For those that don't know as yet, I hope to get my first goat in a week or so. He is an over friendly castrated 18 month old chap and his name is TWM ( which is welsh for Tom).
After much thought I think I will refer to him as Tom after my friend and fellow blog sparing partner Tom Stephenson......after all Mr Bath Tom is somewhat reminiscent of an old goat!
Of course I will have to get him a friend , goats need company. But in the interim he will have to put up with me, the dogs and a field full of hens ( something he is already very used to.)
After much thought I think I will refer to him as Tom after my friend and fellow blog sparing partner Tom Stephenson......after all Mr Bath Tom is somewhat reminiscent of an old goat!
Of course I will have to get him a friend , goats need company. But in the interim he will have to put up with me, the dogs and a field full of hens ( something he is already very used to.)
The woman I am getting him from is well intentioned but has not really got on top of her paperwork as yet, hence the hiatus in his arrival.....but after a brief lesson in animal law, she is now sorting the required papers out quite nicely.
The neighbours I know, have all collectively gone a whiter shade of pale after hearing that a goat is on the cards...but I have spent an energetic afternoon banging in a set of new fenceposts over the wartime pig fencing that now borders the field and the red faced Welsh farmer will come down to help me tighten the barbed wire topping to it.....the place will resemble Stalag 17, but hopefully Twm will remain safely within the parameter fence.
In between being all butch with a sledgehammer
I have completed two more of the Trelawnyd villager "interviews" which was a real pleasure. Tonight I wanted to write up something shared from 86 year old Hubert Evans the village baker and former village rector's daughter Daphne Jenkins but I am physically a bit worn out and still incredibly chesty. So a hot bath, a bit of blogging and a chill out is the order of my post 9pm sit down time......I must thank Hubert and Daphne though: their contributions were so entertaining.....and I promise to get something concrete down on the blog hopefully tomorrow!
The neighbours I know, have all collectively gone a whiter shade of pale after hearing that a goat is on the cards...but I have spent an energetic afternoon banging in a set of new fenceposts over the wartime pig fencing that now borders the field and the red faced Welsh farmer will come down to help me tighten the barbed wire topping to it.....the place will resemble Stalag 17, but hopefully Twm will remain safely within the parameter fence.
In between being all butch with a sledgehammer
I have completed two more of the Trelawnyd villager "interviews" which was a real pleasure. Tonight I wanted to write up something shared from 86 year old Hubert Evans the village baker and former village rector's daughter Daphne Jenkins but I am physically a bit worn out and still incredibly chesty. So a hot bath, a bit of blogging and a chill out is the order of my post 9pm sit down time......I must thank Hubert and Daphne though: their contributions were so entertaining.....and I promise to get something concrete down on the blog hopefully tomorrow!
 |
| Hubert Evans |
 |
| Daphne Jenkins |
But don't worry (Sharon, I know you are!), I have booked myself in to see my GP asap.............I have a thought I may be getting late onset asthma..........which could be a bit of a bummer....hey ho
Anyhow I will draw to a close with some more positive news!
I actually refused an animal today!
Yes I very proud of myself..... when I was offered five unwanted bantams from a householder who had lost most of his back garden to a set of hungry beaks...I took a deep breath in....refused to acknowledge the usual hang-dog expression of the exasperated owner and stated firmly that I would only take four of them in but drew the line at taking an extra little cockerel.......
I feel a bit like an alcoholic that has refused his first gin and tonic of the day.....
until next time my friends.............
 |
| The new bantams.....and the last........? yeah right...... |
Oh John, how could you leave the poor little fellow there? I don't know, I have a feeling that before very long you will be telling us you caved in and took the wee soul.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are seeing the doctor. You need to be healthy to look after all your lodgers.
babyjohn......I said NO!!!!
ReplyDeleteLOL
...but he will really miss his girls. They get very attached as I can attest to since trying to relocate one of our roosters to a new set of hens. He simply wants the his old flock! I think you must reconsider.... :)
ReplyDeleteOoo! Finally! A GOAT! Yay! We'll see if your Stalag 17 fencing keeps Twm in. Depends on what tasty things are inside the fence and what tasty things are on the outside of the fence! Remember my shimmy episode of last summer? I love trying to get UNDER the fence! hee hee xoxoxoxoxox
ReplyDeleteSANDY
ReplyDeleteI did take one of the bantam cockerels.......two would have been a little unwise!
hi john,[ned here]. it was really good to see Huberts picture on your blog. i worked for him for a short while. he was really good boss to have and unlike so many bosses today Hubert worked harder than anyone. he had a great love of classical music and would often bring in cassette tapes of his most loved pieces for us all to enjoy. i can still remember the old characters that worked in the bakery and of course the smell of freshly baked bread together with a few burn scares on my arms which i still carry !. happy days.
ReplyDeleteYou'll love having goats, they are wonderful animals. We have two pet wethers (castrated male goats) that we keep around for company of bucks when they can't be with the girls, and because I just like them.
ReplyDeleteYou have a way of making farm life so compelling...How fun to have a goat....are you going to milk it?
ReplyDeleteHello:
ReplyDeleteA goat! Now that to our way of thinking is becoming quite serious. Four extra bantams, even another cockerel, is one thing but a goat, and possibly a goat's mate, well...... Good luck!!
Raz
ReplyDeleteI will try razz
but as his name is tom
.........
xxxxx
Put a cross on the chimney! You are finally going to see a doctor! I am so glad, that is hanging on too long! I do hope you don't have an allergy to chicken poop!
ReplyDeleteI can see your point in drawing the line on an extra cockerel. Good for you!
Ok! TWM, sounds like a plan! I can't wait to see him!
XXX
So John the goat(s)...why does the Welsh language lack vowels TWM = Tom?
ReplyDeleteAnd what will the new bantams be called?
Awww! That poor little man! Separated from his lovely coterie of girls! John, how could you reject him? ... :)
ReplyDeletejohn
ReplyDeletenot you as well!
too much catholic guilt
Raz knows you better than you know yourself, Jwn. It's only a matter of time before you start trying to milk the Billy. Get well soon, Twm. X
ReplyDeleteAlright! A goat! You will love the little guy but he will certainly test your fence all the time. The first rule it seems with owning a goat is having a good fence. He will show you the holes in your fence...all of them lol. What breed is he?
ReplyDeleteThat fence will not contain goats - you need something like Dog 2mm Wire Fencing Mesh 100m x 120cm(h)
ReplyDeletehttp://i.ebayimg.com/09/!C!nHl2g!Wk~$(KGrHqEOKjUEzSMNKgcQBNDt5jbwdg~~_12.JPG
Bannie chickens are the sweetest chickens and the best broody hens! I am glad you have formally announced Tom! Can't wait to see some picts and hear of your new goatie adventures!
ReplyDeleteJohn, you wear me out just reading about your day. I'm with dear Sharon...get thee to a Doctor. Can't wait to see new TWM.
ReplyDeleteYes John! Looking forward to your adventures with Tom (the real goat that is). Since we're looking at getting a couple of goats maybe next year I'm going to be watching how things go with you and your little buddy. It seems we both took in some unwanted feathered friends over the last few days...we now have 4 beautiful Golden Laced Cochin Bantams. Three hens and a cockerel. They're a beautiful little bird and I've named them Espresso, Cappuccino, Cafe au lait and Cinnamon Spice. So far so good as far as Romeo (SHAFT as Hubby named him) our beautiful Black Australorp is concerned. Of course getting your spurs taken off when the new ones arrived probably dampened a bit of his cockiness ..so to speak ;) Enjoy your critters!
ReplyDeleteMaura :)
Looking forward to TWM the goat...and seeing how you manage. My Dad put braces at each corner of the goat fence and the darn things would climb up and over. Plus as everyone has already said if there's a weak link in the fence the goat has already found and gotten through it and eaten your neighbors garden down to the dirt. Or your garden down to the dirt! Or both. You were right not to take the 2nd cockerel...my Mom had bantams off and over the years, the last time she had them she had 3 or 4 males and all they wanted to do was mate, mate, mate...the poor females were exhausted. So Mom put each male under a bushel basket in different parts of the yard to give the ladies a well deserved break. It was hilarious to drive up and see bushel baskets dotted about the yard. You knew the cockerels had been driving Mom nuts!
ReplyDeletethat's "off and on over the years"
ReplyDeleteSomeone offered me a goat many years back. I was just about to say yes, when I found it standing on the top of my car. As you can predict, my answer changed to NO.
ReplyDeleteHello you old butch goat, you & Tom will get on very well! xxx
ReplyDeleteGood muck with the goat. We had some a few years ago and they caused mayhem. I think that was because we did not start them off in a fenced off area when they were small, so they did not like it when we did.
ReplyDeleteBe warned - they are true escapologists, especially if there is a nicer piece of grass on the other side of the fence
Good Luck and hope you feel better
Sue
Goats! You're going to do goats! Oh well done you, and will look forward to following your experiences with them. We are already 'Stalag-ed' on two fields in preparation for the time when we get ours. And I think you are very brave at refusing that extra cockerel. And I bet you feel quite proud of yourself having said 'no', and hope you feel better soon. God bless you for being a bon homme.
ReplyDeleteMy plot is surrounded by sheep fencing and barbed wire too. All we need now is a machine gun nest and watch tower and the transformation will be complete.
ReplyDeleteVery envious re Goat. Surely you're running out of space now John?
Hey doesn't honey help with asthma? Get those bees sorted!
I love the sound of a goat. Look forward to meeting TWM. I love the hens. Don't they miss their "man"?
ReplyDeleteHave you caved in yet and gone back for the poor little guy? Imagine him, all alone, wondering where everyone went and why no one wanted him. Poor little soul. (just having a little fun at your expense)
ReplyDeleteI hope your fence will hold him LOL goats have a way of going where they want LOL. I agree with Isobelle, especially if they see something on the other side of their fence they want to eat! LOL
ReplyDeleteI love this post and the comments
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on saying no without having to attend a 12-step, just say no to chickens, program.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of saying no, how did your mushroom trial ever work out? Last I read in the archives you had just gotten them and they reeked. I love mushrooms and have occasionally thought about growing my own.
Cheers!
meggs.
Well now, you can't have just the one goat can you? Need to find a pregnant nanny for eventual milking as well now.
ReplyDeleteAnd how long before the village changes you name from John the Dogs to John the Bloody Menagerie!
John, John, John! What next? You'll need a pair of llamas to help protect your goats and hens and ducks and so forth.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your doctor's visit - you definitely have to stay healthy to keep helping everyone else.
Nancy in Iowa
Just to answer Jacqueline's query about Twm's name and why the Welsh language has no vowels - Welsh has more vowels than English! In addition to a,e,i,o and u, Welsh also has w (pronounced "oo") and y (pronounced "uh" or "ee" depending on where it is in a word). The Welsh alphabet does not contain j, k, q, v, x or z, but does have the additional characters dd, ff, and ll. Hope that helps to understand!
ReplyDeleteJohn the dogs, chickens, now and again cockerels, and soon to say goat,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were able to put good husbandry before a sad face regarding the extra cockerel.
I also look forward to seeing a picture of Twm. Any time i've ever seen a group of goats, there's always at least one who wants to stand on something taller, most usually a shed. Will Twm and Twm's friend have higher ground in their stalag enclosure?
I hope your respiratory issue clears up soon. Nagging coughs and chestiness really wears a body down. No doubt you've not been resting as much as you should be, either. No, not trying to shake a finger at you, but please try to find some time where you can get a bit of kip.
megan
Congrat's on the power to say no.......for now. Good luck with the goat!!!! Love 'em but boy are they a challenge. :)
ReplyDeleteStaci
thanks to all the advice regarding the goat...now I am worried gulp
ReplyDeletemegan,..thanks for your concern!
x
I love goats and they would get on really well with the horses but so far I've rsisited due to their Houdini tendencies that and the fat that they will eat everything they can reach. Looking forward to reading all about the adventures of Twm
ReplyDelete