Weaning and sheep rescuse

Today was the first day of my new job, although it feels like it was days ago now, and it went well I think I’m going to really enjoy it.

Felix is now being weaned and is living in the kitchen with Jake our oldest Jack Russel who knows all about looking after lambs and goat kids (they have bottles and then have to have their mouths licked clean, they also sometimes dance around of you when you’re trying to sleep but it’s worth it for the mouth cleaning dutie.) He’s doing well and is feeding from the bottle like that’s what he’s been doing from birth. Niff doesn’t seem to be missing him too much either and seems quite happy to be back with her friends, this was not the plan but…

On my way home from work I saw a sheep with two new-ish lambs in the next village down from us. The Forest of Dean does have free-roaming sheep, I should know muma turns a flock out, but sheep aren’t normally there. When I got in muma was on the phone trying to find out who the sheep belong to as a neighbour had called in to let us know that there was a ewe down the road and it had a very big udder. Muma and my middle-sister went down the road to have a look and the ewe did have a big udder, so big she could hardly walk. After about 20 minutes of not having any luck at all finding out whose sheep it was or whose it might be we (me, muma & middle-sister) decided we’d go and have a look and see if it had a ear tag in.

We went and had a look and she did have an ear tag in and seemed ok in herself but we were doubtful she would be able to feed the lambs and she wouldn’t stay ‘ok’ for long if she was left. She was also on a busy road so we decided to walk her into a quiter road and try to chatch her to get the ear tag number. She was real good and walk quitely with her lambs, only looking out into the main road once like she might walk out, into the side road (that leads to our village) and carried on walk up the mile. She stopped in a drive way with gate and we thought that we might catch her there but NO chance, she wasn’t going to stand for that so she carried on up the road. The drive way owner came out to see what we were up to, she’d been hanging round he’s gate and the main road since 6pm the night before and had an even bigger udder then, he’d called the police and the RSPCA, twice, but no one had come to do anything even though she was clearly going to need a vet. He offered us the us of his field and holding pen to use if we could round her in there so as we could make sure that she got the treatment that she needed she we decided the best plan was going to be to catch her, make sure the lambs got a bottle and call our vet.

The ewe had carried on up the road whilst we’d been talking so off we went after her. By the time we did she knew what we were up to and REALLY wasn’t going to be caught by these complete strangers for anything. She’d also been a bit spooked by cars going up and down the road. It took me and my sister a good half and hour to catch her, running up and down the hill, with muma stood waving at the traffic to slow. We only finally managed to because some other neighbours who keep sheep arrived and knew enough about what sheep are like to do to help. Anyone who keeps sheep will know what I mean, you can guess what they’re likely to do but only if you know sheep and very few people seem too or care enough to help. Everyone else who stopped just seemed to think ‘someone else’ would sort it.

So the ewe and her lambs are now safe in Niff’s house, I’ve spoken to the vet and he’s told us what to give her, she’s had her first injection adn the lambs and had a bottle. She does have milk but I wouldn’t think it’s much.

Niff has been milked, for the first time ever, and moved back in with her friends so we had somewhere warm and cosy to put the ewe and lambs, the plan was meant to be that she would stay in her own house until she was fine with being milked but that’s just not how things have worked out.

A bit of an egg

I doubt I would have enough found this egg if I hadn’t had just cleaned the cage out and put down newspaper instead of wood shavings:

Kidding

Niff kidded during the night Friday/Saturday:

I’m a maple tree

I was send this in a chain email and thought it was nice:

WHAT TREE DID YOU FALL FROM?
Find your birthday and then find your tree. This is really cool and somewhat accurate. Then send it to your friends, including the one that sent it to you, so they can find out what tree they fell from, but don’t forget to change the subject line to your tree. Find your tree below and see what you are like…

Dec 23 to Jan 01	Apple Tree
Jan 01 to Jan 11	Fir Tree
Jan 12 to Jan 24	Elm Tree
Jan 25 to Feb 03	Cypress Tree
Feb 04 to Feb 08	Poplar Tree
Feb 09 to Feb 18	Cedar Tree
Feb 19 to Feb 28	Pine Tree
Mar 01 to Mar 10	Weeping Willow Tree
Mar 11 to Mar 20	Lime Tree
Mar 21 (only)	Oak Tree
Mar 22 to Mar 31	Hazelnut Tree
Apr 01 to Apr 10	Rowan Tree
Apr 11 to Apr 20	Maple Tree
Apr 21 to Apr 30	Walnut Tree
May 01 to May 14	Poplar Tree
May 15 to May 24	Chestnut Tree
May 25 to Jun 03	Ash Tree
Jun 04 to Jun 13	Hornbeam Tree
Jun 14 to Jun 23	Fig Tree
Jun 24 (only)	Birch Tree
Jun 25 to Jul 04	Apple Tree
Jul 05 to Jul 14	Fir Tree
Jul 15 to Jul 25	Elm Tree
Jul 26 to Aug 04	Cypress Tree
Aug 05 to Aug 13	Poplar Tree
Aug 14 to Aug 23	Cedar Tree
Aug 24 to Sep 02	Pine Tree
Sep 03 to Sep 12	Weeping Willow Tree
Sep 13 to Sep 22	Lime Tree
Sep 23 (only)	Olive Tree
Sep 24 to Oct 03	Hazelnut Tree
Oct 04 to Oct 13	Rowan Tree
Oct 14 to Oct 23	Maple Tree
Oct 24 to Nov 11	Walnut Tree
Nov 12 to Nov 21	Chestnut Tree
Nov 22 to Dec 01	Ash Tree
Dec 02 to Dec 11	Hornbeam Tree
Dec 12 to Dec 21	Fig Tree
Dec 22 (only)	Beech Tree

TREES (in alphabetical order)

Apple Tree (Love) — quiet and shy at times, lots of charm, appeal, And attraction, pleasant attitude, flirtatious smile, adventurous, sensitive, loyal in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, many talents, loves children, needs affectionate partner.

Ash Tree (Ambition) — extremely attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with fate, can be very egotistic, reliable, restless lover, sometimes money rules over the heart, demands attention, needs love and much emotional support.

Beech Tree (Creative) — has good taste, concerned about its looks, materialistic, good organization of life and career, economical, good leader, takes no unnecessary risks, reasonable, splendid lifetime companion, keen on keeping fit (diets, sports, etc.).

Birch Tree (Inspiration) — vivacious, attractive, elegant, friendly, unpretentious, modest, does not like anything in excess, abhors the vulgar, loves life in nature and in calm, not very passionate, full of imagination, little ambition, creates a calm and content atmosphere.

Cedar Tree (Confidence ) — of rare strength, knows how to adapt, Likes unexpected presents, of good health, not in the least shy, tends to look down on others, self-confident, a great speaker, determined, often impatient, likes to impress others, has many talents, industrious, healthy optimism, waits for the one true love, able to make quick decisions.

Chestnut Tree (Honesty) — of unusual stature, impressive, well-developed sense of justice, fun to be around, a planner, born diplomat, can be irritated easily, sensitive of others feelings, hard worker, sometimes acts superior, feels not understood at times, fiercely family oriented, very loyal in love, physically fit.

Cypress Tree (Faithfulness) — strong, muscular, adaptable, takes What life has to give but doesn’t necessarily like it, strives to be content, optimistic, wants to be financially in dependent, wants love and affection, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered at times, can be unruly and careless, loves to gain knowledge, needs to be needed.

Elm Tree (Noble-mindedness ) — pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, Modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but Not to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical.

Fig Tree (Sensibility ) — very strong minded, a bit self-willed, honest, loyal, independent, hates contradiction or arguments, hard worker when wants to be, loves life and friends, enjoys children and animals, sexually oriented, great sense of humor, has artistic talent and great intelligence.

Fir tree (Mysterious ) — extraordinary taste, handles stress well, loves anything beautiful, stubborn, tends to care for those close to them, hard to trust others, yet a social butterfly, likes idleness and laziness after long demanding hours at work, rather modest, talented, unselfish, many friends, very reliable. Extremely intelligent. Loves life.

Hazelnut Tree (Extraordinary ) — charming, sense of humor, very demanding but can also be very understanding, knows how to make a lasting impression, active fighter for social causes and politics, popular, quite moody, sexually oriented, honest, a perfectionist, has a precise sense of judgment and expects complete fairness.

Hornbeam Tree (Good Taste) — of cool beauty, cares for its looks and condition, good taste, is not egoistic, makes life as comfortable as possible, leads a reasonable and disciplined life, looks for kindness and acknowledgment in an emotional partner, dreams of unusual lovers, is seldom happy with its feelings, mistrusts most people, is never sure of its decisions, very conscientious.

Lime Tree (Doubt) – intelligent, hard working, accepts what life dishes out, but not before trying to change bad circumstances into good ones, hates fighting and stress, enjoys getaway vacations, may appear tough, but is actually soft and relenting, always willing to make sacrifices for family and friends, has many talents but not always enough time to use them, great leadership qualities, is jealous at times but extremely loyal.

Maple Tree (Independence of Mind ) — no ordinary person, full of imagination and originality, shy and reserved, ambitious, proud, self-confident, hungers for new experiences, sometimes nervous, has many complexities, good memory, learns easily, complicated love life, wants to impress.

Oak Tree (Brave) — robust nature, courageous, strong, unrelenting, independent, sensible, does not like change, keeps its feet on the ground, person of action.

Olive Tree (Wisdom) — loves sun, warmth and kind f! feelings, reasonable, balanced, avoids aggression and violence, tolerant, cheerful, calm, well-developed sense of justice, sensitive, empathetic, free of jealousy, loves to read and the company of sophisticated people.

Pine Tree (Peacemaker) — loves agreeable company, craves peace and harmony, loves to help others, active imagination, likes to write poetry, not fashion conscious, great compassion, friendly to all, falls strongly in love but will leave if betrayed or lied to, emotionally soft, low self-esteem, needs affection and reassurance.

Poplar Tree (Uncertainty) — looks very decorative, talented, not very self-confident, extremely courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity, great artistic nature, good organizer, tends to lean toward philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership seriously.

Rowan Tree (Sensitivity) — full of charm, cheerful, gifted without egoism, likes to draw attention, loves life, motion, and even complications, is both dependent and independent, good taste, artistic, passionate, emotional, good company, does not forgive.

Walnut Tree (Passion) — unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egotistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromise.

Weeping Willow (Melancholy) – likes to be stress free, loves family life, full of hopes and dreams, attractive, very empathetic, loves anything beautiful, musically inclined, loves to travel to exotic places, restless, capricious, honest, can be influenced but is not easy to live with when pressured, sometimes demanding, good intuition, suffers in love until they find that one loyal, steadfast partner; loves to make others laugh.

What happens when pregnancy tests are wrong

I had a friends request come through myspace today, from someone I don’t think I’ve ever met, so I logged on for the first time in ages and found this post on the blog bit from before I set here up and thought it should be moved across

What happens when pregnancy tests are wrong?
You wake up an find one of these in your field:

You find one of these in the field in the morning

Little harvey was born on the 24th of October 2007 on a very wet day. His mother was PD as not pregnant which is why she was being sold.

We all said she was getting very fat…

Back on the road

My car failed its MOT on Friday, with over £500 worth of work needing do before it will go through. I do like my car but no way do I have that kind of money to spend on it all in one go at the moment.

So I have spent the weekend tracking down and buying another one. My old one is back home parked up waiting for me to find the parts on ebay and start fitting it back up again, it should cost half has much as getting the garage to fit it, for a start there seems to be plenty of water pumps for about a tenner instead of £120. A much nicer amount to pay if you ask me.

A weekend of half dones

Last weekend was hot, I was off Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and I think only on the Thursday was it cool enough to be outside working all day. The other days had a few hours mid-afternoon that just had to be spend sat inside in the cool until outside was cooler.

So really it doesn’t feel like much was done, Rhys did very well at cleaning the kitchen. We started taking down an old chicken shed ready for a move round and new goat pen, we collected and shredded a load of gorse for the goats and picked branches for them all but Sunday, changed over the water butt by the goats as the old one had started to drip and we were given a much bigger one, gave most of the sacks of muck that had been collected away on Freecycle (me and mummy were told a very funny story about mice and shampoo), I picked out wood for splitting one of the goat houses in two ready for kidding at the start of next month but we didn’t actually manage to split the house.

I half-heartly started planting some more potato’s in sacks (we eat alot of potatoes and I can’t bare the thought of any being left in the ground so they’re all going in sacks) but gave up because of the heat. I thought about planting some carrots and beetroot in the garden (cats have messed mummy’s up) but never got out there to do so.

Ooh, I did pick up some ‘new’ hutches for the quail to go in from someone belonging to LETS, it’s my first time spending Deans and the people I got the hutches from had an interesting holding and might want some quail…

…Basically lots of things got started and were on My List but never got finished.

Nice post

Two mornings running I’m impressed, I’m even more impressed as I’ve spent the whole day thinking it was Sunday.

This morning I got the certificate for my “training the trainer course” I went on at the start of April – which I passed with a credit! And I got the official job offer letter for the Play Ranger job I got (and a load of forms including a CRB check, oh joy, I can never write in boxes)

And then there were none

This hatching really hasn’t gone well.

Out of the eight eggs I put in the incubator one hatched, another one started to hatch and a day and a half later I did the no-no of trying to help the chick out (I REALLY wanted the one chick to have a friend) but it lived for a few hours and then died.

Another egg I found had a small chip in it and had dried up inside. And the other five… Well I’m sure they have chicks in (because of the weight of them) but they’re just not showing any signs of life, or hatching.

And to cap it all my ONE chick died for no reason at all!

I came in at about seven o’clock from cleaning out the chickens and was going to sit with a cup of tea (with honey not sugar) for half an hour ‘watching tele’ which really means watching the chick as the brooder is next to the tele and the chick is a lot more interesting. I watched it pondle around a bit, have some feed, sit in the feed dish looking at me for a while, then it went over and had a drink and came back to the lamp and settled down and went to sleep, all very normal behaviour, then it just stop breathing.

That was it, nothing I could do.

Cuttlefish

Since I stopped buying loads of stuff I didn’t really need from ebay I never really get any interesting post anymore, so it was extra nice this morning to get a little package full of cuttlefish fresh from the beach for the quail.

Thank you to TheGirlsMum from the River Cottage Forum who sent them to me!