Tag Archives: Volunteering

The Vegetables

4 Replies

A short blog because I am exhausted.

Again, my Saturday was my Friday and I went to Turriefield to weigh, pack and label vegetables for distribution.

I find it a bit discombobulating when I swap days and so I spent the rest of my time thinking it doesn’t feel like a Saturday but am I wrong?  Still, there were enough of us volunteers and everything was packed and ready to go out by lunchtime and I left clutching this week’s vegetables plus some odd carrots for the ponies.

After a nice lunch with friends at the local church café I went home and made my usual daily sheep for selling later.  The stock is building back up, albeit very slowly.

And suddenly I feel exhausted.  I don’t feel I have done much but I could easily not cook supper, have a bath and go to bed.

But I don’t have that luxury.

I still have to transcribe two weeks of the Diaries (1956 now) every evening before I can give up completely.  Meanwhile, I dreaming of my bed and being asleep.  Maybe it’s just a blood sugar dip and I need a medicinal Tunnocks tea cake!

A Very Busy Morning

1 Reply

I knew I had a lot to fit in this morning, so I got up an hour early to get the chores over and done with before everything started.

And on the dot of 9 our farrier, Jay arrived.  Punctuality is not a trait we have ever seen in any farrier.  But here he was and he set to work immediately.

As everyone’s hooves grow at different rates, only the horses and ponies that actually need a trim are done.  They are thoroughly checked first  and assessed. If they don’t get trimmed on this visit, then they can wait until the next one.

Today it was Albie….

Tiddles….. (with his very-good-boy face and after the debacle with the dentist, it was good to see).

And Newt.

Then we all walked over to the old horses and ponies’ field.  Kolka was trimmed.

Note wee dug – Pepper.  It is a wonder she was never kicked because she was underneath every horse and pony’s hooves with a death wish.

In the end Daisy distracted Pepper away to keep her out from under everyone’s feet or in Jay’s way.  I’m surprised she hasn’t had her nose shaved off!  It was in everything.

Tempus was fugitting along and I had to leave Daisy in charge for the other two horses (I think Iacs and Haakon were trimmed), while I a) put Pepper in the house where she was safe, and b) drove over to Turriefield for my Saturday morning volunteering job of packing vegetables for 2+ hours.

I’m not going to lie – I am exhausted now. I’m having a lie down before the next thing.

Back to the Vegetables

2 Replies

Today, feeling stronger, I returned to my usual job of packing vegetables.

There was lots to do and the old muscle memory kicked in as I filled poly bags with salad and other leafy veg, labelled them, distributed and counted what was going where.

The sun was shining, although it was bitterly cold, and I was well-prepared – I took my Christmas-present hand-warmers with me and they were a god-send in the cold packing shed.

Later this afternoon, there was a bit more running around and I am now lying in bed considering what painkillers to take and how strong.   I am beginning to think that I probably over-did things today. I must learn to say no and to pace myself.  Flossie can’t stay forever picking up the pieces.

Still, I have Monster with me lying on my bed.  He came indoors soaking wet, so I dried him off and I took a quick picture of his audition for the Nativity.

No one is talking to Pepper (again). She tried to kill a duck.  Not our best day then.