Ponies / Scanner / Dogs
Posted: Monday 20 January, 2020
Monday 13th January
Nice early on, becoming wet and windy as Storm Brendan strikes.
Trips to Harbro and for hay then into the office for the rest of the day – so many invoices and emails to be dealt with.
Tuesday 14th January
Dry and windy; put a new bale of hay in for the ewes.
Wednesday 15th January
Gillian the scanner here this morning at 7.30am. The Ryelands and Shetlands all came in fine; the BFL, not so much. Ended up penning them against the gate back into Sheepfold. Dan has decreed that they are to be sold. I can’t disagree – although I love the look of them, they’re bonkers. The only BFL to be tupped is empty as is Bambi and No2 – as expected.
Kit the Shetland is carrying a single; Niamh and all the other six Ryelands are carrying twins; No11 was missed. We’re assuming she’s carrying twins.
Marked up the sheep timetable based on the likely start and finish of lambing.
Smokey and Euro are sharing a bale. Euro looks for the best bits.
Euro, bale diving.
Sold one of the church pews we bought – one to go. The barn looks quite empty.
Thursday 16th January
Nice morning but getting wet and windy. No8 is lame. Dan took me out to lunch because I had a fit of the January blues. Invigorated by a haggis supper, I restarted the tidying out of the potting shed and spent an hour washing plant pots. Tiny, tiny wee rubber gloves, even for my wee hands.
Pot washing.
Friday 17th January
Finally managed to get out for a hack with Tara; Smokey leading the way until he thought he saw a tiger, then Ave took up the lead.
Quick trip to East Pitkerro to put hay in for the steers – hay ring was empty.
Ewes No5 and No6 are sold – they’re twins, so nice for them to go together and they’re due on the same day. No6 is Boss sheep now and a bit of a pet. She had two stonking ewe lambs last year.
At the moment, the ponies come in at 8.30amd and are turned out again about 12 noon. THye go straight to this house for a carrot.
Waiting for carrots.
Did a bit more in the potting shed – almost done.
Saturday 18th January
Lovely day – cold, but dry, sunny and still. We hosted a Crochet fro Beginners course with Maite Allwood, who is a lovely Spanish lady – it was a really nice group and it went very well.
Dan took Urquhart and Teddy to their new home at a sanctuary in Lanarkshire. We’re very ahppy that they are going to a good home – Urqhuhart is only six and Ted, 7, so hopefully they will have a few good years left. Dan says it’s really hilly. Our land is dead flat. They’ll be puffing a bit, I think.
I didn’t ride, but Tara and Rebecca took out Smokey, lead by Tegan. He's 15.1hh but looks tiny here.
Wee Smokey and his pals.
We had friends over for a catch up; I made cottage pie (probably my signature dish lol) and a steamed syrup sponge. Being a bit daft, I used the wrong pot for the steamer, so it didn’t steam properly – no seal – so when it should have been ready, it was 50% liquid. Dan changed the pot over, we chatted a bit more – and it was delicious. Almost as good as Heinz (in a can).
Sunday 19th January
Another braw day, but a cold wind rising in the evening. Dan was to be away for hay before 8am; let the dogs out at 7am, Gwenna comes back hopping, unable to put her near forepaw to the ground. She was obviously in real pain so off to the emergency vet with Linda. Probably not a break, so painkillers and wait until morning.
By the time we got back, Dan and three men from Monifieth allotments had emptied the muck bay – they’re very pleased and are building their own muck bay so that they can take fresh and let it mature there. Good news for us.
Next job was dealing with No8 and No11 ewes that were lame. I love Ryelands. I really do.
Finished clearing out the potting shed. At last. Then we took the afternoon, or what was left of it off, until it was time for the evening round.
Tidy poting shed.
Busy week, next week, and I’m off to London on Wednesday for the day, back by sleeper, to be part of a panel reporting on small farms. City lights for me!
Finishing with a photo of Bentley and Dudley (and a wee bit of Layla). Just because.
Dudley, Bentley and a wee bit of Layla.
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Jen A
Monday 20 January, 2020 at 7:32pm
Sad about the BFL. Of all the yarns I've knit with in the last 10 years, my favorite is a BFL. (Knitting a sweater with locally-sourced BFL yarn-- Wisconsin, USA-- and it's just lovely to work with!)