Well into Autumn now with everything slowing down in the garden and trees just starting to turn shades of yellow and red. Still a bit too early for the grape vine but it's well on its way to looking stunning in the sunshine!
The animals are getting woolly...................
And so far we have 40 kilos of walnuts drying next to the fire with countless more dropping every day!
This weekend was put aside for hoof trimming! It's wet here in Winter and the sheep breed we have (Southdowns) always struggle a bit with their feet on the soggy ground. Now is the time when the ground is still hard to make sure their feet are in reasonably good shape before it all gets boggy! Tools required.......... Wormer, hoof trimmers, stirrup leather for holding them and zinc sulphate to spray on afterwards.
Goats first. Easy to catch, well behaved (most of the time!!) and only three to do!
Toggles even waits in line!
But is always happy when it's all over! Especially the worming bit!
Sheep next. Easy to bring it this lot too! Farmer Geoff just leans on his stick, rattles a tin of wheat, yells out and in they come! At the gallop!
No temper tantrums with this lot this time! No throwing themselves onto the ground and refusing to move! As they get older they get better and better behaved!
Unlike this stupid lump who later during the day succeeded in getting herself tangled in some chicken netting she had hooked,ripped and managed to wrap completely totally and utterly around her horns.
As usual when she gets herself into a pickle like this whether it's caught in a hay net, or in the fence ,she just stands there ........... horns stuck in the ground...(l kid you not.........l found her once, flat on her side, head back like she was either dead or enjoying the sunshine, to find that she was in fact firmly wedged in the dirt by her horns!!! l had to laugh as l hoisted her out of the ground even though she was furious at the humiliation of it all!!)..... she is always totally relaxed. She just quietly bleats away knowing that at SOME stage we will come along and free her!! No panic, no pulling, just little baaaaaas to let us know!
Daft thing she is!!
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