Tuesday 17 January 2012
As you know we have quite a few cats around the farm, mainly for their mouse/rat-killing capabilities although at the moment they’re all, even the one the Cats’ Protection League labelled as ‘totally feral and untamable’, sculking in the kitchen somewhere in the vicinity of the Aga. Well, it is cold outside and if I was a cat, that’s where I’d like to be. Actually, even though I’m not a cat, that’s where I like to be. Isn’t it cold? We do have a stray here though who fends for himself, never ventures into the house and fights on a regular basis with Thomas, who sees defending the yard as one of his main duties – that and covering every bit of upholstery in the house with a layer of white fur. A few days ago I wandered out to the greenhouse to see what had survived the wind, threw open the door and found myself face-to-face with the feral who was making himself comfortable on top of a tray of seedlings. I was surprised, but he was even more so and immediately started looking for a way out in much the same way as a trapped bird would – by throwing himself at the glass. I opened the doors wide and walked away, but it was too late, he was already in high-panic mode. He finally left the greenhouse via the back. Yes, of course there was glass in it, but then there was a cat-shaped hole. He was panicking and leaping high so he didn’t just break one pane but two. Gordon has since fixed the hole with perspex and finally (after years of asking) put a catch on the door so it doesn’t drift open in the wind thus allowing the cats to bask in the warmth and lie all over my seedlings.
Last night Gordon and I went to the Parish Council meeting, he as a councillor and me as a member of the public. I’m usually the only member of the public there, but last night there were a few more since issues relevant to them were being discussed. The meeting is usually held in the church hall, a quaint, warm little room with very good accoustics, but that’s being renovated at the moment so was closed for business. Instead it was held in the church itself which is neither quaint or warm. In fact, it was probably colder inside the church than it was outside. Some of the more senior members of the Council came prepared with blankets, but I wish they’d warned the rest of us. I kept my coat and gloves on, but still felt like I might freeze. I wasn’t the only one as the other members of the public were looking like they’d regretted making the effort to attend that particular meeting. A guest-speaker was there and commented on what a hardened bunch we all were. Jenny, the Chairwoman, pointed out that this was the first meeting they’d held in the church and “never again!”, but the speaker had a lot to say and spoke for almost an hour. By the time Gordon and I got home we were chilled to the bone. He lit the fire and I got us something warm to eat, then we huddled under blankets until we went to bed. At least the bedroom was warm and the bed even warmer. I don’t like these cold days.
Another heifer was born this morning called Theresa as well as one yesterday called Charlotte. No doubt the next two will be bulls and that will bring the balance back to fifty-fifty. The calves are strong and healthy but they look so cold, especially while their mothers are off to be milked. The newest calver is only a heifer herself and although she feels she should be protective towards this new strange thing she’s not quite sure where it came from or what she’s supposed to do with it. Consequently she spends a lot of time just looking at it!
The tomatoes in your green house are much nicer looking than those I bought at Tescos this weekend!! I love watching cows with their newborn, I can remember feeling not unlike that heifer myself when our son was born
The tomatoes are obviously late developers! They’re plum tomatoes but were disappointingly tasteless during the summer so we sort of gave up picking them. I must admit, I could watch the cows and calves for hours and I suppose I was similar when Alex arrived!