Guess whos back!

Much to my beautiful and oh so patient wifes surprise the pocket rocket wandered into the yard late afternoon looking for munchies. He tried to get round Misty but she was having none of it, she knew where the dirty stop out had been again and had only returned when he found the mares had all gone to lower pastures.He is now in the "garden" where we can keep an eye on him until the fence around the "paddock" is complete.

Should have known better

I really should have known better, but the pocket rocket, the Houdini on hooves has done it again. The weekend saw him climbing over the cliff at the back of the house, eventually he got bored and came down. What I failed to recognise was that this was in fact a recce for another escape. Late last night on final rounds I spotted the demonic little shitland had not eaten his dinner but I was confident he was lurking in the darkness> This morning, there he was, gone. The only way out is via the rock face. So I can only assume the little scamp is back on the ridge looking for love. Which means yours truly will be up on the ridge this weekend looking for the little monster!

Dr Finlays casebook

The day has been dominated by poorly animals. Kayleigh now 48 hours into her headache is refusing to stand up but otherwise shows signs of recovery. This includes eating everything within reach, refusing to drink anything other than warm water (the frosty morning offering was not to her liking) and belching in the face of her medic.
Bear the Berner has had his operation, see dog blog, he was very excited to be going for a car ride right up to the point he jumped out and realised he was at the V E T. The operation was a success and he is taking up most of the kitchen floor by the rayburn sleeping off the anaesthetic.

Seen better days

 Kayleigh has survived, so far, and this is what you get if you use your head to stop a ton bale of hayledge as it succumbs to gravitational pull. Late last night as I thought the horses might like a top up I was a tad distressed to find a bale groaning and a goat starfished in the mud head under the bale.

 In sheer panic I managed to lift/push/swear hayledge bale uphill enough to allow my beautiful and oh so patient wife to drag seemingly mortally wounded Kayleigh to safety. Wheel barrow served as ambulance and poorly goat was dumped unceremoniously onto medbay floor where frozen limbs were massaged, mud scraped off wet fur and a huge nest of straw and vet bed was constructed where she lay, and still does. Signs are good, both eyes although swollen are functioning, she is making her usual mewing noise (albeit a bit flatter than normal, boom boom)

 and most importantly she is scoffing calories with enthusiasm, here she is helping herself to

 Boris the III dinner. Not so good is that she wont stand, she is trying and we are moving her to keep the circulation going. Tonight she stood for a few seconds but with me gripping her in a most unseemly fashion.

Also about to go off his legs is this lumper, Bear, seen above on his last walk on the Bonsai Mountain for a few weeks. Thanks to JesseJ's mum we know what to expect. Now we know we can prepare, and as we know whats about to happen all I can say is I am glad this poor lad has no idea what will happen at the vets tomorrow. All being well he should be bouncing like tigger again in early March. 

Looking better

4am. Kayleigh is sitting in her nest of straw and blankets holding her own. Has had a warm drink of molasses. Looking better if not 100%. Fingers still crossed.

Not good

On her side, stuck in the mud, in freezing rain, in complete darkness it was chance that found Kayleigh last check before bedtime. Shes hypothermic, pregnant and in a poor way. Fingers crossed for a happy ending.

Off to a good start

 Drawing the curtains in little t's room this morning revealed every ones favourite shitland trying his hoof at rock climbing.

 Not quite sure what tempted him on his epic climb but having had previous experience of rock bound goats I got on with breakfast instead of planning rescues on the premise what goes up must come down, eventually and one way or another. Sure enough by mid afternoon the novelty had worn off, or whatever it was that he thought he could eat had been eaten/gone and the crazy horse was back in the garden chasing Berners.

 For yours truly the day couldn't have got off to a better start as I had just enough home produced bacon for a sandwich after which Noel Fielding arrived, meaning seconds, and more tea drinking while we discussed England's massive victory over The All Blacks. Several Berners made them self comfortable and prepared to watch a master at work.

 I had been promoted from Gopher to Mixer, and the first bucket of plaster I made was too thick, the second was too runny but the third was just right.

End of play saw the room sort of normal and stage 2 of the fireplace makeover complete. Tomorrow night I get to play with concrete, hopefully getting it in the right holes in the hearth and not over small child, dogs and furniture.
Stage 3 will have to wait until spring, that's the rendering of the back and side walls, cant be done now as lighting the woodburner would dry it out and blow it off the walls. So we wait until summer when the fire wont be lit, so that's a weekend next October then.

Whats Noel Fielding doing on our roof?

Not a question many people get to ask I'm sure, but as top of the jobs list was remove old fire place and replace with something that is better looking and more functional, Noel took to the roof to check no goblins were up to naughtiness thus ensuring the job went smoothly. Well almost.

As ever things never go quite to plan, so my idea to smash old fireplace out and chuck some muck around, smooth it off jobs a good un soon ran into technical difficulties so I prudently delayed creating havoc and probably a large chimney shaped hole in roof, bedroom floor, lounge ceiling and floor and waited for the expert. Pritch (not Noel, he's not really a builder in his spare time) soon made short work of the nasty stone work while I was a gopher. So I made short work of going for teas, coffees, bacon sarnies, donuts, and other consumables necessary for building, while taking out rubble, stone, and climbing onto roof to take forgotten torch to not Noel. I also fed the critters, minded the dogs and took the gates (heavy metal variety) up the Bonsai Mountain ready for installation next week. Its been a busy day really.

The pics above tell the story, what you cant see is the concrete lintel we removed turned out to be a gatepost, tapered, so the brickwork was also tapered.

The bottom row centre shows Pritch valiantly trying to hold back a ton of vermiculite (or some other spelling) its an insulation material used to fill cavernous spaces like chimneys. At this point I should have stepped in to rescue him but I was too busy photographing and texting the pic to he who cant be named with an assortment of rude comments. Only when Pritch threatened  let go and fill lounge with the grotty stuff did I step in with a poorly constructed bin bag and after 20 were filled we were able to breath again (dust!) and get back on schedule. Bottom left is how I was left, bottom right is how Pritch will find it tomorrow prepped for plastering. Under all the paint and paper I found the sooty outline of two candle holders and a shield sword thingy.