Bottoms up!

It's that time of the year again, holiday time. Well, it's called a holiday but I'll be doing plenty of work on this holiday. The lifestyle block is getting a makeover! There are so many things to do and not enough hours in the weekend to do them. So, another long stint off work and time to catch up on all the odd jobs. I hope this year I'm more successful than last year. I walked away from last year's break pretty emotionally wrecked. There have been lots of very positive changes since then and I'm rearing to go. 

So first, I feel a sense of deja vu. This time last year I was surrounded by a bunch of adorable feathered friends and this year I've got last year's bunch plus some new arrivals. 

I still have Nigel and Larry, Mildred, Matilda, Maggie, Violet, Xena, Pippi and Berlina. Unfortunately Buttercup passed away. I've also acquired Barney, Bruce, Ralphie and Rosa from the side of the road. And Pippi hatched a little chick last year, called Little-Jack (female). The other new arrivals were hatched by Maggie, she's a great mum and originally there were 13 multi-coloured little bundles but now we're down to 12 after the neighbour's cat snatched one. Then yesterday I discovered another newbie, Rosa's been sitting on 9 eggs and one hatched while I was away, I've called him/her Ziggy. Gorgeous markings. 

So, back to the makeover of the block. Today was trough time. The water level of the tank is very low which means the tap doesn't gravity feed anymore. Out comes the 12 volt pump I've had for years but never got around to using. I took a trip with Hoby to the farm supplies shop and purchased 150 metres of 15mm water pipe and several fittings.
 Then to the feed shop to get some chick crumble for the newbie. Finally, after all the shopping for the animals was taken care of it was time to go food shopping for me, at which time Hoby saw his cue to rip open the bag of chick crumble while I was in the shop, I'd even given him a dried pig's ear to munch on. That dog will never change, gotta love his interest in food. 
 
So I arrived home, unpacked the car, had some lunch, did some yoga and then set to work. I made new alligator clip connectors using wire from the cord of an old laptop charger, why is it I always forget something? 

Several loads of washing, lots of snipping, boiling, connecting and hours later I had created this..........
and thank heavens it worked! The trough filled in record time, the horses were very impressed.

I also leveled some ground for one of the baths that will be used as a trough in the paddock and lay all the hose out, I'll need some help moving the super-heavy cast iron bath. I just have one more 50 metre length of hose to run to the new goat paddock (more about that later) which I'll do tomorrow. I'm very pleased that I don't have to endure the backbreaking task of carting water this summer. I wish I'd done it years ago.

So, on the horses front Tarka and Ella are doing well. Both recently had a visit from the farrier and dentist so they're like new ponies now with tidy toes and smooth chompers.

 
They're not gorse-eating-horses though so I have a hill paddock with a LOT of regrowth. After all that effort last year with the chainsaw the stumps have started to regrow. Which led me to my cunning plan of getting goats. Goats love gorse and basically everything horses don't. They're great company and full of personality. So, imagine my excitement when I saw an advert for miniature goat kids for sale. I've registered my interest with the lady that re-homes the kids and I'm hoping that I get a call in the next week or so. I probably won't be quite so enthusiastic when the reality of the 3 hourly night time feeds kick in. Buy hey...I'm on holiday!

Hopefully tomorrow will be as productive as today.