Baby Lambs - Twins at that !

At last we had the sheep back again - five months after they 'escaped', and then were 'found', we had them back in our field. Hopefully, they had been serviced by the ram, and were pregnant. Our mentor on these matters, thought that they were but of course only time would tell, but we were ready. We modified, and repaired their pen, and checked the fencing. One big bonus was that the field had had time to rest and the grass was thick and green for them. We spent a long time just watching them from the gate. They seemed content at last.

The same couldn't be said for poor Arthur though. We had to take him back to the Vet. His sore wasn't getting any better, and he was keeping us awake at night by continually licking it. It got to the stage, that I had to move his bed right next to ours, so that I could put my arm out in the night, and  pacify him without getting out of bed ! This time, he had another injection and antibiotic tablets, but no diagnosis was made - maybe a bite, maybe an allergy, maybe an abscess ..... Anyway, two days later, we decided to try a different Vet, with a different view point. He shaved the area, inspected it under a magnifying light, and then prescribed cream and more antibiotics. This time, thank goodness, the treatment worked, and Arthur recovered, and I slept through the night again ! Needless to say, this is Arthur's new Vet !

When we fancy a trip out, we enjoy visiting Brest. It only takes us about 40 minutes to get there, and there are a lot of individual shops - as opposed to chains - and it makes a pleasant change. There is also a KFC there !! We didn't realise how much we would miss takeaways and junk food. We didn't eat that much of it back in the UK, but when it is not available, you want it badly - so, on the rare occasion we visit Brest, we stop off for a KFC - a real treat !

We hoped to make a concerted effort on the vegetable patch this year, so we asked our neighbour if he would plough the designated area for us as a start. He very obligingly did this, and I know it wasn't easy, even with the tractor, as it hadn't been worked for many years. It gives a huge psychological boost though to get a big job like this done. After a few days, he returned to rotavate it for us, and we managed to get some manure on it beforehand, so that it would be dug into the soil at the same time. The next step was to harrow it - listen to me with all these technical terms !

Three weeks after the sheep returned, we had twin lambs - it was very exciting ! Craig went to let them out of the pen one morning - we had made the decision to pen them at night, so that if they did give birth, they would be secure and warm - and the older of the two sheep looked very uncomfortable. He rushed back to the house, and called me to watch. Unfortunately it became evident very quickly that there was a problem, and the lamb was stuck. All those years of watching 'Countryfile' gave Craig the confidence to help deliver the lamb - at that point, we didn't know that there were two ! The first lamb very quickly recovered and the mother cleaned her. Everything looked great, until we realised that another was on the way. This time though, she delivered her second with no problems - strangely, or so I thought, standing up, so that the lamb just landed on the grass. We were the proud owners of two female twin lambs - they were so cute ! They became our responsibility too though - we had to dock their tails, put cream in their eyes, tag them etc etc.

One of our big headaches, is trying to keep on top of the grass cutting in the back field. Ideally, we would like to cut it ourselves, but as yet the tractor is not up and running, and it is really too much for the strimmer. Having goats is another idea, but not one that we really want to follow, so we wait until we see a farmer pass by with a topper on the back of the tractor, and ask if he would be prepared to help us out. Most times they have been very obliging, but it would be great to be able to do this ourselves.

Life (and Work) Goes on !

Craig continued to work in the workshop - he was now at the point where he was lining the tools up, putting the ladders on the wall etc. He can be - well, we both can -  a little OCD at times. Our argument is, that we can cope better like that, it keeps us happy and doesn't affect anyone else. Those of you who know us personally will understand what I mean. I have to do certain domestic chores on certain days, and feel uncomfortable within, if they are not done !!

We decided that now that the bedroom was taking shape, we needed to put better bedding on the bed - we had been using the same two or three sets since we had arrived. That meant, that they had been covered in dust more times than I cared to remember, so it was lovely to see the new sheets, quilt covers etc that we had bought several years before in preparation. Mind you, it also meant that we 'discovered' that we had purchased more sets than we remembered - as things were going into storage, we forgot about them, and somehow managed to buy more ! Anyway, remembering our new 'mantra', we sold at least three unwanted sets - no point in storing eh ?

Mothers Day came and went - always a difficult day, although we always manage to speak to the 'children', and to Craig's Mum. Mind you - I always tell them that Mothers Day in France is actually not the same day as in England, hoping that I may get two sets of cards - doesn't wash with them though, but it is true !!

We offered to store some of the furniture from the restaurant here for Sue and Peter. They were panicking a little with space and time issues for vacation of the property, so we agreed to help them out, now that Craig had a secure and dry area in the workshop available. They were hoping to sell most of the items, so were hoping that it wouldn't be for too long. Of course, the day we arranged was extremely wet - typical Brittany weather really.

We discovered a Hungarian restaurant locally which was a big surprise, and decided that we would pay a visit one evening with some friends. The proprietor was very pleasant, and the room housed not only a few tables for clients but displays of Hungarian wares - clothes, ornaments, and such like. We had a nice Goulash, and enjoyed the atmosphere and company. It was a big change to get washed and changed for an evening out !

We took the next set of birds to the abattoir, but were disappointed with the results this time. We had kept them too long, and over the winter months as well. We learnt from our mistakes, and now know that it best to buy them as chicks in the Spring, fatten them up over the Spring and Summer months and then despatch them early. They struggled to thrive in the cold, so were smaller and tough - NOW WE KNOW ! It is only through making our own mistakes, that we can discover what works for us.

Henry had his first birthday - we weren't able to be there with him of course, but managed to speak via Skype, although if I remember rightly, his big sister commandeered the conversation ! I do feel sad that we can't be with them and see them as often as we would like, but like to think that they know where we are and can speak whenever we want to.

Poor Arthur (the dog) became ill - how useless do you feel at a time like this ? It's like having a baby - you know they aren't well, but they can't tell or show you where. He developed a sore patch near his tail, so I had to take him to the local Vet's. He had an injection of antibiotics, but to be honest I wasn't over confident that my concerns had been listened to or understood. We had heard varying reports on the Vets here, but decided that it was worth using the more local one to start with, to see how we got on, and then decide from there. For the time being at least, Arthur was OK. Let's see what happens when the antibiotics kick in.....

Poor Arthur......