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November 30 This weekHannah has been off nursery this week with a chesty cough and runny nose. The poor girl has sniffled and coughed almost non-stop, pausing only to tell her brother what to do. Or what not to do!
The ponies are munching their way steadily through the first bale of haylage and gaining the weight that they need to take them through winter.
The kids had wound me up so much today that I decided we should go to the field a little early. On the way phone went off, a text message asking me to phone Danny immedialtely as the ponies were missing.
Here we go again...
I rang the number back, only to find it was actually Danny's Mum. She wasn't concerned, as she thought I may have taken the ponies out myself. I told her they should be in the field, but I was pulling up in the car then and would sort it out.
Hannah (big one!) came to meet me, and explained that although the boys were missing, there was no evidence of where they had gone, and the gate was still locked.
But I know my boys!
I went straight to the most likely spot in the fence, and lo and behold! there was a chunk of Apollo's hair lying on the floor in the next field. Apollo himself appeared through the trees and let us catch him. I handed him over to Hannah and she put him back into our field while I went looking for Winston. Not difficult to do, he was in the main part of the field with his friend Charlie. Both boys are now back in the right place, once more filling their faces with the rather pungent haylage.
Thank you again, Danny and Hannah, if you two hadn't been there today I wouldn't have managed the ponies on my own.
November 27 Weird...Something funny is going on here... Mind you, it always is with our family. On Saturday we had two large bales of haylage delivered. You know the round ones that you see stacked in fields wrapped in plastic? Those are the things. It took 5 of us about twenty minutes to get one into the field and in position before we could go back up for the other one. We were all wet through and freezing cold but the ponies were happy with their new munchies. The next day I had a message on my phone to tell me that the spare bale (left wrapped and out of the way in the field) had mysteriously rolled itself to the bottom of the field, crashing through a tree on its way. I know for a fact that there is no way that bale has gone on its own, it must have had help. The fact that I found someone's homework in the field also bring me to the conclusion that it was not an accident. However, the bale is now at the bottom of the field and I defy anyone to do anything else with it. No harm done, except another blown up lightbulb when I found out. But that's another blog, coming soon...! Ziggy returned with out his collar again the other day, and we decided not to buy him another one as he is microchipped, and all he does is lose his collars. So when he came in today, I was rather surprised to see him wearing it again. Definitely the same collar, there's not that many in cow print and his doesn't have a bell as I took it off. Talking of Ziggy, I gave the poor cat a bath at the weekend. I have never seen a cat so terrified in all my life. I came off much worse than him, with very painful scratches on my hands and wrist and a bite mark on my arm. After his bath I remembered where he had come from; the summer floods in Catcliffe. Poor Moggy! To Momma and the Highlander, anything coming back to you yet? And to Dave, sorry sorry sorry!
November 23 RE: BUILDERSTo all you lovely people that suggest I complain to the boss, I obviously ommitted the fact that the builders park across my drive BECAUSE the boss is there. He brings his own van and trailer, and there is not enough room on our end of the road for both vans. So there is no point complaining to him, he causes it!
Thank you for all your supportive comments, the driveway must be nearly done by now so I shouldn't have this problem for too much longer.
BUILDERS: Part 2They did it again! The builders parked across the top of my drive, blocking me in this dinner time. I was furious, I have had enough of having the road and my drive blocked. So I grabbed my camera and went outside. I managed to get some pictures of how they had parked before one of them came back to the van.
"How long are you going to leave that blocking my drive, again?" I asked. "Um, not long" he replied, and wandered off! I was left gaping in amazement. One thing is for sure, if it happens again, they ARE going to move it, not just tell me it wont be for long. As it turned out, 'not long' lasted for nearly half an hour, and still there were no apologies or offers to move it. I was tempted to go out in the car just to spite them, but the children wanted their dinner!
But as I am so annoyed, I am going to name and shame. The builders in question are with Beighton Block Paving in Sheffield. They are rude, noisy and ignorant. And they spit in the street.
See? I'm ranting now!
November 20 Mish-MashToday's blog is a bit of a mish-mash of news from the last few days, so forgive me if I wander a bit.
Danny and Hannah took the ponies out on Saturday, after much arguing (from the ponies) they manged the usual route. Meanwhile, I had gone off to help George buy a car. He had his heart set on this car without even looking closely at it. Fortunately, the car was in good order and the only issue was that it was still on finance. The seller assures us he will pay it off and get a certificate as proof before the documents are exchanged.
Momma and I decided to ride on Sunday and the ponies played up again. Neither of them wanted to go anywhere, but after swapping ponies we got them moving. The ride, which is usually about an hour and a half, took us over two hours in the freezing cold rain. Apollo was so miserable, he plodded along with no life or enjoyment at all. I have never seen him like this before, and we agreed he needs some time out. He needs to be fed up and brought back into gentle exercise without flying around galloping everywhere. It shouldn't take too long, and will be much better for him to fatten up and then get fit than for him to carry on being miserable. It will also give his feet time to grow out.
So I went off to Starbuck Farm (yes, it really is called that) and grabbed a few bales of hay and put in an order for two bales of haylage. The idea is to put this into the field and let the boys help themselves to it. It is more nutritious than ordinary hay and will turn the boys into the barrels that they used to be.
Hannah has discovered that after Christmas she will be spending one full day a week at nursery, and taking her dinner to eat there. Unfortunately, she has absolutely no concept of the passage of time, or when Christmas might be. So every day she asks, "can I take my dinner today?". No! At least it's something she's looking forward to.
Louis has become a very big fan of anything with wheels; cars, lorries, tractors etc. He can usually be heard shouting "round-round!" as he wheels something across the floor. His words and recognition of words is really coming on too. And potty training isn't going too badly, he is enthusiastic about using the potty and the toilet, but usually tells me once it's too late. Oh well, he's trying!
I think that's about it for now, Chloe is still with us and the ferrets are resplendant in their winter coats. Live ermine is so much nicer than a dead scarf!
November 16 Children In NeedWell, nursery was not blown to kingdom come yesterday, so Hannah was back there this morning. She finally got another chance to wear her halloween outfit as it was fancy dress day, in aid of Children In Need.
I think I followed James Bond up the hill today, at least judging by the smoke screen he left behind he was trying to throw someone off his trail. Not 007's usual ride though...
This afternoon was busy, with a birthday party to attend (junk food, music, balloons, lots of fun) and then off to the ponies to check on them and spend some time up there.
Danny and Hannah were already there when we arrived, complete with grooming kit and headcollar. I got a bit childish and rode Win around the field on his headcollar and rope, even managing a little canter on him. It's so long since me and Winston have played like that, I had forgotten his little tricks. And now I have a sore leg from holding on too tight! I trust Winston absolutely, which is why I can get away with riding him like that. I always have to ask his permission though. Apollo, on the other hand, is very different. His field is his domain, his area to relax. Getting on his back in there is a big no-no. Anyone that tries will land on the floor. Like the Hubs.
The builders have had a couple of days off but this morning they were back blocking the drive, this time blocking me in. I glared out of the window at them, and was about to dash outside but the gaffer shifted the van. It's really starting to annoy me now, if they do it again in the morning (what? working on a Saturday?) the Hubs is going to do the SERIOUS WORDS bit.
Anyway, back to Children in Need, and who are all these celebs? I don't really care, it makes for good viewing.
November 15 The Best Laid Plans...Last night, after enjoying a tinny with Momma, I made sure I was organised for today. Dogs, cat and ferrets were all fed and watered, clothes put out for the kids, and my baby bag packed and ready to go. But as Robbie Burns himself wrote; 'The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft a-gley' (thats 'go often awry' for the non-Scots amongst you. Feel free to correct this, Highlander!).
And that's how it was. Having settled Hannah in at nursery and done the goodbye kisses and cuddles, I was just leaving when the caretaker ran over.
"Have you just dropped at nursery?".
I nodded an affirmative.
"Don't go anywhere!".
He dashed into nursery and shouted "Take them all home!".
Apparently the builders on the school site had gone through a gas pipe and caused a leak. The building site is adjacent to the nursery building and had to be evacuated. So my fairly straightforward morning became a mad dash with two kids instead of one, but I managed to get everything done and even get home in time for a last minute bid on eBay. Item won!
Toddler group this afternoon was rowdy to begin with, and then someone brought out chocolate cake. After that, all the kids were screaming, running around, falling down and crying. Time to go home, and get some fresh air in the field.
So, finally, an update on my beast. Apollo is still trying to persuade everyone to feel sorry for him, but even the vet says he is fine now. His appetite certainly has not suffered, and this weekend he will be back out riding. I'm so glad I didn't get rid of him when I had the chance, he is my boy, and I wouldn't change him.
 glitter-graphics.com November 13 BUILDERS!I am absolutely furious. My neighbours two doors down have been having their driveway done, and the builders have been in for nearly 2 weeks now.
Every morning when I get back from dropping Hannah at nursery I find something blocking my drive. Usually it is a van, but it could be a trailer or one of the mini diggers. It is easy to park up the road a little, except when my other neighbour has her hairdressing clients in. Which she did this morning. I ended up parking round at Momma's (being careful not to block her drive), and carrying Louis back to our house.
The builders watched me pass, as I cursed them under my breath. Was there an apology? No. Did they offer to move the van? No. They just carried drinking tea and considering unloading the trailer that was attached to the van blocking my drive.
I was going to go out and yell at them but I was so annoyed I needed a little time to calm down. By which time, of course, the van had been moved. If this happens again, there are going to be words. SEVERE words!
November 11 We Shall Keep The FaithOh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields, We cherish, too, the poppy red And now the Torch and Poppy Red by Moina Michael, November 1918
November 09 QuarrantineSTAY AWAY!
We have the lurg!
Louis was ill on Monday, the hubs on Wednesday night, and I was ill yesterday.
Just as I thought Hannah had got away with it, the poor girl started screaming last night. It had caught her by surprise and she had been sick all over the place. So in my delicate state I handed her over to Daddy to get cleaned up while I scrubbed her room.
This morning she announced that she was better and could manage breakfast but I don't hink I want to give her anything just yet!
The only bonus to this illness is that I have lost 6 pounds in weight! Only another 7 to go...
November 06 Two Out Of Three?Well, we are always told that things come in threes, so I'm a little nervous about what else is due to me.
Yesterday it was projectile vomiting from Louis, leading to me having to wash his car seat cover again, (it came off a lot quicker this time!) and numerous changes of clothes for him.
Louis' illness meant that I kept Hannah off nursery today, although she wasn't ill I didn't want her to pass on any germs.
So off we trotted to the field, with the car full of tack, and handed the boys over to their new friends, Danny and Hannah, for a ride. All went to plan until I arrived back at the field to collect everything again (the ride takes over an hour so I go home while the ponies are out) and bring the boys' feeds.
I was informed that Apollo had been less than enthusiastic, and his sides were heaving quite violently. As he tucked into his feed, he began to choke.
A million things ran through my mind, most of them fatal. I got on the 'phone to the vet. Fortunately, the emergency vet was only 10 minutes away, and set off immediately.
An hour later she called me to ask whereabouts I was, as she had just pulled onto the road.
The vet was very reassurring, and diagnosed Apollo as choking. I had already told her that. Apollo was sedated, and a twitch applied (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitch_%28device%29). The vet then proceeded to use a pump, and a length of hose run up Apollo's nose and down his throat to flush out the blockage. She did remember to warn me that there would be a lot of blood...
My two young friends stayed with us to help, and both were invaluable. Danny dashed off with my barrel to get water, and Hannah rolled up her sleeves and got stuck in helping with the pump.
An hour later we were all covered in blood, but the worst was over and the blockage was cleared.
Poor Apollo was very sore and sleepy from the medication, but at least he was breathing properly. We returned to the field later on to give him a small feed and he was almost back to normal.
So, to any horse owners out there, choking symptoms are:
Heaving sides and laboured breathing
Tensing and arching of the neck
Retching
Lots of mucus from the nose!
If you see any of these signs, please call a vet immedialtely, and don't be concerned about the blood loss, it is helping to lubricate things!
Apollo is having a break from riding for a little while, and hopefully will be chewing his food properly from now on.
My eternal thanks to Danny and Hannah.
November 05 Bonfire NightI hate bonfire night. It has long been a time of year for me to cuddle up to the dog, trying to soothe it's fears. The horses are constantly in danger from rockets falling into their field and cats have to be ushered inside before the noise and flashes disorientate them.
I don't see the point in celebrating a bloke trying to blow up the Houses of Parliament, and I know, I know, it's actually celebrating him being caught, but how many people really know what this night is about?
The fireworks get bigger and louder, and every year more people and animals are hurt. Kids use fireworks to blow up telephone boxes and post boxes, and even to deliberately cause harm to others. As I write this my dog is trying to fit under the sofa, which is about 2 inches off the floor.
At every shop I try to walk into I am accosted by young children who ask for a 'penny for the Guy'. Said Guy is usually a used Halloween mask stuck on few old carrier bags, and stuffed with newspaper or more carrier bags, . Have you ever tried to give these children a penny? They don't take kindly to it. What they actually mean to say is "can you give me at least 50p for my sad piece of plastic? I'm saving up for a bottle of White Lightening".
I don't appreciate these young people trying to intimidate me into giving them money, and I don't enjoy watching my animals suffer, sometimes to the point of needing sedation for the few days that this unnecessary tradition continues. November 04 Aga SagaOk, so it's not really an Aga. But it sounds good, don't it? Some time ago I mentioned that our oven had kaputt. Since then we have been cooking our meals using a convection oven, and I have to say, we have been doing quite well. But enough is enough, and we constructed a plan to get us a new cooker. Quite simple really; the plan was to call the insurance company and claim a new one!
The plan worked to perfection. Within days a voucher arrived to the value of the old cooker so we could go out and replace it. The only catch was we could only shop at one place.
Currys.
And that, my friends, is where our story really starts...
There are two Currys shops near to us. The first one yielded a couple of cookers we were interested in. However, we agreed that we should really check out the other shop, as it is a little bigger and may have more stock. One last glance at the cookers, and we noticed that the price was not on our favorite. On arrival at the second shop we were greeted by the same range of cookers, including our favorite, which was very reasonably priced at £299.99 We decided that that was the one. So we grabbed an assistant. Who turned out to be more of a hindrance, since she had no clue about the cooker, or which shops had them in, and took AGES on the phone trying to track one down. She did promise that if we ordered the cooker we could have it on Monday. But they didn't have any, and we wanted a Sunday dinner... Back to the first shop then, to see if they had any in. Only to find that they had priced said cooker at £399.99 A whole £100 difference. This is getting annoying by now, so we headed back to the second shop. In the half hour it took to get back, the shop assistant we had spoken to had gone home and our favourite cooker had gone up in price from £299.99 to £329.99 Not only that, but on picking up a catalogue, it was listed at £349.99 Following? Neither were we. Time to grab another assistant. He claimed that the prices changed all the time, and everything had gone up. In the last half hour. When I pointed out the other cooker we had been looking at had not increased in price, he mumbled that 'it's all down to Head Office..'. After hearing our complaints, he agreed to put the price back to the original £299.99 but he couldn't get it delivered to the shop for picking up until Tuesday. We threatened to walk out. Suddenly it was available for Monday. So tomorrow, fingers crossed, we will have a new cooker. And the final annoyance? Because Currys do not have these cookers in stock, they charge us a penny to have it delivered to the shop so that we can pick it up! |
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