I woke up this morning, took a view, counted the rabbits on the lawn (daily population increase here) checked for molehills (nearly 2 years mole free - can't believe it, feel like I've had more success than The Priory but still you have to check...) and decided b****cks to the weather forecast. Rain? Wind? Ha! Sunny and lovely it was. So inspired, I decided this morning was the morning to give duck land it's first proper Jeyes fluiding since last weeks cull. By the time I had seen to the family, showered, dug out some gardening type wear, put make up on, straightened my hair and all the essentials it was lashing down. Not just raining - absolutely chucking it down. Again, nature mocks me (though I probably deserve it for my bad weather people thoughts when I woke up.) Armed in full waterproofs, rake and brush in hand I headed off.
Duck land is pretty sad at the moment and I wasn't relishing spending the time there but trying to think positively my mind is now set to getting everything right for the new arrivals in a few weeks. It was interesting to discover plenty of fox poo around the house however - I knew that Fox/Alsatian I espied the other day was up to no good. He certainly took advantage of the electric fence being switched off the cunning thing... I got a bit carried away with the old cleaning (in the most ridiculous rain - even Horsley sheltered in the barn looking at me like I'd lost my marbles) and did everything except individual blades of grass! The fencing, the wooden stakes, the gate..you name it, it's now JF'd. This continued into the barn. I decided to tidy the barn, strip everything out and brush and bleach everything. Not least as our increasing squirrel/rat (not much of a difference I have to say) is causing menace chewing through every plastic container possible. So a full reassessment was called for. It all got finished off with all the used tools being JF'd too!
Aside from being shattered, crippled with knee pain and with hands like sandpaper (why are gloves so rubbish for this type of outdoor work?) and despite having a long indulgent shower on my return to the house, I still smell of JF and I can assure you this does not mix with J'Adore pure perfume. Still, it's a small (annoying) price to pay to think I've started this 'bleach then leave then do it all over again' routine for the next few weeks and with PMA (oh those words bring back memories of office days..!) my new ducks should arrive at somewhere with more private than NHS cleaning standards...
The sheep are all well. Dolly and Dors' 'udders' are subsiding and they've remembered what it was like to be 'lamb free' Off getting themselves sleek and fit for a new ram about town come the autumn. Neither of them give their lambs a second glance now and ironically the lambs now look to the orphans for leadership. But they are all well.. I must post some pics soon of their 'ear accessories'
Horsley is really well - his story is for another day, but given his leg condition (elbow dysplasia and severe arthritis) it's heartening to see him glossy, alert and jumping everything like a stag on days like today. This isn't normally the case with him so his enforced diet of weight control Bakers and no rabbit seems to have started to take effect. He has his Guinness though - purely for the same medicinal reasons as to why I drink gin...
Will update later on this weekend on life here. Hoping for the sun now to dry everything out.
Mx
Weather: See above! Around 18 degrees.
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