Tuesday 6 May 2014

Bonny takes a tumble

So everyone was being brought in for the night. Sheep in. Lissie (our Mum cow) in. Now Bonny's turn. Rope on, and out through the gate entrance she came, heading for her usual quick munch of rampant meadow grass growing alongside the driveway. Ah, but no, Lester was short on time, had had an extended nap during the afternoon while I was out, was therefore running late. No, Bonny, you are not going to stop for a munch, you must go in, this is what Lester was saying to her.

Did you know that cows can go on strike? Well they do. And how do they do it? Collapse down on their knees, that is what they do. And she did. Down she went. Only she miss-timed the 'strike' action, and instead sort of keeled over. On her back, that is where she ended up. She did not seem to realise that flapping her legs and feet skyward was not going to get her the right way up, that all she needed to do was an elegant roll on to her side, then a quick heave, and back on her feet she would be, no, she just stayed on her back, by the side of the lane, with all four feet upwards.

Lester to the rescue. With much difficulty (because she is getting quite a size now), he got her turned over and back on her feet. Would she have learnt her lesson, do you think? Would she now think twice before going into strike mode again? Probably not!

 
And the joy of having thousands of buttercups and other wild flowers in bloom...
 

 
....and the not so joyful task of mopping up the manky bum of our grey cockerel...
 

 
....and the mint is ready to be picked. I should wait until it is nearly blossoming, because that is when the taste of mint is at its strongest,
but the leaves get eaten by things,
so best to get the mint picked now.


 
I did have another bed of mint, but it was in the middle of a large patch of tall grass,
which was then mown down by Lester when he was in the mode of 'man sitting in a reverie on his little tractor' as he cut the grass.
I have to keep an eye on him when he is in such a mode because things get cut down which should not be cut down, like my other mint bed.
Not to worry, lots of other patches of mint here and there.
 
And it looks like I shall be making some plum jam soon....
 
 
....and the back field fencing is still standing, the pigs not having had the chance to test the strength of the fencing yet, because the gates to the paddocks are still not done. But the grass is growing strong, so the pigs are going to have a real feast when they do actually have the pleasure of a day away from their current paddock.
 
 

It is all looking very lush here at the moment, except for the veg plot which is still not showing any signs of life, apart from some potatoes peeping through.
But soon.....soon it will be time to start the battle of the weeds.
Off now to tackle my front garden project.
Love and blessings,
Vx

8 comments:

Denise said...

Beautiful flowers, Vera! So nice to see all the greenery in the sunshine, isn't it? X

Vera said...

The green is breath taking, Denise, and I love that we now have so many wild flowers growing here. Hope you are not being too tired out after the recent new arrival.Vx

Horst in Edmonton said...

Oh Vera, I am so envious, Plumbs almost ready for picking. Here we are still getting the odd snow storm. The high for today was +3C and frost over night. This year the warm weather is late, sure hope it warms up soon.
You must remember that Bonnie is a young Cow and is throwing a fit because she is not getting her way. Cows have their own mind and can do things that we don't like. You can't let them have their way or they will do this every time. Oh the joys of farm life. ;-)

Vera said...

Horst, what bad luck that spring is being held back for you, and hope the temperatures go higher soon. As for Bonny, she is funny when she does a collapse, but is not doing it so often. She is a lovely little cow though, so we forgive her of her juvenile ways!

Marie said...

It looks like the height of summer at your farm! It is overcast, cold and wet here still.
Your winter must be very short, what region of France do you live in?

northsider said...

Cattle are characters, Vera. I once attempted to lasso a so call sick heifer who was trailing behind my other cattle. She only went and dragged me round the field. Great pictures. Hope we all get a great summer this year.

John Going Gently said...

I so want a cow Vera...... Silly one or not

Rhodesia said...

Our plums are way off, they are still very small. The cherries though are starting to turn pale pink in places. The grass is growing madly and the weeds as well!

Bonny sounds like a real character. Take care Diane