On Sunday January 5th 2025, my father passed away. After saying our goodbyes, Jordan and I went to McDonald’s as it was the only place open in the early hours on a freezing cold Sunday. So now, a year on, we decided we would go back to McDonald’s to talk about him. That was planned for lunchtime
It was a bloody cold morning when I set off for Garth Hall. My thoughts wandered to him as I drove and what the last year had brought. He missed William’s birth and all the crias that also came along. He wasn’t around when we bought Colin and I wondered if he would have approved. Probably not 😂 He constantly said I could only change things when he was no longer around and not before! I got to Garth Hall before I had time to think of anything else and to be honest, after that I was too busy. I unloaded the tree first and flung it over. I had a plan for the ice today. I had two flasks of boiling water with me 😇
Rascal met me. There were no ewes around at all so I assumed Neil had put a bale out. I let the ducks out and kicked through the ice in the paddling pool. I fed the alpacas and Rascal and then went to break up the ice in the drinking water. I kicked it with my boot again and put the pieces of ice back in the IBC. Neil messaged to tell me not to put all the ice on the floor 🤦♀️ I went to get the jeep and was shocked that the windscreen wasn’t frozen. I drove down and reversed to the LST. I emptied the alpaca mix out and filled the buckets. After feeding the boys, I got started on the ice. There were some spiky bits protruding so I had a feeling that Neil had put some ice back in from the floor that I’d taken out yesterday. I tried with my metal pipe and didn’t get anywhere. A bit of boiling water made me a small hole and I was able to make it bigger. I followed Neil’s advice. I made a hole that they could drink from and put those ice pieces on top of the main piece of ice.
Next I drove up to put hay in the pod. There was some left in the bag so I went to the outer ring. I flung it over the gate and climbed after it. I then tipped it out for the far field alpacas. I walked back and drove to the troughs. I fed the main lot and then fed Ffion in the VIP area. I went over to the far field with their food and a flask. I fed the cria first and then the adults. I climbed the gate and went off to the bath. There was no hole in that ice either but there was shallower ice which I started hitting. That broke it up and I put those on top again. I walked back, let Ffion out and went to their bath. It was very full again with some jagged pieces. I couldn’t break it at all so I used the boiling water to start myself off. I broke up a reasonable section and stacked those pieces on top again. I’d warmed up but my arms were in bits from the exertion. Back at the boys bath, the water was freezing again so I broke up some more and tipped out the remaining boiling water.
Back at the top, I put the jeep away and went to let the Peckys out into the run. I fed them and then checked their water. It wasn’t too bad, they had pecked a hole in the ice! I took the eggs and my flasks. I messaged Jordan from the truck and suggested I would be ready 12.30. I put the first address into my sat nav and set off for Miskin. I got lost. I found out in the end that I past the house once, missed the tree and drove off again. That added some time 🤦♀️ I missed the second house as well but didn’t get too far off track. I got that tree and it was very bushy. I struggled to lift it up to the tailgate if I’m honest. Once I did, I tried pushing. There was no way that was happening.
I took the first tree out and got the big one in. It stuck out a bit so I sawed quite a large section. Well, I tried but it took a lot of work. My arms were tired from all the ice bashing. It was really hard work. I put that smaller section in but there were so many still poking out 🤦♀️I tried so hard to push the trees in further. Not enough strength. I tried ‘folding’ some of them. Not bloody happening so I had to cut off loads more. By the end, my arms were like wet spaghetti. I did just enough to be able to shut the tailgate. The top refused to shut but that was ok. I messaged Jordan as it was 12.25. She was going to the Post Office and agreed to pick me up. As I drove back, carefully with the arm issues, I again thought of my father. He would have laughed hysterically at me and the tree. If he had been physically able to help me, he wouldn’t have. He would have been laughing too much. He was very witty and loved to laugh. And it must have been funny to watch, to be fair. He would also have encouraged me. There was no way I was going to take two trips. He instilled that in me. Farmers are always careful (tight 😂) with money so one trip it was.
I got home, and only partially reversed into the drive with the back open. I had a wee, changed my trousers, boots and coat just in time for Jordan. We rang Josh from McDonald’s and had a little chat. We miss him. We were both sorry that he never met William but he definitely enjoyed Riley. We both said that we are sooo busy and that its helped us. Jordan thinks of him more often when she’s driving. I think of him at the oddest times. My cousin sent us some photos of him shearing and I was deeply touched that he’d thought of us today. He avoided the dreadful Inheritance Tax from being imposed on us too.
A lot has happened in this past year. I hope my father would have been proud of our achievements. He would have been gutted that his car had to be condemned, but I always hated that car 😂 The farm is still running so I think we’ve done alright.
Helen x
Chris trees
