It was pouring with rain but booted up we went off to the Bampton Pony Fair. Parking a nightmare but eventually we waded through the mud to this ancient barn full of chickens asnd ducks for sale and outside some pens with a few ponies and some splendid coloured cobs. All of them were sopping wet so didn’t look at their best and some simply didn’t sell while others went for just 20 guineas. I was very tempted by a sweet little filly but managed to resist. There was also a very splendid jack donkey who was a lovely dark grey fading to light grey! I do NOT now own a donkey but did bring home rather a lot of chickens – grey marans, blue marans and half a dozen cream legbars. One of the legbars stood around for several days looking as if it might die but has perked up now and is rushing around with the rest of the mob. Jaspers were there – we can strongly recommend their wholemeal rock cakes that were loaded with Christmas spices and really delicious. There were some bits and pieces being auctioned too so we acquired a very large stoneware cider jar for £22. We met the veterinary nurse Louise from the practice we use which caused Chas a series of double takes as she was with her sister – talk about peas in a pod.
I am clearly gtting ancient. I was on the phone in the house and I seriously said to Chas – where is the phone, it’s disappeared. Oh dear I was talking on it.
Since then we have completed the worming/fluke/ADE jabs for the whole herd, weaned thirteen cria and sent thirty adult females off to the winter grazing field down the lane. The biggest weanling was a mere 41 kilos at five months.