It really is a dog's life!

 

As always, the dogs are the central characters in our lives, much to the chagrin of the livestock. They've also had a busy summer ...

... riding in the back of the Landrover ...

... and looking really pleased with themselves as they do it.

Hay-making was exhausting for them ...

... so much so, they opted for another nap.

Ned needed to cool off ...

... at various venues ...

... joined by Harry when it all got a bit too warm.

Then back up to the deck for a quick snooze ...

... and the good old sleight of paw switcheroo onto the furniture when no-one is looking.

No idea who these two fools are (with Sonny sneaking into the background) ...

... but at least Harry thought it was funny.

Summer catch-up

Three months have gone by, and now two blog posts back-to-back. You just can't get the staff these days. Here's a brief pictorial hint at some of the things we've been up to over the summer.

Sheep have been down the hill and back up again.

Cattle have been up the hill and back down again.

Irene came to help with clearing for new fences...

... and did most of the work with Farmer Ian, while I faffed with the chainsaw ...

... achieving great things ...

... and contributing to yet another log pile.

Barn owls successfully nested in the old silage pit.

The new young bull Paddy arrived and got busy in one field ...

... while in another we helped deliver ...

... a lovely set of twins.

The wild bird food plot really took off ...

... and the garden went into overdrive ...

... despite the unpredictable weather (don't worry, we've got good damp-proofing).

Most recently, this year's weaning calves have arrived ...

... including one with a strange ear tag. Your guess is as good as mine.