The End is in Sight!

Phew - it's been a long time coming but the end of lambing and calving 2019 is well within sight now.

I'm still bottle feeding my four (very sweet) little lambs

and Jonathan's still bottle feeding his calf

which is very sweet indeed

The weather has been kind to us this year, so all has gone fairly well.

Unfortunately spring in the valley also means the time when the rooks descend.  They are a real nuisance; after feeding the chickens I have to stand there for ages or the rooks will take their feed, they steal the horses feed in the yard, and they can be very cruel to livestock.  If there is ever an ailing sheep or lamb in the field, they will swoop down and peck out their eyes which is a very pitiful sight.

Which leads me to a sad story about Lucy, our ten year old pet lamb.  She has two claims to fame: the first, when she was still a lamb but quite grown up and she used to stay out in the chicken field with her friend Mabel.  One day there was a rainstorm and I looked out and wondered why all the silly chicken weren't sheltering in their hut.  On closer inspection I found out why:

Then, last year, Lucy had twins and after he'd pulled out the second one Jonathan and George went out (dancing).  To my horror I realised she was having a third, and I couldn't get hold of anyone to help, so her second claim to fame is being the only sheep whose lamb I had to pull out.  Jeffrey came over after the deed was done (and after he'd finished his supper) to see if I was okay and said he'd better take a picture:

Anyway, this year Lucy had twins.  It was early in the morning and sadly the first one was born dead, but Jonathan pulled out the second one and because it was big and healthy and Lucy was licking it Jonathan left them to bond (which is the right thing to do).  I saw a couple of crows out there a bit later so Jonathan went out to check.  The crows had pecked the lamb's still wet umbilical cord and left the lamb disembowelled.  Of course it died.  Lucy bleated none stop for the next two days.  It was very sad but at least she's okay.

Any way, on to happier things.  We have had a lovely visit from our grandson and I was inspired to crochet him a Toft zebra

I will never, ever again crochet with black wool - it was an absolute nightmare! - but apparently Isaac likes him!

In the workshop Eileen had a length of Sari silk and she suggested to Jackie that she might like to make a doll's outfit out of it.  The next week Jackie turned up with this:

So lovely!

Finally, my sister decided to celebrate the ten years since she had her kidney transplant by collecting all the 10ps she came across over the year and donating them to the  Six Counties Kidney Patients Association, the charity that looks after patients covered by the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Victoria had a collection in her offices in Jersey and Isaac handed his great aunt the haul:

 

And I mentioned it in the workshop and was thrilled when so many ladies handed over their cash:

There was a lot more than this by the end and Belinda was able to donate a grand total of £205.00!!