Budgie Smuggling time

It was excitement city central at BC last night as the new series of Downton started, more of that later.

Most of you facebookers will have seen Rooster's swimming lesson yesterday. he is getting over a poorly leg and part of his rehabilitation involved having a swim. So we had to drive him over to Henley in Arden to the equine spa. He went into the stables by the pool and thoroughly read the risk assessment, he then watched a couple of other horses go through their paces, even offering them little wickers of encouragement.

It has to be said that he was a little reticent when it was his turn to go in, I had to take the rubber ring off him , help him into his Speedos and test the water with my elbow to check that it was the correct temperature. Then, with a little encouragement, he launched himself in and, using his tail as a propeller did seven quick lengths.

Ari blotted his copybook again today (I might as well cut and paste that remark). The dog that normally barks the cage down if someone stirs in Hopton Cangeford sat tight lipped as about 150 sheep trotted past his run and invaded the yard. H shot out of the house and  addressed them in a voice I know all to well and the ovine ones soon performed a volte face and trotted out of the yard while Ari watched impassively the useless mutt.

Downton did not let us down with all our favourite characters behaving in type. Mr Bates looked mildly annoyed at doing life in jail whilst annoying Anna busied herself trying to get him out. He wants away from you Anna love. Daisy the kitchen maid went on strike without anyone noticing and a tall footman started work to the disapproval of Mr Carson. The romance was supplied when Mary and Matthew made up from some pointless argument by chatting either side of a closed door. They had their eyes closed as Matthew came into the room to kiss her, it must have been a toss up between snogging her or the adjacent lamp standard, which had the same shape and charisma.

The wedding went ahead and Mary arrived at the Church pursued by all the tenants waving flags and cheering, of course they would have been evicted if they hadn't loyally tugged their respective forelocks

Into Autumn

Just when you think summer is over it starts again. Anyway just a quick update on all here at BC. Rooster has passed about six medicals, renewed his insurance and is gently finding his way around the roads. Kavi is over his poorly tummy and is back to his normal, doleful and grumpy self.

DJ's diet and exercise regime is working well and she is only half the hound she used to be romping around the yard with a spring in her step. She spent some of the summer researching her family tree and has discovered her German foredoggers and now wishes to be called Untersturmfuhrer Helga or some such.

                                                          "Which way to the Sudetenland"

Had she used ancestrees.org.uk she may have had different results.

Sadly the scamp that is Ari has not learned his lesson over the summer and still chases people before "muzzling" them on the ankle. Nuzzling is a nice word, muzzling is altogether more unpleasant. I should never have let him buy a brindle (a canine kindle). The first book he got was A Game of Thrones and he has modelled himself on the direwolves and has become a savage direscottie.

A conversation with one of his recent victims went something like;

Victim: He just muzzled my leg
Me: Yes, sorry about that, but you went a bit close to him.
Victim: But he looked so friendly, he was wagging his tail.
Me Ah yes
Victim. But dogs only wag their tails when they are doing something they enjoy.
Me. Mmm, well he does enjoy biting people.

                                       Wag Wag, Little boy mwah hah hah

Housemate was given a book on wild herbs and flowers and has been wondering around the fields at dead of night looking to pick Woundwort or Vervain or Vipers Buglos purportedly to aid  the health of the inmates here, by the way, has anyone seen the broom ?

                                             Moonlight over Middleton

Olympic Pull Out

We're all very excited here at BC with the 'limpics starting today. DJ has her uniform ready for the opening ceremony

Rooster, as he is currently injured has decided to enter a sitting down sport as it must be better than schlepping 50 miles up and down steep hills.

                             "Where's the rowing lake ? How hard can it be ?"

In the mad spirit of giving I stood an all you can eat buffet for the inmates, Carly made straight for the grass bank

                                                 "Om nom nom nom...as they say "

                                  Ari had a slightly different menu on his mind, horrid hound

                                                               Spoiler Alert

                                                     Who is favourite to light the torch ?

                                            "Will someone strike the match for me please"

                   Surely the Three day event winner (wearing purple) Representing Middleton..

                                                                      Kavi


                                                     Enjoy the games

Old and Crippled

Well it was only a matter of time. In my last blog I noted that Carly was outraged that Rooster was poorly and getting lots of attention. So yesterday, fed up with the incessant rain, he booked himself into the Barn Hospital with a slight bit of heat in his off fore. He took up residence in the room next to Rooster and spent the night there. Trouble is that this morning he is bored and wants to go out. I predict fun times ahead with a restless grey.

                                                       "Let me out, I'm feeling better now"

Rocky is making good progress with his education and is confidently strolling around the estate, as he is still a novice he has had to have a chaperone. The burgeoning injury list has meant that our doleful ex-racehorse Kavi has had to do the job. The problem here is that, while he will happily follow anyone anywhere he is a bit lacking in confidence when he has to be the leader. Things that he has insouciently strolled past a hundred times in the past take on new terrors.

                                                   Dragons may be hiding behind here

I have been spending the summer setting up a new service for everyone where I will research your family tree. Please take a minute to have a look at the website.

http://www.ancestrees.org.uk/index.html

It was my birthday this week so H and I went to Shrewsbury for a pub crawl and very good it was too. Shrewsbury is my home town and as we were walking between pubs we passed the house where one of my Aunties lived back in the day. We were standing at the side of the house and while I was boring H (It's raining and Salopian oracle is on tap in the next pub) the guy who owned the premises came out to see what we were doing. I explained what we were doing and he was very friendly saying that he had some old photos of the terrace that i might like to look at including ones that I might recall of the flooding that took place back in the 1920s.

Thanks Mat !, we made our excuses and headed off to pub number four.

News from the wards

Whilst Rooster has carried on with his rehabilitation stoically Carly has been extremely put out by all the attention the ginge has been recieving. He has been a remarkably good boy recently acting as Nanny to a young horse over Caynham way and being Rocky's chum and playmate.

     "If you reach over reeeeaaaalllly slowly you can bite their bum before they notice"

He was intrigued to see the vet, H and Housemate huddled over what looked like a Television screen while Rooster stood in the corner of the stable. As a rule vets only come to see him. His history of ligamental and tendon weakness has meant in the past that vets and therapists have always made their way to his stable. When they arrive he does a good line in standing and looking brave while they examine him. He had one particular favourite vet in Wales that he saw so often that they almost became an item.

The vet was very good with him because ,as Carly gained confidence that he was not going to be hurt, he started to have fun with him. He would gently remove the vet's hat or his spectacles when he was otherwise occupied. This sort of behaviour might have been looked back on with fondness apart from when the vet sent a locum, who happened to be a pretty young lady. While she was bent over examining his off fore he quietly leaned back and nudged her bottom, he quickly whipped his head back round so that when the vet looked behind her all she could see was me holding his head. Her look told me that my stammered protestations of innocence were not believed.

                                                               Innocent

The highlight of Rooster's day now is his 20 minutes on the horse walker. In an attempt to make it exciting he has taken to head butting the paddles and then standing still until the one behind hits his rump when he then leaps forward tossing his head. Kavi just plods round sighing at all the fuss.

Summer Special (1)

Ok, I said that I would be closing down for the Summer but a few things have happened that I thought that I would share with you all. Firstly, as suspected, Rooster did have an underlying injury and has been stood down for the season. It is a small problem with his check ligament and should be fixed in time. He has been put on what is called box rest which means that he has to stay in and cannot go out and dash about thus risking further injury.

Rather than be left on his own in the barn he is given a room mate, during the day it is Kavi and at night Ptracci (the P is silent remember).

                                    Kavi stares balefully at the patient.

Kavi is not chuffed at this as it has seriously curtailed his nom nomming in the field. He shows this by being even less friendly than usual. At the weekend I was showing a nice Swedish gentleman the yard (managed to not mention the football result which, I thought, was very restrained of me), we had looked at Rooster while Kavi was munching away and I said to Sven (of course) "And the other chestnut is the one your sister rides from time to time.. Kavi Say hello Kavi " He turned around with a look that clearly said "F off I'm eating my haynet" Nice.

At night Ptracci takes over, much to Rooster's dismay. She chats away incessantly "OMG I've got some new hoof paint, Do you think I should wear Blue or Red  hoof paint? I said to Shelley lmao you big lezza, why are you lying down ? Can I have some of your Hay ? Do you like Frankel ? I think he's lush. Is your leg hurting ? I said to Shells you had a bad head but she said."...etc etc

Ari has been out and about and was looking in on Rooster while I explained to him what the problem was. Unfortunately Ari decided that Rooster was receiving Private Health Care "NHS not good enough for him, the class traitor" he opined. I tried to tell him that the NHS did not cater for horses, or indeed dogs either. He has now decided that his manifesto at the next election will be Free health Care for all Horses and Dogs, Sharkey gave him a nudge and he has reluctantly included cats as well.

                              "I'll have a private room please and where's the hairdresser /"
Next time; witchcraft at BC, Carly's medical problems, a new get rich quick scheme (hint http://www.ancestrees.org.uk/ ) and What the Hell happened to Summer ?

End of Term

Well it's time to go on our holidays so we ll not be blogging for a few months. Ari has gone into hiding after the "incident" at the jubilee pageant, I believe they are saying that Prince Philip has an infection, just don't look at his leg when he is next seen in public.

                                         Heading for the hills

Kavi is going to a top secret location to try to treat his spring grass addiction.

                                           "I can give it up...anytime"

Carly and Rooster have packed their Speedos and are off to the sun to find some babes (and to do a refresher course on Health and Safety legislation)

                                             "Agadoo doo doo etc hic"

Rocky, however, is going to school to "Dothehorses Hall". As a youngster he has a bit to learn and a few sessions with Madam Tot should sort him out

                                           "WHAT !!!"

See you all when the clocks go back.