The Goat In The Dark



 I adore that moment after work where the PPE comes off and you take the first proper breath out of 12 hours.
Tonight the night air was cool and moist and refreshing in the hospice car park
And in the spitting of raindrops I stood and said hello to a family group of mountain goats who had hunkered down for the evening on the grassy bank behind Bluebell 
I heard the other nurses and support workers leave, but I wasn’t in a huge hurry to follow them.
So I chatted to the nearest goat who watched me carefully through bored eyes until I grew damp and properly refreshed and my mask almost turned into blue mush

54 comments:

  1. That goat looks like a sheep. Whatever it helped you and listened.

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    1. It has horns , look closer x

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    2. I saved a sheep's life once, on the slopes of Ben Lomond, by grabbing it by the horns and pulling it out of a deep bog in which it was floundering up to its neck and in a very distressed state. It ran away without so much as a thankyou baa, so horns are not a diagnostic sign of a goat, although living at Great Orme may well be.

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    3. The Great Orme family are most definintely goats :-)

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  2. I can feel your relief at gulping down some cool, fresh air. I hope you and the goat enjoyed your chat. I wonder if he/she is telling the other goats about you? I hope so. xx

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  3. We only have to wear masks, but I know what you mean, after 9 hours I can wait to get that thing off my face.

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    1. I had Shed my aprons , gloves and visor too

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  4. My daughter is wearing two masks to work these days. I do not know how she does it.
    I think the goat knew you were getting off work and wanted to have that little meet-up.

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  5. It sounds like a perfect interlude.

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  6. Bloody hell. You're on fire - 4 posts a day.

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    1. And apart from work what else is to do?

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    2. I had an early night last night and missed one completely.

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    3. I'm talking a 24 hour day, and I can't count, let alone keep up.

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  7. wonderful; and what did you and the goat discuss?

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    1. Goat sex or the perverted stuff that preoccupies every waking moment of your life?

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    2. Phew. I have just re-read this and expected some misunderstandings about a crap joke. You know me, I hope.

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  8. Nice image. Some sheep have horns. But I am sure it is a goat.

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    1. Only goats live on the orme in Llandudno

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  9. Goats are good to talk with x

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  10. Horns and glowing eyes. Hmmm. Sounds like some kind of satanic devil creature to me.

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    1. Lol you are the first to think what I did

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  11. Mountain goats must be better behaved than the five goats my father brought home. One of them jumped on my prized kharmann ghia. We had a little talk too. She paid me no mind.

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  12. I find talking to animals much more relaxing than talking to people.

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  13. I was lucky enough to see 3 white tail deer while on a walk through the local cemetery about 10 days ago. So beautiful and they didn't seem the least bit bothered by the people taking their photo.

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  14. I like to say "hello" and "aren't you lovely" to sheep and cows but then I feel sad that they may be gone soon.A while ago there was a field with 6 Dexter cows in but one day I saw 2 people trying to encourage the last one to go into the trailer-I felt helpless because I couldn't save it x

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  15. Your goat photo reminded me of: a friendly goat at a local farm selling their own ice cream. The goat roamed the area. My son at 5, loved the goat and no sooner did he have his cone, the goat would snatch it. Essentially I bought 2 cones, one for the goat and a second for my son.

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  16. Barbara Anne1:22 am

    Those eyes are eerie but the facial expression and posture are benign so perhaps the goat was wishing it could understand English?
    I worked in surgery (operating room) for 12 years, so know the pleasure of taking off gown, gloves, and mask and the wonderful simple pleasure of a deep breath of fresh air.

    Hugs!

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  17. I also love the feeling when you take off the mask after wearing it for hours. You have wild goats in Wales?

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    1. They are Kashmiri goats , the offspring of gifts given to queen Victoria

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  18. Fishnet stockings for the face. TART x

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  19. I don't envy you the masks all day long. I was generally pleased to remove mine, gown and gloves after only one hour therapy sessions though could soon need to replace them with new ones for another patient. Hope you’ll eventually be relieved of needing to do this ‘ere long.

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  20. What's the betting that your tourist industry will be booming this summer! "We've come to see the Goats of Llandudno".

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  21. It's a Village of the Damned goat

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  22. Beautiful way to end a shift.

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  23. I sat and chatted to a goat at a party years ago. Much more entertaining than the people that were there.

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  24. Hoping for a ride home in Bluebell and a more comfortable life in the churchyard?

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  25. The first gulp of air after a day of masks aprons gloves and goggles is grand. My hands are suffering from hand washing - not got macne yet but prob coming my way,

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  26. If I didn't know what it was, that would have freaked me out. I met some baby goats once and it amused me that they are born with the instinct to butt.

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  27. Great photo, the next time we need to visit that area for a couple of days, and take a drive down around the hill at the end of point.

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  28. First my mask and then my bra, love taking both of them off. It's a wonderful feeling.

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  29. I'm with you on that moment when the mask comes off. Airgasm!

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  30. Oh John you remind me of myself! I once chatted with a hawk visiting a puddle outside my office. I was only about two feet from him and when I spoke he answered. We had quite long conversation. My coworkers were amazed and thinking the hawk would fly up and attack me except for dear Eddie from the mill who watched close by very quietly until the hawk flew right pass my face and said good by. Then Eddie shook his head and said "I'm not surprised a bit but it ain't natural"

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  31. Perhaps the goat will become a regular visitor. Chatting with animals is almost always better than trying to talk to people.

    Love,
    Janie

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  32. Beautiful animal wished i was greated by the goats when I'd finished my shift. How do they respond to humans? Xx

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