The Comings and Goings of Cows

We are now, to all intents and purposes, surrounded by land grazed by Mike the Cows's Charolais herd. Well, mainly Charolais, the nearly white beef breed, but the group of 20 or so does include a couple of black Angus and some more Hereford-y gingery beef animals with the Hereford white face. Those are Charolais crosses. The bull, Felix, is purebred Charolais. Many of these girls have calves at foot, and/or are in calf at the moment. They will be taken back to Mike's Grand-dad's farm to actually have their calves, which won't be long now. They are very broad in the beam.

You'll already know that I drive Mum and Dad nuts by my regular chasing out across the fields to the west of us to shout at the cows if I think they are coming too close to our gate. I get up quite close to the cows. They mainly ignore me but occasionally I have to nip back a bit quick because one of the Mums has a little go at charging at me, especially if I'm a bit close to one of the calves.

We have now (on Monday) opened up the gap at the bottom of the east field now that we have the new cow-proof fence keeping the beasties off the garden and the lane. The grass in the east field, not grazed at all this year, is nice and long, if a little infested with docks and rushes but it's a welcome bite for the cows who were struggling a bit on the short, over-grazed land around us owned by Vendor Anna L and grazed almost continuously through the Summer.

The pups are getting quite interested in all this cow activity and I have sometimes tried to lead them astray into the cow fields but they are not that brave yet, and seem to take my barking as a cause for concern, so they don't come that far into the field and nip bacvk a bit smartish if Dad does his "Pupuppuppuppup!" shout.

A long time coming....

Huge apology. It seems to have been an awfully long time since I last posted in here. The 28th, in fact so it's over 2 weeks. In my defence, we have been extremely busy, in part because of an invasion by the entire Silverwood tribe so that the day I'd normally have written to you we were tied up getting ready for that but it's still a rubbish level of service and I will accept any slaps on wrists which are coming.

Dad's mission for Monday 30th July was to head for Carrick on Shannon to buy wood for the door of the hot press (airing cupboard). C0S is hometown of Anna L, the lady from whom we bought the house, and who is fast becoming a firm friend. Actually we bought it from the Three Sisters, but Anna took the role of spokesman and it was with her that we seemed to be doing the negotiations and the business around buying the extra field to square off the property. Mum and Dad therefore decide to text Anna to say they are going to be in town, and arrange to meet Anna at Esquires coffee house for a coffee. From there they all adjourn back to Anna's so that M+D can have a look at the garden and admire the burgeoning crops of beans etc. Our own stuff, started late due to the house building and then held back by the rain, wet and chill, is all very backward and pathetic by comparison. "We will get there!", says Dad but we are all praying for some kind of a Summer to start. We give Anna a jar of our home made blackcurrant jam and she gives us a bag full of broad bean pods.

M+D nearly do not make the coffee appointment, when Wandering Wendy stays rather too long on the nest in the nettle patch and appears to be going broody but eventually, just as they've given up and got in the car, out she wanders and strolls round to the run asking to be let back into the run. In your own time, Wendy.... no rush.

Mornings are now  falling into the routine of pup and kittens. Dad and I are woken at 06:30 by the clamour from the kitchen and Dad gets up to release the gang into the backyard. While they chase about he gets a chance to mop up the inevitable pee and poo most of which is, admittedly, in the cat litter tray or on the pads and paper we have put down. This usually involves a bit of wiping floors with tissues held in one hand while batting away pup or kittens with the other. The kindergarten gets fed. Preparing the food is a bit interesting as the kitten Blue is quite good at climbing the whole height of a person, starting with a leap onto the back of a calf-muscle. Yowser!

With the kindergarten feeding happily, Dad can go release and feed chickens and let the rabbits out into their run. By now I have stretched and luxuriated enough and join him for the walk out to the bunnies. Back indoors we all settle down while Dad has a coffee, at which point I generally wander back upstairs and hop back onto the big bed with Mum, where no pups and kittens have yet ventured. Dad brings Mum a cup of tea at 0800 and the day proper begins when Mum comes down.