salee's waffle er... i mean blog?

Sorry to hear about Uni. How are Gerry and Chance and all the goats getting along.

The goats are ok, except we lost chippee back in jan.

Chance & Gerry are doing fine now, they did not like that run of wet cold weather & had another last min grow spurt so lost some condition but they have put it back on, chance is prob about 16hh & Gerry 15hh

chance has been rebacked & got as far as trot before rain stopped play,

Gerry finally got his feet done after 2 farriers decaring him nuts & too dangerous to work with claud & friend did him no twitch in open paddock, I had been working on getting those clonkin'. Great feet up & it finally paid off.

Gerry is much more confident now, he has even walked up to visitors he does not know for fusses now which was out of the question once, maybe, just maybe he can be backed soon? They are both over 6 y old

bye

Hi salee, what's happening in your neck of the woods?
pen

so whats happening over here in chaos corner then???

well I thought we were getting somewhere with gerry, he was coming along, getting quite bold about meeting strangers & I had a couple of girls due to stay (workaway) who were experienced & had done some natural horsemanship type training, so it looked like the boys were about to get sorted......

then we had the day of hell with our farrier & there was no way gerry would even let me handle him for a few days, never mind get backed. he is still wary.

then 1 girl did not turn up....& the other left early for a job offer.

then rain. then more rain, then i was unwell.

now i am waiting on a professional trainer coming to see if she can do anything with the boys & another workawayer who is horsey to see if they can help me, we have had Chance working up to ridden trot ok, but the on /off training 'schedule' means we spend half the time going over the last part again.

Gwen however is going great, she has turned out to be a little star! when 1 of her little riders falls off she stops & waits for them, she stands waiting while stirrups & girth are fiddled with, reins not held just stands there no walking off, she never bites or kicks, takes treats so gently, you can catch her no problem now & she did a bit of jumping & went out on a short road hack with no monster moments too last week. if ONLY she was just a bit bigger!

Cilla has also been ridden, oddly she was very calm almost as though she was thinking...'this i know, this i can deal with' she & gwen are far more friendly, wanting a fuss, accepting a scratch & just generally interacting more with us humans, even the minature noisy humans.

for me all i want is a quiet hack about now & then, nothing manic, i know with my condition i am very unlikely to still be able to ride in later years, it's bloomin' hardwork, tires me out & sometimes hurts even now! so i want to get on with it while i can ...beat the clock time eh?

i am under pressure - well meaning i know - from everyone i know 1 way or another, the doctor, OH, my kids & friends to sell off Chance, Gerry & the girls ( & the goats too) & get myself a more sensible plodder...

i was offered a large sized donkey last week! & i was tempted.

but i think with my current lot at least if i can get them into a working ridable stage of training they stand a much better chance of getting a good home, even if through a charity as a ridable horse is usually picked 1st?

so should anyone with a quiet old plod over 13hh want to swap for a big cuddly youngster with good potential, or a challenging rescue with great accelleration & balance like a games pony, or 2 sweet ponies, get in touch,
bye

Never a dull moment salee. What are you going to do about feet??
pen

re the bad feet problem = new farrier, comes with glowing references about being good in his work & very good in the handling dept too.

fingers crossed,

if his feet were not quite so rough i might try asking if someone could take him walkies on the road as he is not spooky in traffic generally, in fact he - Gerry - is not spooky about most things which he learned 'new' with me i.e. trailers, bits, rugs, road, dogs, only things which still trip a memory, poor soul.

onwards & upwards, little by little, even everest gets climbed that way!

bye

ok the progress so far.....

gerry got his feet done see the posting about that.

cilla went out on her first ridden road hack, she is so good in traffic, nothing phased her at all, gwen went too & was a lot less silly than last time (pre ovarian cyste treatment), gwen has progressed to being ridden in the big field so she has done some cantering about & small jumps too,

we now have 2 donkeys too, urgent rehome due to divorce & the ex-owner is keeping in touch as she did not want to part with them,

so far we have checked out their level of training, they have been backed but probably only ridden to leading about with kids on, now they have both been ridden as independant not led, not got to canter yet as their steering & brakes needed training up, good old long reining, & if/when i can get hold of a small enough harness i will try them & the welsh ponies too as drivers.

the donks are loads of fun i see why people who have them adore them so much. william just loves watching us work, anytime anywhere from gardening, firewood cutting to poo picking he watches 'em all, he likes to pester the dogs & chase them around, him & sister clio enjoy a game of 'nose ball' pushing around a plastic barrel, both stand and watch if we are doing anything with the others in the riding field.

chance has done more long reining, not more riding as i still couldn't find a suitable rider, but now i may have found a suitable couple who are interested in carrying on with the job & may also take gerry on too if he continues to stay calmer.

that & having a tack room sort out to put stuff on sale, i have some stuff in there that has been in there so long with no use, some still has the packaging on, a lot was bought for Saltie & not used as she got sick then died & some was for Chance & Gerry when they were younger & they are too big for the stuff now. bet as soon as i sell any i will need it but 'aint that always the way?
bye

I know you must be very busy with all your gang salee but an update on what you've been doing would be great.
pen

sorry darlings!

yes been busy & yet again no internet this time the live box had a nervous breakdown after a power failure, working now but keeps going off?

so whats a happenin' ?

well.... had gwen & cilla out on short hacks, gwen doing her best mareish bratt i'm a princess stunts -keeps things interesting at least & cilla plodding along totally unconcerned by farm tractors all but shaving her sides,

had the 2 donkeys out in hand on the road too, no problems clio is cool in traffic & william is cool if clio is cool so all went ok, hopped on clio to ride home as my legs were going funny & hurting too much, she was fine.

had both donks ridden in the paddock, going ok untill clio decided she had had enough & just lay down - no roll just 'i am on strike ok?'

still chasing up someone to train chance on, no confirmation yet, still looking.

might be getting a ridable small horse soon....fingers crossed,

might have a lifetime home offer for gerry with someone who can cope with his excentricities & another for cilla with a very small adult who wants a safe road hack (& she is brill on the road), possibly a family home for william the donkey now he is ridable & road proofed, lastly if it comes off i may also be getting a small pony/donkey cart for swaps with a car.

oh & we got another cat, this lad is a manic sugarpuff thief!!!

we 'helped' an old wonky barn fall down & soon we will rebuild shelter/stables on the same spot, we sorted out a stable for the smaller animals & goats & put in some land drainage to keep the big boys barn dry from run off from the field behind, got help to repair the barn roofs, did endless fencing & braken pulling.....

meanwhile trying to sort out schooling for my autistic son...does anyone know if there is an autistic society or something similar in normandy?

bye

Ok so what's happened?

Home phone n web off again, ongoing and very boring row with FT
mud slowly enveloping everything,
car getting more rattle & clatter,
washing machine sounds like an elderly hamster wheel - the death
wail of ancient bearings has begin!


So a major sell off is in order as winter is due with all its costs!
Saddles, bridles, old diesel Clio for repair, goats, BMW motorbike, 50cc scooter,
oak beams outta the downed barns, kids games for wii gb advance & ?
I will put ads on in the right sections later.

The horses - Well ....some have to go too....
Gerry was re homed - then he wasn't , he is back as he climbed over the breast
bar in the trailer taking him so alternative transport needed,

chance - the trainer has still not got back to me.

Cilla was going off to a nice safe home with a tiny adult rider.... Who has changed her mind.

William (donk gelding) was being considered for a family, not wanted now,

so I should have been rehoming 3.

Instead I have another!!!!

Spirit is a camargue mare about 13.2hh ish who I hope will be my ideal
small riding horse,

Nothings easy, is it? Good Luck with all that...

Now to the nice bit, tell us all about spirit I love her name.
pen

quess what....i wrote a nice long posting & the computer ate it

attempt 2.....

Spirit, she is a 7 y old camargue mare 13.2-14hh ish as usual for this breed any colour you like so long as its grey! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

in her case a snowy white 'keep me clean if you can' [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] grey,

spirit is an unspoiled but slightly princess like lass, as far as i can find out her training has been a little patchy and basic but good, mostly just light hacking, she has a few issues with manners like standing still & not barging, but this has improved a lot & her nipping has stopped now, it was never biting just nips & nibbles although she does like to chew the ends of ropes etc.
she responded to monty roberts join up as though she had watched the DVD! she follows me all over the farm, if i am not available she will follow anyone else but if she has more than 1 human to pick she chooses me (mostly) [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
she loves watching whatever we are doing, fencing etc, & is very jealous she does not like the others coming over to watch too, in her eyes we are all HER humans & she chases the rest of the herd away ----except Cilla who is boss mare & therefor allowed. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Cilla & spirit went walkies in hand on the road, spirit did not spook she is interested but not silly about the odd stuff in hedges etc, but as usual when you want some not a single bloomin' vehicle, not even a bicycle came along so her reaction to traffic is still hearsay from her ex owners but they say she is ok & i have no reason to doubt them.

her history inc a period of bucking riders off....or more acurately mostly persuading riders to jump off by bucking, as it seems she has mostly been used by less confident riders who value their bones more![You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

i have had my teenage helpers up on spirit, we re did early backing procedure to see if we could find any spooks & so far ok, i expect once we get her out & she gets a bit fizzed up we will find a few then, unfortunantly with the weather my helper has not been able to do a lot & goes home on sunday [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] so today & sat we crack on & see how far we can get.

SOME OTHER NEWS....

Gwen - is going wonderfully, still a fizzy little lady, so much fun to ride, she just can't slow down, she has to fidgit, head toss and snort - give her an inch of spare rein & she is away so i upped the bit to a short pelham for outings as she was making my fingers go numb, things are more relaxed now,
Cilla - she has calmed right down now, apart from still wary around the ears she is ok, in fact if i had young kids she would be ideal, i feel i can safely offer her for sale to a lead rein /1st ridden home now if there is an experienced adult to supervise, i never thought she would come round so well but she has & she is just wonderfull out on a hack she does not care how big the tractor is she just plods on.
the Donks - [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] bundle of laughs these 2 are, i can well see why people get hooked on donks, next phase for them now they have done ridden work & short road hacks is basic driving training, i am going to offer them up on sale, sad to see them go but they were never intended as perminant residents, their situation was an urgent rehome & the last owner was made aware i would need to sell them on at sometime, thats why we improved their training etc so they have a better chance, too many pet lawnmower donks out there who find themselves unemployed, more chance of a long term home instead of the butcher if they can be used for riding/driving too.

Gerry - well he was sold, now he is not, the buyer has backed out so he stays......unless someone else fancies him?

Chance - as always Mr reliable, never misses a beat, always the same big friendly teddybear, but not getting anywhere with his training, lack of test pilot & too much rain....anyone interested? [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

well got to go now....'COS...
IT'S NOT RAINING...= TIME TO DO SOME HORSEY STUFF BYE [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

hi, not drowned yet but good chance we may sink without trace in a sea of mud...... oink oink

donks & ponies in at night,
chance & gerry still out but have the big field shelter barn to themselves (& some goats sometimes) so they can snuggle up right at the back outta the wind.
feeds 3 times a day already.

i went on a hack last friday, Gwen was really good, she relaxes more in a pelham as i can ride on a loose rein so she lowers her head
& swings along, if you allow her to walk at her own pace she is happy, its a bit bumpy to sit to as her own pace is marching band at quick march!
all was fine unyil we encountered the usual megga tractor in tiny space
yes he stopped when she got scared....thankyou....but just as we were almost level with the front wheels.....he started creaping forward.....so she spooked again & again! now i understand the drivers are busy & he was prob on his way home, but 30 sec longer a delay & we would have been past 1st time.

well i assume she was still slightly rattled by this because around the bend she spooked badly at a road sign she has past goodness knows how often & dumped me on me butt right in the middle of the road, if there had been a white line i would have been sitting on it.

just good luck no traffic!

big bruise on butt but at least i can bounce!

bye

OMG ! 10/10 for getting out there.
pen

I am working on finishing off a little E book of short stories about ponies, think similar to the herriot vet style comedy type, once i get it on Amazon i will post the link to it so if you are stuck for a pressy for someone who uses E books or to plonk on a kindle?

soon one day, one day soon i hope i will actually get to try & ride my new pony mare, so far i am just getting to know her.
like most of us i seem to be either feeding, muckingout or fence repairing, add in a sick goat, a suddenly dead guinea pig & a car with a busted heating system & you have my week so far.

on a lighter note guess what i found had gotten in through the open door & was shaking & moving about in 1 corner of Spirits stable the otherday when i went to let her in......???,,,,

A TENT or rather the inside bit of one, so if you know anyone in the st hilaire region who has had their tent blow away....well just maybe we have it!

HAPPY XMAS & A LUCKY NEW YEAR 2 U ALL BYE

HI,
hard to believe it with todays snow but yesterday i went out on a ride?
a case of be out while you can with the snow forcast.

Gwen deffo had on her daft head, she shied & slammed the brakes on every few min, it was not what you might call relaxing, so i quit early after about 30 min.

the monsters she found included.....MUD now lets be fair with the recent rain she had not seen mud for at least what...2 min? but this was 'special mud' this was a thick blob about cowpat sized which had tyre tracks over it so obviously it was road kill mud.

the biggest scariest monster though was ...wait for it.....

2 OAP's on bicycles,

maybe it was the perfume of 'old spice'? or the creaking ( bikes or guys?) but whatever it sent her into a wobbly she shot forward attempting to take off going sideways in canter with her tail well tucked under her, all that fuss & they were at least 20m back but it still took me 50m or so to get her back & calmer, i don't know who got the biggest shock, Gwen or the old guys, either way she woke them & me up.

at least now i know i can sit to her canter, sort of?

this was the 1st time i tried her out in a kimblewick, no good - she took a lot of holding & so next time its back in a pelham as that seems to suit her & she goes nice on a light contact or slightly loose rein.

So whats been happening here at chaos corner?

knowing the snow was coming we piled up the beds like straw filled clouds, maxed the water buckets, & filled extra nets of hay ready, i took some hay to the garden shed ready for the goats too, & got in extra feed in case the roads get to bad.
the snow has blown in the 3 stables about halfway even though they face south, but not into the big open fronted barn for chance & gerry so i have added tarpaulins over the doors & open bits, not tight enough to stop ventilation just keep snow out.
the water taps are all frozen so we scooped up clean snow into their buckets & carried hotwater down in watering cans to pour on top so by the time its defrosted the snow the water is barely warm but they do seem to like it.
extra feeds of nice warm sugarbeet added in for later at night, just to keep their boilers topped up over night,

i have a safety system in place....my eldest son keeps an eye on the clock & if i am not back in when i say i will be he comes checking on me in case i have a fall or problem, so far no emmergency but in this cold with me being a little fragile shall we say it seemed a good idea.

bye

Never a dull moment "chez toi", take it easy salee.

pen

hi, i got an email about william my donkey for sale but the computer ate the reply & i have lost the email?

SO to explain....i bought the 2 donkeys advertised in summer as urgent rehome needed,
i offered them a home IF no one else came forward who really wanted them forever.
time was getting very short, they were in the last few days before the deadline when she called me to say come & get them.
she saw photos of where they were going & the rest of the gang & i sent her photos once they were settled, she has not visited even though she said she was going to.

i had told the ex-owner when i spoke to her beforeshe decided to let me have them that i was not intending to keep them long term but that i was going to break them in to ride & hopefully drive too, (& then sell them on,) that way they stood a better chance of a long term home than they would have as just nice pet lawnmowers, i also told her i would probably try to split them up by putting them in with the 'herd' to gently get them used to being less dependant on each other for company, as few people want 2 donkeys who can't be split up.
she said she was happy with all of this as i had said it all up front & was being honest with her, she said no one else offered & the situation was dire.

during the summer both have been ridden in the paddock & out on road hacks & have begun long reining, i got hold of a cart but can't yet run to the price of a harness,once i can i will continue with their education.

i would like to keep clio the other donkey as i adore her, but i have too many to keep forever & i need to get the crew down to a few, ideally it will be Gwen, Spirit, Clio, & maybe Gerry, i think i need to sell off Chance once he is broken in & i have Cilla on sale now she is 'repaired' & william too he would make a nice kids riding donkey now.

before anyone askes i don't want to donate them to anywhere, i need to sell to fund keeping the others, over the years i have spent money on rescues & it is only by selling the occasional 'repaired' rescue i can cover the losses on others, for example dear Uni cost me over 800 euro before she died, Saltie cost over 2,000 euro & even though i love them & don't look to make money out of them i have to be practical, i am on limited funds & believe me i stretch it out to the limit.

i hope that explains the hows & whys over the for sale adverts for the donkey & pony, bye

not sunk in the mud yet but came close, we resorted to putting some tin roof sheets down as walkways just to get to the barn, they have all but sank & had to be heaved up and put back on top...yuk!

not ridden, no progress on anything, thought i had got a swap going for a riding pony (see in general under windsucker) but it went pear shaped on me.

cold wet muddy & tired, thats about it, roll on dry weather then at least i can finally chuck the muck heap growing in the end of the unused barn to the real muck heap before it takes over the used bit of the barn, right now i can't use a wheel barrow for mud, mud & more mud!

i keep checking & they have not yet got webbed feet, but if this keeps up who knows?....

bye

managed to get some time to work Spirit from the ground during that last frost,

the paddock was not too slippy for general in hand & manners work & she was doing well and getting the hang of taking on command steps TOWARD the mounting block instead of arse swinging away from it.
only did about 15 min before i was too froz to carry on, but that was enough, better short n sweet afterall.

tried out a pony a dealer wanted to sell me, no good, not the pony...me

i was so darn stiff (not ridden for a few weeks) i firstly couldn't get up on the mounting block, then once on the pony - & him only about 13.2hh i couldn't move my legs to do girth or stirrups, even after a few minutes being led walking about like a bloomin' beginner i still couldn't move my legs to ride.

after another 10 min i gave up. i have not been so bad for ages, when i 1st restarted riding after my surgery i couldn't move & was in agony, at least the pain is less,
guess i gotta do some loosening up exercises to keep the rust at bay, once i can ride out a couple of times a week i get a lot better.
looks like clio the donk will have to help me out on that, i may be a little over her weight limit for real riding - some hope!
but i think she can cope with just a little walkies now & then until i can loosen up to ride spirit or maybe, just maybe Chance 1 day?

bye

oh dear that last lot of snow nearly did me in. i have had the flu with complications & i feel like death.

i can't take another winter like last, i tried to get help but the brave workaway who came couldn't take the cold either.

i have decided to cut numbers drastically, so i have sold off most of the goats, some of the geese & i need to reduce horse numbers too.

now we find 1 of the dogs has a vision problem, 1 eye does not seem to be working, the pupil is fixed & the vet thinks his lens may be out of place, furthur investigations needed = bills & bigger bills!

the buildings i have here are all knackered, i am surprized they made it through this winter but i don't want to use them next winter if i am still here & not moved, after every storm there are tiles or metal sheets coming off & now the front wall of 1 barn has almost all fallen out, we put in props to the overhead beams last summer so it won't crash down ( i hope) but even so i don't close them in that building, the 2 little welsh & spirit have it, so if they feel they need to they can run out, the ceiling on the hay loft has rotted out, so i have to store hay in the groundfloor bit which was the donkey stable so the donks now share the other open fronted barn with the bretons,
this summer we will have to pull down or do something to the worst of the barns & build something, thats partly why i want to reduce numbers = less to build.
all this is going to cost money, so big sell of time:-

clio diesel car, no CT needs radiator repair, offers?
2 racing cycles, 1 for a kid 12y the other an older boy 100 each.
peugeot scooter 50cc french reg legal & only 835 kilometers on the clock 800 euro
big thick long beams from the last barn brought down, offers
loads of games for X box, wii, game boy, nitendo etc

& anything else not nailed down...bye

Oh bless...think we all feel your pain, and don't believe many of us reach the end of February without strong thoughts of heading towards the Carribean...but a day like saturday and one can be enticed into believing it's all worth while !!

Which area are you in as I am sure my son would be very interested in the x-box titles...and my daughter in your pony. IfI wasn't so destitute due to this never ending divorce I would love your scooter xx

i am near st hilaire du harcouet dept 50, if you send a PM i will send a phone no.

my sons have a list 4 X A4 pages long of games,

the pony mare is about 11.2 hh ish welsh A type 13y old black with tiny white star & a few silver hairs in her tail,
she has pink OI papers & a microchip her vaccinations ran out last sept but she just needs boosters doing, she is wormed regularly.

she is quiet, sweet tempered & sound as a rock in traffic, she loads a dream, brings herself in from the field, does not bite,kick etc is good for the farrier, has good hard black feet, is snaffle mouthed & may have been driven,

with me she has been put through a de-spooking confidence boosting training programe similar to monty roberts or that used for police horses, you can swing an umberella round her head, pass it under her belly & over her bum with no problem, she walks over tarpauline, metal sheeting etc.

she came to me a nervous wreak, terrified of the world and everyone in it,

we had no history on her at all didn't even know if she was broken in, my son who is a novice has ridden her a little but even though she can carry his weight he is too tall & feels a fool riding out on her, she has taken small adult beginners out on short road hacks off lead.
she needs a place where she gets used, she is quite affectionant & always calls hello, she needs a 1-2-1 relationship where i think she will become like a pet dog.
i need to recover the money i have spent on the last few rescues, i won't make a profit on her -or any of them -but thats not the idea afterall, bye

What's new salee?????

pen

We moved farm, didn't have a choice, few weeks earlier i had spoken to the owner who assured me we still had an agreement to buy when my other house sold blaa blaa blaa

then soon after gave me just 2 days notice it was sold to someone else & i had a month to depart / sod off / get lost /be gone....

i found somewhere else with less land so its just as well i rented my hay field too & managed to shift the ponies in a hire trailer but the bretons were too heavy for my car to tow & i couldn't get transport to my other field for the bretons, despite forum requests, asking around phoning proffessionals, my friends 4X4 broke down on his way back towing his own horses so he couldn't do it, 

the new owners of my old place wanted the bretons gone, the owners of the new place i have rented did not want them to come here,
then the electric fence which has worked for the last few years at the old house kept not working somehow while i was not there (after i had moved out & the big lads stayed for a week while i tried to find transport with the agreement of the new owners) but while the new owners were there & the big-uns kept getting out so the farmer complained, the gendarmes were involved & the only person with transport was only willing to move them if he could buy them, he had been after them a while & finally i let them go.

Little Cilla has been sick, she did not come out of winter at all well - unlike gwen & even on good grass she was not doing so good, blood tests show she is suffereing the effects of her past life neglect, she started looking low  last autumn, just after spirit arrived & knocked Cilla off the queens throne, at 1st i thought it was cilla taking her loss of status badly & 'cos spirit bullied her.

but even with spirit kept away cilla & after the big anti tape worm wormer she still seemed depressed, lack of energy, no real appetite & i began to wonder if she was just getting old quick.

however a few weeks ago her glands came up, she stopped eating grass for hours at a time & my 1st thought was rotten tooth abcess,

the vet came, the *blood tests came back as she has a kind of slow chronic blood poisoning from gut damage due to worms, the vet looked at my stock of wormers, read the calender of who had what when & said thats all ok so it must be residue damage/surviving gremlins from before she came to me, so she has had huge doses of medication, she has just finished 2nd dose run & extra wormers too,  she is about to start another wormer dose of 5 day panacure which the vet wants repeated  monthly if her worm count /blood test repeats this time is not ok, he is confident she will pull through but it will take time, medication, a modified easy on the gut diet & of course MONEY!!!!
* Cilla would not no way let the vet take blood samples, so i had to get them for him.

the good news is she is picking up, still underweight but much more active, having little mad mins in her paddock - she was quarantined untill bloods came back just in case - & she has a super shiny coat,

i will update as we go on.

gwen on the other hand is as fat as a sofa & being monitored for even the teeniest sign of lammi.

spirit is bossing everything about, her weight is fine, she is indestructable in general she has by choice been munching away on cut down nettles as a change from all this grass.


william put back on his lost condition, he has rejoined the world of the living & is as nosy as ever, adores watching us loony humans working, doing fences etc & has begun harness training, he has discovered a new hobby.....dog chasing, when my dogs go for a run in the field he likes to join in.

we have a new member to the herd now too.....

MIA is a retired race trotter, lovely nature, fairly calm & very affectionant, she has not yet started any retraining except going walkies on the road to de-spook her with traffic etc we led her out with cilla as the lead out experienced old girl but that had to stop when cilla took sick, now cilla is picking up we may restart road walks with cilla or take william out with Mia instead,

& finally my tiny terrier bitch is due accidental puppies any day now, we threw up a 1.5m high green wire mesh fence as soon as we arrived to keep the little dogs in & when she came in season (vet advised she not be 'done' till after 1st season you  see) we kept her in the garden thinking we had got things sorted, but where there is a will there is a way & she managed to wriggle out through a 4" sq mesh fence & away on honeymoon she a-went with my terrier male.

pics will be posted prepare to say Awwww

i think thats about it, i got a cut of hay from the field behind the house & i have a load of plastic wrapped big bale hay/haylage off my hay field if anyone wants to buy a few the hay maker guy estimated we should get 70 + bales & we are going 50-50 so even with 5 at home  i don't think i will use 40+ big rounds this winter.
bye