New year surprises

The day got off to a slow start, not because of hangovers but because of general laziness and unwillingness to tackle the sea of mud that surrounds the cottage. Eventually I was forced into action by the sudden arrival of the worlds biggest tractor in our lane bearing the next ton of hayledge for the beasts. As it was not my tractor I was the one up to his welly tops in muddy water opening and closing gates and fending hungry critters off the wheels as the militia negotiated the mud and dropped the goodies in the feeders. Surprise number one was another price rise, bales that cost us £12.50 spring last year now cost £20. As we have no choice theres no point complaining, but the price of feed is one reason why some smallholders are giving up or giving their stock away.
After the chores were done I set off on a walk around the Bonsai Mountain with Ben, finding a couple of paths I had not been along. The Whetstone was a point of call and a hip flask of single malt helped mask the man flu symptoms that have been bugging me for over two weeks. Suitably merry we headed back to the cottage and discovered the second surprise , or four of them, baby rabbits, so they have been busy in the hutches this winter. By their size they look like they were born a week ago, so just after the last clean out. While they were being cleaned out Geisha was her usual troublesome self which led to the discovery that she has a tiny amount of milk in her udder. As she has never been to the billy the only explanations are that this is a phantom pregnancy, or that Ambrose the curry ingredients was not such a successful castration as we thought. He has been seen trying to deflower Geisha but as he needs stilts to reach nothing more was thought of it. She is camping out in the trailer still so we shall have to wait and see!