Bertie's stump / Gwenna / Rosie's neck / Wood store
Posted: Monday 11 September, 2017
Monday 28th August
Dry, overcast and windy – but warm. Feels a bit stormy.
If you read last week’s diary post, you’ll know that Bertie Cat had part of his tail amputated this morning.
Bertie and his stump, confined to barracks.
He’s home and seems fine but is confined to barracks at least until Thursday – and he doesn’t like it.
Tuesday 29th August
Cool this morning and feeling autumnal.
Bertie managed to unlock the cat flap and escape last night. He’s now been recaptured and the cat flap barricaded – I knew that the four boxes of yarn would be instantly useful! And oh boy, is he making his displeasure known.
Gwenna, on the other hand, is doing great and went through from 11pm to 5am without needing out.
Dan’s folk’ dog, Mickey, was at the vet today to have two milk teeth and two other small body parts removed.
With all the fuss yesterday, I didn’t milk but did today. We won’t be milking for too much longer – we started at the beginning of June, when Annie calved on 28th May, so will probably stop before the Festival on 23rd September.
Niamh, our old ewe, was reported lame today so I swung by Astwood, caught her, tied her to the gate and examined her hoof. Cleaned it out and gave it a spray with blue spray. She’s not very lame so hopefully she’ll be sound now.
Wednesday 30th August
Lovely day – warm, sunny, still – real Indian summer.
Most of the day (and the coming three weeks) was spent on Festival work. However, I did get out on a lunchtime meeting with a new smallholder that I’m mentoring through the Farm Advisory Service. Really enjoyed it.
For months, Rosie has had a lump on her neck, at the injection site of her Bravoxin vaccination. She’s had a reaction every year (none of the others do) but it doesn’t bother her. When I milked this afternoon I noticed that her neck was covered in yellow gunge and that the lump had burst.
Rosie's infected neck.
Not nice, but again, it didn’t seem to be bothering her. Cleaned it up and gave it a spray with blue spray.
Thursday 31st August
Bertie got the dressing off his tail today and it seems to be healing very well. The important thing now is that he doesn’t mess with the wound, so he has a “cone of shame” to be worn if he does. He’s to be kept in until a week Friday, when he gets his stitches out. He’s making the most of his invalid status.
Bertie convalescing.
Rosie's neck is much better and healing well.
Rosie's neck healing nicely.
It’s a family trip to the vet next week – Gwenna’s going for her puppy check and second vaccination and Dan’s folks are taking Mickey to get his stitches out.
Friday 1st September
I was booked on a scything course today but sadly had to call off. I was daft booking anything for this time of year. Will just have to rely on YouTube.
Paul finished the wood store today, bar the racks at the back for storing sawn timber and fencing materials.
Wood store completed.
It's a fantastic structure and he's done a grand job. It will store 3 years' worth of wood, the job now is processing the piles we already have and getting them in to season.
Our yield of eggs is a bit poor; the 2016 hatched hens are moulting and a few of the 2017 hatch are pretending to be broody. The caravan hens (2015) are pretty much spent now.
Saturday 2nd September
Lovely day again. I spent the morning just having a general tidy up round the barn. We’re planning some alterations this autumn, including concreting the second quarter to give us more livestock housing.
Went to visit our daughter this afternoon and came back to find Ace in John and Linda’s garden.
Opened the gates and he wandered out but looking at the hoofprints, he’d had a bit of a yeehah! first.
Sunday 3rd September
Did some more Festival stuff.
Dug ragwort in Sheepfold, picked poo and made a few minor repairs to the electric fence.
Dan did some work in the barn; part of the area we want to concrete has a stone floor, so he wants to take the good stone out before we put type 1 in. He also moved the tractor and topper (revealing a small nest of eggs) and swapped the topper for the harrow. The fields will get a once over in the next week, if it stays dry.
Spent a bit of time watching the cows, as I do most days and it looks all quiet, so hopefully Ace has got them all back in calf. Blizzard was the last to be served, on 19th August, so fingers crossed that there’s no action this week and I can get them scanned in October.
Inspired by Bake-off, I made Custard Tarts. They were rather nice but my bottoms were soggy. I need a new tin and the courage to roll the pastry thinner. Going to try again later in the week.
Bryn and Gwenna are getting along great.
A wood burning stove makes for easy bedfellows.
He’s very protective of her, with the cats and other dogs, but he’s well up for rough and tumble with her.
Bryn & Gwenna playing.
She’s a right bonny pup. Her ears are starting to go up – the left one goes up periodically and both go up in a breeze! :-)
