lots of ratios, all with their own significance today
131:3 Legs.
I worked out today that the members of our household (four humans, a dog, a cat, nine chickens, four donkeys, two goats and nineteen pigs) have 134 legs between them. Of those legs, currently 131 are in full working order but 3 are far from fit.
Our dog Raya always goes mad when my Dad comes to visit The weekend before last my parents came over and as usual she went beserk and my Dad had a good old game of rough and tumble with her. Unfortunately, when he pushed her she landed awkwardly and has been limping ever since. The vet thinks that it is ligament damage and some days it seems a bit better, and others she is walking around on three legs. Not sure whether another trip to the vet is in order or not. My poor Dad is feeling terrible.
I went out today to discover that Joey Boy, the oldest and crumbliest of my donkeys is lame with another hoof abscess. So I have put on a hot poultice, held in place with a newborn size disposable nappy and lots of duct tape. I guess a visit from the farrier is going to be on the cards tomorrow. One of these days I am going to see somebody I know when I am wandering around the supermarket with nappies in my trolley. That's going to get people talking!
The other dodgy foot is mine. I have religiously been doing the exercises set by the physio a couple of weeks ago to try and sort out the long-standing problem that I have with my achilles tendon and am in even more pain now that I was before I started. He did warn me that this might be the case, but it is beginning to get me down, I must confess. Not least because it is the main reason I didn't go on the 365 meet-up in London last weekend.
10:7 piglets
Elsie's 10 piglets have now been weaned so Elsie now has a house to herself. They were separated on Saturday. Myrtle still has 7 with her, but not for long. Here you can see Elsie enjoying some of the ten sacks of windfall apples we have been given and reveling in the luxury of having a house and enclosure to herself. Neither the piglets or Elsie seem to have given a moment's thought to the fact that they are separated but when I went up to feed them this evening I noticed that her teats are hard and hot and when her piglets started to squeal because I was getting their food she started to drip milk, which made me feel a bit sad.
3:1 crying
Not sure what is wrong with me at the moment, but I have cried at some point during three of the past four days. I am sure it must be my hormones (I'm getting to a funny age!) On Friday I found out that due to my own disorganisation Angus has not been given a school bus pass which means that we have to pay the full, rather than a subsidised, fare which is really expensive. So I cried - ridiculous, and not particularly helpful. On Saturday I went to my friend's house for a girlie evening of drinking wine and watching a film. We watched 'The English Patient' which I hadn't seen before. Well, I defy anyone not to cry at that. At one point it was touch and go whether I was going to do one of those great big sobbing noises, but fortunately I managed not to, and fortunately my friends, who know that I have got particularly leaky eyes, pretended not to notice the sniffing noises coming from my direction. Today I decided to do battle with the bus company and was given short shrift, so after another bit of completely ridiculous and ineffectual blubbing, I spoke to their non-school bus pass department and discovered that we can buy a monthly ticket which costs only a bit more but gives much more flexibility in the evenings and at weekends. So that was a waste of tears.
170:30 water
We don't have a water supply in the field where the pigs are so Graham fills up a 1000 litre bowser and we use buckets to get it to the pigs' troughs. I worked out the other day (when I was feeling a bit sorry for myself battling through the rain with my bucket) that every day I carry about 170 lbs of water and 30lbs of food to them. Not surprising that I am always knackered!
2:1 lenses
I have finally got round to sending my 18-250mm lens back to Sigma for repair. The focusing has been really slow for a while now and it needs sorting out. So now I have got two lenses here and one being repaired. It's going to be interesting just using a 50mm and and 100mm macro lens for a few weeks, tho I am going to miss my wider angle, especially when autumn throws up all of those lovely sunrises and sunsets that it is wont to do.
I sound like a right miserable old bag don't I? Ignore me...... This time of year, when the onset of winter is looking like it isn't too far off, I always get a bit glum - I hate the cold, but even more than that, I hate the mud!
Oh Jan, if you were here now is give you a big squeeze, I can relatemtomeverythingmyounhavensaid and feel particularly choked myself at leaky milk with crying babies (albeit piglets). I think you have rather a lot on your plate, heaving water too and fro is enough work for one day with. I more. My foot is also causing me bother. Plantar fasciitis (think I had it,when we met!) anyway no better and actually worse. I got stuck on a walk in the rain today and had to limp as fast as I could to cover. I have taken to rolling up an empty bread bag into a sausage shape and strapping it to my arch to give some support. I look very fetching.
Now to what I am here for, the photo. Great piggy munch shot, love the ears and position of that snout, a happy, well loved pig, you should be proud of yourself for your hard work.
Oh you poor thing. Sounds like you have alot on at the moment and it doesn't help when things go wrong with animals. I can relate to that. I can also relate to the weeping / hormone thing. Sometimes it happens to me for not much of a reason at all and then I feel like an idiot. I saw the English Patient a few years ago now and I bawled!! This is an awesome pic by the way. Love the DOF.
Ohhh! Don't I know that feeling of mud, short days, and even shorter tempers!
The foot problem might be foot rot (on the donkey) - combination of wet ground and not enough or improper mineral. That can be cured by shots of penicillin over at least 5 days - which you can do yourself - draining the absess if it is really bad (vet or farrier has to do that) and keeping it clean and dry.
But, since I am so far away and really can't see the foot - I am sure your farrier will determine the cause/
Good luck with it !
BTW - this is a great piggie portrait! You can tell she is smiling about something!
@farmreporter Thanks Wendy. He is a rescue donkey with a history of hoof abscesses because he gets seedy toe where the layers of his hoof are quite spread out (probably due to years of neglect and repeated bouts of laminitis but he looks of it) so little bits of gravel or muck get in between them. The farrier usually makes a hole in the affected area allowing the pus to escape and we poultice it to draw out the rest of the pus. This time tho, when I cleaned out the hoof I could already smell the telltale (very nasty!) smell which means that the pus might already be coming out on its own, so I have poulticed it and will see if it has drawn anything out onto the poultice in the morning. If it has I will soak it in Epsom salts and hot water, poultice it again and wait for it to get better. If not I will call the farrier and he will make the hole and we will soak and poultice for a week or so. We usually manage to avoid the vet and antibiotics, but not always. Sorry for the gory details! You are right, the wet ground is not good for donkeys which are desert animals and have much more porous feet than horses. My two young donks have great feet, but the old boys, although much better than when I got them, still suffer, particularly with seedy toe.
Your writing skills are tops! Makes great reading even if it is non fiction! Poor you - I think like @lucypics you have far too much to do! Is there anyway to eliminate or delegate some of these tasks? I can't believe how ugly these pigs are but they must have a nice nature!
@lucypics@maggiemae aah thanks! When I read this through, I realised that I sound like I am full of self pity. I'm not really, honest!!!!
Love the sound of the bread bag Lucy. I know that the condition you have got is very painful and can be difficult to treat. My Dad had it, but it seemed to get better on its own. I think I told you about his seat belt contraption that he wrapped round his foot, sounds like a similar principle to your bread bag. I have ordered some waterproof trainers today, which I am hoping to wear with gaiters (attractive hey?) instead of wellies this winter, because wellies are just agony within about ten minutes.
@lucypics Oh yes, I thought about you the other day when I was in Aldi. They've got walking socks on sale in there again at the moment - don't tell your husband!
You don't sound like a miserable bag. You sound run down and in need of a rant. With all the exercise you are constantly doing it's no wonder that you're knackered, which in turn makes you tearful (plus the age of course dear ;o)) You sound as if you need a tonic (as my Grandmother used to say) Gorgeous shot as usual and well done for winning the dirty theme. Hope you manage to get some well earned rest soon xx
Gorgeous piggy, hope you're feeling perkier soon - this time of year is always odd and I can't imagine the mud you have to put up with on a regular basis ....
Lovely shot of the piggy - I like the low pov. I am an expert on poulticing hooves, having done it daily for several months before Tai was diagnosed with an infected pedal bone.
what a day. Hope the physio is eventually effective, it does require persistence. You must be pretty fit with all that carrying. And sorry, you'll find yourself tearing up for some time yet.
Oh Jan, sounds like things have been full on one way and another, and to be in pain has away of getting you down when you least expect it, so no wonder you feel a bit weepy, and watching The English Patient is a sure fire way of making your mascara run, so no more films like that for a while. I so hoped you might have joined us on Saturday, it was fun, but I'm sure we will do it again, or perhaps you and I can go to Cambrigde again! Bummer about the lens, hope they can fix it. Hope you feel a bit perkier tomorrow, take care x lovely shot btw.
Poor Jan, you have every right to have 'leaky eyes'! I had a foot problem a few years ago (bit like planta fascia not sure about spelling!) and that alone can make you feel so depressed - if it is any consolation it is totally better now after excellent treatment from a local podiatrist so I am sure your physio will sort it out.
As for films... I downloaded Goodbye Mr Chips for hubby on his iPad and found myself sniffing at the end (and it is Martin Clunes.. why?!).
This is a lovely photograph, Elsie looks like she is really happy, I hope Joey Boy improves soon as well.
I missed this shot yesterday & when I read todays(Wednesday) I had to look back to see what was wrong.....sounds like you have farmers lament ..too much to do, day after day, after day!`
Can't get away on holiday as no one to mind the stock so you have got really low & the forgetting the bus pass is simply too much on your mind. What on earth does the difference of a few days make to them, Angus still goes on the bus to school.....bolshy lot!
A big 365 hug & let the tears come it will do you good to let it all out.
The pain in your foot is the last straw...sounds like the whole family & stock are coming out in sympathy!
Elsie looks good & happy...glad to get rid of the kids!
Ohhh Jan! What with legs and limping and lenses I'd cry too! I was alright till I had babies now I'm all over. We don't get any entitlement to bus pass discount (well he could cycle but for the hockey stuff and the art stuff and the stupid dangerous cycle lane system) but it comes monthly out of an old account that I hardly use any more so I don't have to see it happening except when I top up the account. And it does get used to go all over the place at weekends (and it's transferable so if R's home she can use it as well). And crying at films is standard - we all do it in our house - even at films that aren't sad.
Ah....yep...fall blues...get them myself a bit...but not yet!!
Wonderful picture of Miss Elsie....and even with leaky teats, I bet she's happier on her own!!
September 25th, 2013
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Now to what I am here for, the photo. Great piggy munch shot, love the ears and position of that snout, a happy, well loved pig, you should be proud of yourself for your hard work.
The foot problem might be foot rot (on the donkey) - combination of wet ground and not enough or improper mineral. That can be cured by shots of penicillin over at least 5 days - which you can do yourself - draining the absess if it is really bad (vet or farrier has to do that) and keeping it clean and dry.
But, since I am so far away and really can't see the foot - I am sure your farrier will determine the cause/
Good luck with it !
BTW - this is a great piggie portrait! You can tell she is smiling about something!
Love the sound of the bread bag Lucy. I know that the condition you have got is very painful and can be difficult to treat. My Dad had it, but it seemed to get better on its own. I think I told you about his seat belt contraption that he wrapped round his foot, sounds like a similar principle to your bread bag. I have ordered some waterproof trainers today, which I am hoping to wear with gaiters (attractive hey?) instead of wellies this winter, because wellies are just agony within about ten minutes.
As for films... I downloaded Goodbye Mr Chips for hubby on his iPad and found myself sniffing at the end (and it is Martin Clunes.. why?!).
This is a lovely photograph, Elsie looks like she is really happy, I hope Joey Boy improves soon as well.
Can't get away on holiday as no one to mind the stock so you have got really low & the forgetting the bus pass is simply too much on your mind. What on earth does the difference of a few days make to them, Angus still goes on the bus to school.....bolshy lot!
A big 365 hug & let the tears come it will do you good to let it all out.
The pain in your foot is the last straw...sounds like the whole family & stock are coming out in sympathy!
Elsie looks good & happy...glad to get rid of the kids!
Wonderful picture of Miss Elsie....and even with leaky teats, I bet she's happier on her own!!