Thank you Lesley for being my guest author yesterday and for giving a great update for the diary which I believe you wrote whilst still tucked up, welded to the mattress, munching breakfast….way to go Lesley !!!
Before I begin recounting the merry and not so merry antics on the ranch yesterday, I would like to ask you all to keep someone VERY special to me in your thoughts and prayers. We had some very bad news and very hard decisions are going to have to be made. Please add her to your prayers.
Well, yesterday was a busy day and early morning chores were completed faster than Lady could deliver another pile of poo. Busy bodies armed with shovels, brushes and creaking wheelbarrows passed from stall to stall, pen to pen and before the rooster crowed 10am ( well, I don’t see why not, he crows every five minutes!!) we were done. Stalls were spotless, buckets were full and hay mangers full, on to phase two…after a coffee break, quick “cuppa” a muffin or two an unscheduled business meeting and just enough time to get our breath back, we were off again.
Gimpy our over zealous ewe was ceremoniously returned to the sheep pen yesterday. Gimpy had been secluded in her own private suite for the past two months to recover some weight after we weaned her three hearty lambs.We had been keeping a close eye on her, and as soon as the lambs could manage without the milky bar, the “closed” sign went up and her ample udder was dried up. Gimpy had been such a good mom that her youngsters had turned her normally rotund body into a virtual bone frame supporting her skin, the ewe may have been thin but what she lacked in weight she made up for in attitude. Catching the girl had become a challenge, peanuts and carrots were happily accepted but if we looked like we had any intentions of catching her, all we saw was a flash of tail and a cloud of dust! Yesterday we agreed that wily Gimpy had recovered enough to join the flock….but first the ewe had to be caught. Derek loves a challenge…and Gimpy is just that!! The “here’s a peanut and I’m not looking at you” routine paid off and a disgruntled and out foxed ewe was confined to her pen pending her return to the girls. Well done Derek. It took four of us to “persuade” the not too enthusiastic sheep to leave her life of solitary abundance and return to a regular diet and all the mayhem of the ewes pen. Greg on the lead rope, Derek and I pushing..and Lesley recording the occasion and directing operations. What a team !!!
How many civil engineers does it take to dig a hole ??? I have to confess…we are going for the record down here on the ranch. Greg using the tractor started the operation, Derek and Lesley cleared the hole to the specified depth…and I supervised. The A team are doing a very impressive job of replacing an ancient ( rotten) cedar post and a rusty broken fence and they have the muscles to prove it !
It was great to see young Holly back with the team this morning, she and her friend Travis arrived for a day working on the farm…we already know that Holly is priceless and, after a quick check out, we happily concluded that good use will be made of Travis muscles. Thank you both for spending your day with us…I’m sure that tomorrows diary will give a full update.
Time to go, thinking of you Mum J. Take care, keep safe, M
Before I begin recounting the merry and not so merry antics on the ranch yesterday, I would like to ask you all to keep someone VERY special to me in your thoughts and prayers. We had some very bad news and very hard decisions are going to have to be made. Please add her to your prayers.
Well, yesterday was a busy day and early morning chores were completed faster than Lady could deliver another pile of poo. Busy bodies armed with shovels, brushes and creaking wheelbarrows passed from stall to stall, pen to pen and before the rooster crowed 10am ( well, I don’t see why not, he crows every five minutes!!) we were done. Stalls were spotless, buckets were full and hay mangers full, on to phase two…after a coffee break, quick “cuppa” a muffin or two an unscheduled business meeting and just enough time to get our breath back, we were off again.
Gimpy our over zealous ewe was ceremoniously returned to the sheep pen yesterday. Gimpy had been secluded in her own private suite for the past two months to recover some weight after we weaned her three hearty lambs.We had been keeping a close eye on her, and as soon as the lambs could manage without the milky bar, the “closed” sign went up and her ample udder was dried up. Gimpy had been such a good mom that her youngsters had turned her normally rotund body into a virtual bone frame supporting her skin, the ewe may have been thin but what she lacked in weight she made up for in attitude. Catching the girl had become a challenge, peanuts and carrots were happily accepted but if we looked like we had any intentions of catching her, all we saw was a flash of tail and a cloud of dust! Yesterday we agreed that wily Gimpy had recovered enough to join the flock….but first the ewe had to be caught. Derek loves a challenge…and Gimpy is just that!! The “here’s a peanut and I’m not looking at you” routine paid off and a disgruntled and out foxed ewe was confined to her pen pending her return to the girls. Well done Derek. It took four of us to “persuade” the not too enthusiastic sheep to leave her life of solitary abundance and return to a regular diet and all the mayhem of the ewes pen. Greg on the lead rope, Derek and I pushing..and Lesley recording the occasion and directing operations. What a team !!!
How many civil engineers does it take to dig a hole ??? I have to confess…we are going for the record down here on the ranch. Greg using the tractor started the operation, Derek and Lesley cleared the hole to the specified depth…and I supervised. The A team are doing a very impressive job of replacing an ancient ( rotten) cedar post and a rusty broken fence and they have the muscles to prove it !
It was great to see young Holly back with the team this morning, she and her friend Travis arrived for a day working on the farm…we already know that Holly is priceless and, after a quick check out, we happily concluded that good use will be made of Travis muscles. Thank you both for spending your day with us…I’m sure that tomorrows diary will give a full update.
Time to go, thinking of you Mum J. Take care, keep safe, M
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