Good Boo Hunting

I know, that like me, you are feeling wretched about Daisy,  sadly soothed by Big Dogs gentle slide into the after world and in a killing rage about the mink murdering so many chickens that night.    I read all your loving comments during the following days. This Fellowship we have is such a wonderful place to be. You have my heart. Thank you.

In amongst all that sadness, I have news that might hearten you.  You will be pleased to hear that a mink met its end when it came back in broad daylight the other day and tried to drag off another of our chickens. I was inside, in the kitchen, which is a hard place to be because the kitchen window overlooks Daisy’s field. But I was cooking when  Boo and I both heard the awful sound of a chook fighting for its life inside the chook house.

Boo had the kitchen door open before I knew what I was hearing and we ran at full tilt straight through the garden, across the drive, into the corridor paddock and straight at the chook house door.  I realised I was carrying my boots, how useless, I thought. Boo and I streaked through the door  – I heard the fight going on behind the door and screamed Siccum BooBoo! Ksk-Ksk!. I threw my boots through the door trying to hit something. Boo’s whole body went fluid as he shot through the door and leapt into the air, ears up and eyes wild. Seeking the predator.  In that instant of seeing it, he stretched up,  turned his whole body in mid air, like a dancer, a Russian dancer, kicked up his back legs and slammed down onto the mink. The chicken shot out from under him straight at my feet and as I stumbled,  I heard a dreadful scream from the mink and then smelt its nasty smell.  Boo  streaked straight back out into the field leaping, galloping, whipping his head to and fro and they were gone.

So from now on Boo sleeps in the hen house with the chickens. I hang his collar on a nail so he does not jingle and he watches over the remnants of the flock. he is only put to bed in there after all the chooks have gone up high to roost. Just to be sure.

He takes his new job very seriously.

I have another piece of news that you might like to hear.

A while back one of The Fellowship, an artist and writer who lives in Milan suggested a collaboration on a childrens book. “Can I bring the farmy to Milan?” she asked. She is an illustrator and her work is marvellous. So we have been working on a book about the animals catching a plane to Milan to look for miss c because Mama is about to have her cry baby lamb babies and miss c has gone off to buy red gumboots. (not really but Queenie is a little hard of hearing and got the wrong end of the stick) And – here is the good bit  – in the book is Mama, The Duke of Kupa and Daisy, all with starring roles in this adventure – and they all speak. It is very cute and very funny and we are having a wonderful time creating it.  We began even before Mama died.

There is still a LOT of writing to do and months of painting. But I am heartened by having Mama having lambs again and Kupa and Daisy along with Sheila and Marcel and Marmalade and Ton, who is  pulling a red wagon, catching a plane to Milan. Daisy is wearing her best bra too.

Here is an excerpt:

“Have you seen Miss C?” Daisy asked a huge white horse with a man on top, blinking her long cow lashes in the Italian sun. “She is our farmer, and we have lost her.”

 

The tall horse looked down his long Roman nose at the cow, opened his mouth then shut it again then said nothing very much at all.

 

So, being a polite cow,  Daisy politely thanked him and turned to go.

 

 

“Rude horse.” she said to The Duke of Kupa. The Duke ruffled.

 

“Ciao Cow,” said the horse with a horsey grin. Daisy turned her head, looked back at him and swished her tail. Her mother had taught her never to swish her tail at strange horses, but really he was rather handsome.

 

Pity he was a horse of course.

 

….

 

Nothing is finished yet but it feels like the right time to tell you.  And creating a childrens book with our own farmy characters  – well it feels even more right to me now!

 

Tui and Pania are still laying eggs and trying to hatch them. So I have put some (hopefully) fertile chickens eggs under them. That will keep them occupied until I get back. And Alisons chook still has her nine chicks in the Peacock Palace. They can stay up there safe and sound until I get back too.  Jake will feed them for me.

Tima is trying out her new big girls field. This is where she will be when I am away, but with Stalkers Garden, the walled vegetable garden, open for her too, she will like that and hopefully will behave herself.

I leave  for New Zealand in eleven days. And I have a dent in my head, my eyes were teary blurry the last few days and yesterday I was stacking hay and swung around and wacked my head on a rafter in the loft of the barn.  It left a stupid abrasian on my forehead. That better be healed before I have to play the role of mother of the groom. Typical!

There now. That is me back on the horse.  Better.  Crappy but better.

Your friend  – still on the farm

celi

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