THEY LEFT ME IN CHARGE OF THE ANIMALS....

Blackshaw Head is a tiny village almost on top of a moor just up from Hebden and Todmorden.  I answered an ad in the 'HebWeb' for someone to rent part of a small-holding with a reduction in rent for any animal sitting - I couldn't believe my luck.  Someone was going to PAY me for looking after animals!  

So, my landlords are away in India for a month and I'm looking after a cat (Kitty - a boy), a dog (Tess - a girl), 2 goats - White Goat (pregnant) and Brown Goat (female, not pregnant), 6 sheep (ewes - all pregnant) and 2 lambs (females - nearly a year old).

Let the fun begin.....

Hay and Straw - There is a difference

Am I the only person on the planet who thought that these were the same thing?  When Steve (my landlord) was going through my list of duties he said: 'Now, they get 2 to 3 wedges of hay a day and scatter the straw over the mucky bits in the pen' whilst pointing at two identical (or so they appeared at the time, obviously NOW I can not only tell the difference I can look back askance at my old self who didn't know -'what you seriously can't tell the difference?' I would say, sniffily) piles of vaguely yellowish/greenish/grassyish looking stuff.  

'Righto', I said.  'Errm..... Which is which?'

All credit to him, Steve missed only the tiny weeniest beat and then explained that one was quite yellow looking and one was quite green looking and they had very different textures.  

OBVIOUSLY.

The Sex-Change Cat

Kitty was a kitten when I first arrived.  A she kitten (we thought).  It was only on taking her to the vets to be 'done' that it was reported that she is a he, although now it is an it.  My landlords were quite embarrassed that they'd not realised.  I am taking some time getting used to calling her him.  

If you see what I mean.

Coming Up:

Goat Escape

Goat Massage

Making Friends with Sheep (tricky business)

Her Limpiness Number 28 (of 8) - a sheep

Why Yorkshire?

Here I am in Yorkshire for the winter.  I was born in Yorkshire and most of my family are from here but I've lived down South pretty much all my adult life.  When I was in Greece in the summer (2011) I decided that I would move back up to Yorkshire for the winter, partly to be closer to my family and partly to be in the company of a like-minded community (Hebden Bridge is full of those living an 'alternative' lifestyle - so I reckoned they'd be an okay bunch).

I have landed on my feet.

Life in Yorkshire

Right. decision made.  I shall start sharing snippets of my time in Yorkshire (which is where I live in the winter).  There is just so much to wonder at when you are cat, dog, sheep and goat sitting.  Expect to hear about the following:

Goat Escape
Chicken Chase
Her Limpiness the Sheep
Kitty the Sex Change Cat
Shaun the Sheep(man)
Log Burning Fires v Burned Fingers
The Difference Between Hay and Straw
Appropriate Clothing for Distributing The Afore-Mentioned
Deer Stalker Hats, the value thereof
Mucky Mick the Farmer
Pubs That Have Closed But Are Open
Spotting Deer with Heart Singing
Local Picture Houses
The Amazing Kindness Of Strangers

I would start this tonight but I'm just toooo tired.  All this animal care takes it out of you and I've got to be up with the larks to check on Her Limpiness.