Life’s heifer so hard in the winter!
Winter at Ravenseat is hard for humans and animals alike.
The cows are in the barn now but they get a chance to let off steam and gallop around the yard every morning while we muck out.
Annas, Clem and Nancy watch their antics from a safe distance, on top of the straw bales.
The horses are stabled at night. On a good day they kick up their heels and head for the hills, on a bad day they loiter around the gate with long faces waiting to be let back in.
The children are busy grooming, riding and performing balancing tricks with the horses.
This is all tolerated remarkably well but a real test of character will come on Saturday when the farrier pays us a visit. Meanwhile, some of the old yows have been on the move. We rent a field near Teesside airport over winter and on Wednesday I loaded the trailer and took Miles’s small flock of Texdales and a handful of our yows there.
They enjoy life in these more temperate climes. Grazing – fields of grass – is in demand at this time of year.
Which reminds me of a comical phone call to the farmhouse.
I came in to find Clive – slightly deaf – shouting to the caller: “Nah, I’m not hearing yer reet.”
The conversation stuttered on, then Clive eventually said: “Yes, yes I’m interested... I’ll put mi’ wife on, she’ll write yer number down.”
He put his hand over the receiver, handed it to me and said: “Someone with some grazing.”
I took the phone and a voice said: “Hi there, I hear that you’re wanting some double glazing.”
Like I said, Clive is a little hard of hearing!