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Blogs by Linda Watson
Low Arvie Ladies on the loose! 7/1/2010 9:50:50 PM
An exciting event occurred here at Low Arvie last night! On Tuesday Richard had moved the Ladies and their calves into the silage fields for a couple of days to eat the standing grass around the edges. Yesterday he opened the gates for them to find their way back to Eastside to let the mown grass grow for a week or two before moving them permanently.
Thursday night is our weeklly date with Graham for a meal at Pringles pub (both books) and when we had eaten I left the men there to yarn about farming and I came home to bath and bed to relax in front of the television. Richard was to walk home later.
I had just got nicely settled after a leaisurely hot bath, in my comfy bed, nice clean sheets, good book and a few good TV progammes, when I heard the Ladies bellowing. 'Oh, I thought, 'that's the Ladies back.' But I wasn't concerned as all the appropriate gates were open and they would find their way through to the lush grass in Eastside. I continued watching and reading.
About ten minutes later, I became aware that the bellowing had increased and idly wondered why. I got up and looked out of the window to see two Ladies wandering around the garden and, running to the bathroom, I saw another three walking about the farm yard. With the gate to the driveway and the road open, I had to get out there fast before they decided to investigate any further. No time to dress, so in my nighty and wellies, I ran out of the door and met Beauty just coming round the corner of the house from her wander in the garden. I'm glad it was her because she is so intelligent and just needs a word to send her in the right direction back to the field gate which Richard had forgotten to close, when he had opened all the others. I ran and closed the drive gate. Now at least they were confined on the farm and I prayed that no one had already made their way down to the road.
I continued on to the old byre where I found six Ladies munching away at our emergency bale of hay and two others mooching round the trailers and, of course, dropping large deposits everywhere. I had to work my way round to the back of the shed, not easy in the confined space to push past eight large cows, but I managed it and then tried to 'persuade' them to leave the hay and go back to the others who, happily had followed Beauty back to their correct side of the gate. I shouted at them and flapped my arms and urged them out of the byre. But they just stood looking at me and munching away. My feeble strength was as nothing as I vainly plied all my weight to the nearest back end, slipping and sliding in cow poo, and I'm afraid the £40 hay bale got pretty well demolished before they decided to comply with my wishes.
However, they did take pity on me in the end and meandered back to the gate and I was able to close it behind them and go back to bed!
Take care,
Lxx
PS. Forgot to say that its back to Warwick tomorrow (see previous blogs and LwtLoLA) and a reacquaintance with Tabitha and Michael. Let's see where did I leave them three weeks ago. Oh, yes, she's decided not to go but has just gone to say goodbye, he's sitting in the van with the engine running. Wonder how many chapters I'll get done next week!
