[waterbuffalofarmer]

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.

[Jullienne]

Been cleaning out the chickens, giving them fresh bedding and so forth drawing up plans for the garden next year, all under wraps atm and finally bought a new ram to go in with the ladies, so hoping for lovely bouncing babies in March/April

[devonlady]

Thinking it was Friday!

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Thinking it was Friday!

Well I spent the whole day wednesday convicing everyone it was Thursday because of a silly radio dj    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!

[ellied]

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..

[waterbuffalofarmer]

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 Thankfully I have the slow cooker and microwave 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. 

[Buttermilk]

Emptying bobbins for spinzilla starting tomorrow.

[Backinwellies]

Enjoying the sun on the beach 

[devonlady]

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!!

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Sorry to hear that [member=89885]devonlady[/member] sounds like a terrible ordeal! 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) 

[Rupert the bear]

Assembled new log splitter ready for wood cutting session tomorrow ( with new chainsaw ) 3yo cut trees so should be good

[waterbuffalofarmer]

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 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!  

[Rupert the bear]

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 

[ellied]

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.

[Rupert the bear]

I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok , 
I sleep all night and I work all day. 
I cut down trees, I eat my lunch, I go to the lavatory. 
 On Wednesdays I go shopping and have buttered scones for tea . I cut down trees, I skip and jump   
I like to press wild flowers. I put on ladies   Erm........   
© 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