When I milk Willow she gives less milk than when Jeremy milks her. She also tries to put her foot in the bucket when she gets bored with me! Hmmmmm
I had exactly the same experience with Prudence and Prunella, 40 years ago, when we lived in Devon.
They also preferred being milked by Jeremy and often kicked over the bucket when I was on milking duty. Oh well, I still love em all.
And here’s where I took him. It was a new experience for us both and we felt truly “grown up”.
The sheep now get hay to supplement the grass. It’s a chance to keep an eye on them as they begin to show signs of pregnancy. We hope they will begin to lamb at the end of January or early February.
And I can’t resist just a few more spectacular evening skies – look away now if you’ve had enough skyscapes
Mum has a new hairstyle and has been “made up” by one of the staff. She looked a million dollars today
Chat today ranged from reminiscing about the marriages (years ago) of two of her grandchildren and then into the three or more nights a weeks dad and she used to spend at the Colony Sports Club Casino in Berkeley Square back in the 1960’s. A good friend of theirs was a part owner with some rather dubious American backers with, it turns out, Mafia connections. The club was promoted by the American actor, George Raft and frequented by American movie stars and executives when they were in London. Mum particularly remembers the cast of The Dirty Dozen (filmed in MGM’s now defunct studio in Borehamwood) being frequent diners and players at the club. There was an excellent restaurant on the premises and a three piece band. I asked mum what time it closed, “when the last punter left” she laughed. She and dad stayed until 2 or 3 in the morning although she never gambled snd dad hardly ever played the tables, maybe wagering at most £10 in a night. They dined, they watched the gamblers play, they chatted with all and sundry and mum confessed that it was sometimes quite boring. I asked about the croupiers, “all men in black tie dress and”, she continued, “ dad found out, through an article he read a few years ago and some research on the computer, that many of the croupiers had been inside”. Interesting. It was the swinging sixties London and the Mafia, having been kicked out of Havana were looking for new homes for their casinos. They quickly lost their licences to run clubs in England – the judiciary were not well disposed to these American gangsters – but for mum snd dad it was fun while it lasted!
with Jack and his owner and the other family rescue dog, Greebo – approximately 14 years old and so very sweet
On my way home I passed by the field adjoining The Gables I spied a small, black creature sitting on the grass. Not Nigel, this time, but Mabel quite some way from the house and far too close to the road for my liking or my peace of mind.
Chris, a regular golfer, walks around the course with his friend and he comes here, to the field, to practice driving. We stay well away!
Granddaughter spotted a cluster of ladybirds clinging to leaves and old flowers of the Rose of Sharon plant beside the gate.
I did a bit of Googling and discovered that ladybirds go into hibernation during late autumn and early winter. They cluster together in leaf litter or in bark or in our Rose of Sharon plants! If it gets very cold they might try to hibernate inside houses – not a good idea as they will come out of hibernation early because of central heating. They won’t find aphids in our houses so they will starve. Coax those ladybirds outside before they cosy down indoors.
