Friday, 18 January 2013
Snow day today,
it started about 5.30am and kept going,
not those big fluffy flakes, but small dry ones, so disappointingly we were not
able to make a snowman as the snow would not stick. Shame as I was looking
forward to helping make a snow dog.
I have to say
though that every time we get bad weather and I look at the birds in the
aviaries, dry, sheltered and looking cheerful, not wet, cold and miserable, I
thank heavens that I chose to build the barn type aviaries that we have that
are totally covered. There is no doubt about it the birds are very much more
comfortable than in traditional open mesh topped aviaries. We also don’t have
to worry about weight of snow on mesh rooves, because our barns are built to
take the weight of snow. It’s great to look out on bad weather and not have to
worry about them.
I am also
delighted that Art is at livery and I don’t have to ask people to look after
him in the snow. He will be much better off where he is. We advertised him on
Friday and there was a great deal of interest, a high number of people wanted
to come and try him, and the first people who did, want to buy him subject to
vetting. He should pass a vet no problems as he did last March for me, of
course the big problem now is will the vet be able to get there in the snow!!
We should know on Monday. I am sad that he is going, but pleased that he is
going to a good home with other horses and a good rider for him, they will have
a great deal of fun with him because they are getting a great little horse.
Richard dropped
in on his way home yesterday, and apparently Leaf is doing fine and has only
chewed an envelope that arrived and not the book inside – thank goodness!!
Shasta on the other hand chewed up the letter with my internet banking form
inside, so we had to ask for another one! The dogs are loving the snow, I
wonder what Leaf thought, because for her and Shasta it will be a first. Shasta
loved it of course, and they all went for a lovely walk in the woods with Ben.
Holly took Orion
down to the field, and he looked wonderful in the snow, and Dabinet – goshawk is
going really well, although his tail is not wonderful. But we want to get him
flying free before imping him. Now we need to get Cool Ground going in the snow
and he will look great!! Pleiades is going well, she had a swollen foot, but
Neil has sorted it out and said it is not anything to worry about now the
histology report has come back.
It’s supposed to
be cold tomorrow and Sunday so the snow will stay, but the roads will slowly
get cleared I guess. Holly flies out to the US for the incubation course on
Tuesday, so we are hoping that flights are not cancelled and she can go with no
problems. I would rather the snow came now, than once we are open again! Tuesday, 15 January 2013
One of the large
UK zoos is doing an animal training workshop in May and is asking for speakers
to give presentations. Some of it might be interesting and I considered sending
one of my staff, and asked them if speakers could send someone for free. Not only
was the answer no, but unless you are a Key Note speaker, I have heard of
neither of the ones they have listed, you have to pay. So they want speakers
and the speakers have to pay for the
privilege of handing out their expertise - for free – bloody ridiculous I
reckon!!!
 |
| Heard of a Hedgehog - here are Hedgedogs! |
Art has gone
over to Jenny’s for livery, so that he gets some work and remembers what it is
like to be with other horses again, I am told he has not put a foot wrong! He
seems to be settling so far. Adam Bloch, David and Sally and Mark had been to a
meeting at the Hawk Conservancy, I should have gone, but can’t travel at the
moment. I encouraged Ashley to go charitable about 10 years ago, and so he now
has 10 years of experience that he very generously has offered to us for our
working for charitable status.
It is not the
easiest thing to do, but something that I need to get done to make sure that the
Centre has a long term future and going charitable will secure a safe future
for it.
Holly with the
assistance of Ben and various family and friends has gone much of her flat
decorated and looking nice. Next is the kitchen and the halls, then we start on
the other flat which is rather more work. Holly’s is looking very nice, clean
bright with new lighting and paintwork and blinds, both she and I are very pleased
with how it has come up.
The car park
drainage is almost done, the front bit by the shop is and now hopefully it will
take the water down to the road, which then at the end of the road will end up
in my pond anyway, so I get the water, but not where I don’t want it! To think
that in February last year people were concerned about water levels and there
being hosepipe bans and so on. Now it’s the opposite – still concerned about
water levels but not too low – too high! At the same time we put down 29 tons
of type 1 gravel in the car part entrance, which now looks soooooooooo much
better.
Aviary cleaning
and getting ready for the breeding season is coming on apace thanks to John and
his sturdy team of volunteers. He is also kindly going to stay in the house
with the dogs when I have to go to Edinburgh at the end of the month to give a
lecture at the University. I get the chance to see my sister and stay a couple
of days, and he gets the chance to be sat on by Shasta!
We have not
heard from Richard and Janet so are assuming that Leaf is well, behaving and
enjoying life there. Its amazing how much we all miss her, but its also amazing
how much better behaved all the other dogs are. Shasta and Sorrel are playing
together nicely now and Sedge is much happier now he is the only small dog
again, his nose was most definitely put out of joint and he never would play
with her.
Thursday, 10 January 2013
 |
| The ruins on the right hand side of the drive going up to Duncombe |
Finally I have
started on the website for Duncombe and gone back to writing the next book on
husbandry and training of birds of prey. It has taken me a while and one of the
problems is that I try to keep up with emails, and I never seem to catch up. So
I have said Sod It, and started anyway. I find that once I start writing I can
usually keep going, but it’s the starting that is the tricky bit.
 |
| John and Mark liked the title of this book - working eh!! |
Holly and Ben
have been painting in the flats. We are going to have to completely redo the
bathroom, but Simon’s old flat apart from some somewhat dark paint is not too
bad. It is now white and looking much more cheerful. There is a long way to go,
but it’s a good start. Adam’s will be needing rather more work as I have to try
and get all the paint off the woodwork, which will be fun I don’t think, and we
had to rip out the kitchen!
Mark and John
did a film job on Sunday, in Tesco’s at Wembley. I am looking forward to seeing
it on the TV. Needless to say when they text-ed us to say that they were on the
say, they did not tell us how it went!!! However they phoned again and it went
well! So another one under the belt done and dusted as it were. And useful at
this time of the year.
The weather has
been dry for several days now, wonders will never cease!! It makes such a
difference. However Dave who wants to come and collect his logs that have been
sitting at the bottom of the field since January has not got a hope in hell
until the ground is a great deal better than it is now, and it is going to take
weeks of dry weather before it is drive-able on I suspect.
I took the
remainder of the Christmas decorations down. You have to do it on January 6th
or it is unlucky, but I did not get much chance to enjoy them as I rarely get
them up until close to Christmas Eve. So everything is now packed away for
another year. Linda did the bulk of it for me on Friday, but we left enough up
so that it did not count!!
Leaf is doing
well with Richard, she seems to have settled and is playing with all the house
dogs, we have to hope she will behave when he is away.
Interestingly it
takes half as long to get through to anyone at Gloucester Royal as it does to
get a bedpan!! And apparently you have to pay for your X-rays to get them,
although a physiotherapist can’t treat you unless you have them. I think that
might be construed as blackmail!!
We have taken
nearly all the stuff that needs to come out of the flats, so the dog can see
the rabbit as it were. The dump will have some, the bonfire some and the scrap
man some. All will be gone by the end of the week I hope. They are going to
look fine once they are redecorated and cleaned properly, they just need some
serious TLC right now.
And Mike has
nearly done the new drainage in the car park so we hopefully will not get a
flood down the back steps and across the front of the shop, should be great if
it works!! We are also putting down new gravel in the car park entrance, so if
you drive in in the next couple of weeks, come in and out slowly and drive a
different route each time and you will roll it for us!!
Saturday, 5 January 2013
Gosh Boxing Day
seems a long time ago and I did not get much time having full charge of the
livestock that is for sure. On the 27th I managed to fall off Art
while having a lesson over at Moore’s Farm, and landing badly and hard, I
fractured my back. Boy was I lucky, firstly because I am not paralyzed, and
secondly because I have some very special friends and staff. Sam who was
teaching me has actually had a broken back previously so he made me keep still
(not that I felt a great deal like moving I have to say) and Sally was
wonderful, she grabbed the horses, after having stuffed her coat under my head
(we knew I could feel feet by then), and the ambulance was called, a rapid
response car arrived first – and rapid it was, the chap was great, checked me
over, asked questions, gave me some pain killers which helped a little and they
all waited until the ambulance came, but because of the floods and roads being
closed, it took a while. The ground was pretty cold and it started to rain, so
I was covered in a horse rug and my top slice of body was warm, even if the
bottom slice was not. I could not remember how I fell but looking at my riding
britches it looks like I landed slightly off flat which is probably what caused
the fracture.
The ambulance
men were great and Sally (what a hero) came with me in the vehicle, Sam bunged
his horse in a stable and took mine home. I was put in one of those things you
see in Casualty, the back board, with straps everywhere. My feet kept slipping
until I remembered that I was wearing spurs and so they were not helping. I was
X-rayed, and diagnosed with a fracture and admitted to hospital. Started off in
the gynecology ward, but was moved to wherever they put trauma injuries by
about 9.00pm that night. David had come in and they did not leave until 6ish
which was so nice of them, and then Sally came back again with some stuff for
me.
I saw a doctor
Allot on the Friday who said I would have a CT scan to see if the fracture was
stable, I had to stay in bed until that was done and if it was stable I would
be given a brace and could go home. No riding for a year and probably wearing
the brace for three to six months. It’s a bloody good job I was listening to
him as by the end of the stay he was re-dubbed Dr Not-Seen-Allot because that
was the one and only time I saw him. Although he did speak to my sister Anna at
some point.
What can one say
about a stay in hospital, well quite a lot actually, but I am advised I should
not do it publicly, which I have to say goes against the grain somewhat. Let me
just say that I nearly fell off the bed laughing when I heard another doctor tell his
patient that she might have to stay in to recuperate!!! You do NOT recuperate
in hospital, you survive it if you are lucky!
I finally got my
brace on Wednesday and I suspect it was because of another consultant whom I
had collared the previous day just to ask a few questions. He came in again on
Wednesday to see his patient, my across the ward neighbour and came over to see
me asking where the brace was (in language that touched my heart!!) I said it
had not arrived and he went saying he would look into it and the thing arrived
two hours later!! What a star, all the patients who were under his care and the
nurses sang his praises and I was happy to join them. The technician who
brought the brace was great, tried it on, said he had to do a couple of
adjustments but had a meeting and would be back by 1.30. By that time and length of stay
in a hospital you do not believe one word about timings and when people will
come back, so it was with surprise and pleasure I saw him arrive back smack on
1.30. I was not supposed to move with my newly fitted brace until I had seen a physiotherapist so I lay there like
a trussed chicken until 4.30pm, having asked any and every one that if they saw
a physiotherapist to come and help me. They are apparently the people who have
the final say if you can go or not, and who should have shown me how to sit up,
to stand and check I could walk OK.
Well by 4.35pm,
muttering loudly to myself – ‘sod it, I am going to get up’. I did. It was not
that difficult although my legs felt like jelly and would not do a lot of what
I wanted. I hung sensibly onto the bed, then grabbed a chair and sat down, then
got up again – could do all that. So I lay down and waited again. The tolerance
levels by this time were swiftly going from zero into the minuses! Another half
another hour, and Sally and David had phoned to say they could come and pick me
up, and so I said yes please. At that point I needed the loo, which meant for
the first time I did not wait a minimum of half an hour for a bedpan, so off I
trundled to the loo, pretty exciting stuff! Then I packed all my belongings and
left them on the bed, and eventually for probably about the first time all
afternoon a nurse arrived. I think then they finally understood that I meant
what I said about going when I got my brace. She looked concerned when I said I
had not seen a physio, and went and found one, apparently they stop work at
4.30pm! I said I can stand, sit and walk, he said what about stairs, so he took
me to the stairs which I went up and down (down was hard!) I asked him for some
instructions about what I should and should not do, when and how long to wear
the brace etc., but he did not know. And by that time David and Sally had
arrived with a wheelchair and off we went. I left the hospital with pleasure.
Most of the nurses had been great, the A+E people had been great, the CT people
very nice, my doctor – who knows, I saw him for possibly 3 minute, the South
African consultant – first class. However to have someone with a broken back
leave hospital with no advice or instruction is disgraceful. Apart from knowing
I have fractured L2, I have no idea which bit of it, so I will ask for my X
rays if I ever get another appointment to see Mr Not Seen Allot. As I have
lived with back problems for years I do know roughly how to move, and I phoned
a good friend of mine who used to be a physio and she has given me good advice,
so now it is just a matter of time and patience!
My staff and
friends, particularly Sally who is both, have been superb. They rallied round,
looked after the birds and the dogs and horse. They came to see me, they kept
in touch and are still doing so. I am very very lucky in more ways than one.
In the meantime,
the dogs are fine, Leaf has gone off to Richard to see how she does with him
and his dogs, it’s very quiet without her and we miss her dreadfully, but if
she is happy that is the main thing. The vultures have laid and are sitting
nicely. The Grey Buzzard Eagles have laid again! The Tawny Eagle has not laid
yet, but we hope she will. The Fish Eagles are due soon, the weather now I
can’t ride, is lovely and it’s not raining, which is a huge bonus.
Holly is feeding
round, and Ben is here, he and Mike fixed the roof leak (we hope) yesterday. We
have had to take up the carpet in the café as the water table is so high that
it has come through the floor, it is not as bad as I feared, but I hope we stay
dry for the next two years!
Other than that,
I am trying to work out how to swing a lure in a back brace and how to pick up
a falcon!! but maybe not immediately!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
