Happy New Year All!
Well, seeing as it is Winter, I have been staying in near the radiators and catching up on my reading, "The Green Book" and "Farmers Guide" (other farming publications are available!) are very helpful to improve my agricultural knowledge, withour having to venture too far outdoors. Fortunately, when I do go out, it has only been cold and frosty (there were 4 days of snow) and not really too wet.... initially anyway, later in the month, they were digging "trenches" to let the water off the land. I have been in the shed with Dad when he has been doing repairs to the plough - Will and I shared the armchair - well I had the top of the seat back, and he had the seat - it really was not very exciting to watch! Dad's parents have been away so we have had Jake the Labrador to stay...I did not like him initially, he is too big and there is just "too much of him" - but it is said that, "you should never judge a book by its cover" and Jake is actually quite a nice dog - he is only a bit younger than Will, but he has more stories from the other farm as he is mostly over there, "Everyone has an interesting story to tell, if only we take time to listen" Jake is used to cats as there are 3 living with him....the only problem with him is that he snores worse that Will (and I would not have believed that was even possible!)
Mum has had some bad news - she has been working in a role which means she can be in any one of three offices, but the nearest is only 6 miles away, and she alternates them, covering in each one as and when required. Unfortunately, that job has finished now and she was a bit unsure what was happening, as the finish date kept being put back. However, she is now in Peterborough for three months to help set up a new portfolio team....she is not keen on the travelling though - it is only about 24 miles - but takes well over an hour, and then there is a 10 minute walk in from the car park. It is a longer journey (but quicker) on the back roads, but these are really dangerous in bad weather, and in Winter - and I want her to be safe! The first week she was there it snowed (the snow was gone in 2 and a half days) but it took her an hour to travel three quarters of a mile.....looking at the news - I don't know why humans don't stay home when it is weather like this, and I do worry for the homeless and hungry cats out there - I do what I can to leave access to some of the sheds and old sacking around for bedding
However, the weather improved a bit and strangely enough, I have noticed a number of different birds on the farm - I am not very good at recognising species and names (just tastes!) but I have been researching in a "countryside and farm bird book" to see if I can improve my knowlege. And obviously, I have been continuing my cuddling up with Mum in an evening - all this renewed wandering about and research quite tires me out!
At the end of February, it was Mum's birthday, and Dad bought her a really unusual present - a friend of his, "Viv" is a French teacher (for adults, not children) French is another language that they speak in a country called Franch just over the English Channel - I had to explain this to Will!! And Viv (or rather a series of lessons with her, is the present!) Apparently, Mum wants to improve her French as she spoke it wellpreviously and wants to get fluent in it.....I would have liked her to learn Cat but to be honest, I do think this is beyond all humans - all the nuances and tones are too advanced I think! But they do try, which is sweet! Their friends, Ian, Clare and Stuart were here around her birthday, so I did my "head of the house / host" thing...I think it went well!
Anyway, the weather forecast is for warmer weather - and sooner rather than later - so lets hope so!
not a great shot, nor the most flattering of angles, but this is me on a comfy knee!
Ooh, you'll never guess what ....yes, potatoes are the thing again (!) Yes, they are (potentially, and this is by no means certain) the crop which earns the most, but they are by far and away the most problematic and stress inducing of all crops too
So on the farm it is ploughing (I don't go out in the tractor, but if I am about, I have a good old sniff and inspection once they're parked back in the shed) and also grading potatoes - to be honest, I find this very boring, but I am entranced by the birds following the plough and the artistic way that the soil is turned into darker lines of equal distance. The soil here is quite dark - not quite as dark as at the other farm, Will says - and Mum says that if she was painting the scene, she would use purple and lilac tones in with the brown for the soil.
So, back to the potatoes - we have a new strategy for selling them, and Dad and his Dad are going to take over a sales pitch in a layby off the main road in Crowland (the town between the two farms) to see how that goes. They ar also going to try in another layby in Tallington, but this has not been tried before. There has been a pitch in Crowland for some years but the person there is retiring..... I know they're looking forward to chatting to the customers - I hope it goes okay. We have been busy printing up leaflets for them to distribute. Will and I are not very good at this, I love to lie on paper and if there are a few piles on the floor, then I just can't help myself!
As it is Winter, I have been spending a lot more time in the house - well obviously it is all my house - but I've been checking out the farm records too. I don't really like it when it is sugar beet tine, or even wet (as it is now) - Dad has been out sweeping the road with a huge brush on the tractor as this makes it safer for other drivers. It has been so wet that the tractors have been struggling...... definitely time for some indoor work I think! I am surprised that the humans do not appear to have worked this out yet!
For Christmas, Mum and Dad went to Rachel and Andrew's, and then saw their friends Ian and Clare (who love opposite Rachel) in the evening. Boxing Day was spent at Stowgate but I got the morning and evening with them, I have taken to sleeping on the bed with them - which I enjoy....they say I take up too much space on the bed, but in reality, it is them that do that! I got some good presents too, edible and non edible. Will got some edible presents and a blanket too
Happy Christmas and all the best for the New Year everyone. And here's my quotes: "Be generous with your love, and you will feel it returned one hundred fold" and also, "The greatest wealth is contentment with a little". As it is the year end, here is a bonus one, "All men* who have achieved great things have been dreamers" (*I think cats is a good word here too!)
"When I find myself fading, I close my eyes and realize that friends are my energy" I love this quote, and I try to find energy from my humans, Will and my other friends ..... and of course, in return, I try to give energy and support to others
That is quite a profound opener for a cat, I know ...but it is true. So there are a load of bricks at ours that have been bought for a project - of course, this may never actually get started, but in the meantime, they are an excellent climbing frame for me !! It has been quite busy here, Janet (Dad's Mum) has been backwards and forwards to Grantham as a relative of hers is in hospital, and so John is helping out again - he always has a word or two for Will and myself.
Mum is enjoying her work and seems to be okay with the travelling - I knew she'd be good though (!) - and also, they seem to be having a lot of training on a new (and completely different) computer system - whatever that is - which is coming in shortly. On the farm, we have a Tata Truck on loan to see if it is suitable, the old one - which is actually very old in age - no longer goes. I am liking this new truck, and I hope they buy it - it has massive wheel arches which I think, would be great for sunbathing on in Summer! It is also quite distinctive in tone, so I will be able to ensure I know which vehicle is pulling into the driveway. Alan (Dad's Dad) has been for an x-ray, Micky (Andy's brother) is doing exams to become a driving instructor, and we are doing potatoes AGAIN !! It is about time the farm started growing something a bit more suitable for cats - I think - cat treats (or cat nip!) would be lovely!
It is very windy again - gale force winds in fact - and I have had two nights at Barbara's again because Mum and Dad were in Folkestone (that is properly down South) for a wedding....Murphy (Mum's Mum's cat) was in the next pen too and we a lovely chat and catch up - he is a gentle soul - he used to be a scared, hungry, feral cat but by building up his trust, he is a much loved and relaxed house cat now. Unfortunately, the two cars (Mum and Dad in one, Grandma, Rachel, Andrew and George in another) were delayed coming back from the wedding so we had to borrow a cat carrier from John & Carole (they live near Barbara) and use them for their cats Spit and Spot to ensure that Murphy could be home from the cattery - as the next day, the cattery was full!
It all ended okay though! Mum and Dad also had a night in Coventry with Mum's best friend Dinah - Pam came round to feed me in the morning, and Grandma came round in the evening - so I had people to entertain...and to entertain me!!!
So here is my latest thought, "How you view the world will determine what you find, therefore, if you look for things that are positive, and also display positivity yours will not be disappointed"
I love this photo of the sky taken from the front room just after I woke up!
Will is getting back to full health, and the farm is mysteriously "up straight" in relation to the jobs anyway ...well, at least it was at the start of the month
There has been a lot of mending in sheds going on, Mum is busy at work, Dad's Mum has started working at Tescos ( I would not normally be interested, but you can buy cat stuff from there apparently!) Other supermarkets are available though!
I forgot to mention there was a street party at Dad's parents (where the other farm is) last month, Will went but did not have a lot to report, other than there were a lot of other dogs there, and the other farm cats "Ginger, Spice and Moby" were all there too. However, there has been much crop walking here so I have been out and about checking what is happening - it's really good weather and things appear to going well, weather - wise!
I've also been helping to mend a trailer - it is a wooden potato trailer and it took ages - I suspect this is because everyone else were amateurs - unklike me! I've been to the cattery again as Mum and Dad had a very late booking to Madeira where they got a "sweet" apparently it is spelt "Suite" - very unexpected......of course, if this was me, or if I was travelling with them - they would be assured of suites and preferential treatments. Will stayed at the other farm whereas I went to see the lovely Barbara again and then Dad's parents had a week away in the Isle of Wight............
.............and so to harvest time......The Barley combining went well (that is the crop that looks furry in a field) and then it rained, and rained, and rained some more....I do not think that the sheds or the corn stores have ever been more cleaned out and ready!! And, when it is not raining, then the moisture levels in the crop are just too high - combining only started properly on the 28th August - a bit late I think!
"Better late than never" and "Lie gently in the dark and listen to the rain" of course, for poor homeless animals and people it is hard and a bad thing, for me, I am okay if I am inside ....I don't think I would have shared this thought with the farmers though
But we're really all celebrating that Will is back to his normal self - yay!
A rare photo of a combine in action this month!
Wow - so much to report, some good, some very, very, very bad.............
I got home from the cattery and Will seemed to be a bit under the weather, saying he was tired and achey - and even though we were working in the big shed, he seemed to be wanting to sleep in the armchair. I just thought (as we all did) that it was just a passing thing...Dad said to Will that he would have to take him to the vet if he did not feel better in a few days....and then something really terrible happened
On a Sunday, Will was so ill that we phoned our vet - they were not open, but they share an emergency weekend cover with a vets in the next town - so it was the other vet's turn to cover. Mum & Dad took Will into the vets and the vet said, "He really is a poorly dog, we could put him to sleep now?" but it was decided to leave Will at the vets, and the nice vet would try to do all he could, starting the drugs immediately to try and help Will. Mum and Dad were understandably upset, I did my best to try and help them, but we were all so worried about Will.
The next day, the vet called and said they had operated on Will and he had a tumour the size of a grapefruit on his spleen (whatever that is!) and it was odd that it could not be felt or seen from the outside. Anyway, they removed it, Will stayed at the vets to recover and have more drugs, and I did my best to look after Mum - I am normally in the house on my own if Will is at the other farm, and everyone else is at work, but I felt really, truly alone that day and Will was in my thoughts and cat - prayers.
Two days later, the vets called and said, "Can you come and pick Will up please? He is trying to bite the veterinary nurses" Obviously, this is not good news, and certainly not good behaviour, but we a sign that he was feeling better! "He is certainly a feistly old dog", said the vets when Dad went to collect him. Will has spent the rest of the month recovering - he won't be told though, he still tries to jump up at tractor steps, and down them - even though everyone is lifting him in and out - he is not supposed to be on the farm, but howled and howled to be out and about. He says it makes him feel better and he knows how his body is doing. I am so very relieved to have him back and getting fully recovered, "One true friendship is worth a richness beyond words, and impossible to overstate"
I think I may have taken Will for granted, but I won't in future, and am just so grateful he is okay" I've read a quote which says, "There is a quietness, a contentment at the heart of all that is - beneath the noise and bustle, the excitements and the terrors" and it is so true.
In other news - the cattle at the other farm have gone home, we've been grading potatoes (again!) Mum and Dad have had some friends over to a meal at the Jolly Farmer (pub down the road) and taken one of their friends to see his first ever football game at Lincoln City (Mum's dad supports them!) When they were all back for coffee here, I made a point of being a good host!! Well - naturally!!!
William Woof Dog - to give him his full title (that I made up for him!).....he doesn't mind really, he said!
It started off less cold, but windy ....and as we all know, wind can send a cat mad .......In fact, I think that I live in the windiest place on Earth (well at least in this village) so I am surprised that the humans are not mad too! I have been doing the traditional mad-cat-wind thing of chasing about - leaping on random people and things in the house and garden (in fact, I had a "coming together" with an ornament, but the least said about that the better - as there were witnesses, I could not even act innocent and blame Will) and also, I have been "disconcerting the humans" by randomly and intently staring at doorways or our of windows with my ears down - it never fails! Most amusing! "Don't count the days, make the days count" - well it keeps my days entertaining!
Later in the month, we had snow, so I reverted to only going out to use the toilet and check on the farm - there is a real beauty in the way everything is so white and peaceful, but it is better viewed from inside. Out on the farm, they have been repairing discs (noisy, cold, and boring to watch - so I didn't for very long!) and grading potatoes - an old armchair has made it into the shed so there is something for me to perch on (or sleep) whilst I am watching - although, to be fair, I think I am well versed in this task already, there does not seem to be too much to it!)
I have had a chat to some rodents, and tried to talk to an owl - but he declined to talk to me ...how very rude! I've also seen a grey cat around a bit, it was too cold to exchange more than a few words (and experimental hisses!) but he lives a few doors away - and is none too fond of Winter either! Mum and Dad have been on a last minute break for a week so I have had another trip to Barbara at the Cattery - I love it there - it is a home from home for us discerning cats, and I get a) some catnip spray b) chats to other cats c) listen to the radio to hone my knowledge...I can't work out how to turn the one on at home when no one else is there!) and d) cuddles with Barbara - what's not to love!
However, roll on Spring I say! "The grand essentials of happiness are, something to do, something to love and something to hope for"
I know it is sideways, but it is still true in this house!!!
Apparently, some animals hibernate during the Winter months, which means the go to sleep from say, November to February - I think there is something to be said for this as an idea - I would very much like it, but I am not sure I would like to miss out on catching up with everything!
Being inquisitive by nature, some may say "nosy", but that would be unkind - I have taken to exploring next door's garden. They have a lovely garden, and this time of year, their dog - Meg - is not about there so much. The other day I was looking behind the shed/summerhouse in their garden, but then when I wandered round to the front, I saw the door was open - I've never been in there before (and since all property is technically feline owned anyway) I went in.....shed are so fascinating, all that stuff, and all those smells - the wood from the building etc - not to mention the spiders! They're so interesting to watch - also to chase - but the way they make their webs and the speed they move at in relation to their size, "Find beauty and interest every where you look in life" But disaster struck, and the door blew shut in the wind leaving me trapped in there......I didn't panic (if I was a human, I would have made a nice cup of tea and sat down to think about it!) As there was no-one else in the garden, there would have been little point in wowling and meowing at the window, so I just curled up and went to sleep. But, because I was sleeping in the window I was spotted by Gordon and he let me out - I did "tell" him that I hadn't messed anything up in the shed, and he said, "Aslan, what are you doing in here, cat?" Of course, I was lucky - I could have been in there for days or weeks .....IT IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO CHECK NO ANIMAL IS IN A SHED OR GARAGE BEFORE YOU LOCK UP ....ALSO, IF YOU CAN PROVIDE A BIT OF SHELTER TO A POOR/NEEDY.HOMELESS ANIMAL THEN THAT IS A GOOD THING, AND VERY GOOD KARMA!
Back in my house, I spoke to Will - he has been at the other farm mostly as that is where the work is being done - but I have "assisted" Dad when he has been working on the computer (he does not seem to like my paws on the keyboard though, for some reason) He has cunningly managed to coincide the coldest time of year with doing some costing for bidding for more land, and also updating the farm and spray records - can't blame him though - and it does mean that I often get a spot of tuna for lunch - genius! I've been out occasionally though, no snow (yay!) but some frost, but this makes it easier for me to check over the fields, I don't like it when it is wet and muddy....but frost is just cold, so I come in and jump on someone's knee to warm my paws up, or else go to my boilerside bed.....or someone elses's bed.......I have it sussed I think!!! As the saying goes - "one could view a grapefruit as a lemon that saw a chance and took advantage of it"
Happy Valentine's Day - 14 February
