[ballingall]

Oh dear, going to a show tomorrow, and so much to do! And that's despite the fact that I have known for weeks and weeks that the show is approaching, it always seems to sneak up on me!

All the goats have their feet trimmed, except Romily who hasn't been well. Her pen door wasn't shut right on Tuesday, and she had a wander round the goat shed and garden eating things she shouldn't, which has resulted in her having a very sore tummy! Not sure yet if she will be well enough to go to the show, so haven't traumatised her any further by doing her feet.

But, none of the goats have been bathed yet, I still have all the goat's stuff to pack, the partition to put in the van, to straw up the van, the caravan awning to fish out of the shed, branches to cut (if I can find some), need to move the trailer so I can hitch the caravan on and get it past the trailer.

The caravan is mostly packed, but Alex will spend tomorrow packing all his gadgets into it, instead of helping me pack the goat's stuff. Oooh need the milking stool, and a couple of folding chairs! Had forgotten them.


I hope to head off about lunchtime tomorrow, just down to Ayr, but by the time we unpack and get sorted out it will be late afternoon by the time I can relax at the show!

Looking forward to seeing friends again after the winter, and getting out to show event.

Beth

[jameslindsay]

Good luck for the show Beth, hope all the hard effort works for you. Have a good time.

[Roxy]

Good luck - hope it all goes well for you!!  I assume the show is on Sunday, as you are travelling tomorrow?

We do a lot of showing with our Dales and Fell ponies, so I know only too well about bathing, and packing the trailer.......trying to ensure enough food is on board for two hungry ponies to last all day.

We are a bit short on branches here too.  Willow is out and sycamore.  Ash is only just budding as are the other trees goats like

[Brucklay]

Good luck with the show - I'm hoping to go to Turriff show this year - I guess I should start planning/packing now the way time flies!

[Anke]

Well I have just signed up for a show in two weeks time, just taking my GG goatling. She had her feet seen to today, so that I have not got to do another big cut just before (would be my luck to make them bleed...),, taken off her beard (she looks totally different) and started to brush her undercoat out. Fortunately her coat is fairly smooth (but quite long), no big knots in it (unlike her mother who still sports her rastafarian looks). Getting ever so slightly nervous about the whole thing....

[ballingall]

I hope your nerves are doing ok Anke.... Give my love to Colin and Paul, and Becky too please- not sure who else will be there. I hardly ever see Becky these days.


The show went well, a few less people and goats than previous years, but not too bad. We arrived to lovely sunshine, and couldn't find the goat tent, as they had decided to locate it in a completely different bit of the field. However we got there, and got unloaded and sorted out, had a nice Indian takeaway, and a gossip, and a few drinks on Friday night with everyone. It was very, very cold overnight, and got up up at 5:30am to find a really hard frost. Evita didn't settle in well, and wouldn't drink very well to begin with. That meant she had less milk than normal on Saturday morning only 3.15litres, but Surf in the meantime, surpassed herself and had 3.35litres in the morning. In the showing classes on Saturday, Evita won her class, and Surf came second to her. Evita was 4th overall, and got a Breed Challenge Certificate. Surf was awarded the reserve.

The AN goatlings were 1st and 2nd, but they were the only two there, Lantana, my mum's BT goatling won her class, against some stiff competetion. Sheni, Alex's goat, was still a kid on Saturday, and she came 2nd in her class.

Milkwise, Evita gave 2.75 in the evening with Surf giving 2.80. That meant Surf had over 6litres- which is more than she has EVER had before, so was chuffed to bits with her.

Alex was shattered on Saturday night, mostly due to the fact that he hadn't caught up with his sleep from staying up to watch the election results, so he demanded we have an early night. Having said that, I still had a few Gin and tonic's before early bed at 11pm.

Not quite so cold on Sunday, and Evita was feeling more settled by now, and had 3.50litres in the morning, more like her normal amount, wheras Surf had 3.10litres.

Showing followed a very similar pattern to the day before, with the only change being Sheni, who had her birthday, which meant she was in a different class. She ended up being 5th out of 8, which wasn't bad given she was the baby of the class.

So good to catch up with people, although found out that Colin and Paul aren't coming to the Royal Highland Show, which is a real shame, I will miss them.


Took some pictures, might post them up in a second, and also a couple of little videos.

Best In Show judging- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYENh1HQ6AQ

A tour round the goat tent during the milking competetion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e47xmJ7SUf8 If you notice, one woman is milking her goat sitting behind the goat. This is because Sheila used to run a commercial herd, and some of her goats are more used to being milked by machine then by hand. Milking from the back is more similar to being milked by the machine.

Beth

[Anke]

My nerves didn't desert me, except for nearly on Sunday morning as I was trying to load poor Matilda and she point blank refused to move...

But got her there on time (3 hour drive and the turbo isn't working, so crawling up Carter Bar at about 25 miles/hour...) and actually goatling decided to walk out of the car nicely and say Hello to all these other goats (and billies!)... Got a 3rd (out of 4 (FOUR!) GG goatlings in the class, and was told that if she would have stood better she would have been further up the line... but as this was my first ever goat show with goat I was quite chuffed!

Bathing the goat was fun, as it was hot I decided that the garden hose would be ok, and it was, I got a bath too, as Matilda was seriously cross with me! No rug as it was too hot for that, but she looked smart when we got there and had managed not to lie in anythig too smelly/yucky overnight.

It certainly was a new experience!

[Roxy]

Oh well done on your first show!!!  Its always a bit daunting the first of doing anything, isn't it.  Once the goats get used to the showing, they will be great

[Rosemary]

Congratulations to you both!

[ballingall]

Oh well done Anke! I don't think I have seen 4 GG goatlings all together for years. The trick is you need to get yourself trained up to know how to make her stand. It's not as easy as it looks from a distance, as you probably appreciate!

Beth

[ballingall]

I have another double show this weekend, up at Forfar this time. My sister and 4 neices will be there all weekend as well, which will be a help, as we are taking 5 milkers, 5 goatlings, and 7 kids! Just as well I am leaving the big boy at home.

Beth

[Anke]

And you have a big trailer! All that bathing and preparing must take a fair chunk of time...

[ballingall]

What bathing? My plans for bathing goats were scuppered at 7pm on Thursday when Alex phoned to say he was delivering a leaflet through a letterbox when a dog bit off the end of his finger! 4 hours spend at A&E, he had 3 days in hospital, and only has half a finger left! Still got to the show, but left it to visit Alex. Horrendous weekend!


Beth

[jameslindsay]

How awful Beth, I hope Alex gets well soon. 

[ballingall]

He will be fine in the long run. He's pretty sore just now, he normally hates taking painkillers and resists at all costs, which he tried to do this morning. But when I ask him if he's had his painkillers now, and he says no, he takes them with no whinging at all. It's just beginning to dawn on him that it will have more of an effect than he realised. He's realising that all his fingers are so closely interlinked, that to lose half of one is having a big impact.


Beth