Reports of an accident just down from Caddy’s Garage (not heard it called that for YEARS!) sent me to Tregurnog first this morning. It was chilly but luckily Skye chose to sleep not bark at cars and make me open the windows. The cat and chickens were fed and watered. Skye helped me check the rams and we went back home. I dropped her and the eggs off and went to play with Ally. Skye plays ‘fetch’. Ally plays ‘run around the garden doing laps like an absolute lunatic’ Good fun but hard to finish the game. 🙄
From there I went over Llantrisant Common towards Garth Hall. I looked over to the lane. There was a white van, just stopped on the lane. When I got a bit closer I saw a horse. Going up. Good spot. Easier for me to go the other way. I’d forgotten I wasn’t going that way because of the accident but there was no sign of it. I was only popping to Garth Hall to feed the rams because I had a visit at 2pm. Elsie found me straight away. Of course she did. I told her I would be back later. Because it was a school day, I assumed the child visiting was going to be below school age. The perfect age to bottle feed Elsie. While I was in the barn, Neil messaged to see if there was petrol for the generator. There wasn’t. Typical, I was in a rush but anyway, a trip to Tesco was called for. At least I could get my father his milk. I put the petrol in the Jerry can and I went for milk. They don’t do the small bottles in the garage. So then I had to go to Filco for milk as well. I made and ate dinner in record time. I also made Elsie’s bottle and off I dashed.
I got there at 1.40 so great for time. I reached over for Elsie’s bottle but it wasn’t there was it? Still on the bloody kitchen side. Not enough time to go back, poor Elsie 😬 Then my visitor was late. I rang. No answer. I would have had time to go home but never mind. We had a lovely visit and when we went down to the alpaca area, I wanted to check on the new rams. I couldn’t see them. I went to the livestock trailer for food and had a longer look. Nope. Not there. I sent a quick message. “They are missing” Immediately Neil replied. “#### off!” Then as I was walking back towards the visitors, the two lazy bloody rams stood up. Inside the pod. Sleeping, out of view behind the IBC. Lazy sods! Panic averted. After the visit, I said goodbye and then went off to feed the barn rams again. There wasn’t any food left so I went to Cai. When I was trying to scoop beet pulp into the bucket with a broken butter tub, I remembered the new tub in the truck. Off I went for it. Then I remembered the Jerry can. I got that too, just as Neil arrived on the quad. He put the Jerry can in his trailer with the shearing equipment. He collected a bag of Camelibra and headed to the barn. Meanwhile I filled the bucket and shut the gate after him. As I was strolling through the wall, garden I heard “Shit!” “What’s wrong?” “Forgot the extension lead that’s all.” He sorted the shearing equipment out and I fed the rams.
Then we had to go down to capture the naughty escaping ewes. I shook the food bucket and the majority came for food. Not the ewes we wanted though. Typical. Neil went off up the field and a mixture of driving and encouraging them, got them most of the way down. Then they caught wind that something was afoot. The Welsh Mountain one gave us the slip several times. Bloody nightmare she is. Me and Neil had to be on our top side-stepping and shouting game. Hard work but we got them. There were 4 but only 2 needed shearing. Again piles of side stepping. And the 4 ended up in troop transport. Neil pulled the one already sheared one out and then decided he would leave the other one in and bring them back later.
So, the shearing. Hmmm. Let’s say Neil sheared the first one. The second one, the real troublemaker. Well…I think we are lucky to come out alive to be fair… It is such a shame. She’s a strapping girl but she won’t bloody stay put! The only thing Neil managed to say when he finished was “They can stay here. I’m not moving them again!” Last job was taking the trailer back and dropping the Camelibra off. Job done. Long day.
Helen x
