Myfanwy!!

Forgot to mention Pippits foal - born on 22nd December - another filly!

As Pippit had had a problem with the birth of Valentine we were on hand with the required medication. Johan mentioned that the afterbirth did not look complete - seemed only half sized - so we gave her a jab of stuff that would help expel anything that was left..... nothing happened. After 2 hours (always happens in the middle of the night) we tried phoning vets who said it would not harm to give her another jab and if possible to pull on the afterbirth gently... but there was nothing showing at all. Gave her another jab and waited - still nothing - then I asked to see the "semi" afterbirth - there it was, all complete so we had been worrying for nothing!

Goregous little filly but after 2 days Sarah came to look at her and mentioned the straight pasterns - was sure they had not looked like that when she was born - so called the vet and poor Pippit is on a strict diet - her milk is too rich and the bones were growing faster than the ligaments could keep up. Amazing - after 2 days she looks perfectly normal again!

Wallis the springbok

Well, our dog Wallis has a future as a springbok rugby player - as proved by flattening me!

On Sunday evening I was walking back from Plot 2 (after a stimulating day trying to resurrect curtain rails disposed of willy nilly by the builders) when WHUMP! I was suddenly flat on my stomach facing the opposit way with a grazed eyebrow, no left shoe and a very sore leg!! Wallis had come running flat out to catch up to me and misjudged the size of her body - and whammo into my leg - I wish someone had had a video! We eventually found my shoe over 25m away in the opposite direction! Whew.

Poor Wallis, I lifted my head from the ground to see her creeping and crawling around my head - obviously saying, sorry, sorry, sorry! Here she is wearing her christmas hat.

Poor lonely blog

Poor little blog - so often in my mind but never reaches the keyboard! Well, its time to ressurect!

A busy Christmas - I worked through and we had Johans mum to stay - shame, she gets so bored on the plot and we have so much to do and so little time in which to do it! Lovely to have friends over for a lovely Christmas lunch and then off the next day to our traditional boxing day lunch with Bobby and Ted.

The "wii" christmas present has been a great success and I have discovered that I have a talent for 10 pin bowling (the virtual version!) - it is amazing how lifelike you can make the little "mii's" - Sam has even created a Biggles! Rummikub has also been very well used and the new world Monopoly has put a new spin on an old game!

Apart from the Christmas rush etc we were also coping with the renovation of Plot 2 next door. The transfer came through on 15th December and then we had to wait for Eskom to connect us - the builders were there in force, unfortunately though, not the electrician and tiler so things went a bit cockeyed in terms of the order in which things were done. In the end we were so frustrated we sent the builders off until the tiler and electrican had finished - which should be anyday now. We have learnt a costly lesson - builders who say they can paint and that know plumbers and carpenters that they recommend .......... enough said, just know that you will be ripped off with a shoddy job.

It is just unbelievable how much paint they can go through - and coming home each night to be given yet another list of materials required was the absolute end - just when in my day am I meant to have time to go via paint shops, hardware shops etc - I took leave one day out of sheer frustration - but the lists keep coming!

So, we temporarily banished the builders, when they come back we will have a checklist of everything that is wrong and will go through it with them - the main reason that most things have gone so drastically wrong is that neither of us are there to supervise and builders have no respect for materials and cost. Even so, blemishes aside, the house has been TRANSFORMED and is really going to look great once it is finished! Now, if any tenant dare mess it up...... the wrath of Di will be on their heads!

Crash, bang, lights out!

The road works at Joe Slovo have a lot to answer for! The road is actually completely closed which means that 4 lanes of traffic have to divert into 2 - not to forget the 5th lane which is actually a left turn only lane which all these horrible people zoom down (past those law abiding citizens like myself) and then push in to the right turn at the bottom. Well, yeasterday evening on the way home such an incident happened and I was the one being pushed in front of - so I let the black car ahead of me turn but was determined that the bakkie behind him would not get in front of me too! So I kept very close to the horrible black car - but unfortunately TOO close and banged his right back tyre fender - I didn't even realise I'd hit him until the driver jumped out and started waving his arms around and yelling and cursing me in Afrikaans! I said I was sorry but on and on he ranted - very unpleasant. Anyway eventually we pulled out of the traffic so that we did not impede it anymore than it already was and he calmed down and we swopped information. There is a small scratch just below my headlight - not worth bothering about but we'll have to wait and see what he does about it!

So, on I went home - back door wide open but nobody around. Went to check on the alpacas and found Coco, Patricia and Dustin shut into the barn area with no water or food and the poor little baby on the other side of the gate all by himself in the field! FUME!!!

Sorted thatout and went into the house - power failure..... but everybody elses lights around us were on? Michael and his friend John arrived home and I sent them to check the fuse box. All the switches were down but pushing them up had no effect - then Michael found the little love letter than Eskom had sent us - disconnected due to non-payment! AAAARGH! Scrabbled through Johans non-filing system on his desk and luckily found an account - the whole system works on the account number and without that you are sunk. First of all I phoned to check what we owed - R0???? So then I got through to a person (lots of number pushing and menus for that to happen) who said that it had been a mistake...well, we are still waiting for it to come on again.....

So much for my thoughts of a glass or wine with my feet up watching James Herriott!

We have a new addition - one peachick has hatched (guess the others all rolled off the roof!) and here are some pictures of little Byron!

Gorgeous Babies

Two gorgeous babies are now frolicing around our plot! The first to be born was Lass's foal - a lovely little cream filly - un-named as yet (Sam wants to call it Fudge, I want to call it Madrigal and Moose wants to call it Myfanwy!) - she is now 10 days old and very friendly and forward! Loves nibbling things - including humans! And then this morning Coco had a little white boy - who will be named Byron. baby animals are so beautiful!

Next on line should be Pippit and then Patricia. And hopefully there will be some peachicks as well - except that they laid their eggs on the roof and some keep rolling off!

Di what next - you didn't have to do this just to have some news for your blog!!!

Please note - I don't try to find things to write about in the blog - they just happen!

The above comment refers to my latest escapade! I am in the process of buying a new horse (despite having 9 at home there are none for me to ride!) and this horse belonged to a friend who needed to sell because she was going overseas. " Very quiet " "will give you lots of confidence" "can fall asleep lying down on his back when on outrides" etc etc. And he was a nice big boy, described as a "off white" - Sam got on and rode him around, although he spooked and cantered nothing weird happened and she did very well. So, on the premise that I was about to sell 2 alpacas so could afford him I said I would take him. He was also supposed to be percheron x boerperd but everybody horsey that I know thinks the percheron bit is wishfull thinking! Anyway he is big.

So the next week we went to collect him and on Sunday, Johan, Sam and I had out first outride together. None of the descriptions fit the horse I was riding, he lept sideways, danced around, zoomed off at a very fast trot with his head in the air - not quite what I expected! So I called my friend and we put him into the lunging arena - which he rushed wildy around trying to jump out of. She was astounded. We worked out that it must be the food. So for another 2 weeks he was on reduced rations (but still getting fatter all the time) and he actually changed colour - becoming a beautiful pale palomino. Anyway, he did calm down considerably so I had a lesson with the owner who taught me the way she had ridden him. Now, I have always been rather a couch potato and have had horses that just went without much effort. This one goes but if you do not control him with your legs then he is rather haphazard which was why he was so weird on the outride. She also showed me how to use my hands - tighten up at first and then when he drops his nose, bring the hands down and relax. So it all went very well - rather like sitting on a powder keg but at least I felt in control!

So, the next day, by myself, I decided to quickly saddle up and ride in the arena. Johan had gone to collect Michael from sword practice (which he is loving) so it was just sam and I. At first all went well and we walked around and then he stopped. I put my legs on and tightened up my hands (mistake) and he went backwards, not realising the message I was sending I did it again and he did a little hop. Did it again (I'm a bit slow on the uptake) and up he went, rearing up up and OVER on top of me.

Well, I was out for the count (don't mention the word "hat"!) and Sam took one look and ran screaming for John - who luckily arrived home just as it all happened. Fred (neighbour) lept over 2 6 ft fences to come and help (his son had the same kind of accident and broke his pelvis in 3 places). I woke up briefly when they were lifting me onto the top of the garden tables (dismantled from the legs) and then again as they pushed me into the back of the car and the paramedics arrived. Apparently I had been consious but talking double dutch and not remembering who Zorro (horse) was etc. So off we went to Union hospital with me esconsed on the garden table in the back of the car (Now I know the seats go down!) and off I went to casualty, X ray (no bones broken - miracle!) and a cat scan, then into the ward.

Hospitals are not restful places - the lights were on all night and they wake you up at 4 in the morning for blanket baths etc! Of course I did not have the required soap and face cloth etc but we made a plan. So the final opinion was that the muscles in my leg had snapped and I was very very badly bruised - very lucky.

On day 2 I actually managed a couple of shuffling steps with the zimmer frame - it is a very humbling experience to suddenly find yourself "old" and infirm. I had a regular visistor, Clayton from Plot 1 was in the same section (broken jaw) and so he would come to visit dragging his drip with him and I would shuffle up to him with zimmer and drip - made it more bearable having a pal on hand! So on Tuesday evening they said I could go home - they weren't going to stitch the muscles becauise "its not as though you are a comrades runner" (now I wonder what gave him that idea?)- so off I went home - still barely able to lift my foot to even put a slipper on and with a leg the size of an elephant, swollen and blue.

At home, we looked at it and really doubted that it was going to get better by itself so off to our GP the next day for his opinion - he took one look and phoned the orthopaedic surgeon in Mulbarton - off we went and he looked at it and booked me in to hospital the next day - to stitch the muscles (yay so I can run Comrades in the future!) and drain the fluid. If left, it could not possibly had reabsorbed that amount (they drained 1.5 litres) and would have got infected, septic = long time in hospital, lots of antibiotics etc etc etc. So another 2 days in hospital and then back home again with sexy white pressure stockings. Another week in bed - this time felt really lousy because I started to slur my words and not be able to focus properly - back to the GP - could be Post concussion syndrome or could have been a recation to the painkillers! So stopped the painkillers and vision and speech was restored! (Phew)

Another week in bed (poor Johan) and then was up and about again - thank goodness for automatic cars! I had to get up and going because Johan had had to take 3 weeks off work and the kids have to get to school for their exams - so I had to bite the bullet and get back into the swing of things again!

In the meantime Zorro is still eating his head off in the stable......

Dance like a butterfly - sting like a bee! Ow!

Poor Sam, she had a hard time last week. It all started when we arrived at the school and she dicovered that her shoes and socks were not in the car..... disaster when you are 11 years old! I phoned the aftercare teacher and asked her to help Sam find a pair in lost property etc. So Sam crept in to the office (in tears and in my old blue stokies) and they took her to find some shoes. Unfortunately they could only find one that fit her - so she put it on and limped out with her other foot in the slipper - telling everyone that her other foot had been stung by a bee!

Whilst having tea with Elsie on Saturday afternoon - Sam came in and announced that she had been stung on the foot by a bee - we laughed and teased her about little white lies coming back to get her! But then... she started going dark red, throat started constricting and she was covered in weals - she had developed an allergic reaction! Luckily Elsie had some anti histamines so we gave her one and phoned our local Dr - he said get her to the emergency pharmacy at Mulbarton Clinic quickly. Well - I pushed my power button in the car - put on my hazards and zoomed along - past other traffic, through red robots and keeping an eye on Sam all the time. Very dramatic. We got to the pharmacy and they took one look and said get her into casualty immediately - onto a bed, connected to a drip and injected! Wow! Now she has to have an injection with her at all time - apparently the more times you get stung the worse the reaction is. At least now we know but it is a worry - there are lots of bees around in Spring!