Friday, February 15, 2008

And Hay Hay Hay

It was like pulling teeth (or something) painful anyway.

Rang the local contractor in November about making hay. Yes no probs, we were on the list.

Spent November and December weeding the hay paddocks - no ragwort and hardly any dock was to survive. And it rained enough to make it grow.

In the golden weather of January we watched him make large rounds at the neighbours. We'll be next - he promised.

In mid January I rang him and got his mother - "might be an idea to get someone else" she said. I did control my temper but it was difficult.

So five phone calls later the man decided life would be simpler all round if he just came and cut our hay. So he did, finally last week.

Last time half the area we did was cut they got 132 bales. We had twice that much shut up. We got 183 bales. Which was a bit annoying until we went to pick them up. Talk about heavy! I am sure we could have got a heap more bales if he had baled them looser - that's all good though as we paid by the bale.

So no one will starve this winter.

It has rained ever since we got the stuff stacked in the shed. You have to get lucky sometimes.

And Vale

things that make me cry.

This year to date we have lost two horses

Little Chase the mini foal who came when his mother did to get in foal to Calypso. He was fine in the morning, we came home that night and found he wasn't quite well so called the vet. The vet came out and said he had a slight temperature and was slightly dehydrated. Despite antibiotics and fluids he died the next morning. What is particularly gutting is that autopsies still don't tell us why. A rapid infection is the only conclusion.

RIP little man


And goodbye too to my good friend Kiwi who has been struggling with congestive heart failure since May last year with good days and bad ones. After two bad weeks it was time to say goodbye. Run free and fast my friend

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

How foals grow


28 December 2007

Far out - time flies!

So what happened in the meantime?

October 14 in the early hours of the morning
Ears had a baby girl - Storm - exactly what I ordered















Followed 11 days later at the more sociable hour of 8pm by Ali's baby Karma who was nicknamed Tee in short order (short for toerag). He is a very pretty baby with the lovely
movement of both his parents














Both are greys.

We also had cows

Aurora's bull calf Ron who soon grew into a sturdy lad




























And Bonny had Amanda who may be a brunette but is really rather blond.