MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Feeling slightly festive now, our tree is up, I've done the cards and wrapped some presents. We went to carols in the village a couple of nights ago, it could only happen like that in England I'm sure, booming men's voices a bar or so ahead of the band, struggling to read the song sheets because what lights were there shone into your eyes blinding you and freezing cold feet! The pre-christmas panic hasn't set in  yet, I expect it'll get me on Christmas Eve when I remember what I have't got! I hate the food shop bit, I may have to send Peter with a list, but then I quite like choosing special treats that I then regret eating after Christmas when I feel enormous!

I have already bought the pacas their sack of carrots for their Xmas breakfast and will shove them through the processor for chopping - they love them.

It's certainly not very Christmassy weather here today, I love cold and frosty Christmases, we rarely get snow, sadly, in our part of the Country it's far more likely to be wet and yucky - I do hope it cheers up before the big event. We've had torrential rain most of last night and most of today..  the dogs bowls were full to the brim this morning.

The weanlings were in their shelter all night and this morning there was a right old mess to clear up! So difficult when everything is soggy, I ended up hosing all the rubber mats down and then sloshing disinfectant about ... if I win the lotto I'm going to have a big barn with a concrete floor with proper drains!

They were quite happy grazing in the pouring rain all day, and when I called them in for their tea about 3.30 they bombed along to get it. Most of them are now eating hard feed, many of them were before weaning of course, but some are still reluctant to try and I'm hoping they'll get the hang of it in the next day or two. Readigrass seems popular, it smells gorgeous, like candy floss, and I put their hard feed on top of it which usually works. I bought them some timothy haylege, but they prefer their hay, shame, that smells lovely too and would do them more good.

This weekend I have to drench them with Baycox against coccidea... never an enjoyable task and I usually end up wearing a fair bit of it as it's so runny, probably why it's called a drench? It's not a difficult job, just have to syringe it into their mouths slowly and tip their heads up til they swallow it.

I don't have many pics to show you today apart from one of the weanings looking bedraggled this afternoon, and our local river in flood, for those who know the area you will appreciate the difference!

I am hoping to put together a few of my favourite pics from 2012 but if I don't post again before Christmas I hope you have a Cool Yule.

The River Meon - good job I had a good pair of boots on!

Soggy Pacas