Lissie and Mazzy done

So no, Lissie, our Jersey cow, was obviously not in calf as she attempted to have a go at Lester and the goats in her neediness to be sorted out. So artificial insemination man called in again for a second attempt. But she is still giving us milk, bless her, and we remain observant of this when eating the produce she gives us via her milk. Lester, meanwhile, continues to have his patience stretched with her, but has only had one mucky foot in the bucket, and two kicked over buckets over during the last week. 

The temperatures are starting to zoom down but we still have not put any fires on, and the Rayburn continues to reside in the hallway, but not to worry, we have a couple of electric fires if we get too cold, and we do keep the bathroom warm so we can at least have one warm space in the house. It has been known for us to linger longer than is necessary when going to the loo, this being particularly relevant to Lester, who has started taking his electronic book thingy in with him so he can read while he goes to the loo and warms up all at the same time. 

And Mazzy, one of the rottweiller girls, has just been spayed. Did not like having this done, but after due consideration, we decided that there were enough dogs needing homes already and that we did not want to add to that population. Plus, we think but are not certain, that Boolie managed a quick one when no one was looking and that Maz was in pup, but only just. Action was necessary. To have a dog the size of a rottweiller romping around in manic spaniel mode would not have made for an easy dog to have around. Nevertheless it still caught at our hearts as we left her with the vet. She is home again, and Blue goes in for her op next week. Being a responsible animal owner is not easy sometimes. 

But the little piggies are happier. The rain it has fallen and they are muddied up to their armpits. Not to worry, it has been quite mild for the time of year and they did have a temporary shelter by way of a little tin hut, but we were starting to be uneasy about their accommodation as they grew bigger and the rain kept falling and the temperatures started going downwards. Thinking about those little piggies trying to sleep in their hut, probably with their faces and their little bums getting soaked by the cold wetness, was starting to unsettle us. We could never put them into the freezer knowing that the days of their life were spent in such uncomfortableness. Into action we went. A day in the mud with the little piggies messing about around us, and a proper shelter was done. A bale of hay was put inside it, the little piggies getting in the way all the time. We tiptoed out just before we went to bed and had a looksee with a torch. And there they were, two little heads peeking up from a mound of straw. We slept well that night, and subsequently, knowing that all the animals are now warmly tucked up.

And we shall have a warmer winter now we have ceilings throughout the cottage and all the windows have proper windows in them. And I have bought several Rayburn recipe books  which will keep me going until we get the Rayburn installed, which is likely not to be for this winter, but it does not matter, because we shall have a warmer winter than we did last winter, when builders were to and fro so the doors were open for much of the day, and we still did not have a proper window in the kitchen, just a plank of wood, and we still did not have ceilings in half of the house. The previous winter to that, the builders were doing the first phase of the ceilings, so doors were again open for much of the time. The previous winter to that one, we were still commuting between house and caravan, the one before that we were living in caravans and our computer office was the ex pig/chicken hut which is now the geese's bedroom, we just borrowed it in between. 

So we are piling on the thermals but still have a couple of layers as yet to put on. And 'thankyou' to the Universe for getting the French to get the river beach cleared away when they did, because a week after they finished we went under yellow alert as the river levels rose. If the beach had been left, pretty though it was, the water would have come on to the land, and those little piggies would have been swimming around in river water rather than sloshing through mud! 

Must get on with other things now. Keep warm everyone! Unless your seasons are opposite to us, in which case, stay cool!

Vx