Thinking time

 So, dissertation finished, save for editing and finishing it, and pups making it through another night with yours truly sleeping vigil next to whelping box, things look like they might return to normal (whatever version of reality that is) pretty soon and I should have what's known as "time on my hands" post Friday which is dissertation delivery day.

 As it was a clear morn, one where the moon hangs about waiting for the sunrise, which didn't happen while we were topside, some thinking time was spent with the demi clan about what the future holds.

 Definite is a year out from study.

 So I can spend more time doing smallholding.

 Which was why we moved here in the first place.

 Some big projects are planned for next year including building a huge 4 berth stable which will be L shaped just to make it more of a challenge to someone who has yet to master all things carpentry.

 Then there is the massive man test, a three day event involving a 480 mile bike ride and three big mountains.

 Plus whatever else come my way.

 Which today was a massive amount of horse pooh to be cleared from the runway, made all the more fun thanks to torrential rain, gale force winds and a

 stroppy mare who gave every impression of being pregnant, which she's not. Hopefully not anyway. Knowing out luck she will be.

An indicator of how bad the weather was, the Rampaging Ryelands took cover rather than steal food from the other critters.

Reasons to be cheerful part two

 Bryn is happy as Larry having learned to get on the sofa he is finding it is a situation he can exploit due to the Berners being somewhat occupied by the new arrivals.

 Normality is returning bit by bit and a patrol was launched yesterday morning with the Rockmeister leading the way, this after being violated by the vet because of constipation.

 We found one of our trees had been rearranged by the recent high winds so another job has been added to the list, along with fixing the fence.

 The Christmas crackers are doubling in size, still under 24 hour watch so yours truly is learning to get by on even less sleep than normal sleeping when the pups do.

 They are looking more like Berners every day.

 Bryn is trying to win the cute wars but he has his work cut out.

 Black Friday caused a momentary lack of reason and yours truly's plastic addiction got a new fix from the realm of Airfix, the defence of normally £25 reduced to a fiver cut no ice with my beautiful and oh so patient wife, neither did my assertion that the huge box delivered by a not Steve courier called Alf (who wanted to know if the box was for a little boy to be told by MBAOSPW that a great big boy was the recipient) that the box would be mainly packaging.

So tonight another shift by the whelping box. But a really big reason to be cheerful is my dissertation is finished. Nearly. Just needs editing. Quite a bit of editing . But it is written.

Reasons to be cheerful

 No posts for a while due to chronic lack of sleep caused by the arrival of these lovely pups.

 Elf is doing a fab job of looking after 10 pups who have nearly doubled their birth weight in only 4 days!

Another reason for no posts is my dissertation which is nearly finished!!!

It's all your fault

 These are our two lovely miniature Mediterranean donkeys, Mork closest and Mindy behind, stood in the pouring rain. Hardy little beasts who are more used to non stop sunshine rather than non stop rain.

 Now they do have a luxury appointed shelter with straw beds and hot and cold running hay but no they stand here in the rain looking at me and saying...

Its all your fault.

Waiting game

 Elf very pregnant and Mrs Bear, not pregnant.

 Bryn trying to look cute, Elf trying to look like a whale and Mr Bear trying to look like he owns the sofa.

There's about a week to go before we know if any more Dolyhir Dogs join the clan successfully. Paws crossed!

Getting away from it all...

 We live on a Bonsai Mountain, about as remote as you can get 5 miles from a small town, and are blessed with beautiful countryside and wonderful friends, some with fur, some without. But after Ofsted and before my brain melted from statistical analysis (yes still searching for that elusive correlation) we needed a break. So we headed north to a winter wonderland and right on cue it snowed as we got there, several hours late after yours truly threw his new bike rack over the fields and far away for causing excessive delay.

 One of the reasons for getting away was it was our tenth wedding anniversary (time flies)

 so where better to spend it than boot camp, I mean centre parcs

 where all things fitness and health are celebrated.

 The snow was very local, a snow machine a the main gate. The rest of the forest was unseasonably sunny and warm

 and hidden amongst the trees are over 1000 huts of various size each full of do-nut dogers

 ours was next to the lake

 which for some reason is now fenced off, health and safety gone mad again .

 This is the view to the neighbours lodge

 and here are some of the neighbours who turned up every morning to join us for breakfast.

Naturally we had a great break, despite everyone getting ill and most of us missing the firework display as we were in casualty with a small child who couldn't breathe but it was fun being ill somewhere else.
Back at the ranch Elf managed not to give birth with our house sitter acting mid wife and so we wait.

They're always looking at'cha!

 So on today's dawn patrol yours truly spotted a scale model of the hills behind constructed entirely out of sawn timber alongside a newly constructed road.

 There are a number of huge machines lurking in our wilderness who's sole purpose is to tear the life out of the forest.

 Which is a shame as it is particularly pictureskew at this time of year with the deciduous displays offset by the stark evergreens. Ahem. I did listen in biology lessons after all.

 And as yours truly wandered feeling not alone, well with three massive dogs by my side (read under my feet) how could I be

 but along the trails there was a sense of being watched and at one point

 around here a definite smell of tobacco, but no sign of life

 well none that yours truly could see

 but the dogs saw different

and WooZah could definitely see someone/thing.

 And there it was, a clear message from the fairy folk. They are watching.

 Leave the trees alone.

Meanwhile formation feeding frenzy from The Runner Duck Company.