We said goodbye to the highland cows

For over a year now, I have been scared of the highland cows. Our 2 original ones are terribly feisty and often come running towards us really fast. They always stop but with those huge horns it totally freaks me out.

They were all pets, who we had planned to have here for ever, just hanging around, eating grass and looking pretty, but it had got to the stage that I wouldn't even go into the paddock with them and Lloyd wasn't much more confident ( but braver than me!) 

So we made the tough decision that we'd find another home for them. But it had to be a home where they were going to be pets, with someone who had more experience than us and the 4 of them had to stay together. We though it was going to be really hard to find someone, but as is often the case, when things are meant to be it was really simple.

When we were getting our new drain dug, the driver would come each morning, start up his digger and while it was warming up he'd wander down to chat with and pat the highland cows. He loved them. We mentioned that we were looking for a home for them and he jumped at the chance! He came back with his wife so she could meet them as well, then yesterday the highlands went off to live with lovely Steve.

I felt like a weight had lifted.

It is sad when you start something with such good intentions but learn that it's not working and have to make some tough decisions.

So at the moment we are totally cowless at the farm. It feels sort of odd, it will be nice to get some calves later in the year and start again with the feeding up. It's very therapeutic having cows mooching around the place.

Busy morning already.

I got up nice and early and headed down to get the Acorn all finished for mum coming, just had a big clean to do. Walking down our garden towards it I noticed that wee Lachie wasn't in his paddock with Candy, but in the garden! Oh oh. 

He's such a biddable wee chap that he followed me right down the drive, waited for me to open 2 lots of gates, trotted after me through another paddock and back to mum. I decided that I might as well let Aoife and Ruairidh back in now that Lachie is bigger and they all greeted eachother like long lost friends. Candy was licking Aoife and they're all being nice to Lachie. It's lovely to have all the Highlands back together.

So after that I started off to the Acorn again only to be stopped by all the boy ducks faffing around beside the bonfire! MMMmm I thought, perhaps the baby ducklings have hatched - they have! I think there are 8 or 9 but again it's difficult to tell. I could see about 6 unhatched eggs in the nest so she must have been sitting on a huge pile of them!

I headed back to the house and got them some food and water so she doesn't have to venture too far for a couple of days, then finally got to work on the Acorn!

It's looking lovely, even if I do say so myself.

Ah butter wouldn't melt!

Right off to get some tomato food and veggie stuff.

Wee Lachie

Is doing great! We've moved him and Candy into the paddock nearest the house ~ it's the one with the most grass and Candy is looking quite thin. We're feeding her extra as well, but the more she can get the better. Lachie is dancing around quite the thing. The very windy weather doesn't seem to be bothering them a bit. Candy learned in about 2 nanoseconds that the black bucket means "food"

smiling. Under bite much?

mummy snuggles

very brave! Three steps away from mummy.

Meet Lachie!

Huge amount of excitement here this morning! Candy Girl had her wee baby!

We've been checking in her every day and when Lloyd went over this morning there was a wee surprise waiting for us! We've named him Lachie. He seems strong. Candy is 17 and has had a lot of calves in her time and her previous owners told us shes a good mum and she certainly looks like she's taking good care of him.

We're really happy - we've been waiting weeks for this!

He does like Yoda look.

 

The Highland Cows are doing so well

We go and check on them every day, but today I remembered to take the camera. See how much Aoife and Ruairidh's horns have grown!



I love this one, it's "one man and his...cow" Aoife loves Lloyd











the grass is growing faster than the cows can eat it, we're even considering topping the paddock that they were just in as there is a bit of dock in it. Well, it's an excuse to get the tractor out!

It's Raining...a lot!

So I just wandered round the garden getting the camera wet! It's actually more to have a record of what everything looked like when I planted it so I can compare it to later pics ( or even when I get home from my trip to Scotland next week! Next week is when I leave! Not back till the end of October)
I suppose all this rain keeps everything green, but it's been pretty steady for a few days now and quite frankly I'd like to see the sun! Not least cos Ness and I need to paint the outside of the new dental surgery and we can't really do it in the pouring rain!

Anyway, here's some photos of the very wet garden.
This one was taken out the bedroom window!

these are still waiting to get planted out, some are still too small though, like the aubergines.

sweetcorn looking teeny

broad beans, Chinese greens and spring onions - also looking teeny and some carrots looking...well...invisible!

One of our ( very few) asparagus. It's been rubbish this year, the ones we've had have been lovely but so far I think we've had about 8 stalks!

Lovely early Agrias coming through

Mesculin mix I planted out yesterday

Rocket which looked like the mesculin last week


Some of the beans

A rescued from the paddock globe artichoke, we've got room for about 10 more round the avocado orchard so we'll go and dig them up before the cows get into them!

One very empty looking veggie garden, but in a few weeks there should be a huge difference.

Couldn't resist leaning over the fence and taking this ~ a wet looking highland cow. If you look closely you can see the rain pelting down!

(Aoife and Ruairidh are on the far left)

They've Arrived!
And how cute are they? Very.

Our 2 were desperate to get in with the other wee ones and were running around all over the place looking at them through the fence.
When we let them in they all ran to meet eachother! It was very sweet.

The bigger ones are in a field of their own too.

this is the big truck!

this is SGJB ( spring grass jobbie bot!) These are the big ones.

running to meet eachother!

EXCITEMENT
we've got 14 highland coos arriving tomorrow!
They're just coming for a wee holiday as their owners are very short on grass.

Aoife and Ruairidh.
( pronounced Eva and Rory, people have been asking!)

We've been going out and feeding them hay every day to get them used to us and now they eat out of our hands - it's great! Ruairidh has a blue tongue. Aoife is much tamer and more confident, Ruairidh looks to her for everything, like he's checking things are ok, and he hides behind her a lot. He's a few months younger though so I suppose this makes sense. I am so glad we got the both of them, as I think he would have missed her terribly.

We've discovered that Rachel and Jospeh are rather partial to a bit of hay as well and that Rachel is incredibly greedy!
where's mine?

Look what arrived today!
meet Ruairidh and Aoife, the newest additions to our menagerie. They are settling in beautifully, sharing the paddock with the donkeys.