Farm magic

I do love to down tools and enjoy a wonder around the farm on a lovely sunny day. Today was bitterly cold, clear blue skies and not a soul around. Funnily enough this very cold but dry weather really suits the animals and the rain that makes them really miserable as they find it hard to dry out in winter.

Cheeky Donkeys 

Our donkeys are lacking the brains they were born with and have been gnawing away at their shelter, not a sensible move, since it had got to the point where it was no longer offering much by way of protection for them! I caught up with Farmer Nick taking pity on them repairing their home and leaving some alternative wood in their field for their teeth sharpening antics! I'm not sure that Rolo watching us looks too apologetic!

It was such a beautiful day I couldn't resist a few random snaps, it was far too lovely to be indoors. 

Winter Beauty

I love the wintery scenes, it just looks so peaceful on the farm and looking up the valley 

Just after taking the picture over the lake, the ducks spotted me and took to the water, except the lake has frozen in all but one little patch around duck island. I just had to flip the camera to video mode and capture their comical endeavours at ice skating! I think they are the ones who will be glad to see some warmer temperatures and rain back!

Lessons in Ice skating from Coombe Mill ducks 

They made me smile! 

Silent Sunday

Wallabies free to a good home - A quick recap

Back in July, I posted on Nick’s casual chat with the neighbour over a pint in the local, which resulted in us being offered wallabies for free.  

http://www.coombemill.com/blog/post/2011/07/05/On-the-Farm-Wallabies-free-to-good-home.aspx

2 months of back breaking fence building and we (OK Farmer Nick and Ted) have created our very own............

Jurassic Park

The building of the new wallaby compound, or Jurassic Park as it has become known, has incorporated an extension to the duck and chicken enclosure. It now boasts several side pens to house chicks and ducklings at varying stages of development. Things are never a quick bodge job with Farmer Nick on the job; it has to be the Rolls Royce version!  I must confess it will make for an easier feed run for the smaller children having all the ducks and chickens in one place.   

Ding Ding: Round 1 to the Wallabies

With Jurassic park complete with secure wallaby fencing, Nick assembled a willing group of local volunteers to help catch the wallabies from our neighbours field (the recently closed North Cornwall Aviaries). A rather wet day and a hole in the fence left me with lots of setting up pictures and a forlorn group heading home damp and wet with....you guessed it, no wallabies. They had the last laugh legging it through the hole in the fence within the first 5 minutes. Shame it took us the next hour to work out where they had gone. I was beginning to think they were as elusive as the famous Beast of Bodmin!

Ding Ding: Round 2 to the A Team from Coombe Mill

Not to be deterred, farmer Nick assembled a new team this morning, many of whom were recruited from the feed run before hand. Never has taking part on a working farm had such a literal meaning! With the fencing at the aviaries patched and the trap re assembled it was time to set off and explain the ‘master plan’ to the new team.

I have to hand it to ‘The A Team’ everything worked like clockwork from beating the line to closing the make shift trap. To be honest, I did have a job balancing camera and trap door against the speed of the wallabies, multitasking really tested me there for a minute!

An intrepid Journey

After a quick victorious picture we loaded the wallabies, all 3 in total carefully into the back of Farmer Nick’s stock trailer for the short but bumpy drive back to Jurassic Park.

The rest of us took the scenic route back cross the meadows and through the wood and arrived to meet Nick and the wallabies just climbing the slope to Jurassic Park. Here their intrepid journey ends and their life in Coombe Mill begins:

Farmer Nick With a Soft Heart

Worried that their new home has plenty of friends but much less jungle to play in, Nick brought the now rather tired play house from the children’s play area as a fun house and shelter for the wallabies. Our children came home from school to lend a hand and size up the new additions to the farm. Hopefully the nosey chickens will allow the wallabies a look in their new home later tonight!