Been a while, sorry. I picked up a bug, maybe at the Drs office :(. Good side is a few lost lbs.
Herbie cut the rest of the hayfield the other day and raked it yesterday. Will check it this afternoon to see how it's drying, and then hopefully bale it.
Dolly is v-e-r-y comfortable in the lower barn. She chooses not to leave. Larry is with her. I thought her leg seemed a little better yesterday, but she slipped and fell onto her front knees yesterday stepping up into the milking parlour. I put her sore leg in hot water with Epsom salts at each milking, and she's tolerating it better. May be a new routine. She actually put her good back leg in the bucket yesterday as well. Looked funny, standing with both back legs in a bucket, eating grain from the feeder while the milking machine was attached. I worried that she'd fall over, but she did fine.
Getting over 2 gallons from her at each milking. Depends on how close she fed Larry to when I milk her. Shouted at her yesterday. There is the full water trough out in the yard, but she's not going out, and the small 17 gallon bucket was empty. She was rather thirsty as she was interested in drinking the washing water, the udder washing water, the sterilising water. I always tip the bucket of rinse water into the bucket for her and pour the rest with the additives down the barn floor drain.
For milking, I carry 5 x ½ full buckets of water from the basement laundry through the tunnel to the lower barn. 1 for udder washing that has bleach and Dawn dishwashing liquid, one for washing the milking equipment that I add the powder to from the feed room, one for rinsing, one for sterilising and the one for her leg. Then I also have to schlepp cold drinking water for her. I have to do one bucket at a time as my left arm is not co-operating so this takes a while. The tunnel has about an inch of water still from the last rain. Carried 3 buckets of drinking water, stocked them in the milking parlour as she's not keen to wander up the step without the grain incentive. Poured the first 2 into the 17 gallon bucket, and while I was getting the 3rd bucket she leaned over, stuck her head in it to drink and tipped it over ! Was I mad ! Asked Herbie to please put the tap back on to the pipe so that I can at least water her through a hosepipe.
Teri planted hen and chicks in my rock garden. She came yesterday while I was busy with Dolly. Can't see or hear visitors from the basement / tunnel / lower barn. She wanted some eggs so I called her and thanked her for the new addition to the garden. She was surprised that I saw it ! Well, I water my one flower garden and the roses when we haven't had rain for a few days !
Caught a larger and smaller gosling for Carol, she says they're doing well. Love hearing the contented clucking and quacks from the birds when they're foraging. They all descend on me when I have a grain bucket though. The ducklings come running as fast as they can. The younger goslings don't eat the grain yet, but their parents do.
The one little black ewe-lamb keeps getting out the sheep enclosure. So Anni and I have a work-out. Can't find where she's escaping. Liquourices one boy-twin from last year broke his whole right side horn off yesterday. All bloody down the one side. This is the same boy who broke off half the same horn last year ! Think he gets his head stuck in the cattle panel I use as a feeder. Destined for freezer camp - this boys' not too bright. The other twin is beautiful with both horns intact.
Got the fridge in the garage cleaned out. It looks beautiful. Still have the one in the kitchen to tacke.
Well, my tea cup is empty, so let me go milk that cow.