The alarm was on for 6.25 but I was awake just after 6 so I got up and walked Skye before I went to Tregurnog. It was pitch dark when I got to Tregurnog. I haven’t been for a while so the townies had turned their outside floodlight back onto full blast. It was like being on an operating table when I pulled up! Not my electric bill so not my problem. It was dark in the barn so I needed a torch. I used my father’s wind up torch to feed the cat but I soon gave up on that. It didn’t seem to build up any power. It had to be constantly wound up for any light. I couldn’t open a tin of cat food without any free hands so it was back to my phone torch. I didn’t need a torch to get the layers pellets because it’s at the front of the barn. I did need my torch for a while in the chicken shed but it was getting lighter and my eyes were getting used to the dark after the glare from the townies outside light had worn off. Only two eggs today.
I had breakfast and was getting ready to leave when I had a message saying AGAGH. That’s short for all good at Garth Hall. This meant Neil had been uo so I didn’t need to go. Nice. More ‘gained time’. I already had a job planned for today but I thought I would need to got to Garth Hall first. I had to find, buy and collect two ring feeders. The sheep and girl alpacas need hay now as the grass is dwindling. The alpacas probably have a few weeks because they’ve got a big field but the sheep need it now. The weather forecast has hinted at a bad week too so I was on the clock. I phoned Arthur John’s first and then Mole Valley. Mole Valley were cheaper. Neil said “Of course they’ll fit in the back of the truck. They are in two halves!” I told my father that Neil thought I could fit two ring feeders in the back of the truck. “Of course they will. They come apart!” Do they both think I’m that thick? I must admit I think they both do think that. I had no confidence whatsoever that I could fit two halves let alone four halves in there. But off I went, with both my father and Skye accompanying me.
We bought them and then I reversed up to the collection area. I handed over the receipt. “Ring feeder? In there? It won’t fit and anyway it will be too heavy to get in there.” Well I knew I could lift it. It’s not solid metal. He went off in his forklift to get one. When he came back I said “It’s two I’ve bought mind.” “You’ll never get two in there!” The thing is, we have two at the Garth Hall that my father bought and transported using this very truck so he knew they would go in, albeit with the back down and the feeder tied in. The Mole man was shaking his head. It wasn’t heavy in the slightest. It did stick out the back though. My father began roping it up. He is good at this sort of thing (the main reason I took him with me!) He has been roping up and securing loads for years. He’s good at knots too. I drove back and dropped him and Skye off. I then went to Garth Hall to drop the one feeder off. We ended up agreeing to have the second one delivered in a few weeks 🤦♀️ It would have gone in but the Mole man wasn’t having any of it. And I wasn’t paying for delivery so we compromised.
I dropped them both at home and went to Garth Hall. I went down the driveway and there were loads of sheep in the paddock. Perfect. Neil had left the paddock gate propped open and it was full of silvernoses, Molly and Baarbaara. I tried to open the gate and drive in without them noticing. I shouldn’t have worried. They were all tucking into the grass enthusiastically. I put it into 4 wheel drive and slipped and slid through the mud. Neil had told me where he wanted it left. I parked up and started undoing the knots. It didn’t take long so I started to drag the ring feeder out. I had hoped to lift it all out on my own but when I got it so far it dropped. It wasn’t a problem, it rocked like one of those plastic toddlers seesaws. The two halves seemed to be locked together. I decided to separate them. BIG MISTAKE.
I put the fingers of my left hand between the sides and pushed the inner one away from the outer one with my right hand. This did not move them apart. That tiny separation caused a kind of suction and the two parts slammed shut. On my bloody fingertips. Literally. I’m so glad I had gloves on. My middle finger and ring finger were throbbing. I was afraid to look. I flapped my hand about. It didn’t help. I tried to carry on but I had to look. Bruising under the nail on my middle finger. Good job I had the gloves on. I dragged the two stuck together halves out of the way and left. I later realised I’d forgotten to leave the pins t hold the two halves together.
I went to Ally’s and run my finger tip under a cold tap jn the kitchen while she was playing out the back. It made it worse! It wasn’t swelling or getting any worse so I had to get on with things. I ended up putting my glove back on. It hurt less when it was warm. I sent a message on the Garth Hall chat. No sympathy from there. I explained it hurt worse than an alpaca kick but Jordan said not the one that kicked her! I had non farm things to do in the afternoon and the kittens had a vet appointment at 4.30 so Neil did the afternoon shift. He set the ring feeder up and put a bale in it. I’ll post a photo later.
Busy day tomorrow. Everything is happening at once!
Helen x
