...you know that brave comment of 'Hiltz being fat enough not to fit through the gate?' Yep, either I was having a moment of optimism big enough to rival Merkel & Crew's over in the Eurozone or Hiltz has been on some serious diet. Perhaps that's it. Perhaps that's the key to £$£$£$ - the grass and sheep nut diet...any takers? Anyway, one Hiltz found wandering alone in the duck paddock last night. Had to be last night. Wednesday's my busiest day by far being DD's chauffeur and it was with heavy Hunters did I do the nightly rounds. Thinking of that ice cool gin in the fridge all dreams of that were shattered at the sight of that bloody stupid sheep! Cue the gundog lead, one lassoed sheep and a hasty drag back to the field followed by even hastier reaffixing of the hurdles back onto the gate. Seriously sheep, when ARE you going to grow?
Spoke to my 'duck man' today who confirms 5 girls and 1 drake (I am mad aren't I for getting another drake?) are coming along, haven't been eaten by a fox, come down with illness, caught duck plague or been abducted and held to ransom. So far so good. The pick up eta being in fortnight or so. I am very excited in a not-letting-it-show sort of way, mainly because DD asks constantly about them and is very jealous her best friend has cute fluffy chicks. It's all a bit 'banker' really in that it's a risk getting my maximum number in one go as if DVE is still in the area it's going to go through them again. BUT, getting them all in one go means less exposure to illnesses, stress, realigning pecking orders etc etc etc...I'm waiting for nature to give me a sign but I imagine it's likely to come after the purchase rather than before...
Having survived the thunderstorms of Monday afternoon (broadband, sky and landline all down) the weather has been pretty constant which means everything has been growing, which for us means a) rabbits are eating everything growing and b) what the rabbits don't eat freak bugs are aiding and abetting. Rose Clear & Bug Clear are as high up as my purchases of Chanel toner & moisturiser and equally as important one might argue.
I am still to find out what those mystery creatures are that ran across the road the other day. I shall research and report back. Who knows? It could be a new species discovered in humble Isfield...most likely not! Speaking of the village. Is it just my village that has huge lorries using it all day long? I saw one swerve to avoid a deer this morning. Dangerous on so many levels - especially as he was coming round a bend way too fast, as most cars do if I'm honest. Now, my driving style has been described as 'enthusiastic' and venison is divine but seriously why can't they SLOW DOWN when passing through the villages?! Not least because their accident is bound to make me late for something vital like a hair or nail appointment and you can't afford to mess a hairdresser about round here as good ones are very hard to find....ahh...gone are my Mayfair salon days...thank god for GHDS....
Mx
Weather: Pleasant, settled, circa 18 degrees. Awesome , inspiring views of the downs - the stuff that makes you remember how good it feels to be alive.
Scouse in the South
Thursday, 30 June 2011
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Hot! Hot! Hot!
Well, the weekend brought limited success to my plans. The Saturday morning clean out was scuppered by an emergency shopping need in Brighton and then having to detour to Marksies where they have my favourite pink Cava currently on offer...honestly this stuff rivals Lanson Rose and when life becomes 'responsibility' then what are you and DH going to do other than have a little treat on a Saturday night? So that was that. Some gardening did get done but more is now needed thanks to my lunatic dog who on a rabbit chase decided going THROUGH the netted fruit cage, then the raspberries was a good idea...! He was in a funny old mood last night - basted himself in the 33 degrees yesterday afternoon and then drank 4 bowls of water on the trot leading to an 'accident' (accident my a**e, lazy so and so couldn't wait to get over to the field) in my lounge with leg cocked against my new, oak, handmade sideboard. SO unimpressed, especially with the subsequent need to get out the gloves, the dettol, the 1001 and scrub away all with my newly done gelished red nails. It wasn't a good dog day all round yesterday.
The sheep are now all sufficiently fat enough for the freezer (oops, not this years lambs, I keep forgetting!) I mean, sufficiently fat enough not to escape between the bottom rungs of the barred gate (the amount of times I've had to chase Hiltz or number 8 around the duck land paddock, hair wafting across my face annoying me, hunched over, bottom sticking out in a so-not-Beyonce type manner to all and sundry on the 29 bus...I care to forget those days) So the extra hurdles have been removed meaning that I can open the gate like any normal smallholder would instead of having to climb over and jump down all with my dodgy knee. Hurrah! Small progress indeed!
I have no idea what to do with hot sheep, I thought I knew how to deal with hot dogs until Horsley's carryings on yesterday, but allow me to preach a very short lesson to you all - sheep do not like being squirted with the hosepipe. I did this with best intentions to spritz their faces (well my Evian brumisateur works for me) but instead it sent them wild with number 8 (soon to named Minty I think) actually running into one of the oaks head on...lesson learned, provide fresh water, leave to nature, Hozelock is not the answer...
Plenty of wildlife activity happening. Mummy duck and her 8 ducklings still in existence and thankfully still on my neighbours ponds, butterflies galore, newly fledged bird families in abundance including greater spotted woodpeckers, green woodpeckers, starlings, blackbirds, buzzards, wrens and plenty more I can't think of right now. Tonnes of bugs everywhere too - biting things, mozzies and our usual plague of grasshoppers. Each night, armed with a jamjar I collect the silly things and release them outside again. It makes me feel good to have 'saved' them until I remember each bat eats 1500 bugs a night... Fox not spotted for 5 days now but 3 dead fox cubs on the roads by our land.
An interesting creature (2 actually) spotted yesterday morning. On the Preschool run turning out of the drive I see 2 'things' running across the road. Now I can only described them to you as giant centipedes as they seemed to have a zillion legs. In hindsight this was probably the reflection from the road surface. Anyway, they were around 9 inches long and only around 3 inches tall, running quite fast one after each other. I can only imagine they were baby stoats/weasels or perhaps lizards. We get snakes on the field (grass mainly but have had 1 adder a couple of years ago) but never seen a lizard in this country. I must find out!
Thunderstorms on the way apparently, great, probably when sheep feeding later on!
Mx
Weather: Peaked at 33 degrees yesterday. sunny, humid and glorious!
The sheep are now all sufficiently fat enough for the freezer (oops, not this years lambs, I keep forgetting!) I mean, sufficiently fat enough not to escape between the bottom rungs of the barred gate (the amount of times I've had to chase Hiltz or number 8 around the duck land paddock, hair wafting across my face annoying me, hunched over, bottom sticking out in a so-not-Beyonce type manner to all and sundry on the 29 bus...I care to forget those days) So the extra hurdles have been removed meaning that I can open the gate like any normal smallholder would instead of having to climb over and jump down all with my dodgy knee. Hurrah! Small progress indeed!
I have no idea what to do with hot sheep, I thought I knew how to deal with hot dogs until Horsley's carryings on yesterday, but allow me to preach a very short lesson to you all - sheep do not like being squirted with the hosepipe. I did this with best intentions to spritz their faces (well my Evian brumisateur works for me) but instead it sent them wild with number 8 (soon to named Minty I think) actually running into one of the oaks head on...lesson learned, provide fresh water, leave to nature, Hozelock is not the answer...
Plenty of wildlife activity happening. Mummy duck and her 8 ducklings still in existence and thankfully still on my neighbours ponds, butterflies galore, newly fledged bird families in abundance including greater spotted woodpeckers, green woodpeckers, starlings, blackbirds, buzzards, wrens and plenty more I can't think of right now. Tonnes of bugs everywhere too - biting things, mozzies and our usual plague of grasshoppers. Each night, armed with a jamjar I collect the silly things and release them outside again. It makes me feel good to have 'saved' them until I remember each bat eats 1500 bugs a night... Fox not spotted for 5 days now but 3 dead fox cubs on the roads by our land.
An interesting creature (2 actually) spotted yesterday morning. On the Preschool run turning out of the drive I see 2 'things' running across the road. Now I can only described them to you as giant centipedes as they seemed to have a zillion legs. In hindsight this was probably the reflection from the road surface. Anyway, they were around 9 inches long and only around 3 inches tall, running quite fast one after each other. I can only imagine they were baby stoats/weasels or perhaps lizards. We get snakes on the field (grass mainly but have had 1 adder a couple of years ago) but never seen a lizard in this country. I must find out!
Thunderstorms on the way apparently, great, probably when sheep feeding later on!
Mx
Weather: Peaked at 33 degrees yesterday. sunny, humid and glorious!
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