Wassledine calf number 50
It is almost exactly ten years since we borrowed a trailer and drove to Ed Turner’s farm near the east coast, beyond Ipswich and that’s a long way east; to pick up three in-calf cows. That was a pretty exciting and alarming day and there have been plenty of memorable ones since – births, deaths, sales, friends, escapes. Despair and exhilaration, heat and sweat, freezing fingers and wet feet; well I guess if you know animals, you’ll know what I mean.Our fiftieth calf was born yesterday. She’s a very cute heifer, produced by mother Rosie. Both are doing well but we are becoming just a bit desperate to get them and all the others out on some grass. However, they will remain inside until either the sun brings some warmth and the grass starts to grow or we run out of hay. The former is forecast for the weekend and the latter will occur towards the end of next week. Hope the forecast’s right otherwise we’ll be in the market for more hay.
Recent Facebook interest in names of the first calf of the year left us thinking that ‘Paprika’ will be it. I really liked ‘Geoff’ so hope that a bull calf will put in an appearance to acquire that one. Number fifty will have a girl’s name following her mum’s line – daughter 1 has just suggested ‘Barbara’. Any advance?