Garden ornaments

 The garden makeover continues, and thanks to a day off and some fine weather I got to negotiate several more trip hazards as I created a Chinese puzzle out of wood. Izzy and Jason decided that the stone slabs laid as a temporary path a year ago were ideal sun beds, never mind yours truly and the wheelbarrows of compost having to make a detour.

 Further along Pip followed their example but I left her to it as she is poorly so if she is happy in the way then so be it.

 Progress was slow but steady, aside from canine obstacles there were rocks, tree stumps, nettles, sun burn, and a delivery man called Steve who decided that Rock HQ was such a nice spot he better stay and tell me his life story rather than allow us both to get on with the job in hand. As he drew breath and said "So that took me to 2008" I panicked and thought about pretending to feint or hit him with the spade in the vain hope it would distract him from telling me about his third divorce when the phone rang and saved us both.

I ran out of wood, and steam early evening but progress has been made. More wood is on its way and so my evenings and weekend seem well and truly sorted for a while.

Job done

 After yesterdays seeming lack of progress in all areas relating to the aviary I must admit to having a sinking feeling when, for a change, it wasn't raining and I had to show willing and go back out and face the disaster area on the helipad.

 In contrast to the previous 24 hours today went better than I could have hoped, especially as I was on the final stage which included building doors.

 Admittedly I was at it all day, apart from the usual routine with the critters, but by end of play we were able to have a picnic on the helipad while watching four very bemused cage birds suddenly finding their cage had taken on Tardis like qualities (dimension wise not time travel alien Dalek wise)

The opening ceremony was wasted on little t who concentrated on more practical matter like how many grapes could he cram in his mouth and could he eat all his cheese before Reuben helped out.

Big and small

 Gwen's litter of Berkalitzas are exploring the world, this entails running around the runway in the Corral OK

 and sharing breakfast with creatures who's head is bigger than you and your litter mates.

 I was able to spend a few hours working on the aviary, a minor detail I had overlooked was that by building it as tall as  could reach, when it came to fitting the roof I couldn't, reach that is. The lack of stature on my part, coupled with no step ladder, scaffolding and anything else useful to get high enough meant that progress was painfully slow, and often painful thanks to over extending while precariously balancing holding planks, sharp metal objects and power tools. Gravity caused a few rethinks as did being described as an accident waiting to happen by my beautiful and oh so patient wife as she stood by with the first aid kit.

Once the frame and boards were in placed the final drama came from the 10 metre roll of roofing felt, the roof measured exactly 10 metres 10 centimetres. As the roll ran down to nothing I just hoped that the nice people who made the stuff were as slack on measuring as I was otherwise a trip to the builders merchant would have set the day back further and added to the cost. Thankfully prayers were answered and a whole spare 30 cms were hidden away inside the roll which meant  there was more than enough for an overhang and neat hospital corners before solving the puzzle of how to secure it to the roof. Next time I think about a nice surprise for my beautiful and oh so patient wife (the aviary)  I will stick to getting a bunch of flowers.

Take the high road and from small acorns...

 I decided against pedal power today and took the high road in to work.

 Now along the trail I meet the Whetstone, we say hello, its always best to be polite to sacred/ritualistic sites.

 Now its not been that long since I have passed through but there are new traffic signs

 which are very informative once you work out how to use them. The key facts of the whetstone are given to the uninitiated. The one about the Devil is missing. Perhaps they have decided its not for the squeamish.

 As for rare fairy shrimps our horse drink these up by the buckketload!

 Its all very picturesque and a pleasant change from the road.

 Local architecture adds to the spectacle.

Work went well, and tonight the first of many fund raising events was held at a local hostelry, it was amazing how many of the local businesses came out and supported Red Kites Trust Fund through donations and prizes for the raffle. A local band, The Sunday Runaways played a fantastic set and several hundred pounds was raised. Its a start. From small acorns and all that!

Crying over spilt milk

This is a very happy cat, well fed, full to the brim of milk. Now Nemo isn't known for his exertion, being found face down asleep in a sack of cat food was one memorable event, another time he proudly carried in a large mouse as an offering for his humans. The fact that it was in a mouse trap was neither here nor there and we have never got to the bottom of how he caught a squirrel, the hapless rodent must have had a heart attack and fell on the fat ginger tom is the only credible explanation. Well this moggy has found another way to increase his calorie intake without flexing too much muscle, he has started to rob the lambs on the helipad. Izzy and Jason are lucky enough to have a self service point in their pen, a bucket of milk with teats so the hungry lambs can fill up as and when. Nemo here has also found this useful calorie source and spends almost as much time lapping milk as he does sleeping.
I too had a close encounter with milk this evening when, for some reason known only to the part of my brain that doesn't think (most of it) I was looking into the jug of fresh milk just drawn from Kayleigh (Marillion playing in the background obviously) rather than moving away from emptied goat. This moment of inactivity on my part meant that when Kayleigh turned in a oh you have finished type way her head connected with jug which thanks to the inevitable laws of cause and effect, emptied over yours truly.

Same old....

 Apart from the arrival of six stripey little piglets

 courtesy of Piggle who finally delivered her enormous load all by herself while we were sleeping,

nothing unusual happened before I went to work. This means that for the first time since January nothing is about to give birth.

Pig club update

 The not so little Berkalitzas

 are enjoying being long range pigs

 but most of all

they enjoy a good breakfast!

Family Jewels

 The look says it all, poor Trevor, the mightiest stallion on the Rock has lost two very precious items courtesy of our favourite vet and nurse. In a very swift operation his ability to terrorise the female population were gone, the nice vet said Trevor was nicely put together (this while holding several bits of horse that were no longer part of the main bit) and it was a shame he wasn't pedigree. I was just glad we had kept him contained long enough to sedate and castrate. (Horse not vet)
Hopefully this will also curtail his desire to shag wheelbarrows, wheelbarrow operators and goats. Time will tell. While the vet was here we were able to scotch rumours that the veterinary practise was planning on opening a new office in our yard. They also checked the stitching on Hetty our mad cow, which was in place and holding her together, which was more than could be said for the stable door keeping Chester from the great outdoors this morning. That was found halfway across the yard in two pieces. Not sure why he did that, neither was he but it was in need of repair before Hetty was put in there ready for the visit by aforesaid veterinary.

Hetty had other ideas about going into a hastily repaired stable, she wanted more of the same that got her in trouble last year and shot off at a trot, Kobe close behind, in search of bull. It is a testimony to how much fitter I am (or desperate) that I not only managed to overtake a high velocity randy cow, but did this by running up the side of the bonsai mountain to head her off at the pass. The sight of yours truly emerging from the gorse bushes on the point of cardiac arrest stopped mental bovine in her tracks and she scampered back to the stable where kind words from my beautiful and oh so patient wife persuaded cow that sanctuary in stable was better than risking wrath of yours truly. Finally pigs were fed, door was repaired, sheep and goats fed, Trevor was where he should be, all was well and all before breakfast. Yours truly could get a quick bacon buttie before heading off for a training day at Red Kite HQ. Or I could have had I not found our very ancient beagle running about the conservatory scattering assorted seedlings with a traumatised quail in his gob.