I didn’t need to go to Tregurnog so I was having a lie in. Woohoo! When I finally woke up and put my phone on there was a message from Jordan: “Is it cold out?” I checked my phone. It said 3°. That’s not warm is it? Then Neil messaged: “It was -1° when I went out at 6am!” Let me assure you I was glad my fleece lined jeans were ready for me. I had my shower and then got dressed. Plenty of layers today, 2 pairs of socks, my Garth Hall coat, gloves and a headband to keep my ears warm. Off me and Skye went for her walk. To be honest, I was a bit too warm at that point but it was only a quick walk. After breakfast it was time for Garth Hall.
I went out and the truck was cold. So the heated seat went on as well as the sunglasses. It was a beautiful morning though. I parked up and went to the cabbage field to multi task. I was simultaneously counting coloured bums and non coloured bums. All that sheep counting and I had to keep awake too. This sort of dangerous work can only be done by an expert like me 😉 I got 21 non coloured and 31 coloured. Earlier in the week I had counted 35 coloured and 17 non coloured. A combination of rain and my sunglasses could have hidden some faintly coloured ones. Who knows! I went to feed Hennessey next. Persephone was approaching the fence when I got near the gate. I didn’t take my eyes off her for one second. She wasn’t going to teleport on me again. Then I went to see the boys. Leo was starving. He was a bit growly but I managed and there wasn’t rainwater in the buckets which made the job easier. I fed the little boys next. I didn’t have time for halter training today. Last night I ordered new halters for the younger ones. I only have one small halter. I’ve ordered 2 more as well as 2 extra small ones. Ones to fit cria!
I went to feed the girls. There were only 3 by the gate even after I’d opened it. I shook the bucket. Several heads popped up and the stampede began. This is nothing like teleporting. They are ungainly runners. All legs and necks. I went to the trough. One of the 3 already there was Theadora (Popcorn’s mother) she was growling at everyone, including me. She’s a weird one. I had to walk up the side of the boy’s field to count the last few ewes and went through the nursery. As I was going up through there I heard a quad in the distance. I kept going and met Neil. He stopped long enough for us to pass the Tregurnog fob over and I went home. Back at home I had a few jobs to do and then I met Jordan and Louis for lunch. Just after I got back home I’d made a cup of tea. Nothing unusual there. Message from Neil. “I’m just leaving Tregurnog now.” I had about 20 mins before I’d need to leave.
Going through Smilog I was stuck behind someone going painfully slow. I got to Garth Hall and the gate was open. Bugger, I was late. I drove in. Neil was just driving the tractor up to the back of the trailer for the first bale. He got the on the front loader spike. It was my job to open the wall garden gate. It’s really heavy. He drove through and I opened the barn gate. I tried to shoo Munchie out but it was half-hearted. We both knew it wasn’t worth it. She would go in and she would eat hay. I had to see Neil forward to the right place to lower the bale down. That was easy. I had to shoo Munchie from behind the tractor and then go and get the straps from the pipes in front of the pen. Neil drove back to the trailer and lined up in front of it. I got the straps. They were surprisingly heavy. I wrapped one around the bale at the back and Neil put the other one around the front and attached it to the front loader. He had to pull it out far enough to be able to spike it. Once it was out of the trailer I undid the straps and out them to one side. I left him to pick the bale up and walked to the barn. Putting the second bale in was a bit easier with the first one as a guide. He did that easily and reversed out.
We went back into the paddock, I opened the main gate and Neil shut the wall garden gate. I would say I jumped in the tractor then but I didn’t. I mountaineered up into it. It’s so high I nearly required oxygen half way up. “Did you say you had a drink for me?” I reached in my pocket for a can of Pepsi. “Can you open it?” That was fair, he was driving. But the answer was not really. Tractors are bouncy. Not in a good way. It was a bloody nightmare opening that can. I don’t know how we weren’t covered in it but we weren’t. Neil drank about half of it down before the slope and passed it back to me to hold. At the bottom he reversed into a flat space and finished his drink. He unhitched then and put the tractor away. I took the mule for a quick spin. Apparently it has to be used regularly. With that done I fed Hennessey and we headed back up. It was 2.45, seemingly starting to get darker and definitely colder. Neil had lost his gloves somewhere too. I think they’re in the tractor…
We had one more job before a nice early finish. Lazarus Lookalike needed drenching. He has a dirty bum, suggesting worms. We went in the wellfield and I opened the barn gate. They were all up the field. I called and they all came running. I tried to let the lambs in and keep Munchie out but of course she snuck in. Neil got the drench while I caught him. Neil drenched him and let him go. We sent the lambs out but no sign of Munchie. I heard some muffled sounds from behind the bales. It would be her dream to be locked in there all night! I went round one side to get her and she burrowed between the two bales. Neil saw her and pushed the bales apart almost trapping me under it. I shouted and he stopped. I got in behind and he pushed the bale again. I got behind her then and shoved her out. She strolled nonchalantly towards the gate and out. She is a law unto herself but makes good blog content 🤦♀️ We had a lovely early finish before it got any colder. I was indeed grateful for my fleecy jeans
Helen x
