where does the time go?

I cannot believe how busy I am at the moment and this should be my lul before the summer storm :)
I have painting to finish and floors to lay in the cattery units and other maintenance bit to do.

So where is my time going?

Well :) We do have two litters of puppies which are real time wasters :) They do take a lot of care, putting food in one end and cleaning up the other before they plaster it all over each other. I cannot wait to get them out in the fresh air for a little while but at just 3 weeks they are still too young.

We have cockatoo puppies too. Born Saturday. They are noisy but no trouble at the moment as Jess is doing a fantastic job. Good girl.

I have several of my other girls in season so coordinating their mating when the studs are available takes some doing too. I usually mate, when she is receptive then 24 hours later so very time consuming but worth it when we see the lovely puppies we produce.

Then we have the fun day looming so my grounds have to be well prepared. I spent all afternoon mowing the parking field. Ill finish that off today. We are busy chasing stall holders and demonstrations. Ensuring we have commitment wherever we can. We need to have the running order for the day in place and details of the sponsors to we can utilise Mel's dad to sign write the "thank you" board.

We now have as entertainment

Heal work to music
Dog obedience demonstration
Dog agility and 'come and have a go"

Birds of pray
pony rides
Little pigs
Quad bikes
Remote controlled cars and oodles more

And I have my new horse too. I have put him on a friends yard as he was clearly lonely. He has settled very well and is much calmer. He needs some work to build up his muscles but is proving a joy to work with

What's happening down on the farm?

 I have a new (second hand ) mower so been mowing anything that stands still long enough in preparation for May Day charity event. Hope we are going to see you, your family and friends. 

We have managed to secure a demonstration of dog agility with a "have a go session" which will be fun I have no doubt. Why not come along and "have a go" it is great for the dogs, they love it once they get the hang of it and it certainly helps with their training.

I am trying to work out how to fill in some of the moat so when I create the big, new dog run for the boarders I can let them have the run of part of our island. They will love it as there are trees for the boys to do what only boy dogs do well :) The ground is undulating which will be fun for them to run and play on. The first, lovely job for me is to go into the stagnant water to put an extension on the pipe that brings storm water in off the roofs of the houses. Nice but some one has to do it :)

Marian has been helping me as we have given the cattery a spring clean. I'm hoping she will be around next week too to help with my mammoth task of painting it all. My cattery is now quite a few years old and people do comment on how fresh, clean and definitely non smelly it is and that is my mission to maintain.

My new horse is proving a little trick as he is in need of company, they are herd animals after all. Being here alone isn't nice as he calls to the many horses next door but no one calls back. 

I am worried about hacking on these dreadful roads as many of the drivers these days don't seem to acknowledge there is a person on the back of that horse and clearly think you have no right to be there as they squeeze you into the curb. 

I may move him to a "better place"

He is a lovely boy with the most fantastic paces, just needs some good quality work and muscling up in the "correct" way. A great project for me and as his underlaying nature is kind that is going to be very rewarding. I have only had him two weeks tomorrow so very early days.

What have I been up to? :)

Extension of cattery now has double, exterior cladding, heat pads, electric lights and I have started painting, the floor covering will be the last job then all ready for the summer rush :)
We have put a smart sink with a fantastic, instant water heater in too for washing the pots. No longer will they have to go into my house kitchen.

Cleaning of dog and cat units never stops as I am so determined never to have smelly units so as we have been very busy over Easter that has kept me busy too.

Ok, this is what I have been up to too :)

I have bought myself a new horse. Well it is my passion and I'm no longer providing them for my boys as they are off doing other things. Teenage boys :) This is my time
This gorgeous boy is 12 years old 16.3hh so big ish. He is a lovely natured and a very honest horse. I have had lots of fun with him already and only had him 1 week. The lovely people who had him for 5 years I know are missing him but we will, undoubtedly stay in touch. He has only ever had 2 homes which is quite something in the horse world. I'll let you know what we get up to and how we get on if you like?

Back to business

Bookings are coming in for summer so please don't delay or there won't be any room at the inn

Family Fun and Doggy Day plans are well underway and I really hope it is a huge success and the two children's charities we raise funds for will benefit also
Mel and I think this will be our last one so please make sure you join us for a fun day out