Thu / Fri 21st / 22nd

Janette's been really really busy these last few days and has been too tired to blog.

Thursday, the vet was booked to visit a lame cow at 12 noon, so they had to be mustered and drafted. Starting early, she enticed the herd towards the bull paddock with some lucerne hay. When you're on your own, the secret is lots of time and even more patience. Darren (next door) was passing and stopped to help. He realised very quickly that his presence was only distracting the cows from where they were supposed to be going, so he thankfully left it to Janette.

Once in the bull paddock, they were left to settle. Later, gates were opened and they started heading back out. Janette held back the new lame cow and the previously treated lame cow. Great job!!

Vet couldn't diagnose anything specific, so a jab of pain killer and a jab of anti-inflammatory and then watch and wait.

Not only was the vet booked for 12, Kathy and Pete were coming at 1.00 for lunch. In between the cattle work this morning Janette found time to make a meat loaf having made a choc cheesecake last night. Lunched till 4.00 when John Capewell arrived.

John's staying for 4-5 days to help. We've got quite a list for him to work through. Janette used the ride-on mower to take some lucerne across to the patients and got a flat tyre. Therefore John's first job was to take the wheel off so we can take it into Benalla tomorrow.

Friday, 9.20 - 10.00, my first out-of-hospital physio. First a thorough assessment of my current position (not as good as I'd thought) and then a programme to suit. I was put through my new daily exercise routine. They are quite short and straightforward, but I worked up a sweat. Between you and me, the sweating was probably due to the use of the word exercise.

Anyway, the mower wheel was dropped in for repair before the physio appt. While I was in the physio, Janette picked up a new tap for the leaky toilet tap which developed yesterday, some weed killer for the bathurst burr we have recently found popping up ( it is a very nasty weed with sharp thorns and we think it must have come in with some hay we purchased during the drought), some new blades for the mower, a couple of grocery items, and then the repaired mower wheel before collecting me. Small towns are very convenient for getting quickly through a diverse shopping list. Home for lunch and then on to John's work list ... he became a great-grandfather today - that wasn't on the list. Little Ayla Jaye was born at Berwick hospital today, 22 May.

Pizza for tea and this weekend's hunters arrived over at the cottage.Read more