One of those days

Today has been a trial. We were up late looking for two lost calves last night who had escaped into the green corn during the herd's walk to new pastures. Eventually we found one had slipped back to the yard where there were three calves and their mothers waiting for eartagging today. He was very strong and so wild that three of us had to get the box, load him and drive him to the field to his mother. The other was a mystery as the mother cow was not bawling for her lost calf so we thought in the twilight that it had made its way into the field until this morning we found it in the other field with the three calves! Mother and calf were reunited.

Today T and his mate J were hurriedly loading all the wrapped haylage bales on to trailers to bring back to the yard to be stacked. This took most of the day and I was left wondering when if ever they were going to have time to eat a snack. Finally they did. There was another calf that had calved from a very young heifer who had been served by mistake and completely unexpected. The calf was dehydrated so we drenched it with a tube to the stomach with electrolyte powders. I don't think it will survive unfortunately.

This evening came the sad news that N's uncle had died in Devon. It was a great release for him at 91 but a great wrench for his aunt who had been by his side day and night nursing him during the last few days. They have no children.

We had placed an advert in a farming magazine to sell a tractor and two people telephoned one from Lincolnshire and the other from Cheshire. The second one definitely wants to buy it but the farmer from Lincolnshire is already on his way down to Somerset and we cant get hold of the other who is also visiting tomorrow to say hold back until we know whether the first one wants to buy it!

The photograph shows the snack. Sausage roll made early this morning by an old family bakery in the next valley. Salad from a farm shop. Old 70's Aga in the background!