( female Dr again ) viewed the pet scan , its better than the ct scan !! nothing is hidden and in colour too. went home and hugged the goats,dogs, cats and Mrs RTB in that order.
Back to work tomorrow .
-
waiting for the weekend.........
-
Feeling miserable because my mum's partner died yesterday. Apart from being sad because I loved him as well, I am worried about my mum and how she will cope. My son is with her at the moment and we'll all go down for the funeral of course but I live a day's drive from her and I have to do that over two days as my physical state won't allow me to do it in one go. My brothers live near her and are supportive but I wish I was nearer.
-
:bouquet: :hug:
sorry to hear your sad news MGoM
-
replaced battery ,starter motor and alternator on tractor, its bleeding fffrrrreeezing so now of to Hibernate.
-
Cleaning out buildings, treating a cow with prescribed meds from vets for mastitis. Cooked a lovely roast beef dinner, now getting ready to go to sleep. Goodnight peoples :tired:
-
This morning I should be making shortbread before I head of for my shift at the WRVS cafe at the local hospital.
Better get a wriggle on ::)
-
I have finished inputting my accounts for 2014-15, the cash book/diary/receipt trawl and cross comparison of what I did and what I seem to have paid/received has taken days in itself and the bank and credit card accounts were a doddle by comparison but it is now DONE!
-
Managed to have a day off today from farming, well sort of, all the big jobs are all done so only my daily chores to do, feeding/milking etc, etc. Managed to catch up on a series today, can't wait for the ending..... :excited:
-
Spent most of the day cleaning out the stable , during the night someone had been in and left it in a mess, straw had been pushed up to one end and it looked like someone had kipped down, a strange smell of Frankincense and discarded Myrrh wrappers as well . Well there must have been a few of them , but what worries me are the donkey droppings and camel hoof prints in the yard .....
Oh well .
-
Bringing sheep in, as its far to wet and they are miserable. Building a pen for a couple of my own store lambs, fattening them up for Feb.
-
I had a lovely morning picking up and cobbling together a 3 strand electric tape fence after some hairy beasty got among it and broke the tape getting out.. Ankle deep mud and surface water, cold hands but got it done and and and wandered about the other field in rare dry moments then realised my mobile had come out of an old fleece pocket at some point..
Another 3x up and down both fields and eventually found it somewhere I'd looked already! Fresh air and exercise
Next I had a message from an elderly neighbour asking for plumber contacts. Their boiler died and the two of them were cold - he's 80 odd and seemed a little confused when I called back . he seemed to be asking about a leak outside but it was def the boiler... Took a while to give him the right number so hope all is fixed, his wife was back anyway so not alone but I was a bit concerned.
Retired indoors and finished off some wine by mulling it as I had,the yen for it. Just laying about since, other than egg collection and feeding of course.
-
Spent a wonderful day celebrating Christmas with our family.
-
Trekking through shin deep mud and getting an escape artist back in a field. Stood there for ages mending a fence, only for it to be trashed again by the same escape artist. Next mission put her in a sturdy field, rip down and rebuild this fence from scratch. :rant:
-
...fixing corrugated pvc sheeting onto the office shed roof as there is some water getting in under the roofing felt :rant: Hopefully it will do the job. Also fixing and re-aligning the tv aerial up on the house. Pot of soup has also been made, the stove is now on, numerous cups of tea have been had and I'm cream crackered.
-
Usual routine but such a nice day, Dan and I took Meg and Bryn to Monikie Country Park. Even at 15, Meg loves a walk - espcially one with lots of sniffs. Bryn had an AMAZING time - he met Stanley, the Norfolk Terrier, Reuben the Labradoodle (he was fun), Caden the collie (he'd forgotten how to play after being attached by a Lhasa Apso but after cuddles and licks from Bryn, he remembered again) and Roddie the Cocker Spaniel, who was best fun of all.
-
Making soup and baked potatoes and taking them down to some outlying houses along the river Calder, this time they are being looked after, people coming out with groceries for them. Went to knock on an open door, no floor! It was all down in the cellar. Fire engine came while I was there, i went on to next terrace, army turned up as I left.
-
Been preparing for a storm today, high winds due any minute. Cleaned out all the buildings yesterday and disinfected them all, so one less job today. Busy day tomorrow, tagging, dosing and registering sheep as p[edigree, before year end. Nos da :tired:
-
Electric fencing and moving sheep a few miles to new grazing. Lovely sunny and dry here for a change.
-
Having a last few cuddles with my baby grandson before he and his parents left at 2pm. :( :(
-
slurping through mud back and fore to the sheds to top up the hay feeders and trying to make water thats blowing horizontally go into water troughs :raining:
-
Trying to make stew without butternut squash and trying to find an egg less choc pudding; who knew cooking would be this easy ::)
-
Picking up the gardening tools that Frank blew all over the garden then sleeping off the effects of having family to stay.
-
organising an ambulance to take OH to A&E for post-op leg issue only to end up doing a 200 mile round journey to go pick him up again when they discharged him an hour later (still with very swollen red leg and unable to walk) :-\
Surely 2016 will be a better year for me, not sure I could handle another like 2015!
Happy Hogmanay folks :fc:
-
putting new hinges on shed door and 2 new bolts after storm Eva ripped off the old ones and storm Gertrude is coming at us full steam ahead!
Burying a goat, filling up feed bins and fixing the water pipe connector so now I don't have to walk through a muddy foot bath every time I pass the outside tap :thumbsup:
-
Been shopping today, watched sherlock this afternoon, not spoiling it by saying anything though! The weather was a little warmer and the rain equally as light, hardly any wind, but the ground still very wet. ::)
-
Burying a goat,
Sorry to read that, was it your GG who couldn't get up? :-(
-
Digging drainage trenches and hoping that it will eventually stop raining....
-
Having my first go at trimming away pockets caused by shelly hoof under the supervision of a knowledgeable neighbour. Hopefully all now under control, otherwise my hand muscles are going to have to toughen up considerably!
-
Yesterday I managed to see my big bro who is heading for the big small holding in the sky .
We laughed and joked like old times , recalling the daftest of things , gave each other a big man's hug .
Though this may be the last time as I'm likely to be unable to travel for a few months in the very near future .
Spent today recovering from the very very wind swept rains wept 180 mile round trip .
Later this afternoon I watched Alison start her first solo attempt at Bonsai on a mini box shrub . She transformed a scrubby straggly thing into a future art form .
Suddenly the world order has been restored for me ....... it carries on ..
-
Burying a goat,
Sorry to read that, was it your GG who couldn't get up? :-(
thanks :-) no she is a lot better, still a bit weak on her front legs but we're getting there. This was a goat who came down with anaemia, it was so fast, one day she was a bit off colour an off her feed, next day she was down and dead :-(
I have spent the last couple of days checking gums and eyes and ordering mineral drenches.
I have decided to follow the ' Scottish Old New Year ' which is on the 12th January as the start of my year so the last few days don't count :thumbsup:
-
Having a lie in, due to not feeling well. Keep getting headaches, so I might book an appointment at the docs. Weather has gone nicer, so a bit later I may start work on the garden. Just trying to take it easy for now :(
-
Wondering with a little trepidation to see what the results of my CT scans will reveal when I see the specialist on Wednesday.
-
Digging a trench across the hardcore in front of the back door to stop the house flooding. Not easy with nowt but a mattock and one wrecked hand. Am now warming up with a coffee and suspect wine may be needed later for medicinal purposes.
-
Hope you feel better soon clydesdalehopper. I have been cleaning out buildings today, worn out and knackered. The wind won't stop >:(
-
Trekking through mud to feed animals, slipped and badly sprained my ankle. It feels stretched and so sore and weak; if its not better within a few days then to the Drs it'll be.
-
Trekking through mud to feed animals, slipped and badly sprained my ankle. It feels stretched and so sore and weak; if its not better within a few days then to the Drs it'll be.
crikey you're not having an easy time of it! :hug:
I made the most of the ground being as hard as concrete with frost and mucked out the horsebox in readiness for dad turning up with a load of hay unannounced as he usually does!
Oh and got my sitting room vaguely back to normal (tree and decorations down) despite having the contents of my loft in the sitting room after getting new insulation put in :relief:
-
Been struggling to tidying up after this incessant wind and rain ,its 2am and Ive just crawled ( yes really ! ) in, and its started all over again. I'm going to bed wet ant if like last weekend might not get up until Monday :raining: :raining: :raining: >:( >:( >:(
-
Moving electric fences then given up and brought half the animals inside.
-
Putting in replacement fence posts and attacking brambles
Dans
-
doing what I said in my last post... another round of tidy up and fix stuff after these incessant storms of various names , just wondering when the weather will improve, will the boffins name the next sunny spell "Sally" or something :sunshine: just a thought.
fabric wise the only casualty this time has been a greenhouse, victim of the wind, not enough snow to test the new roof ( yes I know , careful what I wish for,) so I've been pottering around picking up next doors rubbish that escaped from their bins, then having run out of excuses did the tax return, no idea if its right I'm too befuddled to care anyway. Now I think I will join the goats for some sparkling conversation (this is only possible with the drugs I'm on )
better step away from the keyboard now :wave:
-
Been busy over the past few days non ending mucking out buildings around buildings and everywhere, trying to keep the farm tidy, not doing a successful job :roflanim: Thinking of taking an extra long break this coming autumn, let the fam do all the work for me :innocent: On a plus note the gardens coming along nicely and I am coming up to my 2 weeks calf rearing free :excited: Thinking of taking my mum on holiday for a break, before everything gets busier again :)
-
Chasing my mortgage application .... finally with success today! Hoorah!
-
Admiring my new seeds that arrived today from the Heritage Seed Library. :D
-
Admiring my new seeds that arrived today from the Heritage Seed Library. :D
ooooh seeds! anything exciting may I ask?
-
If by chance I am short of something to read a seed catalogue does nicely, even an old one.
-
Managed to have a bit of a rest today and did some baking for the family. 1 big sticky ginger loaf and 1 huge chocolate and cream filled gateau with choc buttercream icing on top, flavoured with orange and cointreau, absoloutely fabulous :yum:
-
Admiring my new seeds that arrived today from the Heritage Seed Library. :D
ooooh seeds! anything exciting may I ask?
All heritage varieties, of course: runner beans, peas, squash and carrots. :excited:
-
Been up since silly o'clock, on my day off ::) , revising Spreadsheets before I start Advanced Spreadsheets on Monday. AND I have a load of washing out :sunshine: just waiting for the :raining:
-
Been mostly herding the geese back to the field from three fields down much to the bemusement of passing drivers :roflanim:
-
Been rounding up a buffalo to get in the crush ready for vet. On a nicer note I think I have located my missing ram and should be going to get him back in a bit
-
Looking forward to tomorrow when I will be getting the keys to my new smallholding :excited:
-
had quite a busy week, quiet day today though! My mum and I have been away all week and we both had a lovely indian head massage and full back massage, feels great and so relaxed ;D really enjoyed my week away from the farm with extended family; had a nice break before all the hard work on farm really kicks off in 2 weeks time. Going home tomoz and am going to try and buy an oufit from online, shoes included (what a fashion victim I have become) :roflanim: :roflanim: for the 19th march fam get together, can't wait! :excited: :excited:
-
Having spent more time in ARI this week I spent today convincing my boss that I was fit and able to work and would not die at the wheel , thing is I had to drive the truck 20 miles to the remote office he was working from to see him , having made sure the vehicle was loaded beforehand I set off , he met me at the door asked for a urine sample ( yes my company really does take the.. ) , walk in a straight line , as if I've done that in the last 20years .
The sample went straight down to loo and I staggered back to the truck having been told “ well you got this far, carry on” but you are on “holiday” next week . Bit of a result ! Having said that by the end of the day I felt awful .
I didnt crash , no kittens where run over and everythis was delivered correctly ( So I believe )
Its taken me three and a bit hours to feed and milk the goats ,My head is boiling , so I'm off to bed.
Tomorrow I will mainly be sleeping the sleep of the dead.
-
Today I will be making the long journey home from Yorkshire to Mid Wales. What a week it has been too, but I wont
bore you or make you jealous with the details. I must admit going home fills me with dread because it means that I have to start feeding the calves again and all the other jobs, but I will try and keep me pecker up and face them like a toughen (will be weird though I have been away 5 days now and feel like a stranger to the farm; haven't had a holiday like this in nearly 7 years!)
-
Today I will be making the long journey home from Yorkshire to Mid Wales. What a week it has been too, but I wont
bore you or make you jealous with the details. I must admit going home fills me with dread because it means that I have to start feeding the calves again and all the other jobs, but I will try and keep me pecker up and face them like a toughen (will be weird though I have been away 5 days now and feel like a stranger to the farm; haven't had a holiday like this in nearly 7 years!)
By now it'll seem like you've never been away , the calves will be glad to see you back the "other jobs" have kept themselves for you , it's home and you love it......
-
Quite right @rupertthebear. Just found out today that my remaining pure buff orpington maybe a cockerel. I already have a cockerel so if he turns out to be one then does anyone want to buy him? He is pure! Sheep still havent lambed and one buff due to calve very soon! :excited:
-
resting and getting bored
-
Tackling the goat's hooves. Feeling pleased because my hands weren't as bad as usual and I actually managed the trimming myself while the goat was held. :excited:
-
making new doors for the male goats pens, in slow motion,
-
Cleaning out buildings and making a mental note to see my GP tomoz, on account of wondering whether I have a broken bone in my big toe joint. So busy days ahead and stiffness filled wiyh bouts of pain and that is just my foot :roflanim:
-
Sneezing on the sofa with a baby and thinking of all the things I could be doing outside. Full of flu here :unwell:
Dans
-
stacking round bales of straw, by hand and very very slowly. knackered
-
Getting the ewes into the byre early this morning before the rain starts, they weren't impressed. Having moved to a new place which has rubbish fences and many foxes I've decided to bring the girls in for lambing this year. Doing it the day before they are due is probably not ideal but we've only been here two weeks and it's taken me that long to prep the byre!
-
Vacuuming (sp) with the new dirt buster,( quite surprised at the power for a battery hoover ) all the covers off switchgear , sockets and generator control box (hence a battery unit , as I had turned the power off :thumbsup:) dust ,fluff and cobwebs all removed. Most fun is with the cobwebs almost as addictive as bubble wrap popping !
I'm easily pleased.....
-
staying out of the sleet and wind as much as possible :gloomy: keeping calves topped up with food in between nice and bad weather. Lambs growing well and moms are doting :love: made pizza for tea :yum:
-
Spent the morning rescuing lambing sheep from flooded fields after getting a massive dumping of rain overnight. No lives lost just soggy shepherds so all good in the end
-
Forcing myself to go into the Co-op, the vets, the gym etc to ask if they'll put up posters for my new massage room in Cupar, sharing with an osteopath, a homeopath and a craniosacral therapist. I feel quite grown up having a business premises with professional therapists rather than just my room at home, and hope that more people will be willing to give it a try than will drive 8 miles to a smallholding they don't know.
Everyone has been lovely about it, but it's REALLY hard when you get anxiety under stress and are useless at marketing yourself at all let alone to strangers. But business really needs to pick up and I've already had 2 people who couldn't have come to my place, one a former client who had to give up driving for a while, the other hasn't a car at all. A third is coming Saturday morning, so fingers crossed more will follow.
Came home from the cleaning job and this ad run to get caught up with the now fixed washing machine drainage outlet (serious flooding on Friday after a clip came off and the whole dishwasher/washer drainage pipe collapsed under the floor). 3 loads later I am nearly caught up but of course it started to rain so it's all in the bathroom and hanging on doors like December rather than on the line.. Hey ho, all in a day. And the spinach is up in the greenhouse, along with the salad leaves and courgettes, cucs and first tom leaves. Fingers crossed the frost doesn't get them and eating homegrown will recommence shortly!
-
My aunt is in the same business as you ellied, do you have to keep doing courses to be up to date on everything? I hope all goes well. Today I have had 1 ewe lamb give birth to a healthy big ewe lamb, so far so good, but the weather is starting to turn so I will be bringing them in me thinks!
-
Picking up my new (to me) wool picker :excited: :excited: :excited:
-
Trying to keep my patience as the haulier bringing wood chip for the ménage knocks down two gate posts(different gates). Decides to drive onto the wood chip ménage because he thinks it is concrete (!!!!). Gets stuck. Gets pulled off by a helpful neighbour. Has a flat tyre which isn't helping the traction so calls out the tyre people. Instead of waiting he then drops his trailer in the drive and backs up the main lorry for a second attempt. I stop him and say if he leaves the trailer there and gets stuck again no one can get in and out to help him including the tyre repair guy. He carries on. He gets stuck again.
I had the same company out 4 years ago and specifically asked (two conversations) for the lorry and wagon because that driver had been in out and dropped off with no damage in 30 mins. This guy finally left after nearly 4 hours with most of the load up the drive because I wouldn't let him anywhere near my 'concrete' ménage. Quick cup of coffee then pulled two gorgeous ewe lambs out of one of my Coloured Ryelands.
Alls well that end well.
-
WBF I have done CPD intermittently due to health issues, but yes you're expected to do what you can, tho it's only associations that specify how much and usually they're the providers.. ;)
I've done seated (clothed) acupressure of the kind offered in workplaces and airports, and hot stone therapy so far. I have another to do this year which is hopefully shoulder specific conditions, and then I am looking at beginning Sports & Remedial level training in the autumn if I can afford it - I had to give up my place last September for financial reasons, but fingers crossed this will be a business from now on and support its own costs before too long!
As for what I've been up to today, major MOT failure day here, so am sat at home waiting further news on prices and more discussions with my superb mechanic about how to handle it and keep me on the road so I can actually get to my existing cleaning job aswell as the massage clients and to the vet tomorrow with one of the cats..
I did think I'd sold a pony last weekend, the buyer was 95% sure when she left and had both experience, the right attitude and superb offroad access/pasture available on a big estate where she stays. But sadly the 5% took over and she cancelled the second viewing which was meant to be yesterday, very late on Tuesday night after I'd gone to bed. The pony price would have covered the car repair bill so I'm doubly gutted now, tho I suppose better she doesn't buy if she isn't 100% committed to having a pony after all.
And no, I couldn't ride the pony into town every morning and leave it at the carpark while I work!
-
This morning was spent at my crochet class, working on a Twiddle Muff for people with dementia then I was busy getting ready for our younger daughter and three grandchildren to arrive for a few days' visit. :excited: :excited:
-
Not a good day, had the vet out dealing with a prolapsed buffalo, all well and stitched up now though. This winter has been horrific! :rant: On the plus side the weather has turned for the better and i can finally get the gardens sorted, already got seedlings in trays in the conservatory. Spring here we go! :excited:
-
Weather here has turned cold and wet again, so having stayed in all day for a Viking order that failed to turn up, I couldn't even get outdoors to any good effect. I did manage to run one of the cats into the vet first thing, she's got an AB jag and has to go back in 2 weeks with a view to surgery I can't really afford, and I'm still trying to work out a plan for transport the next few days til my car is sorted out and retested, looking at Wednesday if I do without it Sunday, Monday pm and Tuesday all day. I've a lot of work hours to pack in the later half of the week then..
Oh, did get in a hay delivery today, so bagging hay about to feeders is over for another few days - the stallion field bale isn't low enough to refill yet but will be empty long before the 2 in the other field are ready. Found the new egg stash tho, first day of their using it now the ring feeder is full again, and I caught them out - ha!
-
Spent most of the day with my daughter and grandchildren. Wonderful.
-
Wondering if I was too hasty to be cursing this rotten rain all winter.
We don't scan the herdwicks and so far have been gifted with a 200% lambing rate from the first 28! :thumbsup:
Oh, and every single lamb is a little lady :excited:
-
Been awake since 5am, had to get up and feed lambs, then back to bed for an hour or two then back up to check on sheep due to lamb; then back to making milk and feeding animals till about 1/2 past 11am, knackered now I think I might have a sleep then I have history, biology and numbers to get through, plus a page on a certain point in history to write. After that its back out feeding all the animals, make dinner for my brothers and then help my eldest brother milk the buffalo, then its more feeding of animals with help from my youngest bro, he always helps me feed all the animals:) then maybe a book to read before going to bed.
-
exhausted after reading your post wbf :wave:
apart from that setting up as self employed after 30+ years as salaried.
I need to develop my business and marketing skills as I didn't get off to a particularly good start (in terms of revenue) as on a whim I called into a fascinating native wools' / spinning /knitting shop in Colwyn Bay, which supports local smallholders and farmers.
www.thelostsheepcompany.co.uk (http://www.thelostsheepcompany.co.uk)
-
I've been here all day without a car still, hopefully my mechanic is progressing well..
Farrier was here to trim 8 ponies feet, due 830am so all chores were done and the ponies shut in and haltered ready to go by 815 tho he didn't arrive til nearly 9 in the end. All done in a couple of hours and been pottering about since, doing odd jobs and, I hate to admit it, housework.. Well my idea was to get the books onto a spreadsheet as the tax year changes, so suddenly I want to sweep up, wash floors, tidy fridge top heaps, scrub the bathroom sink.. Ah well, there's still time to make a start - only it's chicken feeding/egg collecting time so perhaps later.. !
-
I've been organising the replacement of rotten wood round my raised bed. I have a student who works for me once a week but he came in for an extra day as he is on holiday. He's also made a start on the bean canes.
-
Feeding pet lambs and calves and keeping an eye on the ewe which has ringwomb. Just about to go out and check sheep. The weather looks like it is turning for the worst, so I'd better hurry!
-
today I have been mostly washing and trying to keep my eyes open. Our 4 year old daughter, (who already hasn't had a good week what with ending up in A&E after cutting her finger on a custard tin that she decided to climb onto our kitchen worktop to get and try and open for a snack (note to self to buy the cartons in future!)), decided to be sick every hour from 8.30 last night till 7 this morning.
The fact that the little ones bed had to be changed 3 times was painful enough but when I went into a seldom used drawer for the "last resort" bed sheets at 2 this morning and found a mouse staring at me between a drawer full of chewed up cotton bejewelled with little black mouse nuggets I just kind of gave up and camped out on the sofa with her!
That said, the chickens, ducks and miscellaneous others (including our 10 and 2 year olds) have been impeccably behaved today. I think they have just looked at the frazzled, slightly haggard wifey in front of them and took pity on me. Busy counting the hours till bedtime...zzzzz
-
chewed up cotton bejewelled with little black mouse nuggets
I laughed harder than I should have at that one.... :roflanim:
-
awwww poor you [member=145816]Duckduckgoose[/member]. You're doing a brilliant job, I hope that she recovers ok and that you can have a good nights sleep! All the best :thumbsup: As for me I am having to deal with a sickly calf and trying to adopt a lamb onto a ewe. Been all go here what with a shearling giving twins and not having enough milk for them both, ewes needing lambs pulling, vet bills going up all the time what with the 3 buffalo prolapsing last winter and all the while trying to scrape through every month unscathed I am really losing sleep and am feeling angry to boot. Just can't wait till its all over. Now that lambing is coming into full swing the buff are deciding to calve, that means that I am being rushed off my feet nonstop, all the family included, didn't get to bed before 1 last night, as we had to check on the sheep and make sure all was well with them. I still have the garden to do, but that can wait. I hope everyone is doing well, rant over now ;D
-
Thanks WBF, you sound hashed too! Maybe I should come for lambing holiday at yours and get some buffalo experience while i'm at it. I feel less stress in a lambing shed full of sheep than I did last night ;D
Q - you can laugh as much as you want :roflanim: it's the best medicine so i'm told :D
-
.....listening to the Archers omnibus this morning, some weeding, mulching, a little pruning and cut the grass. Also went round Megginch Castle gardens as part of the Open Gardens scheme this afternoon - saw some lovely spring bulbs displays, the old and new orchards and then relaxed in the sun enjoying a cup of tea and some first class home baking!
-
pulling twins from a ewe, male and female both suckling well. Really sunny and warm day so managed to get some washing out. About to feed little uns, then bed as I have a long drive to Birmingham tomoz with someone :)
-
Picking other people's rubbish out of my fields >:( Two full black bin liners and a paper sack full in total. When did people start thinking it was okay to lob their cr[member=36627]P[/member] into a field rather than take it home an put it in their own bin. The vast majority of it originated in a well known fast food burger chain but we also found bottles, cans, umpteen crips packets and a half eaten M&S salad box and sushi tray ! :rant:
-
Potting on my seedlings.
Lovely and warm in the polytunnel which is now empty because we have moved the herb pots out onto the patio for the summer. Lambs and sheep bleating in the next door field,
Ah bliss......
-
... spinning :spin: some rather lovely merino x silk tops that I bought at Wonderwool last year to make a shawl for my now grandchild to be. He's now over six months old and I'm still spinning it. Maybe it'll do for the next baby.
-
sorting the small bales of haylage weeding out the ones nibbled by mice :'( lost about 35 out of 300 , this has been the worst year for quite a while, looks like we need younger cats , after all the two we have share their food with the blackbirds ::) .
-
Eating - or that's what it feels like. Tea and biscuits with my friend, out for lunch, hot chocolate and chocolate brownie this afternoon and out for a meal this evening. Now I'm on the Prosecco.
It's my birthday though, so it's allowed.
-
Doing The Guardian Quiptic online :thumbsup: . A beauty today
-
Beefing up security following a recce from the travelers, " is that for sale ? how about that ? take your scrap sir , eyeballs out on stalks the sods.
-
fitting wet walling, its taken since last night , Just finished the silicone sealing. Its not as easy as it looked, but the result looks OK (ish) and I have been rewarded.... http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=73195.15 (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=73195.15)
-
went out to check buff this morn and found a calf nearly dead, the mom had just walked away from it, no idea why. When I looked at them last night she looked ages away from calving. Tried all we could for it, mum stomach tubed it after we had cleaned it up, but alas to no avail we tried eveything to keep it alive but she didnt seem to respond. The mother is an exceptional milker and the dad has brilliant milk genetics, this is what makes everything worse. We are feeling so down, upset and depressed right now. :'( :'(
-
Sorry to hear that WBF sometimes nature isn't that wonderful.
-
Searching for a wayward sheep then finding and pulling its dumass out of the river.....dead...which probably made her day but definitly not mine!
-
Taking Mrs RTB on a "Safari" tour of the Bamoral castle estate. ( her birthday treat )
and Jolly good it was too
-
Trying to feed animals with a swimming head and a burning throat and chest, plus a raging temperature, not made any better by the heat of the day, nearly vomited. Been dosed up on paracetemol, thyme tincture and brandy, feeling rather drowsy! pharmacy closed today as its sunday, so I'll get that spray tomoz. Goodnight everyone, sweet dreams :tired: :unwell: :roflanim:
-
Replaced all the worn steering components on my 1968 tractor with brand new genuine parts form the dealer !
Should have taken an hour or so but got comfy under the tractor and watched the swallows. I can now drive the tractor in a straight line again. :thumbsup:
-
recovering from last nights ordeal and drinking plenty, feeling so weak. On the plus side the guy has turned up to get rid of the gorse from the slopes, so theyre looking really nice now.
-
recovering from last nights ordeal and drinking plenty, feeling so weak. On the plus side the guy has turned up to get rid of the gorse from the slopes, so theyre looking really nice now.
Rest if you can , that is water / tea you're drinking plenty of ?? :innocent:
-
water mostly, no milk products at al but loads of water and lemon barley water which mum made herself. :)
-
Busy with crafts, sitting in the sun and chatting to my friend. Not much I could do in the veg plot today.
-
Giving the chicken house a good seeing to and sorting out some wines!
Dans
-
Recovering from 2 days of 10 hour orthopedic massage training and some lengthy commuting by car/train/foot including getting lost in Stockbridge on Saturday evening! And by recovering I mean chores, spin class, yoga class, some bodyweight exercise, and an afternoon weeding, scrubbing and refilling water for the broodies (and stallion) field, planting a few more seeds and mass watering morning and evening.. Oh and a couple loads of washing that got out on the line meantime.
It's good to get a really good pottering day in the garden before the weeds become a complete jungle - bound to happen tho as I never keep caught up nowadays!
-
Recovering from 2 days of 10 hour orthopedic massage training and some lengthy commuting by car/train/foot including getting lost in Stockbridge on Saturday evening! And by recovering I mean chores, spin class, yoga class, some bodyweight exercise, and an afternoon weeding, scrubbing and refilling water for the broodies (and stallion) field, planting a few more seeds and mass watering morning and evening.. Oh and a couple loads of washing that got out on the line meantime.
It's good to get a really good pottering day in the garden before the weeds become a complete jungle - bound to happen tho as I never keep caught up nowadays!
Reading that made me really tired :roflanim: Sounds good, really what i should be doing atm :( Today i have been trying to do a bit of cooking for the lads whilst parents are away shopping and playing with the dogs, really tired now, just want to sleep.
-
Spent the day out in the sun shirt off ( had to keep moving as the swallows are looking for nesting material ! ) sorting the old bales for disposal , generally wandering about and thinking about holiday packing.
-
Trying to answer questions about animals for sale to timewasters :rant: fixing a prolapsed animal and trying to arrange plans for this week, may have to go up north to help take care of my sick Gma in a day or so, it really depends whether my family up there are coping. Also having to arrange work timetables on farm for when Dad goes for his consultation in London about his heart, he will be away 2 days in total. Shearers are booked for end of this week and a building to clean ready into the bargain and sheep to dose and dag. Also have a buffalo booked in for slaughter and trying to arrange a time for contractors to cut for hay. When will it all end?! Alas no rest for me! :tired:
-
And in your spare time, WBF? :roflanim:
I seem to have spent a very long time this evening watering all my veggie plants.
-
Mowing grass around some trees we planted in Feb and putting some cardboard mulch down (we fenced them off from the geese but left the grass, it was nearly as tall as the trees!). :-[
Also digging out the previous owner's compost heap and getting annoyed at all the bits of plastic, plant pots and string they threw in :rant:
Oh and taking the parentals out to a local gastropub :thumbsup:
Dans
-
Trying to feed calves and support me bro milking, it is so hot and i am having to contend with a bruised hip and bruised lumpy wrist. Last night I fell down the last 3 steps of the stairs, serves me right for running, I slipped on the floor wacked my arm onto a brushing pan and broke it, the brushing pan not the arm! slightly, no cuts on my arm surprisingly. Wacked my hip and backside on the floor and cut my foot a bit deeply, so there I was 1/2 past 1 am with a cold wet facecloth wrapped around my arm and witch hazel all over, managed to get to sleep and woke at 5 with horrible sharp abdominal pains, could hardly move, had to put a hot water bottle on and then sleep and they went away. Then just now I have had some bad news, my Gma went to her GP and apparently she has developed a sort of syndrome from the shingles she had? and has been reffered to a hospital, so it looks as if I will be going up there after all to see her, other family will be there too so we will all muck in and help, now I just have to arrange stuff on farm. :tired: Never a dull moment here :roflanim:
-
your'e going to hate this.... Packing my bags for my holiday in the sun, I feel guilty having to leave Mrs RTB behind to look after the place ( really I do )
-
Working on my core strength as two boisterous teenage goats dragged me down the lane to their new field. The postie stopped to watch and have a laugh ::)
-
Sorry to hear that [member=2642]clydesdaleclopper[/member] must have been awful :roflanim:, no really it sounds bad. Today I have been mainly trying to clear the graden, setting the hen on her hatching eggs, now to wait 21 days :excited: Trying to fence mischevious lambs in a field to stop them from getting into the garden. Now wheres the strimming wire for strimming the garden...... ???
-
Skirting some fleeces, pulling up some carrots, emptying a compost bin, building a baby pen in the polytunnel and phoning around trying to get thsee hatching eggs sorted. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this smallholding malarkey!
Dans
Oh and keeping a 1 year old entertained all the while.
-
waiting for this rain to stop..... checking sheep, still waiting for shearer to become available, in the meantime buildings are almost done for shearing to commence. Could have cut last week, but am waiting for a bigger window of more time and sunshine and heat, the grass needed the rain and has shot up even more, I predict a gorgeous haycrop this yr! :excited:
-
Buying replacement plants. Planting pumpkins, courgettes and black kale.
-
Picking elderflowers and making cordial, treating a calf with a sore tum, and trying to clean the building for shearing. Busy day yesterday my brother a niece stayed with us this weeknd which was nice, but mum was run off her feet, so am having to do cleaning and cooking for her today. :)
-
Cuddling a feverish 1 year old and thinking about all the things I need to be doing!
Oh and catching up with TAS
Dans
-
Sorry to hear that [member=25651]Dans[/member] I hope it gets better soon! Just bben monitoring the weather, still rainy so no cutting for another few weeks
-
Constantly checking under Caldi's tail as she is due to kid tomorrow.
Picking side shoots out of tomatoes and tying them up. Also planted out the leeks.
-
taking pet lambs down to field, a long walk but well worth the excercise. Making fish crumble, rich and creamy (the lads don't like fish, but I have pursuaded them, I hope, that it is delicious). Also baking bread, white and brown, and trying to clean the house for when mum comes home. Lovely and sunny and warm here, if I have time this evening I will be planting out more veg plants and securing the garden.
-
Cuddling my youngest grandchild. He is now eight months old and I haven't seen him for six months as they live in France.
-
sorting out sheep ready for shearer, shouldn't be too long now he has been fully booked for months! trying to get a sheep back after it jumped out onto a road, what a pain that was. Looking up farm and machinery sales, closest one is in Yorkshire, still would be a good day out.
-
Moving my broody and her fostered legbar chicks from the wee coop into a large dog cage with a cat box for nesting, for greater security and a bit more space til the chicks are old enough to go in the grower run. Being paranoid after losing 9 of my 16 hens to fox a couple weeks ago, all the tree roosting girls got nabbed one at a time as they jumped down in the morning. The remaining 7 are coop roosting and/or catchable where then try and spend the night under bushes or in laying coops, so I fetch them individually to lock up for now. The dog cage plus pallets around it and a metal sheet over the top for weather protection, should be more secure than the wee broody hut.
Also spending a lot of time pulling ragwort in the back field, nearly half way done on that one but the front field still to do after. Oh and a wee bit on the constant weeds in the orchard, the garden, along fencelines, pretty much everywhere no matter how long I do weeding!
Hopefully getting elec fence sorted this week and then a leaned over fence righted again - I've knocked posts back too many times and some need replaced, the delivery came so need to get on with it.
-
Trying to catch up on all the jobs not done whilst away , the grass has grown the haylage is ready for cutting , and I still have my holiday head on...
-
mucking out buildings and trying to massage my agonizingly painful wrist. Got massive painfuly sharp headaches too, for days now which won't go, so I think I will go to the drs surgery next week. It eminates from when a buffalo calf hit the side of my head a few months ago, hasn't been right since, thought it had gone, got a head massage and since then its been painful. getting a buffalo in for sending to abbatoir tomoz, finally! Rain has stopped so I managed to sort out mucking out buildings and shifting muck, fields are a deathtrap though. The grass is huge, I walked through it today and I am waiting for a good time to cut. Shearer rang so hopefully all go ahead for sunday! :excited: Got to go to bed now
-
tidied up the yard ready for haylage time, just the baler to grease and sacrifice something to appease the weather gods.
-
Cleaning out buildings for shearers on Sunday. Waiting for a buffalo cow to calve, hoping for a heifer :excited: and trying not to think about the broody! Managed to clean out calves building today, the muck does build up in one day doesn't it? I let em out during the day anyway so they get excercise and grass which is good for their gut. Also trying to gage when to cut for hay, looks like a few weeks away maybe? :thinking:
-
apparently 2 good days for cutting, not sure if that will be enough for haylage? Sorting out veg garden weeding and such. All sheep were sheared ages ago now, just getting ready for putting them onto new pasture now. So not much ;)
-
Cutting and hacking at overgrown elder that has been hacked before but keeps pushing into the spaces I create. Got a huge heap of them, plus loads of fenceline nettles cut and am trying to identify where the electric mains fence is shorting out now I've removed that likely culprit.
I've found a bit that clicks or doesn't but never registers on the new fence tester I bought after the old one couldn't find anything. Tractor clearing the pen of muck a month or so ago pulled up an under-fence line and tho it's been replaced I imagine this section got pulled in the process and isn't connected right. Ponies are leaning over fences in all directions, so I know it isn't working very well, it has a good kick when it's firing on all tickers!
Once that is sorted, back to ragwort pulling, my hour a day is gradually making visible progress on the back field but I've still half to do and the front paddock after that, so will be ongoing for the foreseeable future!
-
Wishing you all the best with it all [member=6264]ellied[/member] I have been stretching today and mum gave me a massage with cream which has devils claw in it and it has really loosened me up, I am getting the slight twinges but they seem to be going a bit. I managed to feed the calves their milk and we seperated the week old baby last night, so been bottle feeding her. Managed to wean 2 big calves off milk, only for them to cry to me whenever i go out, breaks my heart but has to be done. Now looking at weather forecast with dinner on the go and steaming hot apple pies, delicious! :yum:
-
Consulting the Brothers Grimm weather forecasting service , might as well be as every forecaster is different :-\
I think I'm going to cut for haylage on Saturday :fc: :fc: , there again..........
-
feeling anxious and nervous about next weekend, family visiting and I am in no mood to see them atm ::) It will soon pass ;D trying to rest after a long day and bed late last night too! looking at weather forecast for cutting for hay, hopefully next week :excited: I hope it goes well for you [member=136323]Rupert the bear[/member] ! :thumbsup:
-
Recovering after three days looking round the Great Yorkshire Show.
-
Having watched the rainfall radar image plot ,consulted the seaweed, and made a sacrifice to M nature I cut the grass to the delight of the swallows and the lone sparrow hawk who I no longer brake for as he /she dives down to the mower to pick up supper ! My devoted audience watched me for 2 hours from his vantage point on the roller,waiting no doubt for the sparrow hawks discards , yes the ginger tom making his plans...
All in all a nice afternoon, the process that now cannot be stopped has commenced :fc: :fc: :fc:
-
very wet weather here today, mud everywhere. Beans are rotting, as is everything else. Plus side is abbatoir rang and said buffalo meat will be ready in 2 days, 2-3 wks since slaughter. Can't wait! :excited: :yum:
-
Do you sell it WBF? I would love to try some.
-
Trying to sort out ram lambs for market and going to be going through animals to check feet, take someones sheep back to them which got into my field, fence is fixed so not a problem.
-
As well as the ongoing ragworting, I've been hacking through the weeds in the orchard to let me shift the wee chook pen along a few feet. The 4 POLs in there don't have a huge amount of space so I like to give them a new bit every day and was rewarded with lots of digging and dustbathing. The free rangers have had a good look while helping me so I hope they'll be relatively ready to integrate in a wee while, then I can put the legbars (3.5 weeks) and broody in there by the time they need out of the dog pen.
Meantime I also took the 1 week sussex/bluebells out of a box in the spare bedroom and into a large new space in the garage, which they were intimidated by but are now running and wingbeating around like speed demons. Real timewasters they are, I just can't help watching the antics.
-
Not much lol. Trying to catch a few sheep which seem to have developed flystrike, must be all this weird weather. >:(
-
Been stuck in the office longing to be at home with my furry/fleecey/feathery family!
Feeling cheated that my little puppy is growing so much and I'm missing it all happening by being stuck here. Note to self: buy lottery ticket!
-
It seems to be a hairy kind of day, got up early to milk our Red Poll cow before OH went off to physio, then waited for M-I-L to get up so I could perm her hair (a first for me!! quite pleased with the result) and then felt on a roll so clipped the dog as well all before lunch, the dog was easier than M-I-L .
Now it's pouring with rain so am on the computer sorting out Semen and the AI man, another first, and trying to find yesterdays pig movement for the 2 wearers we bought yesterday. All go here :raining: . Think I may sneak off and do some embroidery in a minute :excited:
-
Trying to fix up bikes so I can go cycling. Also some fencing will need doing, so I had better crack on with that and I have some revision to do too!
-
Getting everything sorted so that I can have a day away at the sheep sales tomorrow.
-
catching a ram lamb with strike. Well my dog caught him for me by driving into a corner and standing her ground barking at him, he darent move. I sorted him out and he wasnt as bad as I thought, only a tiny patch on his back. Even still I checked all ovrr him to make sure and then gave him a good dousing in oil with citronella. For now I am going to be keeping a watchful eye on him, none of the others have it atm, weathers too cold. He does have thick skin though, I have found that this ram is throwing good lambs with a tight thick fleece and skin, only one or two with minor strike this year, the maggots barely piercing the skin. Anyway congratulated the dog and gave her a lovely meal, now to make some pizza for tea. Now where did I put that mozzarella?...... :yum:
-
Trying to find time to do fencing, plus the garden will need a strim too! I have a list but somehow I don't seem to follow it ;D
-
Steeling my self for my holiday treat of painting the old steading roofs .
Paint, brushes,ladders,rope all ready just need dry days, its 3,600 square feet barr falling off the roof it shouldn't take long :fc: .
-
My Sunday has gone something like this:
1. 9am phone call from John Angie to say he's on his way to turn the hay and will be here in about 30 minutes. Figure I'd better put some clothes on.
2. Go out to muck out horses, distracted by Mick jumping up and down pointing at our drive. One of the new lambs has managed to scramble up the log pile and jump the fence. Swear loudly.
3. While I go for a bucket of feed and my crook and Mick puts the dog in the house, the lamb decides she doesn't want to try and get back to her friends and legs it down the road.
4. Set off in hot pursuit, rattling bucket in a not-too-hopeful manner.
5. Lamb has met up with some of Anna's sheep and is now merrily skipping up the hill towards the common grazings. Rattle bucket for all I'm worth.
6. Anna's sheep know what a bucket is and come back down the hill, bringing the lamb with them.
7. Get as far as Jim Wilson's house, now with about 10 sheep following me and feeling like the Pied Piper. Anna's sheep hit the boundary of their territory and decide they're not coming any further. Mick and I manage to split the lamb out, but miss catching it. Lamb disappears up hill towards the common grazings again.
8. I give up and go and see if Ronald's in. Bless him, he and his dog get on his quad bike and head off up the hill to bring her down while I wait at the crossroads to turn her in the right direction for home. Wave at John Angie as he goes past with the hay turner.
9. Lamb, being awkward, shoots down the gap on the other side of Archie's house. Ronald shouts, 'Catch it!' and I miss again. Lamb shoots off down towards the salmon station. Much swearing all round.
10. As a few of Ronald's sheep are hanging around that area, he kindly rounds them all up into the pen behind his house. Lamb is recaptured.
11. Lamb is put over Ronald's lap on the quad bike and driven home in fine style. Thank Ronald profusely, go down the road to see how John Angie is getting on.
12. Hay is turned and smelling okay. John suggests we fire up the baler and throw a few bales through it. He and Mick hook it up while I wheelbarrow the requested six bales up from the shed.
13. John fires up his tractor (which is possibly an unfortunate choice of verb, because it had a small electrical fire whilst cutting my other field yesterday and was only saved by John throwing his flask of coffee over it!), the baler creaks into life and YES! IT LIVES!!
14. Doesn't knot very well though. Investigation shows that the knotters, which we'd cleared out previously, have baler twine wrapped round them again. Clear out the baler twine, sand down one slightly rusty bit of knotter and put some grease on it, re-thread it and cross our fingers.
15. Baler knots perfectly three times in a row. Move on to hay bob. Much, much swearing and WD40 later, get it set into position for rowing up, so it's ready to swap for John's turner/spreader.
16. 2.45. Lunch.
17. Mick heads off to the vegetable patch to put a fence around it so we can move the lambs down a field and stop any more escape attempts. I fire up the truck and go next door to pick up the pallets my neighbour kindly said I could have from his barn. Three trips and 10 pallets later, the byre is ready to stack bales in.
18. Mick has reached peak swearing with the fencing, so we finish it together. Lambs moved into new field, sheep put in with them (on the grounds that if they all pal up then if I do have another escapee, I can take the three bucket-trained ones with me to get it!), fly sheets put on the boys because it's now midge city, humans collapse in a heap.
Knackered but happy!
-
....... Chasing two naughty kittens around the garden. Curled up tight now with full tummies and having a cwtch. :cat:
-
Wow CarolineJ,
what a day ! good that it turned out ok.
I painted the roof until I fell off with half a bucket of oil based semi gloss paint following me down & covering me .
Mrs RTB cross with me having to clean me down with thinners and missing some of the the Olympics ! In pain had lie down. Back up again tomorrow for second coat . roof not me , hpoefully.
-
seeing my niece and nephew off with their mother. Exhausted now, babysitting really takes it out of you. Also managed to cut grass today, so baling Tuesday, really hoping the weather holds out!
-
Praying for rain!! (which doesn't look likely)
-
getting 3 calves in building and worming before going to their new home; new owners due to come at about 12pm. Sorting out milk for calves, only feeding 4 now and 2 are going to be weaned soon! :excited: Trying to get someone out to ted the grass for me as I have baling tomoz. Lastly but not least I need a relaxing bath as I am not feeling very well, very warm and tired, probably after picking all that rag last evening before he cut that field. :tired:
-
in pain...... :'(
-
I'm sorry to hear that RB. An infusion of willow bark and meadowsweet may help (or a couple of codeine and a large brandy!)
-
trying to deal with ant bites all over my shoulder and side. Also buying in more black wrap for the baler, its time to finish the garden for next year too. Now where did that shovel go.....
-
another day on the roof, I did say ON the roof, half done Look really nice , mrs RTB helping tomorrow . I just have a bit of a hangover from the vapours......
-
Finished painting the roof :excited: the paint calculator was spot on . 3600 square feet of wriggly tin 40 ltrs of semi gloss anti corrosive , 10 ltr of activator , 4 x 3" paint brushes 2 pairs of track suit bottoms 2 tee shirts and a Chinese take-away for Mrs RTB ( bribe to do bits I couldn't manage due to being a biff )
BTW how does one get 2 pack paint out the belly button hole ............... don't ask !
-
Fixed a couple of leaks in the roof after the gales and heavy rain last night . Now making raspberry ice cream and contemplating my body art ( bruises that are still appearing from yellows to purple and black , grey paint that wont come off and a small area of pink ish skin. ) then going to lie down.
-
Visiting a ram breeder and reserving a really good ram, having him delivered next week. Can't wait! :excited:
-
Attending a HUUUUGE family gathering, always very cheering, met a newish great-great nephew and, of course was, as ever, amazed that little children had grown into adults while my back was turned!!
-
At the allotment
Picking,
podding,
eating peas :yum:
....... in the rain
funnily enough there was no-one else there apart from OH who was trimming our part of the perimeter hedge
We must be mad :D
-
Dagging the gimmers (I still think that sounds as though it should be a ceilidh dance :)
-
I took three grandsons and SIL to Monkey World in Dorset. (a giant leap in my battle with agoraphobia) and am shattered!!
-
sleeping , back to work tomorrow ( for a rest ! )
-
yesterday moved calves into another field, have to trek 2 fields to feed little babies their milk twice daily. Got the shearling ram out from with the ewes and popped him in a building with a cull ewe to keep him company. Today I am trying to chase up this guy who said he wanted him as he hasnt gotten back to me ::) Weather is still pretty bad and I have house cleaning to do :)
-
House cleaning, WBF, house cleaning, hmmm. Yes, I remember! It's what Jim does on his day off!
-
HAVING to lie down and rest :( :( :(
the sun is shining, what a waste , the cat is holding me down with the duvet , Dennis the blackbird is on the window ledge telling me something and an escaped chicken is shouting obscenities.....
and no I'm not on the painkillers ,yet .
-
Relocating the hen coop to the other side of the stream with the help of two mates and a man wench.
Cue a lot of swearing followed by large amounts of wine. :excited:
-
helping dad and family to work the farm, my elder brother has had to go into hospital. spent from 11-1am tonight in the hospital waiting room. He had a bad chest infection and a big fever which has been getting worse so we took him into hospital and he is on a drip to rehydrate his body and then strong antibiotics. We thought it was the flu at first until his temp got worse and then he started coughing. We were advised via 111, welsh version, to take him into hospital and they ran tests. I dont know how long he will be kept in though, really dreading having to milk and feed animals with my younger brother now, as its so much easier with both of them. Very worried :'(
-
helping dad and family to work the farm, my elder brother has had to go into hospital. spent from 11-1am tonight in the hospital waiting room. He had a bad chest infection and a big fever which has been getting worse so we took him into hospital and he is on a drip to rehydrate his body and then strong antibiotics. We thought it was the flu at first until his temp got worse and then he started coughing. We were advised via 111, welsh version, to take him into hospital and they ran tests. I dont know how long he will be kept in though, really dreading having to milk and feed animals with my younger brother now, as its so much easier with both of them. Very worried :'(
so sorry to hear that [member=42855]waterbuffalofarmer[/member] Hope he gets better soon, I know how bad it can be :hug:
Today I have sheep to sort out, possibly ready for market next monday, not tomorrow. Lots of stuff to do on farm this week in prep for next month, holiday me thinks ;D
-
Wondering how waterbuffalowfarmers brother was and how you were coping , things you think of driving the truck.
Oh and setting up my new Oregon scientific weather station, Anniversary present from Mrs RTB.
-
Getting filthy washing tons of mud off the buffalo before milking, this hot weather is a real pest as they like to wallow! :rant: Still at least they are sparkely clean when finished so I can milk them ;D Bucket training a calf to feed, she is 4 days old now and how cute she is too. Cleaning out run ready for getting ram lambs in to grade and put on seperate pasture away from mums, ready for market next monday, all being well. Then I think a long soak in the bath before making dinner and then back out again for the evening milking, then to bed! :tired:
-
Wondering how waterbuffalowfarmers brother was and how you were coping ,
yes yes all very good but how is your brother getting along
-
sorry I didn't see that ;D Yes he is fine thankyou, he is starting to help out around the farm, albeit coughing quite a bit. Yesterday was his last day of antibiotics and he is looking like his old self again. We're still keeping a watchful eye over him in case he goes backwards and we're not letting him do very taxing work, he seems to be enjoying the rest :) I think he has to go back to the hospital in a months time for a checkup, to see if it has gone. Hopefully yes, all being well.
-
Waiting for a delivery
Only to realise it was the wrong day ;D
Lucky Friday is one of my days off so not a problem - I caught up with some of the household chores, then went to college library to do some studying, that didn't last long as I had a coughing fit and for the sake of the other students I left them to study in peace
Went to the allotment instead
-
milking the buff, getting more animal feed and hopefully later will grade the ram lambs before moving them onto other pasture and then hopefully market on monday! Weather's not too good and I haven't managed to check sheep in a day, so I'll try and do that later. Strange thing happened earlier..... I was feeding the hens their food and suddenly heard a flapping and a crash, I turned around and got the fright of my life it was a dead racing pigeon/homing pigeon which had landed on the patio, I'm not sure what to do with it? It is definietly dead, poor thing! :(
-
Check on Google there is a site that records the ring numbers and you should be able to email the owner so he knows what has happened to it
-
Look under his wing, he may have his owners 'phone number printed there.
-
... packing the car and driving home from our lovely holiday in south Wales.
-
... packing the car and driving home from our lovely holiday in south Wales.
Crikey ! that must be a big box to fit a car in .....
-
Check on Google there is a site that records the ring numbers and you should be able to email the owner so he knows what has happened to it
We let someone know about one via a website, they phoned and thanked me for bothering, i appreciated being appreciated :)
-
milking buff and listening to news about airstrikes over syria by American and Russian forces, it made my blood boil I can tell you! :rant: I won't go into it apart from the fact that they are cold blooded killers, who have organized these airstrikes, and I am disgusted by them, totally the wrong way to go about things! :rant: Brother came up this evening so that was nice to spend time with him before he has to go back to work :) Been a lovely sunny day here and mum managed to do some more painting in the dairy, just a few touch up jobs before we have an inspection to see all is up to spec still, last time he came was to sign us off as being able to milk animals and produce. Made a lovely lamb roast, 1/2 shoulder this evening :) :yum:
-
wondering, should I go for a lie down as I feel worn out , but the sun is shining , too good to miss. Should I stack logs , but I feel worn out . Should I lie down in the sun and risk assault from the goats ,dogs, cats, chickens and the blackbirds but I'm too worn out to fight them off......
-
Been fairly productive - very surprising for a warm Sunday! ;D
My OH was planting up a new alpine garden whilst I tidied, cut back and sowed some hardy annuals for next year's cutting garden. Cleaned all the chickens out and sorted out the latest d'Anver chick hatches too. Oh...and even found time to run out to the ice cream van. :excited:
-
Looking after my neighbours 10 collie dogs :love: :dog:
-
Sleeping!
-
I had a pony photo shoot by a friend. I am selling a lot of equipment to raise funds and my showing gear includes stallion show harness which is hard to find and unlikely to be used again as my lad is 15 and I am unlikely to have another. But I wanted pics of him in it and after several years he was angelic bless him, if not easy to get that perfect shot! Still, had some decent ones plus the broodie sisters and some of the old dears and babies so very happy. Will be adding to the Facebook page when they come.
But then I had a mum and daughter visit about animal care when I work away, she worked for my vets and has a loan horse so knows what she is about and lovely too so another field tour and while we were there next door started combining and I got some great pose shots on my phone as they stared at it!
The only unsuccessful bit was the buyer of my youngest pullets didn't manage pickup but he had been selling tups Friday and they needed all hands in the harvesting when the weather improved. He is doing a deal off my hay bill so no problem but I could do with the space for others!
-
recovering the broken chimney rods with brush head still attached.
The brush and 4 sections broke off in the middle of the lumb . I had to get another set of rods and use the drain cork screw to “capture” the offending bits . I was not amused.
And the moral of this episode is ,
if you intend to thrust your rod up a tight black and mucky hole be sure that your equipment is not old and suffering from fatigue and if it gets stuck pull out gently and not give a forceful tug......... :innocent:
-
Pullets went today and POLs also going this week which brings a nice bit of cash in just as the mechanic will be needing it to fix a back indicator light smashed by someone that thinks parking near a 4x4 means you can bounce off them til you get it right..
Also been at my first day of training in Remedial & Sports Massage, full on theory and practical focus on knees today. Fascinating stuff and great techniques to use in my practice - but my head is very full and hurts a wee bit from pushing so much info in so fast. Hip joints tomorrow, early night beckons I think as they're even more complicated!
-
Talking on the 'phone to a dear lady whose car I dinked in the vets car park. I truly just scraped her rear wheel arch. I was advised to just go and leave it but I couldn't do that so left my details under the wind screen wipers.
It turned out that her insurance company had written her car off!!!! gave her £900 for it then sold it back to her for the same amount. So,of course she has to pay for repairs (but I will) and has lost her many years no claims bonus. Is that fair when the poor dear wasn't near her car at the time. This has made me very angry!!
-
putting tablets in to the little boxes with compartments for morning and evening , so I wont forget them ,but I still manage to sometimes must remember not to lick my fingers now ......
taken an hour to do 28 days worth 252 of the blighters , wont be counting sheep to get to sleep tonight !
-
Got up really early this morn to go with dad to builth wells ram sale, picked up our new ram there, what a beauty he is too! The guy was really lovely and wished me all the best with him, I said I would let him know how we get on with him :) He is absoloutely stunning! I will try and post some pics a bit later. Otherwise the day is pretty normal. One thing to report is my brother has gone back to milking the buffalo now, he is so much better and has completely recovered, however we all take it in turns to milk and help each other to milk them too.
-
Warping up my Inkle loom and swearing as I ran out of red thread with three more rounds of it to go. I will have to wait for Yarndale on Saturday before I can get any more.
-
I have an inkle loom, yet to be used, what thread do you use on it?
-
I am using a 3 x 2 1/16 cotton at the moment.
-
Farrier this morning to trim 9 ponies' feet, mechanic at lunchtime to replace the bashed rear light and a dead front bulb, dentist in the afternoon (tells me I need a filling in 2 weeks and now have to pay fees cos the system changed again and not in favour of those without kids or benefit claims!).
In between I was mucking out all the coops, slashing weeds in the orchard and nettles in the front paddock. Having sold 12 pullets on Saturday the 10 POLs went last night which means more time and space but still got to deep clean their coops and set up for the new Welsummers coming next week along with more chicks.
Also got 2 loads washing out and dry on the line which is becoming rarer these days, but my hands are done for just now, barely clutching a cup of tea and thinking longingly of the days I would shove oven chips in for tea rather than try and cook from scratch. Might eat a few more plums off the tree and call that tea, they'll be falling off soon so need assistance I say!
-
Farrier this morning to trim 9 ponies' feet, mechanic at lunchtime to replace the bashed rear light and a dead front bulb, dentist in the afternoon (tells me I need a filling in 2 weeks and now have to pay fees cos the system changed again and not in favour of those without kids or benefit claims!).
In between I was mucking out all the coops, slashing weeds in the orchard and nettles in the front paddock. Having sold 12 pullets on Saturday the 10 POLs went last night which means more time and space but still got to deep clean their coops and set up for the new Welsummers coming next week along with more chicks.
Also got 2 loads washing out and dry on the line which is becoming rarer these days, but my hands are done for just now, barely clutching a cup of tea and thinking longingly of the days I would shove oven chips in for tea rather than try and cook from scratch. Might eat a few more plums off the tree and call that tea, they'll be falling off soon so need assistance I say!
You have been a busy bee, hats off to you [member=6264]ellied[/member] have a good rest and TC!
Today its been milking, cleaning house, for family coming to stay, getting gardens sorted and calves fed. My brother is moving bales so that is one less job for us all to worry about. In the meantime lovely day, except for a small spot of rain, never seems to quite fall proper though ??? If I have the time I will be cleaning out the hens a bit later. Busy days ahead, but happy! Have a nice week all, WBF out! ;D
-
Almost finished the duckponics system. Just have to plumb a few more bits of pipe and add some clay pebbles....oh and get the ducks
-
arranging to try and buy a welsh sheepdog pup off a friend in Oct, still early days yet need to get the money first! ::)
cleaning the house and sorting out a ram lamb with maggots. Getting sheep in later and dosing them and checking em over before moving them. This weather!!!!! :rant: TRying to get disco sorted for MOT, which I know it will fail :( and cleaning the garden and chucking out dead plants. Oh I forgot one..... cleaning out hens and moving them :) Happy days :-\
-
waiting for the internet to be fixed , engineer says best is 0.28mbps down and 0.2 mbps up ,I am not happy and every one else round hereis suffering the same >:( on the upside online spending sharply decreased :excited:
-
Searching for errant sheep in a field of maze, very scary!!
-
Milking the buffalo with dad, trying to find a nice get well card for nan, as she has just come out of hospital. Also helping dad and my brothers put more cubicles in the milking parlour. :)
-
Been cleaning out the chickens, giving them fresh bedding and so forth :) drawing up plans for the garden next year, all under wraps atm :excited: and finally bought a new ram to go in with the ladies, so hoping for lovely bouncing babies in March/April :excited:
-
Thinking it was Friday!
-
Thinking it was Friday!
Well I spent the whole day wednesday convicing everyone it was Thursday because of a silly radio dj ::) :roflanim: Today I have a building to sort out for calves to come into, as weather is getting too cold now! :( Also trying to combat a cold which my niece gave to us over the weekend. plenty of paracetemol and rest I think. My only worry is that my bro who had pneumonia his immune system is still fragile and we did warn my other bro that if she had a cold she shouldnt come here because of my bros weak immune system, but who knows if someone has a cold or not anyway? Well he never slept last night so am going to be dosing him up on echinacea and paracetemol, manuka honey, honry and lemons and plenty of vitamin c and sage tincture. Early days yet! :rant:
-
Having had a few days away last week I wasn't sure what day it was when I got back and thought Tuesday was Monday etc all week. Was apparently supposed to be working in the kitchen of the holistic retreat centre but had a different week in my head so that got postponed to another week by eventual mutual communication and clarification.. gah for midlife brains!
Instead I did a round of post-ragwort checking and sure enough filled another barrow or two. Spent several hours burning the heap down by about 2/3 before I got to stuff too damp as yet to burn, but that was satisfying as I do like a good burn up! And knocked in the same blasted fence posts yet again, now a weekly occurence as the electric top wire is definitely not running current and the whole thing is in a guddle.
Other than that I had a deadline for my homework on the Remedial/Sports massage course I started last month and of course the computer froze multiple times and eventually even in safe mode it died. Had a friend round to beat it up this morning and was on to sawing the latest orchard prunings from March, not without issue now my hands are so arthritic but it was useful warming thing to do outdoors in the rare sunshine til he came.
Fixed and then broke again as soon as the guy had left.. but a simple reboot seems to have it more or less working so I spent the rest of the day out of the lovely sunny outdoors and locked to the computer and text books writing about synovial joints and actions of muscles that affect the knee and all that fascinating stuff on any dark wet miserable wintery day but not today! Oh and a caller may be taking the last couple of chooks that are for sale next week, tho I'd decided to keep the rest bar the 4 that will moult for the first time shortly, those I thought I'd sell on and use their coop for a bigger bunch of birds but hey ho, the bigger bunch is possibly getting smaller..
Planning for winter isn't exactly my favourite thing but this couple of weeks between weeding/ragwort digging and hay feeding/mud wading seasons are my best time of year! Except for homework..
-
Fixing and cleaning out buildings, or trying to, getting ready to bring in this years calves for the winter. Was supposed to be weighing lambs for mart tomorrow, but instead have been on phone most of today trying to get an engineer out for the cooker, as elecy won't accept the cooker any more, no engineer for 12 days, so no cooker :rant: Thankfully I have the slow cooker and microwave :relief: Not to mention a cupcake maker ;) Now I am just thinking that I need to sort out a seed list/fruit/herb/flower list for next spring. ::)
-
Emptying bobbins for spinzilla starting tomorrow.
-
Enjoying the sun on the beach :sunshine:
-
Yesterday...... Losing my keys! Went into Tesco, did my shop, came out looked in my trouser pocket for keys (I always put them there) nothing! Looked in my bag, no. Sent my grandson to see had I left them on the checkout, nothing, went to customer service no luck. Phoned the AA, nothing they could do, they could open my doors for me but not start the engine. I could get in as I never lock the back door when the dogs are in there in case of fire, but they put me in touch with a locksmith who couldn't go out 'til some time today. 'Phoned Jim who made three trips in his little car to ferry dogs home.
The girls at customer service couldn't have been more helpful, giving me the store number when my 'phone was on it's last bleep, provided me with a stool to sit on whilst I waited for the locksmith to get back to me, even charged my 'phone for me.
Meanwhile, Jim and my grandson searched the store, no, nothing!
Later that evening I needed a tissue, felt in the pocket of my fleecy top for one and pulled out.......yes, you've guessed it, my keys!!
As I've said before, I'm not stupid, just easily bewildered!!
-
Sorry to hear that [member=89885]devonlady[/member] sounds like a terrible ordeal! :hug: Well at least things came right in the end though eh? :) Been milking the buffalo today, started late as I didn't sleep that well last night due to blocked airways :( then mucked out calves building and fed them. Need to try and fix up that building today for the rest of the calves.... Also need to give hens some fresh bedding and then bring in the ram and the 2 sheep he is with, as they have run out of grass and the fences are in some disrepair, so until I can fix them they will have to be housed until spring (except the ram of course who will be going in with the ewes in November, for April lambing) :)
-
Assembled new log splitter ready for wood cutting session tomorrow ( with new chainsaw ) 3yo cut trees so should be good
-
Milking the buffalo, pressure washing a building ready for calves to come into tomorrow, cleaned a hen house and disinfected it, showed a guy around the store lambs (good news, he has bought them and is picking them up next tuesday/wednesday afternoon). Also arranging a time for when a friend can come and pick up the 2 ewes she has bought, tomorrow afternoon at 3.00pm :excited: Trying to give dad a hand cementing some ground in the yard, which sadly has developed potholes. Just made dinner,hamburgers and got in some chips and crunchy bars and now off out to do the evening milking, then to bed (hopefully not too late). All in all a thoroughly busy day, but worth it! :relief: :tired:
-
splitting wood , after all these years of using an axe ( not allowed to any more ) the foot operated one ( no suitable limbs to work it any more ) electro/hydraulic , double wedged machine like a hot knife through polystyrene ! wery satisfying.
no lie in tomorrow tree cutting at daylight :excited:
-
I was out at 8am yesterday knocking in extra posts as the stallion and broodies had started leaning over to the next paddock and broken about 5. Pretty much wrecked the arthritic hands but got it cobbled enough to stand up a bit longer as long as the neighbour doesn't let his pony mares through to torment the stallion as he generally does - at least he uses it as a winter field now rather than all breeding season, best I can do.
In the process discovered one stretch of fencing does still carry electric (ow!) but it appears to be a single piece unconnected to the field loop at all. Pondering a simple botch fix of connecting the one that does work to somewhere on the rest that doesn't and going around the barn roof issue I can't fix. At least to get the stallion secure as grass is now growing barely at all and we had first frosts this week.
The upshot of this is of course starting to feed hay early - it had to come but I always dread it as the money draining is one of my biggest outlays. Had posted a couple places to look for hill wintering for the fitter ponies at least to reduce hay and work if not cost, but nothing has come up bar 'helpful' suggestions about livery yards which of course aren't what I mean by hill wintering at all but anyway.. ponies were very happy with the half bag offering and it kept the noses out while I did the up and down the field and in and out the gate with posts, pinch bar, sledgehammer, staples etc. Keeps me fit I guess and was a nice day to be out at least.
I also spent the rest of the day switching between major pruning jobs, weed clearance and sawing wood/snapping twigs to clear last spring's orchard prunings into firewood stack and kindling bag respectively.
Gave up at teatime with claws for hands and the newly treated (osteopath colleague) back returned from bendy to board after 24 hours.
Today I plan to try and wrap wires around wires to get a current where I need it to prevent ponies from further fence damage. And a big bonfire of a load of prunings, the rest of the ragwort heap and misc stuff that needs burned. First bonfire last weekend was one welcome feature of the time of year, I do like a good burn up.
-
I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok , :wave:
I sleep all night and I work all day. :tired:
I cut down trees, I eat my lunch, I go to the lavatory. 8)
On Wednesdays I go shopping and have buttered scones for tea . I cut down trees, I skip and jump :excited:
I like to press wild flowers. I put on ladies Erm........ :innocent:
© M Python .
Well that’s as far as I prepared to go today.
Lots of wood cut , and I'm Knackered Off for a lie down
-
Rushing round like a mad thing getting ready for tomorrow when we jet off to south France for lots of cuddles with our youngest grandson (aged one last week). :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited:
-
Rushing round like a mad thing getting ready for tomorrow when we jet off to south France for lots of cuddles with our youngest grandson (aged one last week). :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited:
Hope you have a lovely time! :) been looking after younger brother with mild brongheitis (I think) but he seems to be getting a little better, been a particularly bad cold for him. Been really busy today seeing my brother and niece off and of course milking twice today, although evening milking was shorter cause my bro and dad took over towards the middle. Mostly feeding calves hay,cake and water for the day/night and about to go out and feed calf now. Not been able to move very comfortably, mild sciatica again usually strikes during cold weather/doing too much movement and bending/lifting. Gnight guys! :)
-
Wondering how I am going to catch the big wild white welsh ram that has turned up in our field when I get home tonight ....
Luckily my black ewes are pretty racist and are keeping their distance ... for now...
Typical, just when I decide to take a year off lambing too! Tsk.
-
Enjoying my birthday day out with my fab OH. :excited:
-
Walking around the house in France with my year old grandson, Manu, who has forgotten that last week he walked three steps unaided, and insists he needs help.
-
going to be sorting out sheep and moving to new pasture before ram goes in with them.... Hoping for a good crop of lambs next spring :excited:
-
dying in bed with the flo just 2 weeks after the flu jab , my head feels like it wants to explode, I cant speak and I dont know if I'm hoy or clod. got up for a shower now going back to bed, and that goes round and round and round.
Needless to say I wont be driving my truck again to morrow , must be man flu then.
-
dying in bed with the flo just 2 weeks after the flu jab , my head feels like it wants to explode, I cant speak and I dont know if I'm hoy or clod. got up for a shower now going back to bed, and that goes round and round and round.
Needless to say I wont be driving my truck again to morrow , must be man flu then.
Sorry to hear about that! Try and get as much rest as possible and don't think of stirring out of bed until you feel at least 95% :)
Not been doing too much today, apart from feeding calves, they being housed now, milking (and feeling exhausted and chesty too, I have a nasty feeling about this.....) Seeing my grandparents off home and helping around the house. Now just sitting at the computer resting for a bit with my Thorntons choc covered toffees and nice cool drink and well the rest is history..... ;D
-
Getting wet.
-
still dying , work rings t se if i am going in tomorrow !! :-\
-
Not doing much today, had to finish milking early as I was feeling terrible (death warmed up) fed calves after which chest was on fire, took paracetemol felt fine and had a nice long drink. Managed to rest away today and this evening feeling real bad/sick and shivery and cold. Thinking I can't start milking tonight as I may end up throwing up and having a coughing fit. Thankfully bro who had Pneumonia last month is fine to do the jobs alongside mum and dad, I think I may be in for either mild flu or brongheitis. Only the morning will tell. Gnight guys! :unwell: :tired:
-
regretting going back to work, going back to bed
-
Autumn shearing and sorting culls for market tomorrow :fc: they get a good price
-
Trying to be able to breathe properly in between heavy coughing, so far terribly difficult (at least it feels that way). Otherwise a normal day in bed binge watching bbc iplayer, cause now I can because dad bought us a TV License, I had almost given up hope. ::) :roflanim:
-
Plenty of hot drinks WBF, breathing in the steam. Get well soon, your buffs need you!
-
Trying to be able to breathe properly in between heavy coughing, so far terribly difficult (at least it feels that way). Otherwise a normal day in bed binge watching bbc iplayer, cause now I can because dad bought us a TV License, I had almost given up hope. ::) :roflanim:
same here for the breathing, cant get a full breath in , chest painful , now two weeks of this oh and get dizzy after a coughing fit :(
-
Lying in bed not able to move properly with my back. Now got a tenns machine sending pulses on my lumber region, quite a way apart from my spine according to instructions. It has improved it slightly but mum is having to gently massage it for the pain to stop, already dosed up on paracetemol. Oh the agony..... plus side is chest is wayyyyh better than it has been. Now I have to contend with a knackered back :( well we cant have it all can we?
-
have a :hug: from a fellow sufferer
-
Trying to be able to breathe properly in between heavy coughing, so far terribly difficult (at least it feels that way). Otherwise a normal day in bed binge watching bbc iplayer, cause now I can because dad bought us a TV License, I had almost given up hope. ::) :roflanim:
same here for the breathing, cant get a full breath in , chest painful , now two weeks of this oh and get dizzy after a coughing fit :(
Awwww am really sorry to hear that :hug: get well soon and here is a big hug for you :)
-
getting excited about my first two shetland cows arriving from shetland tomorrow ( weather dependant)
-
Buried my dog :'(
-
Oh dear, all love and hugs to you. It never gets any easier does it and leaves a huge hole.
-
Oh no [member=136323]Rupert the bear[/member] am really sorry to hear this. :hug: how is the flu btw? :) well today I have spent watching fil.s with my eldest brother, as he had a few days off work so its lovely to catch up on stuff, as I dont see him often :( my flu is almost gone, back is almost better and excercises are helping. Still difficulty breathing with an inflamed chest, possibly. Throats sore with coughing but am getting there. Another few days of complete rest and I should be fine. :) its been good this 2 week sickness and rest, although tiring, painful and boring. But it has let me do hobbies I enjoy, arty ones. Alas no piano due to feeling permanently exhausted at times.
-
Oh no [member=136323]Rupert the bear[/member] am really sorry to hear this. :hug: how is the flu btw? :) well today I have spent watching fil.s with my eldest brother, as he had a few days off work so its lovely to catch up on stuff, as I dont see him often :( my flu is almost gone, back is almost better and excercises are helping. Still difficulty breathing with an inflamed chest, possibly. Throats sore with coughing but am getting there. Another few days of complete rest and I should be fine. :) its been good this 2 week sickness and rest, although tiring, painful and boring. But it has let me do hobbies I enjoy, arty ones. Alas no piano due to feeling permanently exhausted at times.
Flu getting better but worked suspended me from driving as deemed unfit, have to sit as a passenger until better, hopefully Monday
-
Falling over!! I leap to my feet to do something, mop up the old dog's pee or to get the 'phone or something and come to on the floor! I have some spectacular bruises on my bum (so maybe a bit of brain damage!) and a few minor bruises to my head.
-
Falling over!! I leap to my feet to do something, mop up the old dog's pee or to get the 'phone or something and come to on the floor! I have some spectacular bruises on my bum (so maybe a bit of brain damage!) and a few minor bruises to my head.
I understand the youngsters use fancy drugs to get the same effect :D :D... seriously get up slowly to allow the blood to get to your brain and get it checked out. ( or just lay off the scrumpy :innocent: :innocent: )
-
Planted a tree on dogs grave, changed dud lightbulbs, feeling chilly in the northern wind.
-
Checking buffalo we imported on Thursday from North Italy and dosing all the other buffalo which have been dried off :) keeping the dog very close , as she is scared of fireworks and cursing under my breath about my neighbours who are letting off really loud fireworks. Back still isnt better so I cant do much work at all. Keep safe everyone! :)
-
Traveling on a steam train on and off all day for my OH's birthday treat which he missed last week as I was poorly.
-
Mucking out my own cows after 5 years of mucking out other people's cows, and I love it
-
Repairing last winter's erosion down by the burn in the bottom field.
I think we may now have the only gabions in the valley :coat: .
-
making doughnuts, I enjoyed it immensely :yum: ;D Organizing a date for animal health to blood test the heifers which have just been imported, they do it to all cattle/buffalo which have been imported from Europe, although they underwent these tests before leaving for here the animal health insist on testing them at least twice since arrival, don't ask me why when they are all clear ::) Trying not to get mad over a silly guy who is unwilling to pay the lowest price I can muster on 2 heifers :( Keep temper I keep telling myself, makes me feel terrible inside as I want to desperately tell him what i think, but that is not good business at all. If he doesn't want to pay he isn't having them simple as, I am pretty sure if he doesn't want to pay a decent price he can't be good welfare wise and they need a 5 star home, so no compromises, they mean too much to me for me to take risks. Really enjoying reading through these subjects today on the forum, very enlightening, whilst my back is still on the mend. :)
-
Entertaining the Openreach engineer, who has come to sort the broad band , again . But he has fitted a "box" of some sorts in preparation of fiber coming ( although there is some debate .but BT and openreach are adamant it will happen next February ) probably some sort of voodoo magic and a cable with copper cables and optical cable combined and not the procession of packet bearing lemmings that I am operating on at present !
yours >steaming along at 224Kbps
Ps I saw on ebay some emergency semaphore flags, might be worth a punt , just for emails of course.
Can you tell I'm not happy ? >:( >:( >:(
-
Sorry to hear you both havent had very good days recently and I hope it will be solved soon! :hug: :hug: sending big hugs to you both :) Today not much really, been sorting out one of the bulls who has caught a chill and has had a high temp, he should be well soon! Its all these weather changes, although they have shelter I suspect, as he is a softie, he has been bullied by a cow. Checked sheep and ram is getting on with his job :) pressure washed a trailer, then relaxed. I think I have a cold coming on, as brother who recovered from pneumonia has just picked a cold up and it has gone to his chest, he is fine though and is being plied with vitamins, honey and lemons, tinctures, and a cough mix for the bronchials, it opens them up and helps bring the stuff up. 20 drops in a glass of water 2-3 times daily, it really brings up the mucus, my chest is almost clear now, as this virus took longer as it was harder to shift. Just going to relax before bed now, as back is still killing me :(
-
Entertaining the Openreach engineer, who has come to sort the broad band , again . But he has fitted a "box" of some sorts in preparation of fiber coming ( although there is some debate .but BT and openreach are adamant it will happen next February ) probably some sort of voodoo magic and a cable with copper cables and optical cable combined and not the procession of packet bearing lemmings that I am operating on at present !
yours >steaming along at 224Kbps
Ps I saw on ebay some emergency semaphore flags, might be worth a punt , just for emails of course.
Can you tell I'm not happy ? >:( >:( >:(
You too huh? I've had years of problems (along with many of the neighbours) that culminated in the Community Council surveying us all to find out the issues and escalating them to Alex Salmond MP... He sent a 3 page letter back telling me all the things he'd done and they'd said... although I'm guessing from the content he probably didn't write it himself (and if he did then perhaps he should go back to school to study English for a year or two!
Anyway, as part of what he did a new complaint was raised to my ISP (without my knowledge)... that resulted in a whole heap more tests, questions and comments and eventually a hole was dug at the end of my drive/garden... over 2 months ago now. That hole is still there so I got back in touch with the ISP to find out what was happening. They didn't know. They asked BT... BT didn't know and as we didn't have a job reference or location they couldn't investigate further. So I risked life and limb (well ok I moved the bollard to get into the 'secured area'), and I got the telegraph pole number from the plates, and I got 2 ticket numbers that were pinned to the pole and sent them back to my ISP. Who spoke to BT again about the hole... who said they'd send an engineer around to look into it.
Yesterday an engineer came out to look into the hole... and said it was nothing to do with BT. He sympathised with me and said, he knew it had been there for a good few weeks because he was working in it himself about 6 weeks before... BT had asked the civil works contractor to open the hole for them to do the work. They then have 48 hours and the contractor is supposed to fill it in again. He suggested I complain to the contractor...
He also mentioned there was another hole just where our road meets the main road.
"Is that the one with a cone on top of it?" I asked
"Yes, has it been there long?"
"About 18 months I think. It was certainly there before last winter because there's normally a pile of sand dumped around that area for gritting, I thought that's what the cone was for; to mark the spot for the sand delivery."
I have to wonder how much an engineer gets paid to go around 'looking into holes' on a Saturday... and whether or not I can get a job doing that. I could provide the complainant with absolutely no useful information, deny liability and generally waste their time too.
So, do I go back to the ISP and complain again? Contact the Community Council? Write to Alex Salmond MP and invite him to come and look into the hole too? (who said shove him in whilst he's looking?) Incur the time, cost and frustration of contacting the civil works contractor and making that complaint? Give up and put up with the hole?
One of the neighbours has given up on broadband and installed satellite... nice to have the money to be able to do that I suppose.
If there's someone bidding against you on the semaphore flags RtB... it may be me!!!
Just out of interest the engineer that came to you , didnt happen to come form Liverpool by any chance ? the one I had was a broadband engineer sent up to this area.
I didnt bother with Alex Salmond MP ( he didnt want to shake my hand when he visited many years ago, well I was in the middle of rodding the drains :) :) :)
Have you thought of joining the BT community care forum ? https://community.bt.com/ post on there and eventually it will get picked up and referred to a moderator and passed on "upstairs"
-
Busy day today, had vet out to one of the stock bulls, turns out it was early stage pneumonia in one lung, so vet has given him metacam and he is on a course of AB's and being kept indoors. He is happily munching on hay now :) Now off to New Quay to pick up an item we just bought, but first to check on Dave our stockram to see if alls well. After that going to check FB to see if there is any news on thr litter of pups which are due to be born this week, as we have reserved one for Jan 2017 :)
-
Tidying up out side, no wind , nice crispy frosty day ,no mud . Fed the flock of blackbirds, much time wasting and amusement watching them and the angry robin (who "owns" me) pestering the ginger Tom.
Then the the joy of going indoors to the warmth of the log burner a hot cup of tea and the sound of the swans flying overhead.
Back to work tomorrow :( :(
-
Computer stuff , backing up to external hard drives , as no doubt we all do ,,,,,,, dont we .
oh and looking at puppys , looking to get another rottie to keep me the other dog company
-
Not much today actually..... Catching up with a dear friend of mine, which was lovely, milked early for my brother and messed around with computers for a bit. Looking to build a new pc for myself, so looking for parts about 3-4 years old really, loads of offers, almost all not very good. Then I made dinner, tried talking to my brother, long distance, no response so I have rounded off the evening helping to milk buff, feed animals and then update my FB status and pics. Boring eh?! ;D
-
Making lemon curd,
shortbread,
tray of caramel slice,
tray of minty slice,
took MIL to hearing clinic (and to get her more Christmas cards in case she needs them - hasn't even started on her list yet )
A few hours at computer study
Finished our card list, OH did most of it this year
And ...... my turn to make tea
Land of nod soon
-
sent the Christmas card........ singular,. :merryxmas:
-
Visiting Beeducked for the first time in ages. Met the newest goats and had a cheese making lesson. Oh and a delicious lunch - pea and ham soup with bread and goats' cheese.
-
Been very busy this month, what with lambing coming along soon, some of the ewes were caught early ::) So busy prepping for that..... Trying to figure out a plan for the garden this month too :thinking: Must get a holiday soon, I think all this work and lack of sleep is sending me a little up the wall :o
-
spending time with my younger son and my granddaughter.
-
sitting on my backside in the truck , 6 and a half hours to be precise as I was required to collect and deliver things and stuff to firms that are closed over holiday season.......... poxy planners that "know" best :roflanim:
Time lost that would be better spent on the croft >:(
-
cutting the fire wood for 2019
-
Milking the buffalo and trying to get in touch with a fellow buffalo keeper to see if she'll buy these two. Muggy day outside, so can't do any mucking out of buildings today. Tried doing the garden yesterday, but my wrist packed in, so it seems unless the lads can do it, it may be game over for gardening this year.... :'(
-
resetting the outside light timers , its getting lighter :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited:
-
Ah yes [member=136323]Rupert the bear[/member] it certainly is... the weather here feels like spring, lets hope it doesn't end abruptly ::)
Today I am having to clean up the garden after the puppy who seems to like to crap everywhere >:( (only natural ;D)
Also having to watch one of the new heifers very closely, thinking she may have problems calving, so hawkeyes all the way. Feeding little calves, oldest is only a week old, so that takes quite a bit, but enjoying every minute of it. Now I am going to put out washing for mum, do some tidying up, clean the dairy for my brother in a min, once he has finished milking. and thinking of maybe sorting out some of the gardens and drawing up a plan! :)
-
Mainly crochet today. Too cold for much outside.
-
"Resting" :( I think my head has fallen off, well it feels like it.. 2 days cant wait to get back to work
-
Sitting on airplanes :wave:
-
Checking animals. Tending to a ewe with twin lamb :( managed to get to Aber farmers market and catching up with friends :) must clean out calves later.
-
Cleaning! T'was rather springlike today, so I took the opportunity to pull all the equipment out from the mouse-infested shed, soak it in bleach and give it a thorough clean. Cleaned shed top to bottom whilst things soaked, and sorted out the roosters' overnight crates too so they have a little more comfort (I'm urban so I have to shut the boys away in a blackout crate overnight so stop early crowing).
Also cleaned out a couple of brooders in preparation for the chicks; eggs are in the incubator at the moment.
So now, clean and winkled hands!
-
Spinning and chatting. It was a Guild skill share day.
-
Watching the swallows starting to make nests a little rain and they're busy looking for materials, And singing
Edited to add it's the swallows that are singing. ,not me..
-
been an extremely weird day today, I can't fathom it... ??? Had a meltdown talking to my brother long distance, had to come way as I worked myself up into a bit of a state :,( it was literally nothing. managed to sell the 2 pet lambs I have been rearing this past week. Yesterday had to have a ewe put down who had twin lamb, as she was dying anyway, there was no helping her sadly, we did dose her accordingly with twin lamb drench but it never did anything even when we kept her hydrated and fed liquids :( Then to cop it all off this evening I had the most weird prank text messages from a weirdo who I have no idea who it is..... I think am gonna have to have more sleep, my heads not in the game atm and I think I am gradually going mad :o
-
Watching the swallows starting to make nests a little rain and they're busy looking for materials, And singing
Edited to add it's the swallows that are singing. ,not me..
[/quote
Cor, they're early aren't they? Whereabouts are you RB?
-
Wow! Swallows????!!!!!!!!
-
Watching the swallows starting to make nests a little rain and they're busy looking for materials, And singing
Edited to add it's the swallows that are singing. ,not me..
[/quote
Cor, they're early aren't they? Whereabouts are you RB?
Usual time here in Lanzerote :wave:
Today I have been goatherding except they made their own way back to the dairy I came in 279th 10 minutes later.
I was told that since my last visit in June the Somalian goat herd collapsed and died out with the goats.they all went back to the dairy at midday apart from 2 that stayed behind and made lots of noise,but too late for him sadly
-
Rearranged our raised beds an disturbed a frogs home so I made a frog sanctuary behind my greenhouse with some left over bits of pond liner
-
Hopping mad were they ?
-
Hopping mad were they ?
I am hoping they are jumping for joy now
-
Having to lie down as lower back is killing me. All calves have fresh bedding and plenty of food and water. Ewe with lambs is fed and watered, having to keep them in because of the stormy weather. In a bit, if I can, I will try and check young heifers. Just finished writing an important paper, so day isn't wasted :)
-
Sad day for us all, had one of the Italian imported heifers euthenised, she wasn't getting any better. Just so upset right now! :'( :gloomy:
-
Volunteer shift at the Royal Voluntary Service cafe at the local hospital
followed by a back,neck and shoulder masage that got rid of a few knots
Chilled for a while
then sat my final computer exam
..................and PASSED ;D
..... and then it was straight to Brownies
-
Having convinced the team from Greenpeace that the pink whale moulded into the sand on the beach didn't need refloating :) I spent most of the day gazing at a crystal clear sky, the only thing between me and the next universe are the swallows doing swallow stuff to a sound track of bird song, breaking waves and the palm trees rustling in the breeze.
Sorry if your weather is not so good.........
-
Horrendous weather during the night, had to build a few flood defenses. Knacker came and took away 2 dead buffalo cows, the one we put down and another one who had a heart attack, we think. Mucking out of buildings to be done today and rearranging of calves, can't wait to have a few mins more sleep... :tired:
-
Making cheese from my goat's milk - Havarti and ricotta today.
-
After chores at home and a trip to check the ponies wintering on a hill field, order hay, buy hen feed (again!), and try without success to get a replacement sheet of greenhouse glass trimmed to actually fit the greenhouse (come back Monday when the person who can cut glass is back!), I popped into Pillars of Hercules for a latte and scone then headed home for a good session in the garden. Including a big bonfire to burn up all the pruning I've been doing, and getting a load of last year's orchard prunings cut to size for firewood so I have room for another heap of this year's branches! Oh and mucking out chooks etc, never seem to reach the end of that since I can't actually free range them on a smallholding with loads of trees cos there are (shock horror) wild birds all over the place! Including pheasants and partridge released by the gamekeeper a couple of fields over behind the wood..
Hoping for a good weather weekend to get along checking fences before the overwintered ponies have to come home later this month. Need to study for my upcoming sports and remedial massage exams and complete an essay to finish the coursework part, but if it's a nice day this time of year I have my priorities!
-
......hoping for some dry weather. Pricked out tomatoes cabbage kale. Just need dry weather.......
-
Packing my bags for the 2 day trip home tomorrow :'( :'( :'(
-
Crying.
Today the vet helped my GSDxLab to cross the Rainbow Bridge. she was 14 years and 10 months and her back end finally gave out.
I am grateful that she was part of my life for so long (since she was 7 weeks old) but it hurts so much that she isn't here any more.
-
Crying.
Today the vet helped my GSDxLab to cross the Rainbow Bridge. she was 14 years and 10 months and her back end finally gave out.
I am grateful that she was part of my life for so long (since she was 7 weeks old) but it hurts so much that she isn't here any more.
:hug:
Remember the good times, those will always be with you
-
Crying.
Today the vet helped my GSDxLab to cross the Rainbow Bridge. she was 14 years and 10 months and her back end finally gave out.
I am grateful that she was part of my life for so long (since she was 7 weeks old) but it hurts so much that she isn't here any more.
So sorry to hear this. Lots of hugs to you both :hug: :hug: :hug:
Feeding calves, getting ready for bringing buffalo indoors until winter is over. Making plans for garden this year and waiting for a guy to deliver a computer desk.
-
Sending you lots of hugs MGW. :hug: :hug: :hug:
I know that it breaks your heart but slowly you'll remember all the happy days.
What a lovely age to reach.
-
So sorry MGW..... :'(
it is so very hard to say goodbye
-
Moving sheep with her newborns outside, at last. Put her in a field where there is plenty of shelter, more so than the other fields , food and water. Organising jobs to e done on farm, whilst weather is pretty clear. Hopefully, once dad comes back from the dr's from his checkup, we can move the ewes which are closest to lambing nearer to the house and also put the ewe with her single in with the one who has had twins.
-
Spending quality time with friends of mine, having a good ol chinwag, plus time with my niece and her brother and my brother and my grandparents.... Yes you guessed it a full house this weekend. Sadly this evening turned out badly, my grandfather has had to go into hospital with high blood pressure :( Grandma is very worried as are we all, but he seems a little better now, they're about to take him now in a car ambulance to give him a checkup, so pretty worried, just glad they were staying with us this weekend....
-
paying the price of a holiday away, catching up on jobs ,dodging the raindrops :(
-
paying the price of a holiday away, catching up on jobs ,dodging the raindrops :(
Always the way am afraid. Back to the grind it is ;) I fed calves early today, milked and cleaned up and fed and checked sheep. Managed to check young heifers, all well. What a horrid day for weather though ughhh!!!
-
Spent the weekend pruning, pruning and more pruning, about the only time of year I can try and get on top of things here! Had a big bonfire 2 weeks ago and have enough to need another already.
I am trying to motivate myself to start barrowing the old manure across to the raised veg beds next, but I have a tennis elbow kind of thing going on and the barrow is old and wobbles due to fixings rusting away to leave holes instead of secure connections to the wheel arch.
-
Giving the horse trailer a check over prior to selling it ( no longer have horse :( :( ) and taking pictures for the advert.
Washed it to make it rain, (sorry Aberdeenshire )
-
Feeling under a lot of pressure. Trying to catch up with friends after a morning of work, ended up calling out vet to a heifer that calved this morning, she prolapsed her uterus, although not as bad as last one, she lost a lot of blood and went into shock when it was being put back in. Thankfully she is ok now though and is sitting up and drinking warm water. She has had some metacam and AB's, I think, we are going to admisnister more for her tomorrow morn. She is the last of the imported heifers to calve, she calved fine and no tares at all so no idea why this has happened.... ??? she shed her placenta fine and we took some colostrum off her as calf wasn't suckling, that was a few hrs after. Bull calf is suckling well off the bottle and is very strong. Managed to clean out a quarter of a building, then down the field to feed the pregnant ewes, 1/2 a dozen going to be lambing this week am sure :( Its all go here atm, just going to feed calves their hay and water for the second time today, then I am inside for a well earned rest!
-
Cheese making for me today. Havarti in the press and ricotta waiting to be strained.
-
The muck heap is half the size and there is a huge heap now on the veg beds tho I've not finished levelling it yet. Also got some onto the berry bed and around rhubarb, tops of pots etc but my back's gone so been tree climbing in the orchard with my wee pruning saw for a change. Only able to do up to 6" branches with the 8" blade but this is year 4 of a 5 year plan and I'm a wee bit behind so am thinking it's now a 7 year plan as long as I get some of it done! Of course now I've got lots of branches and twigs under the apple trees to be cleared and chopped or stacked for summer, have barely finished last year's off the patio a couple of weeks back.
I'm also having to cart water drums from the bathroom through the hall and kitchen and out to the 3 ponies in the front paddock as the water pipe has now gone in a second place that means the nearest outdoor supply is in the orchard.. So there has to be a bit of floor mopping twice a day and that's way more housework than I would usually contemplate! The guilty pipe has been identified as a connection between an underground round thingy connecting 2 pipes with a twirly thing for the water key to turn on/off. It's dug out but I haven't anything to grip well enough to take it apart and either fix or take to an agristore for a replacement. Tried the other bit by describing and measuring all bits concerned (a reducing connection) but still got sent the wrong size part so would rather take it/them in when I get tool and hand strength enough to achieve the separations.. Another few days I think at this rate before trying that one again.
-
Four rams all clagged and dagged. The very expensive trimming stand is going to be worth its weight in some precious metal.
-
Cuddling a grandson's 9 week old puppy (Shitzu X Pug!!) What breed was the mother? I don't know, I didn't see her, just two puppies. Did the "breeder" show you anything that suggested any health checks done? X-rays for hemivertabrae, PRA etc? No! I just saw her and was lost!! He's !7 and if that pup is 9 weeks old then I'm 19! 6 weeks at most.
Still, she's family now and we'll do our best by her.
-
Found my tangled heap of hoses yesterday that get used for the end field whenever ponies are in it without access to the back field where the closest water trough is. Spent a fun hour untangling it and laying out mix and match pieces til I found the perfect length to go from the orchard across the back of the house to the bath in the front field that has no water.
Tada, no more carting drums from the bath through the house and out to hold in outstretched arms over an electric fence 6x a day! Result! Still want to get the parts sorted to let the taps work again but meantime the ponies can drink what they want and I don't have to be in torment for it. Still need to sort the rest and tidy the shed I dragged them all out of, spilling plant pots and dragging tools across the floor..
-
I have been increasing the enclosure for the Muscovy ducks in preparation of getting a male for breeding.
The 2 ladies have started laying. I don't know what it is about muscovies but I swear they are the biggest A**holes of the duck world. When I go into their enclosure they bit the hems of my trousers and hang on like a angry dog. Even when I lift my leg in the air they are almost dangling of me
:&>
-
checking sheep and a very heavily pregnant buffalo. Going to be seperating heifers out soon for the bull. trying to catch up with friends and do some odd jobs on farm. Getting garden ready for planting/sowing now! :D
-
Feeling sorry for myself. Months ago one of my back teeth snapped off,leaving the root and a few bits of tooth. I've been meaning to go to the dentist ever since. Had to today because I have an abscess and it huuuurrrrrtttsss.
The dentist tried to take it out but the anaesthetic didn't work fully, due to the infection in the gum so I now have antibiotics and a referral to a specialist dentist who can dig all the bits out. :gloomy:
-
Feeling sorry for myself. Months ago one of my back teeth snapped off,leaving the root and a few bits of tooth. I've been meaning to go to the dentist ever since. Had to today because I have an abscess and it huuuurrrrrtttsss.
The dentist tried to take it out but the anaesthetic didn't work fully, due to the infection in the gum so I now have antibiotics and a referral to a specialist dentist who can dig all the bits out. :gloomy:
awwww
That sounds rathger horrific MGM, hope you get better soon! :hug: Today trying to do all my brothers jobs as my 2 brothers and mother have come down with the flu, albeit mild at this point, swollen glands and no being able to swallow properly. We picked it up from my niece this weeknd, kids eh?! ::) I think I may be starting with it now, and chest feels weird. just going to check ewes in a minute to see if they have started lambinhg, I think theyre holding out til April 1st... In the meantime guys have a good one... and keep safe! :)
-
Admiring my new Muscovy drake. I have him separate at the moment but his fence borders with the females and its nice to see them sit next to each other even though the wire separates them. I am hoping for an easy introduction.
The ladies seem calmer and attack less than they used to since he has arrived
:&>
-
weeding and rolling the 10acre hay park .
-
trying to sort out a cow who is prolapsing and trying to repair fencing. With lamb in full swing feeling shattered! :(
-
Collected another 30 day old chicks to raise, tho I swore I'd never do it again after the winter hassle of not being able to free range. Fortunately I already have a buyer for 20 of them as growers, and having sold a couple of just started laying birds I remain safely under the 50 total throughout tho I still hope to sell off a few 2yo birds and some more of these in due course.
Something very rewarding about raising chicks, especially this time of year!
-
Checking sheep even earlier than I usually do, because yesterday we had triplets and lost 2 as they both got stuck... :'( All fine today though, healthy twins born this morn. So far 18-19 ewes have lambed, vast majority are ewe lambs :excited: Going to be resting now after a busy morning of rearranging stock, buildings and cleaning everywhere... Tired now. Thinking may catch up with some friends in a bit
-
Serviced the old tractor, easy to get all the parts from, the oil , it seems that old fashioned mineral oil is getting scarcer in favour of yer super wonderful chemiacly semi or fully synthetic lubricant.
-
Eating out, the height of fine dining - grabbing a bite while doing the weeks shopping.
-
Very stressed ou today, various reasons... One of which is that I have missed tailing some lambs and marking them, so will be running a lot today. Its the silly gorse some of them lambed in and I couldn't access it properly, so will be moving them shortly. :rant:
-
Final practical exams for my Remedial and Sports Massage course - all day from 830 this morning.. Last day of the course tomorrow so fingers firmly crossed that I enjoy the freedom, get on with other things and don't sign up for any more exam based training EVER again, I can't take the stress levels!
-
Final practical exams for my Remedial and Sports Massage course - all day from 830 this morning.. Last day of the course tomorrow so fingers firmly crossed that I enjoy the freedom, get on with other things and don't sign up for any more exam based training EVER again, I can't take the stress levels!
Fingers crossed for you :fc: :fc:
-
digging out by hand a blocked sewerage pipe, and showering, and showering again and then sho....
-
Passing my Safe Use of Pesticides assessment for weedwiper, PA2F. Assessor was very patient, i think she was in a good mood because previous candidates would have flown through. :).
But was an amusing twist in the part one training.
-
Trying to chase a sheep who had a really hard birth and a dead lamb :( still no luck catching her... she looks ok though so will try and catch her tomoz, all being well. Had a lamb rejected today by a first time mother, lamb is 3 days old :rant: was trying to drink off another ewe, pulled it and it is on the bottle, so will be selling it tomoz to a lady ik, what an ordeal!
-
Making the most of having our daughter and grandchildren here for the weekend. Grandson is busy preparing fleece for spinning.
-
Making the most of having our daughter and grandchildren here for the weekend. Grandson is busy preparing fleece for spinning.
I love the child labour :)
-
Making the most of having our daughter and grandchildren here for the weekend. Grandson is busy preparing fleece for spinning.
I love the child labour :)
Me too! Have been a great fan of it ever since my 2 lads reached the age of about 6! You have to take advantage of it while you can for as soon as they get to about 17 and get mobile - they have better things to do.
-
Final practical exams for my Remedial and Sports Massage course - all day from 830 this morning.. Last day of the course tomorrow so fingers firmly crossed that I enjoy the freedom, get on with other things and don't sign up for any more exam based training EVER again, I can't take the stress levels!
Fingers crossed for you :fc: :fc:
Thanks I passed!
-
Demonstrating peg looming at our smallholding club's wool day, then off to a fellow smallholder's place to shovel 3 ton bags of goat muck (we don't seem to generate much muck here and our soil needs improving) then dinner and a sick toddler. Quite shattered now!
Dans
-
Making the most of having our daughter and grandchildren here for the weekend. Grandson is busy preparing fleece for spinning.
I love the child labour :)
Oh it cost me!
-
Well after a busy day at the gym and doing a massage, feeding, general chores and selling a couple of hens, I discovered my broodmare had waxed up at 530pm so I spent 3 hours moving ponies around, dragging and fitting/fixing/kicking/untangling hoses and walking back and forward to see whether water was running to the furthest field yet.. Got the barn ready just in case of need, more water to fill by hand with buckets, bedding etc, and settled in for an interrupted night.
At the 1130 check it was blowing a hard north wind and started to snow while I was up the field so duly dragged the mare into the barn pen and the stallion and other mare just outside. Mare wanted to wander off back to grass, stallion frantic herding her back so in the end I put the two into a pen beside a barn and filled more water buckets for them. Tried to sleep but was back out at 140, 330, 440, no sign of a foal tho so have it all to look forward to again tonight. Tho I expect she'll foal in daylight up the field and I'll have to fetch in all 4 by devious means to protect the foal and not upset the others.
Got to be out a few hours today so that is my best bet for her timing it, about half an hour after the car drives off..
-
I've only experienced one mare foaling, and it turned out we thought we were doing the nighttime checks, which we were taking in turns, but the other owner was also coming up at odd times through the night. Of course poor Bell never felt settled enough to get on with the job ::). Eventually she worked out that if I'd just been in, and Dick had just been in, she could rely on a couple of hours peace. So she foaled, we think, a few minutes after mine and Dick's bedtime checks. :love: :horse:
Good luck for your mare, ellied.
-
Well Had a ewe who had a difficult birth, first timer, and abandoned her lamb. He was struggling to breath, so had to give mouth to mouth and swing him, spent the last hr or so massaging his lungs, he drank his bottle very well. looking quite lively :) Was going to put on my running shoes to catch his mom, but after digging through the freezer came across some buffalo first day colostrum, only taken a few weeks back, so defrosted that for him. Caught his mom a bit earlier and am adopting him back onto her.....
-
She foaled at 230am the second night, by which time I was a wee bit tired, but it's a healthy filly foal so can't complain. Mare had to be cleansed so there's a vet bill coming and I'm jagging ABs into her neck every morning which is delightful (not). They also had to stay in another 24 hours in case of toxic shock but were turned out for 12 hours today. They're all getting used to the new routine but the mare is too busy shadowing the foal to come to the trough so being indoors at night is her time out, will do another couple of days but that has brought back the joys of mucking out a barn pen 15' square in the morning. Did my back no good at all.
We also had a water crisis yesterday as there was some problem with supply from mid afternoon til 8pm and the hose-fed paddock had nothing in reserve (the rest have troughs) so that was fun (not). Water back on was discoloured which I didn't spot til after drinking coffee this morning (tho it was boiled so probably safe). Washing fruit for breakfast however means I have swallowed whatever dirt or ??? was in there and now I have a sore throat, which could be a bug but I am wondering if it's the water.
On a good note the chicks are growing well, the foal is a wee sweetheart and I get to stay in bed all night so can't really complain!
-
Sweeping the chimney, with the aid of a Rottweiler "Puppy",
Let me explain, I'm a bit of a biff when it comes to the mobility stakes, and the monthly sweeping of the lumb with its various doglegs and bends requires a certain degree of agility. Rod and stiff brush brush up first and with a bit of a wiggle and and some careful maneuvering the ensemble goes skyward. So far so good, now the brush and rod emerges from the pot and with extra rods come down to earth so I can fit the softer sweeper brush for the return trip , plain sailing so far... Indoors I go to pull through the soft brush , after a couple of tugs it seems to be jammed , strange , of course you cant pull too hard in case the rods separate or damage is done to the lumb .
Oh bugger, outside I go to find said Rottweiler puppy (about 5stone ) is hanging on to the brush and is unwilling to let it go. There now ensues a tug of war where the low centered of gravity 4 legged "puppy" is winning against the high gravitational centered biped with wobbly legs......
And then the bigger dog arrived.
The job is done eventually, tomorrow I will strip the wood burner, alone.
-
bottling homemade mead, strange occupation for a non drinker
-
Visiting a Grow Local event and seeing bees, chickens, various homebakes and how to compost/recycle type stalls as well as having a yummy lunch (houmus, salad leaves, cucumber and carrot sandwiches) and buying more plants for my already overcrowded veggie beds. A happy afternoon.
-
Trying to recover from agonising back pain. Got it from shearing a maggoty ewe yesterday, silly thing kept trying to escape ::) thinking I will not be able to do much work this week ;)
-
Not what you need, WBF. Hope it's better soon. :hug:
-
Awake at 7.00, well 6:45 to be exact. Fed calves their milk and the 2 pet lambs, milked the buffalo, brought in a cow with a prolapse, very minor, will need injection as it looks like urine infection. Cleaned who dairy/milking parlour, fed calves their cake/hay/water, checked all youngstock, all fine, watered plants in garden. Finished by 12:18 not bad at all! :) Now off to check sheep on other land, tailing a lamb born 3 days ago, should have done it earlier, just really busy... Going to book shearer for early next month, so building needs cleaning and sorting for that, garden is still in need of sorting too, planting out really. Off out later for more bamboo canes. Busy days ahead, on top of the fact the sun wakes me up at 6:30 every day, even if I go to bed at 2am :tired: really must do somit.... :innocent: :roflanim:
-
Not what you need, WBF. Hope it's better soon. :hug:
Thanks MGM. Back is much better now :)
-
Lying in wait for the egg stealing magpie and his co-conspirators the rook brothers. My spotter spent most of the time sleeping or purring :cat:.
The warmth of the sun and the background soundtrack of swallows,skylarks,blackbirds and chickens larking about (see what I did there), and the other assorted tweeters and singers, quite soporific ........
-
Making Halloumi from goats' milk and nipping outside to the garden in between the different stages, /courgettes now planted and weeding done.
-
Shifted 3 ponies and a foal to new paddock, filled bath with water, checked the rest and fed every hungry mouth. After breakfast decided to go for a bike ride to the vets (6-7 miles away) to return needles and collect meds, stopped for coffee on the way home as I'm quite wheezy from OSR flowers in sight of my land and need to go steady.
Had a break online with paperwork and then out to dig early ragwort from around the edges of the newly empty paddock. Still waiting for the sprayer but having my doubts as he has forgotten me already this year and tends to focus on big farms so I may be digging all season again.
Then moved the 6 week chicks (30 of them) by several trips with a cat basket, taking them off heat and outside into a new run, with a few minor adjustments to closing (banged screws in to tighten mesh!). Had been hearing motor noise and thought my neighbour was out with the lawnmower but no it was the gardener out in the paddock with a strimmer hitting dockens which would have been great except there were now ponies (and foal) in there and I couldn't risk leaving strimmed grass/docken/nettles in case they ate it and got a reaction like lawn mowings, not sure if the action causes the same fermentation but better safe than sorry. So stopped him politely and we raked every piece up that he'd cut, leaving an odd shaped docken patch but ponies are fine this morning so all's well.
Then got him to strim the front drive instead, which improves the front door approach/view for my massage clients, while I jumped in the shower and set up for my evening client - having spent 2 days solid at the cycling etape for Marie Curie in Pitlochry all weekend the couch was packed up and everything washed and needing put back on, but got the session done fine, had another check of all the moved ponies/chicks, fed up and lay down in a dark room with a few red patches on my shoulders from the sun and still heaving for breath like a steam train!
Then remembered I'd left a hose running to the bath in the (new) ponies' paddock so anyone passing by car was treated to me in my jammies and fake crocs stumbling and wheezing through what of course was now a tad muddy lower pen.. Cue footwashing in a basin in the bathroom and hopping about beetroot red wheezy and just about collapsed laughing at myself! Took myself to bed, today should be quieter as no hay to drag about in sacks this morning, chicks are all fine, and coffee is being inhaled nicely!
-
Yes yes that's all Very well, but what did you do after your morning coffee ?
-
Sitting in an office in the middle of Bradford staring longily at the sunshine outside :(
-
Sitting in an office in the middle of Bradford staring longily at the sunshine outside :(
same thing, sitting in the truck tin can seeing everyone else enjoying the sun in summery cloths , not the heavy ppe I have to wear :(
and tho add insult to injury late home .
-
Yes yes that's all Very well, but what did you do after your morning coffee ?
Went to gym for an ass kicking PT session to strengthen my wobbly legs and back - tho strangely after workout they felt more wobbly than less. Still had 3 hours equipment cleaning to do for the gym this week so did that after, and on to afternoon massage clinic, then back home to realise the orchard tap that runs a length of 4 hoses to the 6 ponies in the long field is barely dribbling and not enough for them. Dragged it back to the better tap (much unravelling of wet muddy pipe) which then refilled them fine but now needs the wee middle paddock bath refilling twice daily as I can't drip feed it off the same tap.
Then went to dig a deeper base for the orange mineral bucket that is my water trough for 6, and ended up ankle deep in mud digging a channel so it runs better into wee pools for more than one to drink. Soaked, stinking and hairy (pony still losing winter coat and sweating in heat) came back and refilled middle bath as described, right to top. Got all chickens back in for the night bar one - had tea, found and recovered last bl****y chicken. Refilled bath as leaving hose lying in it had suctioned half the d*mn thing back out down the corridor paddock again. Had a few good washes to remove stink of mud, went to fill in agricultural census and ended up on FB til bed o'clock! Then lay awake cos lights and electronics aren't good for relaxation and pre sleep hormones..
Did the whole bath thing again this morning, both field, but no hay to drag at the mo and I've left chooks enough feed in respective hoppers to last a day as I'm going to have lunch with my sister and coffee with a pal on the way or way back depending how quick I can sort myself out.. My muscles are aching from the gym sesh and digging, dragging etc so a day of social is about right tho I'll do a barrow of ragwort when I get back if it's not too hot to stand up!
I have a bike ride with my neighbour planned tomorrow so it's bound to rain, after which it's back to ragwort digging cos the sprayer still hasn't called back and the bigger plants are beginning to grow up the way.. Oh and my strainer arrived so now I need to find someone to replace the one that falls over if the gate isn't tied up both ends.. Agri contractor around here is the sprayer that isn't returning messages, it's too wee a job for him to bother much. Working holiday anyone? ;)
-
Most of today was spent outside in the garden. Herbs all planted up, including the ones that needed digging up from the bottom of the garden (yes, I know it's a stupid place to put herbs. I found that out last year. :roflanim: ). Also had a friend round to make some more raised beds for me. The garden is beginning to look really good. Veg all growing well.
-
Killing the rushes ( yes really killing ) brush cutting with my 4 stroke German built brush cutter ( really is made in Germany ) much quieter than the old angry wasp , only lasted 14 years , repairable but a winter project.
Mowed the top paddock so it looks nice and avoids the weeds from flowering and seeding.
The head of security ,(the ginger tom) and myself are now going to sit in the evening sun and watch and listen to the birds.
-
I was at a Food Festival, eating too much and buying lots of goodies. I managed to get some unusual herbs for my budding herb garden. Anyone grown Samphire?
-
I was at a Food Festival, eating too much and buying lots of goodies. I managed to get some unusual herbs for my budding herb garden. Anyone grown Samphire?
Don't think I have, no but will be trying it when I am sowing the herb patch...
Not much today actually, usual jobs/chores, trying to arrange a time for meeting a friend and trying to sell some sheep. :)
-
Wondering, just wondering about knees, haymaking, work, the meaning of life and why I have more left socks than right ones. Oh and wondering why the dogs have lots of right socks in their bed , I suppose I'll never know ,one of those great mysteries of life.....
-
Wondering, just wondering about knees, haymaking, work, the meaning of life and why I have more left socks than right ones. Oh and wondering why the dogs have lots of right socks in their bed , I suppose I'll never know ,one of those great mysteries of life.....
How can you tell which is left and which is right?
-
A beautiful day.. Loads to do in the garden, and I had volunteered to man an information stall for Samaritans at a Volunteers event. One the way home, thinking I could fit a couple of hours in, it started to rain.
-
Wondering, just wondering about knees, haymaking, work, the meaning of life and why I have more left socks than right ones. Oh and wondering why the dogs have lots of right socks in their bed , I suppose I'll never know ,one of those great mysteries of life.....
How can you tell which is left and which is right?
I've wondered about that too ;)
-
Wondering, just wondering about knees, haymaking, work, the meaning of life and why I have more left socks than right ones. Oh and wondering why the dogs have lots of right socks in their bed , I suppose I'll never know ,one of those great mysteries of life.....
How can you tell which is left and which is right?
The answer is obvious Rupert must put his left sock on first hence it is the right ones which are missing.
I've wondered about that too ;)
-
You are of course assuming that I am allowed to dress myself :innocent:
-
Getting everything prepped for shearing this afternoon. Lads have just gone to help and friend shear, afterwards the shearers will come here, to do our flock of 70 ewes. Busy thirsty work ahead, but it needs to be done. Maybe if I have time later I will pick more elderflowers for cordial, trees are fit to bursting ATM. Thankfully I put mutton fillet in the slow cooker, making dinner after all this would not be wise. Have a good one guys! :)
-
Starting to feel the end is nigh as my homebred stallion went away yesterday - on loan for a year or more but possibly long term/permanently.
Spent half of the day waiting for transport to arrive, 10 minutes catching, loading and speaking to the folk, dashed off to buy compensation lunch for the person I had been meant to go a walk with (she ended up paying all but the coffee). Then moved all the remaining ponies to the next field rotation, dashed from one to another for a while to ensure they'd all settled. Got wet several times over..
Had a meeting with a Scottish Power rep about turning the wayleave into a servitude (posting on that separately). Got all the chooks in between showers that were torrential, and found the last straggler an hour later.
Postponed delivery of cockerel to his new home which was also supposed to happen, but it already feels very quiet around here with the main man missing. Had reports and photos of safe arrival and the field he's in has a mare and foal plus a lot of grass so he's very happy. Not sure how happy their sheep will be but I did say he'd been grazed with tups as a foal but not since, just in case..
-
OK, so I'm a couple of days late posting this... I spent Sunday doing the Kilt Walk in Aberdeen... all 26 miles of it for Macmillan Cancer Care. Exhausted, bruised and blistered, I shuffled around the evening feed before heading in for a cup of tea a hot water bottle and bed. Even the :goat: :goat: :goat: were looking at me suspiciously as I approached with feed.
Monday I dragged myself out of bed to feed and check the livestock and then put my feet in a bowl of Epsom salts, where they stayed until lunchtime. By tea time I hobbled back out to do the animals again before collapsing in a heap with a blanket.
This morning my legs are starting to swell and bruise, but the two blisters formerly known as my left and right foot are almost bearing weight and I only look a little like a Tennessee Walking Horse that needs a zimmer frame today...
Having said that, I'm only £66 off the £600 total I wanted to raise for Macmillan, so whilst I'm never ever going to do this again, I'm glad I did it once!
Take a like for the kilt walk ,but not the after effects,I think it would take me a week to manage 26 miles.
More to the point how Can a donation be made ?
We must be told
-
Did you not get a free massage from Macmillan or Kiltwalk organisers after you finished? I may be working at the Dundee Kiltwalk for Athletes' Angels and did the Edinburgh Marathon for Macmillan via the same company. A gentle lower back and leg massage might help get all the fluids moving in the right direction again and bring the legs back to normal mobility levels. Blisters sadly take their own sweet time but you have my respect for the achievement. I'd rather work an 8-9 hour shift of 15 minute massages than do the event!
-
Well done [member=132794]Scarlet.Dragon[/member] !! Feeling very upset past 2 days, trying to think of ways to get back with a friend. Why does it hurt so much?! :'( rain hasn't stopped today, so far, so I can't help my brother's with fencing. Assessing fields for more fencing to be done. Checking sheep and youngstock and feeding/cleaning out animals.
-
Today our first duckling has appeared so we are very excited. We don't get to admire them long as my wife and I are going to the lake district to celebrate our first anniversary.
:&>
-
Am looking after a grandson's two puppies. A 14 week old Shitzu/ pug cross and an 11 week old Border Collie/ Kelpie cross, both at the moment scuttled up between Jim and I, so peaceful and so innocent. I am savouring the time and remembering said child and his cousin scuttled up between us eighteen years ago!!
-
Relaxing after seperate good calves and experiencing cheap VR... A very interesting experience indeed :)
-
Shearing! Need a 'cream crackered' emotiwotsit :D
-
In the kitchen since 6am sticking zillions of custard creams, empire bisciuts, icing sponges, chocolating traybakes, scoring said traybakes to plate up later
and trying to fit it all back in the fridge the way it fitted before I took it out ;D
Reason:
Doune Gala tomorrow and the 'Brownies' (well me and Brown Owl) are doing the teas
Off for a cuppa now..... I think I deserve one ;D
-
Goats hooves done and then the rest of the day was spent weeding the veggies.
-
tidying up the yard ready for haylage making time , doing odd jobs that seem to take longer these days having to stop to rest the knackerd knees and legs , and then once stopped trying to get started again !
-
Today I had to spend resting as I had no energy left to do anything, not even go to my spinning group's monthly meeting as I needed to sleep a good bit of the day. I hate this auto-immune condition that just leaves me exhausted after I do a bit. :tired:
-
Today I had to spend resting as I had no energy left to do anything, not even go to my spinning group's monthly meeting as I needed to sleep a good bit of the day. I hate this auto-immune condition that just leaves me exhausted after I do a bit. :tired:
:hug:
-
Lost a pet lamb today, won't go in to details but was totally unexpected. Feeling really upset :'( Going to be getting in some of the ewes with lambs at foot ready for market tomorrow. Have a good day guys!
-
Today I had to spend resting as I had no energy left to do anything, not even go to my spinning group's monthly meeting as I needed to sleep a good bit of the day. I hate this auto-immune condition that just leaves me exhausted after I do a bit. :tired:
[/quote
So sorry to hear that MGM. Hope you're feeling better soon! :hug: :hug:
-
Sweating
-
Thank you. Rested again to day so hopefully can get back in the garden tomorrow.
Sorry to hear about your lamb, WBF.
-
Sweating
dont you mean "glowing"
-
Sweating
dont you mean "glowing"
If glowing drips then possibly but more at the horse end of the scale.
-
Sweating
dont you mean "glowing"
If glowing drips then possibly but more at the horse end of the scale.
:roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:
-
getting ready for haylage making, :fc: , just hope the body can take it !
-
Having a day out on the Severn Valley Steam Railway which is having a 1940s event this weekend. It was absolutely wonderful and lots of visitors dressed up to really join in. It's on again next weekend but I will be at the Wool Experience in Cheshire.
-
Sorting through sheep, dosing and seperating some out for market tomoz. Cleaning out calves building and getting them ready for TB test reading tomorrow, because we are selling the bull calves beginning of July, weaned ones that is ;) hope you guys have a great day!
-
Out on the tractor cutting grass for haylage :fc: I had the delightful company of the swallows , both young and old doing acrobatics and swooping after the insects disturbed by the mower ,so the lines of cut grass are not exactly straight and no doubt the local "old" boys will be tut-tutting and shaking their heads :roflanim: :roflanim:
But the birds will have had a good feast and I have a large field of abstract art drying in the stiff but cool breeze.
-
Had a new bull calf born, so really chuffed! :) Sorted out some sheep for market tomorrow.
-
Whilst still on the matter of swallows and insects, I have just come in finally for the evening, the mozzies are blanketing anyone out side , but it is quite exhilarating to have older and bolder swallows pick the wee beasties off you ( just not quick enough , bitten to pieces )
-
Chasing the escaping volts from the electric fence , eventually found the short , a plastic insulator had worn through to the metal screw ! I will now fit a waterproof switch next to the fencer, Its a long long way to the mains switch, a very long way.
-
Got some bakming done, with all these eggs finally coming through can't cope ;D Gatdening was mean't to be done today, but rain has been off and onish all day, so instead stayed indoors and watched a 1930's film on iplayer. Anyone remember watching ''A Love Affair'' ? brilliant :) Sorted out a little calf with a stomach upset, poor thing. Prepping for tomorrow, dad and mum are staying away for 2 days, so really nervous about that, especially as we have an animal due to calve within that time...
-
Celebrating 19 years of marriage to my lovely OH.
-
Getting wet.
-
Making haylage,
the weather for Aberdeenshire perfect, sun and a breeze , get the mini round baler out,and hitch it up safe in the knowledge that it was put away cleaned and greased up ready at a moments notice. And so with the tractor fueled up off I jolly well go to the hay field.
I line up and away I go at a decent speed, the grass feeds in perfectly and the first bale of the year is made , I pull the string for the net wrap to feed in and it keeps feeding in ! Oh bugger get off tractor and after a few checks to my utmost shame I discover that I had failed the protect the cutting knives, they have rusted and no longer sharp enough to cut the net.
Now according to the workshop book these are not designed for resharpening but replacement only, My ever so helpful dealer tells me the mounting bar need to come out and new blades riveted back in, blades are available from Italy !.
Well I improvise and adapt ( and some of you ,you know who you are will laugh ) after every bale is formed I feed in the net then turn off the tractor get the scissors cut the net the start up to chuck out the bale...
This is time consuming, exceedingly time consuming , finally I bale a decent amount and have wrapped it before the rain arrives . I am knackered and my knees have given up the ghost.
Time for bed and drugs !!
-
Hope you feel better tomoz! [member=136323]Rupert the bear[/member]
Had a heifer calf born this morning, seperate bull calf from his mom. Treated a little week old calf for stomach upset. Just going to feed lambs, tidy kitchen and I'll be in bed having 40 winks :D parents are away these 2 days, so housecleaning falls to me, let's hope I am up to the job... Already scrubbed kitchen once, hallway, stairs, study, lounge and toilets cleaned until shining, just got to keep it this way until tomorrow night! ::)
-
Yes, I'm mad .
Spent the morning under the mini round baler ,( you know the one with non resharpenable knives) , with some of Mrs RTB's nail boards in an attempt to put some sort of edge on them, I am not a contortionist, but eventually got them a little better.
-
trying to sell calves/sheep. Nightmare and is taking all my self confidence away.... I tell you if anyone else comes to me and asks if they can buy one to breed with their cows I will scream! :rant: Managed to do a few things around farm. Think amma come offline for a few days to rest my nerves.
Have a good one guys!
-
Having a wonderful time at The Wool Experience in Cheshire. Lots of woolly things to look at and crafty people to talk to. Fleeces to die for (or should I say dye for) and good food and wonderful ice cream.
-
Pottering. After several frantic months of far too much to do and far too much xxxx hitting the fan at last there is an apparent lull in the mayhem. So picking raspberries, get on the horse for the first time in ages. Sit around drinking wine. Look at the sheep. Look at the goats. Tickle the piglets.
-
Recovering from Doune and Dunblane show
-
De-glazing and moving a greenhouse, up the ladder, down the ladder ,rest, up, th...
Take daily wafarin dose after all glass moved !! To damp for haylage , maybe to morrow :fc:
-
nursing the sunburn from yesterday :sunshine:
I have been working on a potato bed where you add more and more soil to build it upwards. It is mostly an experiment to see how many potatoes I can grow in about 50cm square area. :spud:
-
Planting in tomatoes in the garden, got half a bed more to do. Had another calf born today, heifer, really chuffed! :) Moving calves into another building, have to disinfect it first. Have a good one guys!
-
Moved another greenhouse ,got set up for more baling / wrapping for tomorrow.
-
Admiring all the rush of growth that a few days of rain has brought on.
-
Baling the second lot of haylage ,170 bales ave weight 60kg nice and dense ( like me ) Mrs RTB gave a hand , I would like to thank Her :bouquet: for her hard work and the use of her emery boards, the dressing of the baler knives was a success !
I would also like to thank my GP for the injections to my knees for a pain free and mobile day, and yes he knew I would be baling today,and finally for the breeze this evening that kept the mozzies away until I finished wrapping .
Is it just me or does any one else find watching the bale wrapper hypnotizing ..
-
Is it just me or does any one else find watching the bale wrapper hypnotizing ..
Congratulations. Little things please little minds (while bigger fools sit watching - I know).
-
Is it just me or does any one else find watching the bale wrapper hypnotizing ..
Congratulations. Little things please little minds (while bigger fools sit watching - I know).
:) :)
-
Watching the Tour De France :)
-
Feeling miserable today, just split off with a friend who started to bully me :( On the plus side had a new heifer calf born this afternoon and sold our old van to some mechanics, so not too bad after all! :)
-
today mainly at flyball competition, same again tomorrow
-
Demolishing an old portakabin type building that's on its last legs (a theme applicable here ) making room and looking for my going back to work head as the holiday is over :(
-
been getting in the :poo:
I know you will laugh......
Its been a crazy struggle of a week at work , so the weekend and the jobs on the farm are a welcome change,however,
The 50year old tractors power steering pipe fractured a while ago , I made a temporary repair some 6 years ago. And so it came to pass that the remaining steel pipe rotted through and I meed a replacement pipe , Thinking its best to get the proper part this time I nip down to the ford dealer and the part number is instantly found and yes its available, in America but can be shipped over. I am exited at the prospect until the store man utters that phrase we all dread “ Holy F*** “ and writes down on the pad the total cost.....£572,87 , I repeat the sacred chant and decide a trip to Aberdeen to get one made up next week
Its a sunny afternoon, ideal to replenish the pig ark's bedding, and so in a pair of shorts and bare chested to catch the rays I set off to do the job . After all the recent rain there is a bit of a quagmire, well enormous really, I navigate this with a fork full of straw and as I turn I find I am stuck in the mud,truly stuck, I better point out I am awaiting bi lateral knee replacement and have a long term ear /balance issue. Pulling the left leg is pointless as the joint is separating so I abandon the boot ( reluctantly ) the right leg is no better and boot left to continue filling with mud, now in just a pair of shorts and the dressings for my leg ulcers I make headway of a few inches and as if in slow motion fall forwards in to the mire........... all of me .
Having recovered My self I crawl back to the yard where Mrs RTB hoses me down with the coldest of cold water available , and there standing in the yard naked the final insult , I have picked up a tick .
You may join Mrs RTB in laughing, maybe tomorrow I'll get my sense of humor back .
-
hahahahahahaha. Sorry buit you did say laugh [member=136323]Rupert the bear[/member] ;)
Not much been going on tbh, getting ready to split up sheep from lambs. Lambs weren't the best growers this year, so will be putting cake down for them ::) caught a horrible cold, so been popping pain killers all day :(
-
Oh I would have loved to have seen this. (Not so sure about you naked though). Did you manage to retrieve your boots or your dignity? :roflanim: :roflanim:
-
Boots recovered by pigs, dignity only just, the ability to walk ,about an hour ago but only because the medication wore off. Waiting for new lot to take effect and then back to bed under the supervision of the currently wet ginger cat.
Oh and I never knew my GP could laugh so loudly............ or the nurses.
Why are the smallest of pill the most potent ?
-
Trying to figure out what day it is ???
Worked some extra days lately and I am struggling to keep up with what I am supposed to be doing when and where
:idea: if today is Friday then it is our Brownie trip tomorrow :tired:
-
Trying to figure out what day it is ???
Worked some extra days lately and I am struggling to keep up with what I am supposed to be doing when and where
:idea: if today is Friday then it is our Brownie trip tomorrow :tired:
I'm having that trouble as well at the moment , getting forgetful and a wee bit confused and so tired, than goodness its Friday
-
A bad night last night , so I've been up since 2am washed the cars , done some wood work, moved some hay, changed the pigs bedding and now will join them for a wee nap, oh and the youngest dog has stolen my walking stick :huff:
Just out of interest does anyone now what a " normal" life is like ?
-
Work
And recovering from yesterday :tired:
RTB
Normal is ............. :thinking:
Need to get back to you on that one
-
Dosing and tidying up sheep. Sorting out fat ram lambs from store ram lambs, either to sell privately or through market. Making the most of this brilliant weather by tidying up and mowing the garden. Bad weather hits tomorrow, just really thankful the rest of the hay bales are all done and dusted! Winter is sorted, I hope!!! :relief:
-
Had a superb kip in the ark , the girls :pig: must think I'm nuts ( probably the rest of you too ) sat out side in the sun afterwards and just watched the birds, just had a nice hot shower and off to bed with that clean sheets feeling ( and the medication :innocent: ) hopefully a good night ahead, If I can find my thinking head in the morning :roflanim: I may go to work :fc:
Sweet dreams folks
-
Crazy busy few days here. Put a new patio in and levelled the old one. I have also started processing my Muscovy ducks. It took me ages to skin and gut 6. I have 12 more for next weekend
-
attending my hospital appointment, then went to mcdonalds for a mocha frappe, cheeky! ;) Now I am going to take some pics of some ram lambs for someone, make some dinner and finally relax beofre going out to checlk/feed animals. Helped mum clean a bit today, grandparents are visiting tomorrow, staying until monday, as they are going to see my great uncle down south, as he is unwell :( Beautiful sunshine means a lot of washing to do... Excuse me guys :D
-
Now........
Starting to panic about starting new job tomorrow
Got my new pen/pencil/notebook
Shoes are polished
Clothes looked out, ironed and hung up
Where did I put those Kalm tablets? .........
-
Now........
Starting to panic about starting new job tomorrow
Got my new pen/pencil/notebook
Shoes are polished
Clothes looked out, ironed and hung up
Where did I put those Kalm tablets? .........
Traffic warden ? :) :) good luck any way.
-
Now........
Starting to panic about starting new job tomorrow
Got my new pen/pencil/notebook
Shoes are polished
Clothes looked out, ironed and hung up
Where did I put those Kalm tablets? .........
Don't worry you will be absolutely fine :)
As for me am sorting out sheep this afternoon, dosing and such, provided the weather holds itself at bay, was horrific this morn! ::) Then I have a calves building to clean and after that giving my mum a hand around the house as she is stressed to the hilt!!! Grandparents are out atm but will be back soon, so better get me skates on :)
Laters peeps!
-
Now........
Starting to panic about starting new job tomorrow
Got my new pen/pencil/notebook
Shoes are polished
Clothes looked out, ironed and hung up
Where did I put those Kalm tablets? .........
Traffic warden ? :) :) good luck any way.
No........
Trainee bookkeeper
At the good old age of..................
:roflanim:
-
Now........
Starting to panic about starting new job tomorrow
Got my new pen/pencil/notebook
Shoes are polished
Clothes looked out, ironed and hung up
Where did I put those Kalm tablets? .........
Traffic warden ? :) :) good luck any way.
No........
Trainee bookkeeper
At the good old age of..................
:roflanim:
Ahhh keeping books , just be quiet in the library, oh wait.......... :-\
Good luck tomorrow
-
Staying indoors, wrapped in a blanket and wishing everything didn't start aching when the weather changes for the worse.
-
Staying indoors, wrapped in a blanket and wishing everything didn't start aching when the weather changes for the worse.
We need a non-like button!
After the 3 sunny days last week the grey of the last 2 plus dark by 8.15 has kick started the start of my SAD for this year ???? .., struggling to get up and going.
-
Watching the late haylage get wrapped. Fingers crossed that it is palatable for the beasts, it does have rather a lot of mature thistles in it and the beggars had seeded :(
-
Staying indoors, wrapped in a blanket and wishing everything didn't start aching when the weather changes for the worse.
We need a non-like button!
After the 3 sunny days last week the grey of the last 2 plus dark by 8.15 has kick started the start of my SAD for this year ???? .., struggling to get up and going.
Really sorry to hear this you two. Hope you both feel better soon! Weather has been bad here too and it makes everything so depressing and such. Have you tried 5HTP [member=26580]Backinwellies[/member] ? I used it a few times and it really worked :) Healthspan and natures best do it!
Today I have been spending some of the morning helping prepping gparents, with my parents, for their journey home. The last time we'll see them before gdad's hip op... :/ Just going to tidy the kitchen and then have a longggg sleeeeeppppp. Was up until 1/2 past 1 am this morning, my friend just wouldn't quit talking to me.... ::)
-
Alternating between.......
Wondering if I should get my head examined!
If I go to the loo, will I have the courage to come back out? (Didn't go, so didn't have to face that one!)
Omg I'm getting paid to do this!
Is it home time yet?
Come going home time I realised I had survived and that the day had passed relatively quickly
And I have to do it all again tomorrow :o
-
Alternating between.......
Wondering if I should get my head examined!
If I go to the loo, will I have the courage to come back out? (Didn't go, so didn't have to face that one!)
Omg I'm getting paid to do this!
Is it home time yet?
Come going home time I realised I had survived and that the day had passed relatively quickly
And I have to do it all again tomorrow :o
Well done you are doing great! Remember babysteps at first and you will enjoy it :)
-
Staying indoors, wrapped in a blanket and wishing everything didn't start aching when the weather changes for the worse.
We need a non-like button!
After the 3 sunny days last week the grey of the last 2 plus dark by 8.15 has kick started the start of my SAD for this year ??? ? .., struggling to get up and going.
A bit of warmth today so feeling considerably better. I think it's worse when we get a lovely warm day followed by a cold, wet one.
Linda, have you used a light box? They are supposed to be very good. I don't get SAD, thank goodness but the raised pain levels tend to make me feeling emotionally low.
-
Cutting down trees to make a track through the woodland, now suffering knees , tomorrow hopefully will log it all up and Tuesday I have hired an excavator to tidy up and finish the track ( and create as much chaos as possible ) A'rnt holidays at home great ?
-
Dig-a-dig-dig-dig
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI0x0KYChq4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI0x0KYChq4) just about sums the last couple of days , tomorrow I'll let my body sleep :relief:
-
feeding animals in all this horrible weather, raining cats n dogs it is ::) Had to get some metacam for a calf with pneumonia and some AB's from vets. Then cleaned dairy and milking parlour, all sparkling :D Will be getting ram in later as he has got a bad back foot, unusual, so needs looking at. Hope everyone elses day was good :)
-
Picking Elderberries , theres an awful lot in 1.3 kilos and blackberries, much easier for my fat fingers. Oh and trying to get the back to work head on :-\
-
Eating, drinking wine, playing with my grandson and enjoying the lovely temperatures. Back to England from the South of France tomorrow. :'(
-
trying to stay dry :raining:
-
Taking the pigs for a walk and inspecting fences ( they're experts y'know ) called into work tho transport high consequence dangerous goods , call out money and overtime :excited: :excited: :excited: and it only lunch time
-
walking dogs today with mum, first time in a long time I could do that, mainly just let them run around with me when checking our animals. Trying to advertise buffalo for sale, need to work out how many of the older in calf cows we will be selling (decisions, decisions ::) ) Moving 4 younger heifers and bull onto fresh pasture, have to gte building sorted to bring em in tho.... Not much tbh ;)
-
Dispatching geese , Mrs RTB boning them out, fitting tie down rings to my new transport box, collecting windfalls, bedding up the pigs and playing fetch with them :) , paying the bills :( , counting out the pills for the next week , battening down the hatches in preparation for the expected "stiff breeze", looking forward to work tomorrow for a rest.....
-
Harvesting Giant achoocha. They went well in lasagne
-
At our Goat Club Meeting , with the our goat keepers and goat keepers to be . :goat:
-
Spinning at my local spinning club meeting.
-
cleaning out animals, feeding, cleaning dairy and having an emotional breakdown :(
-
Got another call out this morning ( helps having a girlfriend in the office !! :innocent: ) film star wages... yeah right ,but not to be sniffed at , once home its been an afternoon of bedding up the pigs and checking them over, then the main event, yes its that time of the year again, fresh batteries in the torches, smoke detectors and the gas and carbon monoxide alarms tested too.
All the outside lights checked and timers reset Ive put the clocks back now and its off to bed “early” and the bonus lie in to come, heaps of pain killers to night and a good rest for the knees,just dont bother calling me tomorrow !
As an aside we havent had rain for 22hrs :raining: but I wont hold my breath...
Dont forget your clocks , just try explaining it to your beasties in the morning when they are shouting for breakfast
-
Yeah never forgot the clocks, feel very jet lagged, always the way tbh lol. Just been feeding animals, milking with my brother. Parents been away all afternoon, so I got to relax a bit, read a book and watch a film. Which was good :) been in a bad way this past week :(
-
Repairing the pig ark. >:( >:( >:(
-
Sleeping. I've now been diagnosed with fibromyalgia as well as everything else and I overdid things big time on Friday and Saturday. The result being that I slept the clock round, got up, had breakfast and then slept some more.
-
Topping rushes with a strimmer before the horses are moved onto the winter field.
-
Topping rushes with a strimmer before the horses are moved onto the winter field.
and hopefully a good frost to make them die down
-
Wobbling! I had a fall in the road a few weeks ago and gave my head a good old bang which has resulted in severe vertigo.
-
I sprayed for a few seasons but it just seemed to knock the rushes back a bit. Now they're topped regularly and are thinning out considerably. No more thick clumps that the topper had to chew its way through.
-
Wobbling! I had a fall in the road a few weeks ago and gave my head a good old bang which has resulted in severe vertigo.
I'm so sorry to hear that [member=89885]devonlady[/member] have you seen the dr? Hope you feel better soon! :hug:
Quite a quiet day today. Managed to sort out a roater for days off, every week each of us has a day off and the rest pick up the slack, today was my elder bro's turn, done him a world of good :) Under sonme pressure as grandfather just had a hip op and is stuck in hospital, so having to prepare for mum and dad going up there next monday :( They wen't up there monday just gone and were away until yesterday. Weather cleared up giving enough opportunity for building cleaning to bring in buffalo, then fed sheep their cake and coaxing the store lambs to start with theirs, they did too like good animals :) They've only known grass lol.
Have a great evening guys! :thumbsup:
-
Cutting, glueing and sticking. Muggins here is making the stable for the pub nativity set. At least the glue gun worked and the balsa wood hayrack and ladder to the hayloft have worked. Just have to work out whereabouts to place the christmas tree inside it - in the hayloft or down with the main characters.
-
Delivered coal to cwmmorgan just outside Newcastle-Emlyn then on to Plwmp just above Cardigan. Back for 12-30 and loaded up again for local deliveries. finished for 4 o'clock.
-
Knackered , put the lorry through central reservation Friday night :'( truck damaged , my pride dented and got the shakes . Got out truck to check damage.... no steps they had gone ! I fell and fell to floor dislocating already knackered knee.
Called it in to work and had to wait for the safety team and recovery mechanic. then the pee of shame in to the cup for the drugs test. take stuff out of cab and taken home. :( :( :( :(.
have just copped doing the animals albeit slowly , but nee rest every so often .
Couple from work came round this afternoon to check on me and help ( company paying them double time ).
Doctor appt made for tomorrow morning , to be signed off, shame I waqs meant to be on Holiday next week,
-
On the bright side, RtB, you will still have your holiday to look forward to.
-
Holiday will be cancelled as will be on sick, makes no odds but as Mrs RTB is away on her holiday Its struggle as normal ??? ??? ???.
Oh well onward and upward going for a long hot shower then bed
night all
-
hope you feel better soon :hug:
-
hope you feel better soon :hug:
Thanks ,now getting 2 jabs a day in back side
-
hope you feel better soon :hug:
Thanks ,now getting 2 jabs a day in back side
wishing you all the best! :)
Been busy helping bro milk today, amidst getting horrible big bites off mites in the hay :( Weathers turned for the worst so just finished feeeding sheep their feed, putting buffalo onto fresh pasture before they are going to come in, in about a week or so (hoping!!) Mum and dad are away next few days so trying to manage stuff in their absence. Thankfully i have 2 bro's helping :thumbsup: :trophy:
-
Do hope you are feeling better. I am full of the cold and trying just to get on with things. Animals still need fed and cleaned out and the weather has been so horrible. Its going to be a long winter.
-
new routine then . 0800 surgery get jag , go home do animals . 09.30 mandatory small breakfast even if I don't feel hungry ( unusual for me ) take rest of meds, wash and to bed. 17.00 back to surgery for 2nd jag , I swear the needle is now BIGGER go home , get over the shakes :' do animals, ( seems to be more of them in the evening :) 20;00 milk and go to bed , seems it will work until Friday :excited:
-
new routine then . 0800 surgery get jag , go home do animals . 09.30 mandatory small breakfast even if I don't feel hungry ( unusual for me ) take rest of meds, wash and to bed. 17.00 back to surgery for 2nd jag , I swear the needle is now BIGGER go home , get over the shakes :' do animals, ( seems to be more of them in the evening :) 20;00 milk and go to bed , seems it will work until Friday :excited:
That's great. Just TC now, don't want you to fall ill or anything :)
Today I have been mainly, so far anyway, milking buffalo, keeping house in order for mums return. Going to be cleaning out chickens later and feeding the sheep :)
Have a good one guys! :thumbsup:
-
new routine then . 0800 surgery get jag , go home do animals . 09.30 mandatory small breakfast even if I don't feel hungry ( unusual for me ) take rest of meds, wash and to bed. 17.00 back to surgery for 2nd jag , I swear the needle is now BIGGER go home , get over the shakes :' do animals, ( seems to be more of them in the evening :) 20;00 milk and go to bed , seems it will work until Friday :excited:
Not much fun for you. You must be like a pincushion. I meant earlier that you are off sick now so will have the holiday later to enjoy. Take care.
Been doing some spinning today. I bought a lovely white woodland fleece at the Wool Experience in the summer and it is spinning up a dream.
-
getting visits from the district nurse :( :( :( :( going back to bed untill she arrives for breakfast in the morning.
Not looking god at the moment and it bliddy cold here too
-
hope you are feeling better soon RTB. I have been mainly in the kitchen, making pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, and icing the Christmas cake, punctuated by spells weeding out ivy in the garden.
-
out on my bike :thumbsup:
-
Cursing the Doctor >:( silly sod gave me the "you're not well /you're an idiot / don't you know the meaning of infirmity ? / trying to drive the pick up with a leg in a pillowcase to work the pedals is not wise / and don't think I didnt hear about the pigs " ( district nurse busted me ) lecture...
Signed off work for the rest of the year :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( with the " I cant stop you from being stupid and working on the croft BUT take it easy " lecture :gloomy: :gloomy:
Better keep away from the keyboard as well ;)
-
Cursing the Doctor >:( silly sod gave me the "you're not well /you're an idiot / don't you know the meaning of infirmity ? / trying to drive the pick up with a leg in a pillowcase to work the pedals is not wise / and don't think I didnt hear about the pigs " ( district nurse busted me ) lecture...
Signed off work for the rest of the year :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( with the " I cant stop you from being stupid and working on the croft BUT take it easy " lecture :gloomy: :gloomy:
Better keep away from the keyboard as well ;)
Ouch sounds harsh that lol. Hope you feel better soon! xx
Just the usual today, feeding sheep, milking buffalo, cleaning parlour. Dad has gone to fetch bales for animal, so should be back soon. Probably catch up on that novel I'm halfway through.
Have a good one guys! :thumbsup:
-
R TB, you're having a pretty grim time of it :hug: :hug: As I was told yesterday, think of the good times, don't dwell on the bad.
I am recovering from a T.I.A and wishing I didn't keep forgetting words!!
-
I am recovering from a T.I.A and wishing I didn't keep forgetting words!!
DL, my mum was like that after a full-blown stroke. Actually she lost the ability to talk at all but it gradually came back. She would have us in stitches at some or the things she said, like answering the door and saying Goodbye instead of Hello. The best was when my son was trying to massage her shoulders where she is very ticklish and she was squirming and laughing and managed to say, "David, get your hands off my knickers." She had meant shoulders, of course, but nearly wet her knickers when she realised what she'd said. The speech therapist said that words are stored in the brain in different categories so saying goodbye when she meant hello actually makes sense but not the other one. The trouble was that it gradually did improve and spoiled all our fun. :roflanim:
Hope you recover quickly and manage to get your words back before long. Remember to laugh at the things you say - it doesn't seem quite so bad. And take it easy. I'm sure you've been told that TLAs are often a warning. :hug:
-
Freezing the Pig joints and keeping out of Mrs RTB's way as she is curing bacon, but its me that needs curing......
-
Freezing my joints! Playing about in the cold with sheep hurdles/fencing/hayracks and checking the boundary fences to try and find out where the ram escaped from the field. Conclusion is he jumped. Daft sod went away from the ewes and not towards them.
-
He's obviously had a better offer somewhere else. :innocent:
-
Staying indoors and doing some crochet. At least four inches of snow out there and I'm unsteady on my feet on unslippery surfaces.
-
Staying in bed , difficult to walk on the snow and it's too cold, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
-
Another day of being indoors, looking out of the window at the ever-deepening snow and shuddering.
-
Feeling shattered and sore. Worked a very long day yesterday and was working till 1am this morn lol. Going to feed sheep a bit later, snow is melting now, so not too bad :) Just trying to find a clever way of carting hay to the sheep, so far 2 feed bags on string wrapped over one shoulder seems best way so far, although heavy ::) going to grit front of the parlour again, so no buffaloes will slip :) Have a good one guys! :thumbsup:
-
Watching the blackbirds in the steading watching the farm cats eating their go cat . waiting for them to finish ( they love the cats food ) , Oh and sitting in front of the log burner , to cold to do anything else .
-
trying to get my head round Hazard analysis critical control points... any hints and tips will be gratefully received
-
trying to get my head round Hazard analysis critical control points... any hints and tips will be gratefully received
This any use https://www.gov.uk/food-safety-hazard-analysis (https://www.gov.uk/food-safety-hazard-analysis) ?
-
Today I fed the goats for the first time in nearly a week. The ground has been too slippery for me to go out so poor OH, who doesn't even want the goats, has had to do all the feeds.
-
many thanks RTB; looks very useful
-
WBF a dumpy bag would make moving feed over snow easier. :)
-
Been “helping” Mrs RTB with the last of the bacon curing by keeping well out of the way and carrying stuff to and from the chillier.
We have some curing salts left over see;
https://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=88805.0 (https://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=88805.0)
-
Learning to sew with a sewing machine. :roflanim:
-
Swimming. I have been nursing a dodgy knee for a week or so and needed some exercise to went and did a few lengths of the local pool.
-
Making Zwartbaubles ;D
(https://anoutdoorlife.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/zwartble-bauble.jpg?w=768)
Full instructions are here (https://anoutdoorlife.wordpress.com/2017/12/24/how-to-make-a-christmas-zwartble-bauble/) in case anybody fancies a laugh. No, I'm not bored at all, honest!
-
If you ever own a Skoda Fabia and one of the windscreen wipers stops moving, take my advice and just trade it in or scrap it >:( .
-
If you ever own a Skoda Fabia and one of the windscreen wipers stops moving, take my advice and just trade it in or scrap it >:( .
but keep the wiper :innocent:
Has the linkage failed or the motor ?
-
Recovering from a very long trip home from our son's home in the South of France and getting to bed at 4am yesterday morning to be woken five hours later by my OH who had discovered that we had a leak in the spare bedroom. Today was spent sorting things out.
I was horrified to find my box of photos of the children when they were small was soaking wet and I thought I'd lost all the photos but, amazingly, the inside of the box was still dry and the photos were fine.
In all, it looks like the damage wasn't as bad as it looked at first. I've ordered a dehumidifier and we've had the heating on so it will dry out eventually.
-
Eeek! That doesn't sound good, MGOM! Had it been leaking the whole time you'd been away, or had it only just started?
Has the linkage failed or the motor ?
Just the linkage, which had popped off one of its crappy ball joints. The garage wanted £200 to install a complete new linkage assembly, but since a new push rod on its own only cost £3.75, I thought I'd give it a go myself.
First it turns out that there's no easy way of squeezing the new rod on, but once I'd figured that out, 10 turns of a G-clamp were not enough to make it fit on, whilst 10.5 turns were enough to crack the plastic! What an utterly carp design!!
-
Eeek! That doesn't sound good, MGOM! Had it been leaking the whole time you'd been away, or had it only just started?
Has the linkage failed or the motor ?
Just the linkage, which had popped off one of its crappy ball joints. The garage wanted £200 to install a complete new linkage assembly, but since a new push rod on its own only cost £3.75, I thought I'd give it a go myself.
First it turns out that there's no easy way of squeezing the new rod on, but once I'd figured that out, 10 turns of a G-clamp were not enough to make it fit on, whilst 10.5 turns were enough to crack the plastic! What an utterly carp design!!
Heat it, I used the hot air gun to take it past the brittle stage to the elastic stage then popped it together ( that was the second one , having found out the same way you did.. )
-
T I H B M...
working out if there is an easier way to move sheep hurdles. I have 35 of the 6 foot ones, that are currently being used to allow 4 wiltshires to graze some unfenced ( unfenced within the land - if they get out they can't leave the property area, but I don't want to fence this area at the moment ) grass. I move them once a day, so at least half the enclosed area is new (nice, long, ungrazed for 2y ) grass, but it takes hours. I currently move all of one half of the circle to the middle, and leave it dog-toothed to take up the slack. Then move the outer edge outwards, to new grass. There must be an easier way. The good news is, no bingo wings for me with all the lifting.
-
Could you fasten the sheep into a 4 hurdle pen, then dismantle the others and carry to the new location, errect and release the sheep.
You are still carrying all the hurdles but not having to worry about escaping sheep and losing the connections. It will also be quicker as you are plonking the hurdles where you want them to end up and not crabbing up the field.
-
convincing the company Doctor that I really am sufficiently recovered and fit for work :excited:
now waiting for management to decide if its a truck or a desk I drive on Monday
-
Tidying up the polytunnel, a long overdue job this winter.
Dans
-
trying to save a water buffalo's life and alas being unsuccessful :'( On the plus side I babysat my niece for a few hrs which was nice :)
Hope evryone elses day went well :thumbsup:
Nights!
-
Back to work driving , 10 weeks of inactivity and I'm worn out !
-
Visiting my BIL on his 68th birthday. He has severe learning disabilities and is blind. Not convinced he knows who we are and he certainly isn't bothered whether we go or not but we do anyway.
-
Trying to recover from my first week back at work,I've missed so much and have spent most of my time catching up on stuff , accident forms, sickness statements, Christmas and New Year stuff ie: hugs and kisses from the girls in the office ;) . and a frozen staff Christmas dinner put by .
Frightening that during the time I was off 2 other drivers passed away and another one diagnosed terminally ill , puts things into perspective, Driving the truck was a bit nerve wracking too .
Now a weekend trying to catch up on the croft and at the same time "resting" :roflanim: :roflanim:
-
Feeling excited because at long last I can share the news that I am expecting twin grandchildren at the end of July. :excited: :excited: :excited:
Now I can get busy :spin: :spin: and :knit: :knit:
-
Washing my (and the families) clothes, recovering from starting my new job (now officially off JSA :excited:) and researching meat rabbits and plastic hen houses (solway recycling/durham/greenfrog). Also planning to build my new log store
-
Pulled up a well laden Brussel sprout stalk.
Sorted out the seed order from D. T. Brown.
-
starting my new job (now officially off JSA :excited:)
Well done you :thumbsup:
-
Sitting on a sofa feeling full of a cold and sorry for myself. I have been catching up on computer work though and 2 and a half hours outside so some nice clear beds in the polytunnel.
Dans
-
Planting new hedgerow. 300 in the ground so far, 250 still to go. Hard work but it will be worth it :-)
-
Planting new hedgerow. 300 in the ground so far, 250 still to go. Hard work but it will be worth it :-)
In a few years time you will look at them and say to yourself with pride " I planted them, I made a difference "
-
In a few years time you will look at them and say to yourself with pride " I planted them, I made a difference "
Yes, thanks :-) Really want to be able to look back in future years and say we've made a difference to the land. The hedgerow is one part - we deliberately left a gap between the dry stone wall and new stock fence so that we could plant some more - but increasing the wildflowers in the meadow is also on the list.
Here's the weekend's work - rabbit guards to go on when the company send the other 500 we ordered.
-
milking buffalo for bro, barred him from dairy until his eye is better. Making sure all the animals are doing good, had a lot of snowfall today, although its cleared up now :)
-
Dismantled, washed and disinfected the 2 Solway chicken coops , as it was a nice sunny day they dried quickly, put them, back together and new bedding all with a audience of 21 :chook: :chook: :chook: x 7.
Now my knees have given up so now its off to collect the car from its 1st MOT and a service.
Then a nice cup of tea while I dont think of work ( Hols for the week :) )
Then the feeding of the kids and I'll sit and rest in the pen with them.
-
I spent most of the day with a friend who had to have her young dog pts after it attacked and tried to kill her other dog and, when stopped, then turned on my friend who has a badly mauled hand. Lucy, the dog who was attacked, went straight into the submission position when she was attacked but Marnie went for her throat and was shaking her. Nothing had triggered the attack. They were all three just about to go upstairs to bed. The blood was sprayed all up the wall as far as light switches but we managed to get it all off.
Both of them were more relaxed by the time I left but my friend's painkillers had worn off and she was finding it very hard to do things with her left hand totally strapped. She has a lot of torn muscle at the base of her fingers and a piece absolutely missing that may need treatment at a later day.
Despite all this, she cried her eyes out after we took the dog to be PTS and kept asking me if she'd done the right thing. This was a much loved and well trained dog who just flipped for no reason. The vet said nothing could be done. It's possible that she was the result of interbreeding and just had a screw lose. It just shows how easily it can happen.
-
Well its cold and snowing so I unpacked my steam juice extractor and produced a litre of fresh apple juice, brilliant !
-
.
Putting on a brave face.
:hug:
-
Dismantled a 6'x8' greenhouse to put on ebay.
I am upgrading to a larger model which I am not looking forward to building
-
passing inspection by EMI and LA food business inspector :)
-
advertising animals for sale, checking water troughs and removing ice, feeding cleaning and bedding down animals :)
-
Spent the morning with the Orthopedic Consultant :( spent the afternoon looking at walking aids , as no surgery for Me then.
I think I've found My sell by date....... on the upside , err.
-
Today i have been mainly clearing the ground for the timber workshop and meat rabbit hutches to go on. Back breaking but good to finally get started
-
Shovelling poo. Twelve trailer loads of the stuff. I am now cream crackered.
-
Learning that I am to be a Great Granny in September :excited:
-
Learning that I am to be a Great Granny in September :excited:
Congrats :excited:
-
considering going back to work ( the mind is willing.... fill in the rest yourself )
-
Good luck, Rupert.
I took my husband for a day out on the Severn Valley Steam Railway for their spring gala, and wish I hadn't. Although the main carpark was full I went up the drive because I wanted a disabled place but there weren't any and nowhere to turn so I reversed quite a long way with people walking round me all the time and another car edging closer and closer because he wanted to get past. My parking sensors were going berserk which is why I didn't realise there was a low wall behind me until I hit it. Just as well I was going so slowly.
We ended up driving round trying to find somewhere to park, which ended up quite a way from the station and had to walk back (wheel in my case). We just managed to miss our train so had to wait for the next one. The ramp on was so steep my chair wouldn't go up it so I had to walk while the chair was man-handled (it's a power chair so very heavy). Good journey there with some nice people in the guard's break with us who went to the buffet to get us drinks. Again I had to get down the ramp on foot because of the steepness. When we got to Kidderminster we got off to have a wander round the station and get a coffee only to discover it was two hours before our return train so we got back much later than we expected. Long walk back to the car park which seemed to have moved so we did a round tour of Bridgnorth before meeting someone who could direct us. Went to use the disabled toilets only to have someone open the door while we were in there - the lock didn't work. This happened twice. Finally back in the car and drove home via the local chippy.
On the plus side, the dog had a whale of a time because he had lots of fuss made of him and was told he was handsome, gorgeous, clever - all sorts of compliments. He doesn't usually get that because he's usually working as a guide dog.
Relaxing now. Next time we go on the steam trains it will not be on gala day!!
-
poor you! sounds like a very trying day :hug:
-
Wondering why the hell I keep sheep
-
Putting a new steel sheet roof on a field shelter to replace the onduline sheeting and now thawing out watching Escape To The Chateau.
-
Glaring at the snow.
-
went back to work, it was , er , an interesting day, might go back again tomorrow, just to see what happens next
-
Shooting a prolapsed ewe at 5am (one of my favourites too, of course).
It's a long story, and one I might tell eventually. In the meantime, could somebody please remind me why I do this? I think PTSD (Post Traumatic Smallholder Disorder) might be a thing after all :( .
-
Shooting a prolapsed ewe at 5am (one of my favourites too, of course).
It's a long story, and one I might tell eventually. In the meantime, could somebody please remind me why I do this? I think PTSD (Post Traumatic Smallholder Disorder) might be a thing after all :( .
Awww [member=2128]Womble[/member] I am really sorry to hear of this :hug: The reason why you do what you do is because its a good thing, you're an excellent stocksperson with the passion and drive for the job. You do it because it is rewarding somewhat, but also because you enjoy doing it :thumbsup: Thats a very good thing :) There are hard times in farming livestock, sometimes it feels like you are all alone and that the whole world is collapsing around your ears, but the truth is many of us have been there and we know how it feels to have to say goodbye to one of our favourite animals after tradgedy. You did your very best for her I am sure and you shouldn't beat yourself up about that. In the end you did the right thing, which was best for her. It shows how much of a good person you are. If you need to talk to anyone am here. Tc now x
-
doing housework mainly. Parents were away all afternoon, so I got to practise my housewife skills :roflanim: On the plus side the weathers better so Ive managed to clean the parlour, as in freshen it up with more paint, re-do the floor :) ready for next batch of calvers in few months ;) So all hands on deck this week :D
-
Awww, thanks [member=42855]waterbuffalofarmer[/member] . Thankfully I'm pretty sure this was just 'one of those things', and that I couldn't have prevented it, so I'm not beating myself up too much. It was still a horrid experience though, yet I'm choosing to tell myself that really this is as bad as it gets (I really, really hope! :fc: ).
There was one funny outcome though. Have you ever struggled to get rid of cold callers on the phone? Well my mobile rang just as I was about to start feeding our wee orphan lamb. It was a nice lady who wanted to ask "If you could replace any number of windows in your house for free, how many would you choose?" (Great - an un-answerable 'have you stopped beating your wife yet?' question - my favourite kind!).
Thankfully, just at that moment, wee orphan lamb let out a massive bleat. The lady on the phone said "Oh, how lovely - I remember when mine were like that. How old is yours then?". "Oh, only a couple of days", I said.
Unfortunately my sleep-deprived brain then thought fit to add "I think this one's just upset with me because I shot her mother this morning" :dunce: .
-
:roflanim: :roflanim: that's funny that! I bet it got rid of her in no time ;D they do seem to call at the most inconvenient of times tho..... My brother pretends to be another person on the phone to coldcallers, he puts on a hilarious accent and they actually fall for it ;) I don't think it will happen again to the others tbh. It's probably just an isolated incidents. Hope her lamb does well. You are doing an amazing job! :thumbsup: :trophy:
-
Womble, thats brilliant !
-
Womble, I just choked. :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: Bet she hung up pretty quickly.
PS if you spot blue flahing lights outside, make sure your gun is safely locked away.
-
I'll have to remember that line [member=2128]Womble[/member]! In all seriousness though sorry to hear the sad side but do hope you do write about it - you have a way of capturing the practical bits step by step that is often helpful and instructive to others who haven't yet had to do whatever it is.
On our little farm we managed to get the three little pigs out into their paddock. Well not today actually, but at the weekend, just haven't had the chance to catch up on here since! Five days on and they haven't escaped yet and the electric fence is still working :)
Also slaughtered our second pair of cockerels from last autumn's hatch. They got butchered Monday night after work and dressed out at 1.7 and 2.3kg which we're pleased with.
-
Thanks Black Sheep. We managed to twin the orphan lamb on yesterday, so I'm feeling a little bit better about things today, so yes, I'll write it up when I get chance, as there's loads of learning in what happened.
Today's learning: Colostrum tastes really weird! #thingsyouknewyouweregoingtohavetotryjustonce.
-
Today's learning: Colostrum tastes really weird! #thingsyouknewyouweregoingtohavetotryjustonce.
But makes a wonderful egg custard without needing eggs.
-
Showing our 2year old palomino section b filly.
-
Found out that the hen we thought had gone broody four days ago, is in fact dead.
Now we're not sure if she was ever broody, or if she just died whilst laying an egg, and we're really unobservant! :dunce:
Er, Happy Easter Everybody! :o
-
Found out that the hen we thought had gone broody four days ago, is in fact dead.
Now we're not sure if she was ever broody, or if she just died whilst laying an egg, and we're really unobservant! :dunce:
Er, Happy Easter Everybody! :o
Dont worry , she might get resurrected tomorrow :fc: :fc: :fc:
-
Staggering around tapping in loose fence posts, taking a long time as I keep stopping to watch the birds.
Dawn chorus this morning was exceptional , sitting out side with a mug of tea a dusting of snow on the ground , a clear blue sky and the birds just going for it, you cant buy that .
-
Spent this morning
tidying mucking out the porch in advance of some friends coming up to see our lambs, only for them to get within two miles and turn back because of the extreme weather conditions. We hadn't even noticed, and still have 24hr old lambs outside!
P.S. for avoidance of doubt, there is no snow lying here whatsoever. Well, only the remnants of the piles the JCB left when they dug us out a few weeks ago! ;D
-
OK. Spoke too soon. There's three inches of snow lying now :-[ .
-
Wondering why keeping sheep was a good idea!
-
Out in the sun, (for the 2nd day in a row) de-thatching and cutting down rushes in a couple of paddocks , the chickens chasing me for the insects that get thrown up ( and hoping I will take a tumble as the cutter runs away from me :) ) extracted apple juice with my steamer and will bottle the elderberry wine, Oh and ordered 2 new walking sticks, I seem to break them a lot :(
-
Talking to my mother who is staying with us. She's 87 and tells me the same story over and over again so I don't have to actually listen just go Mmm at intervals. Hoping to be able to take her out tomorrow,
-
Checking over the trailer for the show season, doing outside jobs in the sun, yes :sunshine: and cutting down to size my new carbon fibre walking sticks, they'd better last as quite ( as in very ) expensive. and getting the hay making gear out to photograph for selling, thats an era over in my life :'( , and not my choice regretably.
However if it doesn't sell , it would be a shame to having it sitting in the garage when theres grass to be cut , just have to ask for help, not that men do that sort of thing ...
-
Moving a mare and foal. The second time in 2 years that an RDA mare has had a BOGOF.
-
Send livestock off to a customer :) checking lambing ewes, checking pregnant buffalo and feeding everything. Going to be doing bit of gardening later, this weather is just too good ATM
Have a great one guys!
-
Photographing and making a short video of the haymaking equipment that going up for sale :( , on the other hand swallows singing :)
-
Gathered, vaccinated, wormed and re-marked all the lambs. Also checked the ewes' teeth, feet and tits...... all on my own, with no stress to myself or the animals, and in about an hour.
When we first started, that took three of us at least twice as long to do, and for fewer animals. What's more, I am pleased to report that I managed not to protect myself against pasturella, pulpy kidney etc this year..... That also makes a change compared with the first couple of times I did vaccinations! ;D
Oh, and I fed this wee chap about twelvety times!
(https://anoutdoorlife.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/frodo.jpg)
I'm only really posting this to say yes, it does get easier with practice. Actually, It's only when I look back now, that I realise just how far we've come. So, if that's you too, take a moment to be proud of what you've achieved and give yourself a pat on the back. However, if you're just starting out and struggling, take heart - give it a few years, and everything will become so much easier after you've done it all a few times.
We also had a visit from some church friends, who it turns out have always dreamed of doing what we do now. That would make them the fourth such couple we've met in three weeks. So, no matter how hard the hard bits get, there are loads of folks out there who would love to be living this way too, and it turns out even look on jealously (yeah, I know!! :roflanim: ).
(https://anoutdoorlife.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/lambs2.jpg)
-
Yesterday morning I did exactly the same thing, also on my own!
-
Visiting the local garden centre to spend yet more money. This year I am investing in more ornamental plants for my garden since I had had to cut down on what I do. I still have plenty of space to grow vegetables and have put in yet another fruit tree in my front garden. A nectarine this time. It's only been there for a few weeks and is covered in tiny fruit. I didn't even notice any blossom.
-
cutting up mealworms, for the swallows , who like the cat's/Dogs/Goats/Chickens have me well trained.
-
My New wildlife/trail cam arrived this evening, I have been reading the Chinglish instructions to set it up, we shall see
-
Busy in the garden, sowing veggie seeds: beetroot, chard, cavelo nero kale, salad leaves, cos lettuce, radishes, rocket and wild flowers. Also got one small bed covered in weed suppressant membrane round the jostaberry. There's a bird feeder in the same bed and the birds love both so lots of seeds dropped. I spent this evening with a heated pad on my back and wishing I had the sense to know my limits.
-
SD a GDPR question.
I am secretary to a small group of widespread people. Up to now every year we have issued each member with a list of other members and their contact details. Do I take it that this is no longer allowed? We have not done such a list this year but have had one request by a member for another members details to organise transport to a show.
I am not sure how much I am allowed to give out.
-
Looking at the photo's and video from my new trailcam .
I'm impressed good night time images and video, and daytime is very very good. What I've learnt is the most important thing is positioning and video length, and putting in the largest memory card it will take (oh and er, ::)
even if its a nice warm sunlit morning at 5am one must remember to wear clothes when letting the chickens out ! and the answer to the questions your mentally thinking is NO and about £50 off ebay )
-
In the wonderfully warm sunshine I've been topping the unused fields with the tractor and cutting grass around the woodland with my "get dragged along " pedestrian cutter, the swallows flying about after the insects and behind me a rabble of feathered stragglers scratching at the newly exposed land.
I've now come in doors a my right knee has decided to bend in both directions again and requires the brace that the dog is so fond of , so a tug of war with much growing and snarling on both sides between a possessive rottweiler and a portly man with only one supporting leg to stand on. :)
-
Fencing. I now have a track aroung the outside of one of the hayfields for the equines to enjoy, all done with electric. Another permanent fence is tacked in place - the gateposts, strainers and fenceposts are all in place with the sheep netting only having the top wire stapled so far. Tomorrow all the rest of the staples get hammered in, gates will be hung and top rails added to the fence. This is the last cross fence to do on the property. There is only boundary fences to redo now but nearly ? of mile to be done, hopefully this year.
-
coming back on train from family up north, been on holiday for 5 days haha. Feels longer :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:
-
Dagging. That is all ;D .
[member=136323]Rupert the bear[/member] , one top tip for trail cam photos at night - if you find that the photos look over-exposed, particularly at short range, try a piece of fabric over the IR LEDs (i have a ring of vetrap which works perfectly). It just helps to reduce the intensity of the flash a little :thumbsup: .
-
Dagging. That is all ;D .
[member=136323]Rupert the bear[/member] , one top tip for trail cam photos at night - if you find that the photos look over-exposed, particularly at short range, try a piece of fabric over the IR LEDs (i have a ring of vetrap which works perfectly). It just helps to reduce the intensity of the flash a little :thumbsup: .
I'm finding that the mist leaves condensation on the lens, I am told that Rain x will solve that , to be tried.
-
Been a long day, I've had enough for now so its home made banana flavour ice cream, I'm going to sit in the sun, relax and watch the goats and birds at play.
-
Deeply upset.
The magpies have been through all the swallows nests, only 3 eggs left.
2 magpies and a hooded crow had suffered lead poisoning this evening.
An early start tomorrow, before first light to get set up, bad enough when they stole the hens eggs, but this is too far
-
Waiting.........
02:30 magpie takes decoy egg. and under the covers I go , not a long wait as the known swallow egg thief appears at the steading door , PTS , and back to waiting , no one comes to look at the body . A couple of hours pass and I'm joined by the male cat trying to blow my cover , he is encouraged to "go away". A crow is at the chickens coop, I catch him in the act,I wonder what was going through his mind at the time ?
06:15 I'm settled down under the cover with an excellent view of the yard and the birds singing and doing bird stuff is most pleasant , until casually walking across my field of view is the aforementioned cat
with a freshly caught and sadly deceased swallow >:( silent words said.
I remain hidden until 11:00 and the desire for the toilet, cup of tea and toast bets the better of me.
Well two down, see what tomorrow brings.
-
It sounds like you could do with a larson trap, unless you love sitting in wait.
-
I have a larson trap , it works well(new springs this year ) , I don't count the victims of that as they have "given themselves up" ! Its the ones that are more savvy and avoid the trap that I lie in wait for
-
aww guys really sorry to hear all this :hug: :hug: Hope things get better soon!
Currently sorting out gardens and buildings ready for calving to commence :)
-
Shearing seven Soay with a pair of dressmaking scissors.
Hetavac given and crovect applied.
You'd think they would be grateful to be rid of that fleece in this hot weather but were they heck!
Welsh rarebit for lunch and a lie down needed now!
-
Today I watched my hay parks getting cut by men older and fitter than myself , they will turn and make the hay as well. this is awful not being able to take part , very much mixed emotions having done it for decades myself, it seems rather odd. :'(
-
It is hard having to let the hay fairies do the work for you. No doubt you have been a hay fairy, or other fairy, to others in your time. Try not to fret on has beens.
-
I walked out in to the park this morning with this weather it looks like it will very good stuff this year.years ago I used to see the old farm hands stop and watch me making hay, with the occasional comments and advice.
W
ell I've become one of them now.
-
Been for a mobility assessment, bad news is good news or is it good news is bad news, I'm not sure.
Work have placed me on gardening leave today until they can locate a job for me within the company that I can do , target of end of August or else....
Not really happy
-
Thanks for that SD , I got caught on CCTV falling over , my stick when flying ! and the following day I was last in the fore drill evacuation. Interview with coffee 8am.
Disability assessment arranged months ago 10am , took over an hour out of the day and told me what I already knew, on the upside I wasted the rest of the day lounging by the pool and taking the occasion dip
( yes I know it a 10ft paddling pool, But its still a pool !! 2700 ltrs )
-
Well I hope the rest of you hay makers are having similar good luck this year .
I have just seen the last of the hay baled, normally euphoric at this juncture ,but just pleased , I was permitted to make the last bale , just to say I had done some of it !
I'm extremely grateful to the old boys for their hard work.
-
After a few sleepless nights I went to the dentist. Small cavity but suspected vertical fracture of the tooth. As only 75% sure about the fracture I was patched up with a filling and sent home. After a better sleepless night - too many pillows as told it would help - I am trying to decide whether to go back and have the tooth removed. It does not hurt at the moment!
Tomorrow I drive to the other side of the country after a ram and next week I have three days at the Great Yorkshire Show. If the tooth needs out am I better waiting a week?
-
my "get dragged along " pedestrian cutter
Tell me more please, [member=136323]Rupert the bear[/member] ? We have several areas a tractor can't navigate with long grass that's too long for the cattle, and I'd love to mow it, dry it and store it rather than flail it and leave it as mulch. We do have a scythe and I enjoy scything, but a pull-along pedestrian mower sounds interesting...
-
Today i've been reading all the news about the situation for swedish farmers, one farmer has been forced to give away 68 pigs due to these two years of drought. So a lot of new smallholders in this country, so something good came out of this mess I guess. It's getting so bad here that we might be forced to ask for help from the EU.
Thank good I only have poultry and that i'm not registered as ecological (then I would be forced to produce the feed myself).
Noticed that there is no activity here today, are you all to nervous about getting your asses kicked in tomorrows game against us? ;)
-
my "get dragged along " pedestrian cutter
Tell me more please, [member=136323]Rupert the bear[/member] ? We have several areas a tractor can't navigate with long grass that's too long for the cattle, and I'd love to mow it, dry it and store it rather than flail it and leave it as mulch. We do have a scythe and I enjoy scything, but a pull-along pedestrian mower sounds interesting...
This is what I have https://www.chipperfield.co.uk/mtd-bm-87-35-scythe.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxqKok8SK3AIVk4XVCh1phgJ1EAQYASABEgKBfPD_BwE# (https://www.chipperfield.co.uk/mtd-bm-87-35-scythe.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxqKok8SK3AIVk4XVCh1phgJ1EAQYASABEgKBfPD_BwE#)
It goes at a reasonable walking pace , easy starter and easy to maintain and has already done a lot of work.
Edited to add I modified the skids on the cutter bar to allow a higher cut and avoid running the cutter into the uneven bits of ground
-
Interesting... We do have an old Allen scythe here and plan to get it working one day :/. Not sure I can bear to spend nearly £900 on the modern equivalent when we've kind of got one already. I guess I better plan to use our new Austrian scythe for an hour a day until it's done.
-
The hay safely under cover :excited: got bored so I built a wood chipper from a crate of parts ( as you do ), changed johnnie foreigners dodgy nuts and bolts for nice shiny stainless steel ones , tomorrow I'll turn the key and see if it starts :)
-
More of a "these past few weeks we have been mainly" :farmer:
Learning how to drive a tractor and taking advantage of the weather to hay about 30 acres (at least half of which is of dubious quality where the land has been let go).
Putting hay in every outbuilding with a roof.
Ferrying water jacks to two thirsty horses and building a Bear Grylls style water filter to supplement their water from the adjacent natural pond (well, this hasn't been done yet but it's on the weekend to do list)!
Dog proofing the old sheep chute and pens so we don't lose the daft buggers while we're mucking about, and starting to clear over a foot of deep litter from said pens.
Playing 'whose sheep is that' and contemplating spending a weekend with a map to find all the fences and dry stone walls to be repaired across 70 odd acres.
Losing a boot in a different pond while chasing my "failed" sheepdog who decided he was actually going to be a sheepdog and disappeared from the hay field before returning with a pissed off sheep - not in his mouth I might add, thank god - giving hubby's uncle who owns said sheep to have a new funny to tell his mates down the pub.
Shopping for a new 4x4 which we can't afford as a Freelander just ain't cutting the mustard (no surprise there) - suggestions welcome!
Revising for my Veterinary Nursing Assistant anatomy and physiology exams in between shovelling deep litter, finding old feed sacks with well rotted dead sheep in (oh the smell!!) while playing 'guess the bone' and swatting away a pair of nosey collies... Sadly the exam was mainly soft tissue so guess the bone wasn't too helpful there...
Contemplating the logistics of getting a static caravan to a location so remote it has zero mains services and is so high up that it has a lightning rod. I've found a company who claims to be able to transport any static to any remote location in the EU, but I'm struggling to see how they'd manage the switchbacks on a mountain that a landrover needs a three point turn to navigate!
Feeling very proud of the hubby who's been stuck in a rut and depressed for a good few years and used his PS4 as an escape mechanism. He loved this farm when he was a kid and he's really throwing himself into getting it back up and running again, alongside his surviving uncle who's teaching us all the ins and outs. I've noticed a real difference in him these past few weeks and he's been talking about moving up there, hence looking into statics. I think the winter will be the deciding factor there but he DID say that if we built our own house that I could have the log fire I've always wanted... I'll ask him again when his feet are made of chilblains and he can't feel his fingers ;D
-
I have just had an enjoyable, though expensive, three days at the Great Yorkshire Show. Impulse buy of a metalic spotted cowhide for the sofa bed. Now to find a home for the boring longhorn cowhide it is replacing.
-
Bottled the elderberry wine, first honey arrived to make more mead.
Watched the swallows bathing in the puddle in the yard, 21 of them,what a noise !
-
Today I bought a windscreen reflector to stop the steering wheel getting hot. It was like saying bring on the rain now! Then I went to see my chickens while watching thunderstorms in the distance while sitting in the sunny patch. I don't like thunderstorms so legged it home after a short while in case I got caught in the next one! I think the sun screen is just as good at summoning the rain as getting the car washed.
-
weeding around the runner beans, they have shot up huge :) Busy with a difficult buffalo calf also, but I will prevail :)
-
Today I are mostly putting up electric fencing in a thunderstorm zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
-
Today I are mostly putting up electric fencing in a thunderstorm zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Brave man
-
Meeting my new employers, who attempted death by power point. I'm yet to form an opinion, but I'm a bit of an old school dinosaur that uses plain speech straight to the point and takes no shortcuts .
Mind you an interview upstairs ( no lift ) for a ripple such as myself was defiantly a winner :roflanim:
Time will tell
-
Congratulations, I hope it works out for you! Powerpoint's not too bad as long as it's short bullet reminders... nothing worse than the entire speech being read from the slides with whizzy bits and sound! And the clincher is when you ask a question about an acronym on the slide and the presenter can't explain it... then you really know what you're dealing with!
So you were in the same room then!!
Chap presenting it didn't compose it,read it out including mistakes. Asking questions threw him a bit finance directors eh !
-
Slight detour.....
I’m on a committee that does several power point presentations at each meeting and e v e r y w o r d is read out. And acronyms........
Here’s me thinking I must be missing something, when in fact.........
Thanks RTB and scarlet.dragon for making those meetings a bit more amusing, well for me anyway.
Back on track....
Spent last few days wondering what the **** I’m still doing at my place of work.
Boss can’t make up mind as to what’s to be done/prioritised. Actually staff know what’s to be done but boss just flexing muscles to show who is actually the boss. And that’s the annoying bit. Been there quite a few years now and I know how things should work, but suddenly all these new ideas are coming out! Really that’s what I’ve been doing for the past zillion years (well 4)! How the new chef hasn’t been sacked for some of his comments!!! I known why, cos at the moment he’s irreplaceable, new business venture and all that......
At least work isnt boring. I think everyone takes bets to see how far into the day I get before I explode/say very bad words. Some days not very far >:( :roflanim:
-
The company I work/ed for is going through the same turmoil, once run by people that knew the business , now run by pointy shoe wearing money men viewing for a bit of carpet in front of the desk ( bonus ) with their new and good ideas, the experienced men / women leave / retire.
This afternoon I was asked to work tomorrow, Saturday, running a base as ,
i; you know how things work,
ii: you can get the agency staff to work for you,
iii: there is no one else to work, having left/retired/lost interest having been told you're all doomed !
At this point I must declare that I am a truck driver ( for the moment ) albeit with an extensive skill set and I could effectively do the job asked but as I am one of the doomed (end of August ) I have declined on the grounds of whatever and a pressing need to watch rainfall ! :raining:
oops rant button pushed :innocent:
SD sign me up for the power point power point meeting , maybe we could touch base over this and going forward incentivise a group to cascade this exciting project across the ...blah blah blah.
ps, I can bring my own crayons too.
-
Scarlet.Drangon me too please.
I don’t have crayons but I can bring cake :innocent:
-
Driving and hating the M6. OH and I went to Fibre East but the two hour drive turned into a three and a half hour drive, which is more than my body can cope with particularly when I have to drive home as well, with several hours in my wheelchair in between. It was my first time at Fibre East and it will definitely be the last. Got my feet up now. OH has been left to get himself some toast for his dinner. ::)
-
I couldn't sleep well last night, so as soon as it was light I started digging up the damaged sewer pipe, fixed that and back filled it . seems to be ok. I came in for brunch and it started raining , now that was lucky timing
-
Doing a 185 mile round trip on the A1 in pouring rain. Got to see some nice sheep and bring a new ram home with us.
-
Preparing for a presentation to be made on behalf of my employer ( foolish I know, I leave them in 3 weeks ! ) A site visit to Montrose Harbour and then home .
Sitting bear ( geddit ! ) chested in the yard in the warmth of the sun ,fanned by the wings of the swallows playing and hunting around me has slowed down the production of my notes by sheer distraction.
-
sweating ,sorting sheep
-
At the appointed hour , 07:00 I am ready and waiting , my presentation equipment is set up ( AO size flip board , and crayons ,child safe and no Voc's ).
My pitch is to be 45 mins + 10 for questions.
The first attendee is on time , better be, he's the CEO ! The others strangle in between 07:05 and 07:15 . Two of them actually have breakfast cereal in bowls with them . Is this the done thing these days?
Do the usual to start , Fire exits , toilets etc etc. Then do my pitch, hand out a written synopsis for the hard of hearing / attention deficient. Those that have paid attention ask questions. and at 07:55 wrap up.
My CEO closes with the "thank you for coming along although some of you appear to be chronologically challenged seven AM means seven "
I suppressed a grin a Cheshire cat would have been proud of , and having had a cup of coffee with the boss I returned to driving my truck, such is life.
-
....and this morning I am prepared for my tupe one to one meeting only to be told 5mins beforehand that it's cancelled, so today I will mainly be driving a knackered old truck ideal for a knackered old driver!!!
-
Packing up and driving home after visiting my mum for her 88th birthday. She’s coming back with us for 9 days then going to my daughter’s for two weeks. It’s lovely that I still have her but, sadly, she has vascular dementia so I’ve been answering the same questions over and over.
-
Attending my rescheduled meeting
-
Not going to a show :'( Mrs RTB going so its the housework,milking and general goatherding for me .
And trying to unwind after a stressful week as my troubled employer managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of success , after a lot of hard work, I understand there wont be a leaving collection for the "executive" concerned.
-
mucking out calf sheds, bedding down and giving plenty of cuddles to them :D helping move buffalo onto fresh grazing
-
doing an early morning check of the buffalo, noticed the bull following one of the milkers (pleased about this) and a few others due for calving, wishing they'd hurry up with putting the fat on their bags (keep telling myself patience haha). Will be doing some weeding in the garden later and pruning back the tomato plants. Then cleaning out the calves and putting fresh bedding down for them.
Hope you guys have an awesome day ;)
-
I don't really know :thinking: it wasn't work, nothing of note on the croft, went out somewhere, and came back, now I'm here, strange day , busy doing nothing (© Flanders and Swann)
-
Recovering from two weeks of looking after my mum. I know my poor health has contributed to the exhaustion I am feeling but I do so admire people who work with those with dementia.
-
Making rosettes for the fly-ball club.
which club wife and son with the killie flyers
-
Logging trees for 2020 winter and chipping brash, boy was that a killer on the knees !!.
Going into work tomorrow , just to see whats happening :sunshine:
-
Attended my final TUPE meeting with my new employer. I'm a little confused as is my union rep who came with me.
Yes I have a job on the 3rd of Sept but its in Aberdeen, but to report to the Peterhead location I work from,no they don't have a vehicle for me and it will eventually involve a 500 mile a week commute ! Many other questions met with " hadn't thought of that " replies.
Tomorrows word is Trepidation ;D
-
That's some commute, RB. Are you going to take it?
-
The commuting issue was addressed in 2014 change , union having a go but wont hold my breath,new company doing utmost to avoid redundancy payments (a big stick is involved). One week to "D" day, I have no idea what is happening,not even where I report for work on the 3rd ;D ;D ;D .
As you can imagine I may have to revert to my previous occupation of night soil collector ( feels like I'm doing it already ;D ;D )
-
And it gets better. The agency workers (paid through agency's payroll) have been told they are now regarded as self-employed !
I may bring popcorn in next week . They have sought legal representation.
-
Having repaired the Dyson vacuum cleaner, did some housework I put my feey up and having a bottle of my mead made sept 2017, it is loverly and I wont care I think if the Dogs howl at the mo0on :dog:
I cant tell if its my knees given way or its the mead,who cares anyway !!
-
took dogs for a run to see buffalo, fed calves and slept most of this afternoon, bad nights lately. So not much going on... ;D
-
mainly saying goodbye , Oh and watching the swallows, and the deer and fawns in the hay park, but too scared to move for fear of startling them.
-
Chainsawing wood with a vengeance maybe you can guess why ,then its a Chinese (meal) in advance for our wedding anniversary later in the week.
and not answering the phone or texts
-
Feeding calves, checking animals, some gardening and then hanging out with a couple of my friends :)
-
I wasn't there yesterday and haven't been for years now. The rare breed sale used to be just that - a sale for rare breeds. Now, I think, it's where the public can go for a 'day out' and I've seen children running around when animals are being moved, gates left open and animals escaping. It's an accident waiting to happen. I stopped going because of one particularly bad winter and some of the horses put forward were bags of bones. There should be a vet in attendance and the spca too - not sure about trading standards - however, these people should be on hand to turn away animals not fit for sale - I've never heard of it happening though... as you say it puts a bad light on those who keep animals to a good standard. Did you complain to anyone at the mart?
-
The above posts are the reason we stopped going to the Rare breeds sales , its more of a family day out at the circus,the handling standards as SDF noted have declined and to me is just an event to offload the dross.
I do hope someone mentions this to the mart management, Thanestone was once a good mart, now it seems to be going down wards, this should be a wake up call.
-
Today I have been mainly in tears.
Tears of frustration/anger.......
.........With situation at work. Been on going for a while. Have raised similar issue before and got guff for a response. Systems we have in place have worked for the past 4 years but not working now. Already one staff member handed in notice because of one person. The same one who is causing my frustration. ( well it’s been narrowed down to 2 but 1 is responsible for most things that are amiss)
.........With myself for getting into the state I’m in, as being sent home means someone else had to do my work, which makes me as bad as the person causing my frustration :-\
OH commented I was home early today. I equated my day to the time he threw a garden fork down a corridor at work. He too was told to take the rest of the day off?
Tomorrow will be interesting. No doubt I will be having a chat with Mrs Boss as Mr Boss not the person to deal with any issues, although the last time I had a melt down it was him I spoke to so he knows exactly where I’m coming from as issue is similar.
After colleague handed in her notice I asked for a job re-evaluation as I had seen the ad for her replacement. That discussion got interupred, so it will hopefully get discussed tomorrow. Or not!!!
On a positive note I also applied for another job this afternoon. Less hours but hopefully regular throughout the year, less pay than I’m currently on but closer to home so less travelling involved.
-
poor you :hug:
I hope things are better for you tomorrow. Sounds like you have a plan, which is great - good luck with it :thumbsup:
-
Fingers crossed for another job, it sounds like you need a clean break.
I know its easy to say money isn't everything but.....
Your OH needs to improve his aim, as it sounds like he didn't impale anyone !
-
Went to work with my "new" TUPE'd employer, who arrived late,knew nothing or what to do with me so I have been sent home and await further contact.
Signing up with agency for other exiting opportunities.
Then maybe a nap
-
What a difference a day makes........
Got a phone call yesterday evening from the place I applied to the day before.....
Apparently my CV and very brief note of interest ( I really cant be bothered with all the grovelling in a cover letter. I'm interested in the position. Here's my CV what do you think? Well words to that effect!!!! ) ticked most of the boxes and could I go for an interview this afternoon?
Well had interview, got a free cuppa out of it!
Got a work trial on Friday!!! :excited: :excited:
Had to go buy a pair of jeans ( casual uniform ) as the ones I have need hoiked up every time I bend down :o
So...
It's up to me now not to mess this up
On a really cheerier note...
A possible replacement for the colleague who has already handed in her notice went to the loo an hour into shift. Never to reappear!!
-
What a difference a day makes........
Got a phone call yesterday evening from the place I applied to the day before.....
Apparently my CV and very brief note of interest ( I really cant be bothered with all the grovelling in a cover letter. I'm interested in the position. Here's my CV what do you think? Well words to that effect!!!! ) ticked most of the boxes and could I go for an interview this afternoon?
Well had interview, got a free cuppa out of it!
Got a work trial on Friday!!! :excited: :excited:
Had to go buy a pair of jeans ( casual uniform ) as the ones I have need hoiked up every time I bend down :o
So...
It's up to me now not to mess this up
On a really cheerier note...
A possible replacement for the colleague who has already handed in her notice went to the loo an hour into shift. Never to reappear!!
Oh yesss ! Thats the way to do it
-
another day at home , no contact from my new employer, my workmate at home too, Oh and fixing the puncture on the tractor :farmer:
-
Been to meet my granddaughter's boyfriend for the first time. I've not seen Meghan since New Year so it was lovely to catch up (lots of chats about goats) and we liked the boyfriend. He does look awfully like Meghan's dad but younger.
-
Another sunny day , getting paid for pottering about on the croft :excited: ,my goodness how did I have time to go to work !
-
My paid absence from work rudely interrupted with an meeting , big guns present, I'm glad I wore suit on a dress down Friday ;D .
After being spoken to about matters not relevant to the truck driving element of the job and then asked how would I solve this problem . Ended up taking home a letter conforming I stay at home on full pay !
( insert shaking head in disbelief emoji here )
-
Had my work trial
I thought it went ok, I mean it’s not rocket science, till you start dealing with technology!!
They have a fair few folk they are putting through work trial so it will be next week before I hear anything
-
:fc: :fc: :fc: :fc: :fc: :fc:
I go for an engineering assessment tomorrow morning, apprehensive as I don't speak Polish too well ( local job ) and it all modern stuff.
-
You can do it, RTB.
Cans, good luck with the job. The worst bit is the waiting to hear.
-
You can do it, RTB.
Cans, good luck with the job. The worst bit is the waiting to hear.
aint that the truth
-
Went into Aberdeen with a car load of tools ( yes yes I know one of them was driving ) set myself up at a bench and under the
evil eagle eye of the "supervisor" stripped, inspected , rebuilt and tested two types of lifting gear.I think I was the odd one out there , I was only joking about my lack of Polish, however not withstanding the fact that the rest of the workforce had been issued shaven heads surly attitudes and Pokski only communication made me uneasy, and I'm not that easily shaken.
I was quite chuffed that after over 20 years I was still able to do the job :excited: but most questions were met with a continental shrug of the shoulders ???
As vintage certificates wer'nt recognised copies made for checking and the manager , he will call me maybe in the week next.
In the unlikely event of getting recalled I have started to learn a few Polish dirty jokes and swear words, well you never know :innocent!
-
So long as you like salami and gherkin on sour-dough rye you'll be fine.
-
RTB, there's always the fish factories to try- plenty of languages to learn there! Good luck anyway!
-
So long as you like salami and gherkin on sour-dough rye you'll be fine.
:)
-
RTB, there's always the fish factories to try- plenty of languages to learn there! Good luck anyway!
Been there etc etc , not ideal for an old cripple like me :) :)
anyway is Sunday, day off from all this , raindrops to count , chickens to chase,birds to watch, proper stuff
-
Pulling hens teeth, well that's what it feels like .
A day of getting to yes . My new to me employers of TUPE fame have finally agreed to the T&C's I required regarding location, hours and pay :relief:, but only to the driving element of the contract ( other things I can do come as an extra :D :D :D ). A good result as long as the ink on the agreement doesn't fade !
And the best bit was getting my sidekick included as well. :excited: :excited:
So no lie in tomorrow , back to work.
Thank you all for putting up with this saga and your support and offers of help
I Will still keep looking though and spend time on the cv and be better prepared
-
Dont ask, just dont.... :rant: :rant: :rant:
-
Dont ask, just dont.... :rant: :rant: :rant:
:hug:
-
Thank you for the :hug: :hug:
I started wondering if I was the unwitting participant in a Candid Camera program
Oh well off to bed ( maybe its been all a dream nightmare. )
Tomorrows another day.
-
Apart from feeding the goats and checking one sore hoof, I've spent most of today studying. I am doing a level 2 course on Mental Health Awareness, which I'm enjoying very much even if I do struggle to find enough time to work on it. The part I'm on now is all about phobias which is fascinating me as I have phobias of my own: Spiders is the biggest one, Claustrophobia is another and a fear of falling (not good in someone who's knee gives way fairly often.[/size]Now working on crocheting two cardigans for our twins grandchildren, Raphael and Freya, to take when we go to France to meet them in October.[/color]
-
dealing with a neighbour from hell and a computer scam - what else is coming I wonder...
-
As an escape from work tonight I checked all the external lights and replaced the torch batteries,gave the generator a run too, it’s getting darker in the evenings now.
-
Another busy day of studying. It was a lovely day and I would have liked to have been outside but my deadline for handing my assignment in is galloping on at a scary rate so I have to persevere. I did relax with my crochet again tonight and managed a short visit to the goats (as well as feed times). Of course, in their opinion any time is feeding time so they had some chopped apples, a biscuit each and a chunk of bread. They love me now.
-
Tidying the spare room out so that I can move the bed into it, allowing us to decorate, recarpet and add fitted furniture into our bedroom. Hopefully this will all happen before Christmas. There again knowing the working habits of furniture fitters it may not.
-
Thinking about our younger daughter who, at the age of 39 (today) has just started her paediatric nursing degree that's she's wanted to do for several years. Finally there and she says her brain hurts with all the stuff she's being told and this is before she actually starts studies.
-
Getting wet!
-
Making green tomatoe chutney how rock and role am I ?
-
Bored at "work" so I went home as it was a sunny afternoon and spent a couple of joyous hours watching the birds,in particular the male black bird singing along with classic fm on the steading radio.
simple things for a simple chap
-
Bored at "work" (again) so I went home and set the outside light timers and checked the torches ready for the winter, ran the genny then had Mrs RTB's home made carrot and lentil soup and hot rolls, Winter drawers on !
-
Pressing apples, I have been collecting the windfalls from the last couple of weeks and trying out the new apple press. I was pleasantly surprised how sweet the juice was , ready now for cider making.....
I may take the press into work tomorrow and squeeze the management types, see if the pips squeak ;)
-
Today being my birthday and OH working away so I went out with my camera ….. What a day...………. I managed to take a photo of a mum seal coming up a beach to feed her baby..... am soooo pleased with it :) (is too big to post here … I'll try to shrink it then post ...
-
Here is the picture ...
-
fab photo! and happy birthday for yesterday! what a treat :)
-
Picking the remaining apples off the trees before the storm comes over us and I have too many windfalls to deal with (again).
Note to self: Must either prune the trees or get a better set of steps.
-
we spent the day hoping to find a RIB in the greenhouse so that we can float away off the hill if it doesn't stop raining . Got 4 inches in the bucket since last night with an ocean more to come .
I just hope the grass seed on the new lawn has managed to sink a few micro roots down lest it washes away.
-
Cobweb control , I take 'em down , they angrily knit new ones straight away !
-
Re-marking the boundary of my property again as i actually read my deeds fully and found that the original fence line is incorrectly erected 2m inside the correct boundary line dimensions. 2m probably is not much to people with acres to play with but my garden needs every metre i can get hold of. Oh and getting VERY wet whilst doing so :gloomy:
-
Mot ing two motorbikes :thumbsup:
-
Building a raised veg bed so we can teach our children about growing food :thumbsup:
-
Giving a spinning demonstration to school children as part of a harvest project.
-
Trying to decipher poorly worded emails from management types of "younger years" fed on buzz words and infographics , lucky my mobile office is far enough away to prevent twatting the sod's with their keyboards, my assistant / driver suggests the use of a rough end of a pineapple on them , she of a convent upbringing and all .
-
Made masses of herb butter for the winter months, winter is coming soon here, so needed to get the last of the herbs in. And when the store had butter on sale, it was a obvious what to do.
-
Made masses of herb butter for the winter months, winter is coming soon here, so needed to get the last of the herbs in. And when the store had butter on sale, it was a obvious what to do.
MMmmm next week project , poor goats will get squeezed dry
-
Today i have been mainly de-weeding the front path and laying down a weed barrier membrane, then recovering it with chuckies. One of those jobs i've been putting off for ages but it was one i could tick off the long list of jobs to be done. Next on the list is to fill the raised beds i built earlier in the week with topsoil and compost
-
At spinning group's monthly meeting :spin: . I accidentally bought some more yarn as well. :knit:
-
I accidentally bought some more yarn as well. :knit:
My late mother-in-law used to 'accidentally' buy wool every time she went into a wool shop. The lake district wool shops was like heaven to her.
-
I accidentally bought some more yarn as well. :knit:
My late mother-in-law used to 'accidentally' buy wool every time she went into a wool shop. The lake district wool shops was like heaven to her.
It's funny how it falls into my bag every time I go near any yarn. :roflanim:
-
Funny the number of times I havent been paying full attention when shopping and find myself guided into the wool section by my other half. I see all the rows of wool and think... she's done it again!!
-
cleaning buildings mainly and feeding animals. Trying to sell some surplus animals :)
-
Funny the number of times I havent been paying full attention when shopping and find myself guided into the wool section by my other half. I see all the rows of wool and think... she's done it again!!
Clever lady. :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:
-
Had a face to face meeting with the management, I enjoyed it, lots .
I came out a winner because I am "arrogant and assertive " oh and right :innocent: , it also helped that I knew that they knew what they thought I knew , but were wrong. :roflanim:
Anyway my assistant and I went home very happy. and hugged the goats who speak more sense about oilfield logistics
-
Making plans with my carpenter friend who removed the goat shed yesterday and is tidying the site today and tomorrow. He's taken all the reusable wood (with my blessing) but I will need to sort out a fire to get rid of a lot then he can return and make the raised beds.
-
..well this evening,I now realise the LED floodlights are stroboscopic, watching the bats flying in the yard is brilliant still very fast but much more visible.better than television !
-
Observing panic management control. Thank goodness one month to go.
-
Yesterday, CAE testing for goats, after dragging a vanful of loose straw out, which OH had kindly scrounged, then home to to try and get said straw into builders bags, then VAT return (husbands business), before midnight deadline last night. Hadnt even looked at the VAT so stress level went tnrough ceiling by 23.30. (Husband not very good at bringing receipts in). Hopefully a more peaceful day today.
-
Yesterday, CAE testing for goats, after dragging a vanful of loose straw out, which OH had kindly scrounged, then home to to try and get said straw into builders bags, then VAT return (husbands business), before midnight deadline last night. Hadnt even looked at the VAT so stress level went tnrough ceiling by 23.30. (Husband not very good at bringing receipts in). Hopefully a more peaceful day today.
Put your feet up, you deserve it
-
Feeding and caring for a couple of hundred farrowing sows and their piglets and then planting my tayberries, blackcurrants and gooseberries. :yum:
-
Feeding and caring for a couple of hundred farrowing sows and their piglets and then planting my tayberries, blackcurrants and gooseberries. :yum:
I hope your sows aren't too grumpy :-\ and have good piglet numbers, reminds me of my time on the piggery ,teeth tails and ironing and the joys of weaning :farmer:
what size Tayberry canes have you planted ?
-
Feeding and caring for a couple of hundred farrowing sows and their piglets and then planting my tayberries, blackcurrants and gooseberries. :yum:
I hope your sows aren't too grumpy :-\ and have good piglet numbers, reminds me of my time on the piggery ,teeth tails and ironing and the joys of weaning :farmer:
what size Tayberry canes have you planted ?
A couple of grumpy sows but i'm not surprised when it's just after they've farrowed. The piglet numbers are down a little but that's because the sows went through the heat of the summer and knew they'd be farrowing in winter. Still a joy to see them being born and caring for them though. Wish i had started this job years ago.
Canes were about 30cm
-
Feeding and caring for a couple of hundred farrowing sows and their piglets and then planting my tayberries, blackcurrants and gooseberries. :yum:
I hope your sows aren't too grumpy :-\ and have good piglet numbers, reminds me of my time on the piggery ,teeth tails and ironing and the joys of weaning :farmer:
what size Tayberry canes have you planted ?
A couple of grumpy sows but i'm not surprised when it's just after they've farrowed. The piglet numbers are down a little but that's because the sows went through the heat of the summer and knew they'd be farrowing in winter. Still a joy to see them being born and caring for them though. Wish i had started this job years ago.
Canes were about 30cm
maybe a good thing on the numbers , gives the litter a better chance. I loved my job on the piggery, until " King Arthur" went bust without telling us on the contracted unit , we found out from another farmer !! Still keep a couple occasionally though.
-
Feeling elated, smug and jolly well contented. Helping Mrs WW deliver a nice female kid Oh and
having delivered to my employer of 3 months a turnkey shipping and logistics solution within the required timescale and well under budget. Not bad for two of us working from our mobile office ( didn't want us in the offices ) The project goes live in December.
The icing on the cake,
after a couple of hours intensive negotiation , mind games and a sample of my "dry powder" arranging the de-employment of myself and my assistant on very favorable terms :excited: .
Friday sees gardening leave until the end of the month,
Right chuffed I am ;D
-
Well it wasn't today (it is only 7am!) .... But want to share my great news..... Me and my 2 great community buddies have just pulled off a half million pound grant bid!
Wanting to improve our community and the sustainability of our beautiful surroundings we applied for a government grant . .... And found out this week we are one of only 9 applicants out of 50+ that have been selected to put in final application and our application was one of best they had....... Not bad for total amateurs!
Money is for developing sustainable green infrastructure to improve biodiversity and climate change resilience whilst also improving health and wellbeing of local people.
-
Having filled in forms for grants for a charity I am involved with I know how much work and effort goes into fillling in the forms. Congratulations.
-
a bit strange.
Dropped off the vehicle, sods had stopped the fuel card so not filled up ,oh dear :roflanim:, handed in Id and security passes, checked online bank accounts that they had kept their word and my assistant and I both slipped out and went for fish and chips, sitting in the sunshine of freedom.
Then and only then we hi fived and burst out laughing .
Looks like its a full time job ahead for me already arranged.
Mrs RTB has a list, a big list, a very big list.
-
Linda, that's brilliant news. Well done.
RTB, if you get through that list, I could write you another one but for here. :roflanim:
-
Linda, that's brilliant news. Well done.
RTB, if you get through that list, I could write you another one but for here. :roflanim:
Goodness , word gets round quick. Looks like you're in the queue :) I've had a couple of folk round and a phone call all with the same suggestion " well seeing that you have some time on your hands..... could you ..... when you have a moment "
-
Brilliant, Linda! Many congratulations.
And many congratulations to you too RTB. Enjoy :)
-
Spinning and chatting to members of my spinning group. I also saw a tiny e-spinner in action and now I want one. OH has said he'll get me one for Christmas.
-
MGoM a mini electric eel is on my list of must haves, plus a portable power bank which will run it for ages according to one of our Guild members who got one of the first. Kick start fundraising for version 2 went live the other day.
A day of musical wheels at our Guild yesterday had us all drooling at what we could not afford. Several even changed hands and there were 5 brand new timbertops wheels to try too along with free wheel servicing so many snags and squeaks got dealt with. Skill share days should be a little quieter now.
-
Sponging the last ewes, well two of the outstanding three, as Isadora is just too wary to follow the others in to a pen. Will try again tomorrow!
-
Pimping sheep :) :love: :sheep:
I’ve borrowed a cute little grey katmoget tup lamb for my two first timers. And couldn’t resist popping Quincy my black Wensleydale in with him too - if they can work out that they need to stand on a slope! Lol.
The main flock (rather grand to call it that - just 6 ewes this year) are with the homebred Skyhawk, who is black Wensleydale x Romney (white himself), and of whom I have high hopes. He got his final two yesterday when we moved the sheep around ready for Wotsit’s arrival. (I’m already plotting that if Wotsit and Minx produce a nice tup lamb, I could use him on the new entrants next year. And call him WotSon. Lol.)
-
The weather is awful today here in Aberdeenshire , so I refitted the kitchen , down to B(odge it ) & Q(uickley) for new worktops shiny new sink and taps. mid range stuff , and since 9am I have been hard at work assisted by a pair of rottweilers and a helpful cat. Not so helpful was the fact that the sink and tap were made in Turkey, I think I would have preferred Chinese stuff !! At least they have a better grip on dimensions ??? ) Its a sign of the times I suppose ( sigh ) oh well a little fettling and all sorted , that will surprise Mrs RTB when she comes home from her hols.
Tomorrow I will make a new back door . :thumbsup:
Oh and I had a lie in this morning, bliss got up a 6:30
-
As you say it's bucketing down today... I decided to wash the car... at least I didn't have to rinse it. Kind of a needs must situation if I'm honest... I've got an old friend coming to see if he can find the intermittent electrical fault on my headlight and let's just say I didn't want him to have to use the ice scraper to get the mud off before he started... all down to me running up and down a friend's lane to take care of her livestock whilst she's laid up with a broken ankle... Having removed all the mud I discovered the vehicle underneath is brown in colour... :o
:D mine is light brown aka white !
-
Yesterday was both a great day and a sad day. Great because I was demonstrating on the Association of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers stand at the Knit and Stitch show at Harrogate.
Sad because somehow in getting to the stand the cone at the top of my lovely new distaff fell out of my bag and has got lost. It is a good job I had not intended to spend all day spinning flax and I had oodles of other fibre to play with.
The stand is Q4 for those who still wish to visit the show but different guilds are manning it each day.
-
today I have topped two fields. Mainly to cut back the rushes and rain due with us next week so probably last chance this year.
-
Crocheting Christmas gifts.
-
Went to get straw, that made it rain :raining: then the wind picked up , I was glad to get home and spend the next 4 hours stacking it in the steading...in the dry
-
repairing storm damage
-
Working hard on the farm trying to keep warm. Then sat at my model desk building my Fw190 (it's an aircraft). It's nearly my children's bedtime so it'll be vodka o'clock then :excited:
-
Working hard on the farm trying to keep warm. Then sat at my model desk building my Fw190 (it's an aircraft). It's nearly my children's bedtime so it'll be vodka o'clock then :excited:
Do not combine the two
-
Oh i'm not combining the two. I've already super-glued my fingers together tonight so i'll quit whilst i'm ahead :innocent:
-
Oh i'm not combining the two. I've already super-glued my fingers together tonight so i'll quit whilst i'm ahead :innocent:
If working with tiny stuff to be glued consider these very small dental cotton points as brushes:https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/500Pcs-Dental-Disposable-Applicator-Micro-Brush-Cotton-Stick-1-5-2-0-2-5mm-S-M-L/292476741850?hash=item4418f8e8da:m:mGbWqiYWkYaN8xTWIpNRmNg:rk:4:pf:0 (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/500Pcs-Dental-Disposable-Applicator-Micro-Brush-Cotton-Stick-1-5-2-0-2-5mm-S-M-L/292476741850?hash=item4418f8e8da:m:mGbWqiYWkYaN8xTWIpNRmNg:rk:4:pf:0)
-
reclaiming the driveway from the encroaching verge, gained a foot each side ( width, not limb ) ,50 odd yards took all day in the gales and wintry showers
-
Today i have mainly been recovering from getting run over by a sow. So i'm giving therapy to my aching bones with Strongbow Dark Fruits :excited:
-
Today i have mainly been recovering from getting run over by a sow. So i'm giving therapy to my aching bones with Strongbow Dark Fruits :excited:
pink 4x4 missiles when they get going !
-
Are they ever. But my fault really. I positioned myself wrongly and it gave an opportunity to the sow to make a break for it.... through me. Lesson learn.
At least it wasn't the boar that was with them. He is a big lump and that would have really hurt.
-
Are they ever. But my fault really. I positioned myself wrongly and it gave an opportunity to the sow to make a break for it.... through me. Lesson learn.
At least it wasn't the boar that was with them. He is a big lump and that would have really hurt.
So you can still walk then ?
under my breath ,lucky so and so
-
Yes i can. Just a little bruising and a battered pride. Luckily the sow was only about 225 Kg. (the bigger sows or boar would have really hurt). We should have known better than to mix the gilts and sows together when trying to get them into the crush. But hey ho. Lesson learned.
-
Finished my 1957 surge milker restoration project . I left the two dents in it not wishing to distort the mating face of the bucket and rebuilt the pulsator with all new parts and replaced the hoses and swapped the metal clusters for more up to date ones.
So we have a compact milking machine for the shows, vacuum is from a small refrigeration type vac pump fitted with relief valve and gauge. Nice and light and easy to carry at a show.
And the victim test goat approves of it too.
-
I've been :spin: :spin: :spin: :spin: :spin:
-
I've been :spin: :spin: :spin: :spin: :spin:
Me too with a bit if weaving know how thrown in.
-
Building a chicken run for a couple of new birds that will be joining us this week.
Also i have been watch a sitting muscovy. We have two females we keep for breeding. One is lovely all the time. The other is always aggressive. Unfortunately its the aggressive one that is sitting.
-
Planting willow with the 3 year old and clearing the fruit patch.
Dans
-
Sewing, taking in some clothes, letting out others.Elastic features prominently
-
Sewing, taking in some clothes, letting out others.Elastic features prominently
...sadly my features are also elastic.. and tending to droop...
-
Basking in the sun having had coffee and cake with the Germans, the sun will be shortly over the yard arm ( GMT,BST,UTC select as applicable ) so a large cold beverage is in order :sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine:
-
Dagging sheep. Compared to previous times it was a doddle. Dry sheep, dry bottoms and dry yard. The trimming stand is paying for it's expensive purchase price by saving both stress on the sheep and my back. Just the two rams to do now and they can wait until a vet visit later this week as we need to take bloods for mv testing on the bought in one.
I cannot be normal as it went so well and was so satisfying, that I have enjoyed doing it.
-
Dagging sheep. Compared to previous times it was a doddle. Dry sheep, dry bottoms and dry yard. The trimming stand is paying for it's expensive purchase price by saving both stress on the sheep and my back. Just the two rams to do now and they can wait until a vet visit later this week as we need to take bloods for mv testing on the bought in one.
I cannot be normal as it went so well and was so satisfying, that I have enjoyed doing it.
Its so nice when things go like that.
-
bimbleing around the electric fenced paddocks today checking them , I was surprised by the amount of ladybirds , and listening to the birds, seemed to take forever and only fell over a million times :o
-
Discovered that it's very important to keep your mouth shut when dagging gimmers :yuck: .
-
Getting p'd off by my neighbour's latest land grab (about 3m along an entire boundary fence of a hundred metres or so) and wondering what I can do about it...
ground up glass in the next batch of home bakes........ :innocent: :innocent: :innocent:
Is an error or intentional ?
-
My telephone rang this morning. In the end I answered it, the voice said " We hear you're retired " I confirmed this, " This is XXXXXX Ltd , we think you could help us out with a problem we have, rather we would like you to help us if possible ".
Hmmm I rather enjoy pottering about the place, looking at trees, playing with the animals and stuff.
Its a toughie , there's an offer of money and its even part time, I might go along even if its for the free lunch ( As we know they don't exist ! )
But , one mind says stay at home and annoy Mrs RTB , the other mind says its good to get out once in a while.
I;'m going to think about it for a couple of days , so lets have the pro's and con's of working in retirement
-
! - It stops you annoying Mrs RTB
2 - Contact with other people outside of the house
3 - Gives the wife some time to miss you
4 - Helps stop you getting in a rut
5 - Stops you annoying the missus
6 - Gives you another perspective on life
7 - Gives Mrs RTB some peace
8 - Better than taking up golf.
-
! - It stops you annoying Mrs RTB
2 - Contact with other people outside of the house
3 - Gives the wife some time to miss you
4 - Helps stop you getting in a rut
5 - Stops you annoying the missus
6 - Gives you another perspective on life
7 - Gives Mrs RTB some peace
8 - Better than taking up golf.
and the cons are ? :innocent:
-
! - It stops you annoying Mrs RTB
2 - Contact with other people outside of the house
3 - Gives the wife some time to miss you
4 - Helps stop you getting in a rut
5 - Stops you annoying the missus
6 - Gives you another perspective on life
7 - Gives Mrs RTB some peace
8 - Better than taking up golf.
and the cons are ? :innocent:
You may have to pay the tax man.
-
:-\
-
You don't have the same neighbour as me do you?
-
Getting p'd off by my neighbour's latest land grab (about 3m along an entire boundary fence of a hundred metres or so) and wondering what I can do about it...
ground up glass in the next batch of home bakes........ :innocent: :innocent: :innocent:
Is an error or intentional ?
Intentional... double ditch with boundary bank between them - they've flattened the bank into their ditch and gained about 3m along a 100m boundary... I'd planted saplings on my side of the boundary bank last autumn to replace the original hedging that SSE annihilated a couple of years ago. Of course my field is fenced this side of my ditch (because of the regulations about keeping livestock away from water courses... they don't fence their arable fields...
As for home bakes it wouldn't work. He once described me as some who "dressed to kill and cooked the same way"... It's true that I'm the worst cook known to :dog: and I don't cook for those I like... so maybe I should send an anonymous gift of home bakes... Maybe I should buy some :pig: :pig: :pig: first though to ensure I can dispose of the evidence (neighbours not home bakes; I wouldn't want to poison the :pig:)!
Dear SEPA, I'm so sorry to trouble you.............
I think that would be my first approach
-
The Voice on the phone rang again, I think I will go for lunch, sadly my suit was gifted to the dogs bed, oh well casual but smart it is then ( clean wellies )
-
As for home bakes it wouldn't work. He once described me as some who "dressed to kill and cooked the same way"... It's true that I'm the worst cook known to :dog: and I don't cook for those I like... so maybe I should send an anonymous gift of home bakes... Maybe I should buy some :pig: :pig: :pig: first though to ensure I can dispose of the evidence (neighbours not home bakes; I wouldn't want to poison the :pig: )!
:roflanim: :roflanim:
-
To day I recorded the ambient noise of the croft, goats bleating, chickens clucking, the birdsong especially the blackbirds courting and the doves cooing. Very pleasant . And soporific .
I am going for the lunch meeting, just to be polite of course.
I will play the recording and ask "an office full of Yahoos and snowflakes , or sitting in the sun enjoying the live version of this recording ?
Then we'll see how desperate they are :sunshine:
-
Trying to reorganise my bookshelves. I have recently had two extra shelves added to the six that were already there. I like my books (novels) in alphabetic order of author’s surname and, where there are more than one book written by one author, the books are in alphabetic order of title. I was looking forward to my shelves being tidy but there are STILL not enough shelves for them all. I need more shelves.
-
MGM I order my books by type fiction, sci fi, textbooks, sheep, horses, dogs.
In the light read section if authors have several books they are in series order or published order.
I have three banks of shelves = 15 shelves and despite having a clear out of the light read books I still suffer from lack of space. Do I really need to keep a copy of every Dick Francis and Terry Prattchet?
-
Of course you do, BM. I mainly read crime novels. My favourite is Peter Robinson but I do have some Dick Francis books.
If my OH tells me again I should get rid of some books, I can tell him I'm trying to catch up with you. Having said that, I also have two shelves of classics, two long shelves of non-fiction, two of cookery books, One of gardening, some children's books for when the grandchildren visit and a shelf of text books - dictionaries, etc. so I'm not that far behind you.
-
Maybe I should buy some :pig: :pig: :pig: first though to ensure I can dispose of the evidence (neighbours not home bakes; I wouldn't want to poison the :pig: )!
Scarlet Dragon, does your home baking have a withdrawal period then, or just an LD50? ;)
-
Lunch was nice , ish. Played the blackbird recording and explained my reasoning, a bit of a conversation stopper that :roflanim:
Offered a position , part time if I wished and other wonderful incentives.
I turned down the offer of very many bags of feed a week ( equivalent ) made my excuses and left.
They are desperate, very much so.
Quite a spring in my step on the way home. :sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine:
-
Best not for now,but it had the word strategic in the job title. Strategic and oil co’s not a good combination,besides past performance not indicative of future etc etc.
Let some other succer be the whipping boy /fall guy . I’m off to wait for the swallows to arrive ,that was my parting comment.
-
Starting to panic about youngest daughters White Collar Boxing match at Charity event tonight raising money for Cancer Research. Don't know how shes fairing (dropped her of at a friends to chill before the medicals in a wee while) Probably glad to be away from gibbering parents!
Not looking forward to watching. Do we really want to see her bashing someone else or see her getting bashed?
On the plus side the training has been a good discipline and focus for her after finally managing to ditch the useless twat that had been her partner for faaaaar too long.
And I get to haul the frock out from the back of the wardrobe and give it an airing ;D
-
She'll be fine, I'll wager you're the loudest voice cheering her on !
" frock out from the back of the wardrobe " wow , I just leave mine there and go as I am these days
Good luck to her any way
-
She'll be fine, I'll wager you're the loudest voice cheering her on !
" frock out from the back of the wardrobe " wow , I just leave mine there and go as I am these days
Good luck to her any way
Didn’t say I was going to wear it ;D
It’s a black tie, posh frock do. Doesn’t say don’t wear wellies, so as long as they are clean........ :innocent:
I’m sure you are right, she will be fine
Thanks for the good wishes, I’ll pass them on
-
Let us know how she got on.
-
She won :excited:
-
Exelent result :thumbsup:
-
Beefing up security after next door had a fox attack. This is the first one in 7 years.
I am in an urban area so i am hoping it is just passing through and not set up shop somewhere. :fc:
-
Working from home, so decided to have lunch with a friend today.
-
Teaching the dogs how to make a full English breakfast, this may take some time and many attempts :) :) :)
-
Teaching the dogs how to make a full English breakfast, this may take some time and many attempts :) :) :)
They will enjoy eating the failures as well as the successes.
-
Made mealworm mash for supper, not mine but the swallows ,it is ffreezing and sleeting and their food supply has buggered off, put out the dish made sure cats shut away ( I mean curled up on MY bed ) shooed off the Blackbirds ,they dont forget and came down for a feed one at a time 5 of them.
-
Good point, I've never thought of feeding swallows, well, couldn't think how. I thought they needed to catch insects on the wing.
Going to be cold & wet here, so how do you make and feed it RtB? We have some dried mealworms?
-
I first fed swallows a few years back,it takes a while but they get it in the end . Crumble dried mealworms add water to make a sloppy gruel in a shallow dish,easy bit done. I first put dish on floor but soon realised too vulnerable and not in line of flight.
Find somewhere in the flightpath near a favoured entry/exit point.mine is on the top of an old dresser by the end door of the steading,keep it wet ,best placed/checked when they aren’t looking/asleep .It may take awhile for them to get used to something new leaving some handy nest building material (tumble dryer fluff) can help too.
Leave them to it,in the cold it will last 4/5 days before it needs changing any left goes to the blackbirds at the other end of the steading , try not to let them see where it’s come from,honest it they find the dish it will get mobbed.
At one time we had an insec o cutor light that attracted insects that was popular those that didn’t get zapped got caught ant the fried ones tipped out on a plate.
Give it a try they do learn eventually
-
Thanks, will see what i can do. We have a big insect o cut or in the barn, don't think it got cleaned out before winter though :yuck:
-
Spent the day at Harper Adams University https://www.harper-adams.ac.uk/ (https://www.harper-adams.ac.uk/) as they had a Field to Fork family festival. Absolutely great day out for everyone. Lots of information about farming and food production suitable for all ages. Plenty to keep little ones engaged, including a large model cow for them to try their hand at 'milking'. and lots and lots of food. I tried plenty of samples. We didn't need dinner when we get home. :roflanim:
-
Got ambushed
Come for a coffee says ex work mate.
So I did, cakes too.halfway through our bitchfest the boss turned up
Slap on back followed by “doing much these days ? I hear
Xxxx company was looking for you “ Uh oh thinks I,
Lots to do at home ,dunno how I had time to work etc etc
I trot out.
So, I’m off to Dundee in the morning,it’s a one off as favour
And to get the use of a truck to move straw !!!
-
yep ! went to Dundee,we looked at the river looked at the port operations,looked at a lunch, pointed out stuff and came home ,will compose a plan in due course .
-
I've been making the most of the lovely weather to get out in the garden, getting my veg beds productive.
-
Road mending in the rain , filling the winters potholes the roman way, big then medium then small stones then dust.
-
I just paid for our borrowed tup last autumn; £5 per live lamb born. The trouble is, what do I categorise it as in the accounts? It's not livestock purchase and it's not veterinary......
I settled for "tool and equipment hire" in the end :roflanim:
-
My goat shed and yard area is now converted into an area of raised beds and pots of flowers. I'm calling it my flower terrace as we already have a patio. Today I sat in there with my crochet and enjoyed the sunshine. Yes, I still miss keeping goats but it helps to have something completely different in their place.
-
Chocolating, cutting, sticking, jamming and icing various cakes for the tea tent at local gala on Saturday. (Doune, Stirling if anyone fancies a selection of Homemade cakes ;) ) Brownies are doing the teas, well myself (Tawny Owl) and Brown Owl are making the cakes and dishing out the teas, complete with fancy dress. Something involving a sieve and forensic type all in one suit I’m lead to believe!
Got a few meetings tonight then more cake icing tomorrow and more shuffling of boxes in the fridge to get everything in......
-
After another day of icing cakes and reshuffling tubs I managed to get what needed to go in the fridge and even better keep the fridge door shut :excited: lots of tubs and cool blocks scattered round the coolest parts of the flat and an ever so slightly (not!) panic that I’d forgotten to make something as I still had spare tubs :thinking:
A new day dawns and having loaded everything except cakes into the car I’m off to set up the tables after the ceilidh last night ....... no I didn’t go to that, I was asleep before 9pm !!!
-
Sorted and washed a lovely Leicester longwool fleece :) :)
-
listening to the swallows and standing/sitting guard in the sun outside the steading.
tomorrow however..............
-
Sorted and washed a lovely Leicester longwool fleece :) :)
Ooo nice,any pictures ?
-
I stole a rabbit today.
Then I had to make a run for it.
-
Sorted and washed a lovely Leicester longwool fleece :) :)
Ooo nice,any pictures ?
Of the sheep? It belongs to Hampton Paddock and stables of Sledmere house, there may be pictures of Victor on their facebook/web pages. Members of the York Guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers have been asked to spin their fleeces at an open day on 8 September.
-
Went to Birmingham ( and back ) , coming back up it was so nice to see so much hay being made, in places the smell of drying grass was quite pervasive , through Cumbria we saw an old chap on a power major turning a field alongside the motorway , I had my driver give a couple of toots,I waved and he waved his cap back in return !
The pointy shoe'd suits in the back didnt understand, sad having to explain how and why hay is made and the reason "costabucks" dont sell it with or without sprinkles. ( And it wasn't the aircon that made the car chilly after that :D :D :D )
I like my retirement, but do enjoy the occasional tasks ( well paid ). But I am more and more concerned at the lack of knowledge and appreciation of farming and food production.
-
Today i have been mainly looking after the 400 piglets born in the last two days. One lovely sow kindly gave us 21 of those. Suffice to say i am now sitting down and relaxing with a lovely coconut rum and coke. Just to help relax.... honest :innocent:
-
Today i have been mainly looking after the 400 piglets born in the last two days. One lovely sow kindly gave us 21 of those. Suffice to say i am now sitting down and relaxing with a lovely coconut rum and coke. Just to help relax.... honest :innocent:
21 ! thats good , enough milk or are some swapping round going on ?
-
And moments after my last post the heat detector in the steading goes off.A few large hay bales have heated up quickly, and have been dragged out into the park.the rest have been probed ,so far at a safe temperature.
But hay making this year done by someone else, I’m in two minds as to start doing it myself again.
-
These have been outside for over 2 weeks, so thought to be safe to store. Moving them has been a struggle not having the equipment any more :( made worse with my lack of mobility nowadays .
I've been checking the remaining bales :-\ :-\ :-\ this what happens when you are at the mercy of others.
Meanwhile I have started a shopping list for the future, I have seen an Abbriata mini square baler I like the look of , a mower , new pair of Heavy Duty legs ( only allowed 25kg with these ones ) a turner , oh and an improved sense of humor...............
-
I wouldn't consider the mini round for hay too slow to make , and poor for stacking and of course the density / weight ratio , ideal for haylage though.
As for self powered balers, there are many, even a standard super hayliner baler with engine on top , belt drive to flywheel, very popular with the Amish farmers, the alpine farmers have lots of self powered stuff too, but its all abroad .
I rang the dealer about the Abbriata* small baler as its by forfar , its 3yr old and he wants more than the new price €8750 inc tax it sells for in Italy !!! ( transport from Italy non urgent groupage as long as its delivered by 04/20 is €400 ).
I will no doubt call again if its still for sale out of season.
* very low power requirement 20hp
-
Today i have been mainly looking after the 400 piglets born in the last two days. One lovely sow kindly gave us 21 of those. Suffice to say i am now sitting down and relaxing with a lovely coconut rum and coke. Just to help relax.... honest :innocent:
21 ! thats good , enough milk or are some swapping round going on ?
We normally only leave a sow on max of 13. That is to reduce fighting over teats and to help stop crush deaths. So we removed 9 piglets from her and placed them on other sows who had less.
-
So I am now fighting the weather a bit but have finally started making progress on some land management. The hedges have had a cut back as it was getting to the point that I couldn't get the cars down the track. The old topper has now been replaced by something a bit more cooperative and the first field is looking good after a cut and water (courtesy of the rain storms). I've got a couple more fields to do and the over grown scrub land areas around the yard so here's hoping that the weather forecast is a bit kinder than expected in Swansea this weekend!
-
I've got a couple more fields to do and the over grown scrub land areas around the yard so here's hoping that the weather forecast is a bit kinder than expected in Swansea this weekend!
Hate to tell you, you can top in the rain :gloomy:
sorry.
-
Yeah, sadly I know. I was being overly optimistic that the forecast was very wrong. Looking out the window this morning however I think the tractor will be staying in the barn this weekend.
I should have known really, it's like buying a new bbq if you want to guarantee the worst summer ever!
Oh well if it stops raining for long enough I might go and sort through the junk piles left by the previous owner.
Have a good weekend all
-
This morning I discovered that it's very difficult to get a quarter of a tonne of pig to go anywhere it's not interested in going.
-
This morning I discovered that it's very difficult to get a quarter of a tonne of pig to go anywhere it's not interested in going.
Try pointing it in the opposite direction. I find this works,with "executives". Same thing in my experience ;)
-
Collecting wasps in my kitchen. I opened the windows to let a breeze through and am now working out how to evict a hundred or so of the bleeders.
-
Topped my wildflower meadow. Give it a few days to dry and drop seed, and I'll rake the cuttings off to the side.
-
spent a lot of today in hospital with my OH who has just had a total knee replacement. He's in a lot of pain but says it will be worth it in the end.
-
Friends who have had knee replacements all say the same thing. Do the exercises and get as much work into it as you can. The ones that did not now regret not doing so.
-
been up on the steading roofs clearing the gutters in readiness for the winter
spent a lot of today in hospital with my OH who has just had a total knee replacement. He's in a lot of pain but says it will be worth it in the end.
Lucky chap hope he heals well , just a little jealous I needed two but its not to be :'(
-
Friends who have had knee replacements all say the same thing. Do the exercises and get as much work into it as you can. The ones that did not now regret not doing so.
My aunt is one of those. She didn't do the exercises and now has a twisted knee. He's been in too much pain to do any since he came out but he has physio tomorrow so that should help.
-
Autumn jobs this weekend , gutters cleared, outside lights and timers checked moved one of the polytunnels another yet to do and ordered a stock of fresh batteries.
-
Checking outside and general tidying of vegetable and flower gardens. I also picked some pears from a branch that had snapped under the weight of loads of fruit.
-
Filing the mountain of paperwork that I should really do on a much more regular basis.
-
Sorted out the dry food stores, rotated the tinned stuff, and have started the defrosting of the freezers by numbers.
out of date stew for supper !!
-
It's a shame this thread died - it was fun!
Anyway, today I have been pruning apple trees.
-
Maybe We've all been to busy !! Maybe not .
Looking back through the posts , I could have copied and pasted and just change the dates, but then I suppose 2020 came along and changed the routine.
My " retirement " came , went,came,went.... and eventually through Ill health came for good.
So for today I have been mainly retired , :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:
Oh and pottering around the croft looking at the signs of new life.
-
Swimming. I did 60 lengths of the pool and will regret it tomorrow. I have booked more swimming for the rest of this week :)
-
Swimming. I did 60 lengths of the pool and will regret it tomorrow. I have booked more swimming for the rest of this week :)
Wow! I am impressed :sunshine:
-
Castrating :o . Not my favourite job, by any means.
-
that's a job that takes balls to do...
-
It's a shame this thread died - it was fun!
Anyway, today I have been pruning apple trees.
Bit late [member=2128]Womble[/member], but I have to admit that I haven't managed to get round to pruning my own garden Blenheim Orange yet - urgent task for this week. Can prune anytime, but increased risk of infections (supposedly) outside of standard winter (Jan/Feb) or summer (July/early Aug) pruning times. Whatever time of year, dry weather is the time to do it so best I follow your example and get on with it without any further delay.
-
.... sitting for an hour in my daughter's car on a tour of Falkirk, looking for the Community hospital, then waiting for two more hours to be tested for glaucoma. Then I spent the afternoon waiting for my eyes to settle down after the drops they put in to examine them. Thankful I'm borderline so am on one drop in one eye per evening. Spent the evening pottering in the garden and putting in some veg seeds
-
[member=26320]doganjo[/member] - are you ok now? Was this a routine check, or is there something up that made you go and get checked out?
Bit late [member=2128]Womble[/member]
I know, I know. In my defence, it was snowing at the time, therefore still winter. My dream is that one day I'll have time to do farm jobs at a time of my choosing, or even when they need doing, rather than forever chasing my tail :( .
TBH it's all really depressing. At the moment feels as though more effort is needed in every area of life - but I just don't have enough time or energy for any of it :gloomy: .
-
No, my eyesight is fine, thanks, David. I get tested every year, and just got new specs. Specsavers picked it up last year when I had my eyes tested as normal. Put in a referral and I've only just been able to take up the appointment now due to covid restrictions. Because of the eye drops I wasn't allowed to drive there, but luckily schools are on holiday now so Sarah was able to take me. No big deal, just means a drop in that eye every night for the rest of my days.
Today I finished making the gothic house in the photo, and the furniture too. Only problem is there's too much furniture for that house so I'll have to buy another one. Story of my life :innocent: Still have to do teh soft furnishings so I need to rake around the cupboards for bits of material
But the sun is shining and it's not cold so I've been planting out the wildflower plants I grew from seed last year.
Next item on the list is Missy's walk, but she's a wee bit tired at the moment. That mouse that managed to climb 14 feet up the brick wall to my balcony has been chased from one end to the other a zillion times. :roflanim: :roflanim:
After Friday though, we can travel outwith our counties so she'll get a good run at one of the RunFree fields soon,
The second picture shows a wee raised bed I made out of offcuts
-
The snow has gone, just a frost first thing and a clear blue sky with no breeze so quite warm, a morning for sitting in the sun, to make my day the swallows have arrived , I heard them first then there they were. Better than any medication the NHS can supply !! :sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine:
-
Its also a beautiful warm sunny day here - definitely time for sitting in the garden but not me, I have to go and ruin the day by planting potatoes!
-
... watching nothing happen. (As of today, it's lambing time here, but the girls are apparently in no hurry...)
-
94 lengths swimming today, along with a lot of s**t shifting off the winter loafing area for the equines.
-
94 lengths swimming today, along with a lot of s**t shifting off the winter loafing area for the equines.
Show off :innocent:
-
What a lovely house, doganjo! :thumbsup:
-
Does anybody know the required cover depth when encasing a council building control officer in concrete?
Asking for a friend.
-
Does anybody know the required cover depth when encasing a council building control officer in concrete?
Asking for a friend.
Depends on whether Its a one or two storey extension..
-
It's actually only a gutter water drainpipe. But you wouldn't believe the hassle it's causing.
-
It's actually only a gutter water drainpipe. But you wouldn't believe the hassle it's causing.
Having dealt with building control, yes I would! You have my sympathies.
I have been stripping out old fences and getting things ready for new ones going in, thinning out wayward hazel and ash trees and generally trying to tidy up. It's amazing how much difference a bit of sunshine makes :sunshine:
-
What a lovely house, doganjo! :thumbsup:
Thank you, it's been fun making it. My friend does a lot of sewing and she has offered me scraps of material for curtains, bedding, flooring etc. Only problem is that the kit with the furniture has just too many pieces for that house, so I'll have to buy another one :roflanim: Great excuse, but the sun's out and the garden calls so it'll have to wait for autumnal weather :innocent:
-
I've been laughing at the thought of covering a council officer in concrete :roflanim:
Also picking up bits of 'rooed' Shetland sheep fleece ( they're probably just thrown by the sudden warm sunny days and no snow at last :D)
Also planting carrot and bean seeds in the greenhouse and making blueberry muffins :yum:
At least I can sit outside with my cuppa and a muffin in the sun and just listen to the birds. Bliss.
-
... continuing to watch nothing happen... :hugsheep: :sunshine: :sheep:
-
Sorting out tolerable risk criteria for a couple of chemical sites, whilst wishing I could be outside watching nothing happen instead.
-
Tidying chapel ready for when we finally have a service in May.
-
What a lovely house, doganjo! :thumbsup:
Thank you, it's been fun making it. My friend does a lot of sewing and she has offered me scraps of material for curtains, bedding, flooring etc. Only problem is that the kit with the furniture has just too many pieces for that house, so I'll have to buy another one :roflanim: Great excuse, but the sun's out and the garden calls so it'll have to wait for autumnal weather :innocent:
But then you might not have enough furniture for the new house and then you'll have to buy more furniture and then you'll have to buy a new house........
Enjoy the sewing! Sewing for a miniature house is a lot more enjoyable than sewing for a full sized one! :)
-
Today I have been building a temporary shelter for two orphan lambs, after vowing to have no more after last year's 6 ::) ;D
Doing more fencing and just generally enjoying the sunshine :sunshine:
-
Digging the veg patch over in the sunshine and wondering what to do with the egg surplus!
-
Today was 2nd day of trying to not aggravate distressed shoulder/upper arm: went to bed Thurs with all well, woke up Fri in agony !!
It's a bit better, but I'm pleased I don't have more than a couple of doggies to tend to!
-
Processing the chicken poo crust i skimmed off a few weeks ago into a small enough grade to use on the plot as fertiliser.
Part way through thinking WHY am I doing this?
-
Had a full day away from both the smallholding and work yesterday. Went sailing, then when I came back made a pint sized guitar amplifier (which sounds amazing). The jobs here can wait a bit longer - I needed that.
-
Digging the veg patch over in the sunshine and wondering what to do with the egg surplus!
Same here - I've given to my nearest neighbours and to my kids, and to anyone doing work for me. Next idea is leave at teh bottom of the drive for folk to help themselves - so long as they don;t try to help themselvesto my Wyandottes ::) then I'd be >:( >:( >:(
-
Digging the veg patch over in the sunshine
Same here too. Got the raised beds all ready for this years crops. Also planted 30 rhubarb seeds with the view of donating the plants that germinate to some friends and neighbours so they can have fresh rhubarb in years to come.
-
Limbing an ancient ash tree to make space for relocating my chicken coop and continuing fencing....... that'll be my script for the next month at least :roflanim:
-
Dagging a mucky wether :poo:
Oh the joys of owning sheep :roflanim:
-
Pressing the remaining apples from last year.
-
How did you manage to keep them so long?
-
Paper wrapped in cool dry steading in plastic crates, stiil a few left for eating.
20ish litres this evening , the rest to be done tomorrow.
-
Never had much luck keeping them, but usually because they get eaten! Hopefully will get a better crop this year if the frosts haven't killed the blossom.
-
finished bagging and freezing the apple juice, 32 ltr in all , chickens going mad for the pulp I have frozen some as goat treats later on. Juice is sweetish with just a hint of tartness, best served chilled !
-
Moving 3 tonnes of cement and concrete blocks... by hand! Time to fix the old David Brown!
-
Today i have been mainly in work this morning then planting out my green beans, peas, sprouts and kale.
-
Today I caught several rats in a humane trap. But what to do with them?
Then I had a brainwave. You know those folks from the city who keep releasing town foxes in the countryside because they belong here?.......... ;)
-
Genius !!
-
Gardening.
-
Donate them to the RSPCA.
-
Busy watching this years first batch of swallows , theres an awful lot of them, counted 32 resting in the sun on the steading roof.
Looks like it may be a bumper year :fc: :fc: :fc:
-
Listening to Allotment association politics and thinking that watching the grass grow is an interesting hobby.
-
Learning about 'effective challenging'
-
Making coffee for my gardener and the builder who is laying our new patio. Unfortunately I made the mistake of introducing them both to mocha so that's what I have to make now. Extra work!
-
Putting down a full pallet of mud control slabs so now I have all regularly used gateways and some tracks between done for next winter. The ones I put down in the liquid gloop last winter got taken up and laid properly last month.
Expensive but really worth it and unlike concrete I can pick them up and relocate them if ever I move.
-
(and yesterday) ... moving tractor implements and a trailer around my stores area together with a lot of flailing & strimming, assisted by a friend, and some earth moving in order to create a semi-permanent parking position for my wee caravan. By around midday today, we were ready for the caravan move which has been residing in a neighbour's field for couple of weeks (suggested by him so that he could get his mower onto my Field 2 and because his field more secure than mine). Well: he had had to move the 'van, which was OK (I'd left key to the tow-ball lock in case), but after much scratching of heads at the noise it was making, while being towed back to my Fields, investigation showed that rear end of the rod controlling 'van brakes was bent and dragging on the ground !
I've yet to inquire as to who actually reversed the 'van into some low-level rigid obstruction,
but that's obviously what's happened and I need, really, to establish whether was neighbour's fault or sellers fault (with, in latter case, the consequence not appearing until now). It's gonna have to be done, but it's gonna be awkward.
Sometimes it better not to accept a favour for a favour!!!
-
Removing ethanol from petrol .
After initial trials the cleaned fuel burns better and stores better, things like brush cutter, chainsaw and small gennys and power sythe all start with ease and run smoother.
Theres nothing worse or frustrating cursing and swearing at a generator ala Basil Fawlty in minus double digit temperatures when the power goes out again.
Time consuming yes , but in my opinion worth it. Its a shame that ethanol free fuel isn't available in our area( Esso Synergy Supreme+ Unleaded 97 ) and Aspen is now about £5 a litre .
( If you hear a bang and low rumble from the Aberdeenshire direction It may have been Me !! )
-
Removing ethanol from petrol .
After initial trials the cleaned fuel burns better and stores better, things like brush cutter, chainsaw and small gennys and power sythe all start with ease and run smoother.
Theres nothing worse or frustrating cursing and swearing at a generator ala Basil Fawlty in minus double digit temperatures when the power goes out again.
Time consuming yes , but in my opinion worth it. Its a shame that ethanol free fuel isn't available in our area( Esso Synergy Supreme+ Unleaded 97 ) and Aspen is now about £5 a litre .
Tell me, once one has removed the ethanol, how/where does one dispose of it ?
-
Removing ethanol from petrol .
After initial trials the cleaned fuel burns better and stores better, things like brush cutter, chainsaw and small gennys and power sythe all start with ease and run smoother.
Theres nothing worse or frustrating cursing and swearing at a generator ala Basil Fawlty in minus double digit temperatures when the power goes out again.
Time consuming yes , but in my opinion worth it. Its a shame that ethanol free fuel isn't available in our area( Esso Synergy Supreme+ Unleaded 97 ) and Aspen is now about £5 a litre .
Tell me, once one has removed the ethanol, how/where does one dispose of it ?
I makes a very good cleaning agent / degreaser / sanitiser, although it has a wiff of petrol about it ! good for lighting the bonfire, I dont get a lot at the moment as its only 5% in petrol and it soon gets used up, and I'm not desperate enough to use it in home brewing :)
-
How do you remove ethanol from petrol?
-
[member=75709]Buttermilk[/member] it involves adding water to petrol (!!), shaking and waiting a bit of time for the ethanol in the petrol to attach itself to the water and then draining-off the heavier ethanol/water mix from bottom of the mixing tank.
Plenty of YouTube guides.
-
Here's a youtube video of the basic process https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onCG7mIprfE In addition I filter the finnished result in a "MR Filter" that removes any remaining water.