feeding pictures

on caring for someone else's animals, the last day

Sheep and goat breakfast

What flavor is this hay?

Thellwell wpony demanding breakfast

And mount poosukio - the result of all those breafasts, and the quad and its horse honeysucker...

The return of the prodigal key

Faced with the overwhelming evidence of public interest in their misdeeds, the goats dumped the loot.

I was putting out sheep-feeding bowls this morning when I spotted a blue object protruding from a drift of sheep/goat poo. It proved to be the tag from the quad-key, still attached to the key. It was about 17 yards from the quad, around the side of the shed. And yes, it still works. I have no idea if it went through a goat or not. The tag only shows minor signs of chewing. I think it might have been mouthed and dropped.

Tonight we had a curry with what would be called mother-in-law's tongue - possibly atchar, courtesy of our friend Sonia. I did some very healthy facial sweating on just a tiny bit added to what I called curry, and brother would have called 'stew'. Also - once again a departing the island present from Sonia had some home made preserved lemons -spicy and salted. These I suspect may be like green sauce, good with everything. I must get the recipe as they were really delicious.

The case-file for the key snatch incident

Here as requested for you amateur detectives are the 8 by 10 color glossy photographs wid de circles and arrows of the 'scene of the quad-bike key case'. Only you'll have to imagine the circles and arrows.

The approach


Another view of the approach
Suspiciously like goat track

Can't see much yet...


Aha! The evidence (you find it)



Suspect spotted lurking




Too dumb to be a suspect. Note possible stashing place of loot in front of 11 year old sheep. Many many many such spots exist.


Suspect Tipy protesting innocence, says wasn't in the country. Produces airline ticket (written in paw on an old feedbag)as alibi.


This character however had a cast iron alibi and witnesses. Says he suspects the goats. There may be bias.



There is more to this than just a simple key snatch. We have evidence of a very elderly branch of the sheep Hitlerjugend in some sort of sheepish plot to attain more sheepenraum. Note give-away salute.



prime suspects having duped stupid sheep with fake moustache.


It was never me!


You're delusional from walking that hill down to the stables.


And another day is ended.

Rain Snot misery

green snot pie...

It was BLEAK Monday, with both Barbs and I coming down some degree of snot and aches, the wind sending horizontal rain thrashing into you at 40+ miles an hour. The goat-track... road up to Jamie's place was a 4X4 steep clay quagmire when we did it in the dark. To misquote the Charabanc trip, There were goats with bronchitis and elderly wet sheep to invite us, as Jamie's shed loomed up through mist, but the rain slacked off soon to medium monsoon... and and the day didn't look quite pitch black but just dark grey, with wet sheepdogs to lose, and numb fingers to use, we scooped horse poo, fed nags in the mud and got wet. It was such fun we did it again in the evening and again this morning... only with a wind off the snow in Tassie and a fine mizzle of rain to help the windchill. Fortunately the weather is set to improve, and we're counting the days now. We're down to 8 more feeds... It does get vile here, but seldom stays that way (he says in a hopeful tone of self-reassurance.)

Well, Barbs is back home in the rain and wind and misery-weather. We have 11 more feeds to do, and the horses are off our hands again. So is the stuff they convert expensive horse-food into. I must get some for the garden. Have a new raised bed (tank) to fill.

Other than that. We have a fire, we've just had our tea, solid stick to the ribs winter food, and the house is dry and not too chilly. Life could be much worse :-).

The topper

Ok, just when you thought you'd heard every last implausible story, then someone tops it...

Beat this.

The goat ate the key to the quad bike.


Yes, I went to go on another poo-sucking mission this morning after feeding the horses... and couldn't find the key (it lives in the bike, in the shed). I was convinced I must have taken it out, and actually drove home to check my pockets. It was only having failed there, and every other place I looked... that I went back to the bike and noticed... the plastic surround to the lock down among the goat-poo. A little chewed and battered, but recognizable.

So I did it with the wheelbarrow and pooper-scooper. two and a half heaped-high loads. Have strapped collanders to goats bum. Am contemplating running a powerful magnet down goats (after I have waved it over droppings) and trying a little keyhole surgery.

I've been told a number of times that the fishing off Red bluff can be exceptional, and so far all I've got is weed and one foul hooked salmon. Still, I gave it another try driving there on my way to go to the horses. I put a bait-line out and commenced spinning (swearing at my friend Peter who had switched my handle around - but I only had 25 minutes so every one better count. I got big trevally (which I lost as I was trying to haul it out of the water), and a small Aussie salmon, and then the handle of my reel fell off into the water. mutter. Anyway. It can fish very well, and the water looked beautiful in the westerly. I WANTED to jump in with a spear (and look for the handle) but poo sucking and horse feeding called. I just got through in 1 hour 45 anyway and that excluded any paddock vacuum - that'll have to happen tomorrow. Anyway, I made 9 packs of mince and 10 days of dog roo and a nice load of stew/kebab chunks from the wallaby _And_ did a little work, so all is not lost. Counting the days till B gets back, and until Jamie gets back.