Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Other bits and bobs


Normal-sized ladies


Yesterday I popped round to see Ann and Katy to thank them again for their splendid support at the coffee morning and found them having a coffee break.

I must point out, however, that Katy is a devil-child as she baked the most delicious shortbread I have ever tasted.  It was so moreish that I found myself snaffling 3 pieces before I put a stop to my gluttony.  If I lived with her I would end up the size of  a house in no time!

Thanks ladies, you rock!


2 lovely ladies (now normal sized!)

Esther


It's hard being big-boned and  a hefty breed, especially when you are prone to laminitis, as is the pretty Esther.  I keep a close watch on her weight, not just by eye but using a weight tape.  Her front feet are feeling a bit hot and she has arthritis in her near-side fetlock so I really need to restrict her grazing to the bare minimum in an attempt to keep her weight down, even though she isn't overweight at the moment.  

She hates it when  Kizzy disappears from view when she's shut in the field shelter so I thought we'd try her with  a grazing muzzle.

It looks like a gas mask mum!
Hey, I can't eat much grass with this on.....
I'll try eating trees then!

Ducklings and other duck business


We hadn't had any duckling on the pond nearest the house this season so I was very pleased when Mrs Duck brought these little beauties to see us before taking them off to the pond.  There had been plenty of attempts as the ducks had been busy doing their business but we'd found lots of empty, broken eggs around which the magpies and crows must have stolen.

What's unusual about the first photo is that Mr Duck is with them.  Usually it's just the mummy duck and babies but I suspect he might have been allowed along to protect them.  She was very wary and alert, more so than usual, and on the look-put for danger all the time so it made me wonder if she'd had her previous clutches of eggs, or even her tiny ducklings, stolen.

Meet the family
After they'd had their fill of corn they headed off to the pond where I watched them chasing around catching midges.

Awwwwh!
For several days they all came up to see us 3 times a day but then one day they didn't come up until early evening and sadly they weren't all there.  She'd lost 2 of her babies and of the 2 remaining one of them had a damaged leg and was hopping along - it was the 3rd one from Mrs Duck and he's much smaller than the others so it's amazing he survived.

As the tiny one was injured we weren't hopeful that he would survive for long but amazingly he's still with us 5 days later so I'm keeping my fingers crossed he makes it.

Watchful mum (look at the difference in size of the ducklings)
And then there were two

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