Sunday, August 15, 2004

Piglets, calves and the weekend.

Did we ever say how much we missed Radio 4? Well I would say that people aside it was the biggest miss from the homeland. With such a small population here they cannot afford the range on national stations that the UK is blessed with. So we have National Radio and Concert FM. The first is a blend of radios 1,2,3 and 4 with a lean to 4. When we got here it was only broadcast on am (as in MW not mornings only), and the electric fencing caused a click every 3 secs. We chuckled at how amateur-ish it was (pips with 6 beeps of the same length which were frequently talked over and programmes that ran short and so we had this awful music as a fill-in). Well about a year ago we got an FM radio mast near here, and I've come to the conclusion that the Morning Report our equivilent of Radio 4's Today is actually the better programme. Since working at home I have also got into Linda Clarke from 9am -12md. An intelligent. pleasant to listen to presenter who always has topical and interesting subjects. Across the board on National Radio their standard of interviewing is generally very high and interviews can take up to 20 mins. Yes the fill-in music is still awful and yes they do still talk over the pips but I think I've got used to that. I cannot however cope with the Wayne chap who is on from 1pm until I don't know when. He plays music from a different decade each week but anything after the 60's is rare and I promise you it goes back to the 20's. It is like Sing Something Simple but 10 times worse. Eric gets in from work at about 1.20pm and sometimes he comes in to absolute drival coming out the radio because I have been too engrossed in work to turn it off, and has a good laugh. Sometimes it's even worse and I have to leap up and turn it off.

Anyway why am I talking about the radio? Because it has occured to me that I have heard no news all weekend and that is because I haven't had the radio on. I would normally have caught up this morning in bed but spent about 2 hours on the phone to Mom and Daddy. When I have finished this I will have to go onto the news page and find out who won the Tri-Nations yesterday.

We have agreed to have the TV on for 1/2 hour of olympics for the girls each night and Eric is still watching (we are loosing the basketball against Italy as I type).

Yesterday we went up to R+R to collect 2 of their bobby calves for the the girls. I think you will remember from 2 years ago that the children can prepare and take in a calf, kid or lamb for Ag. Day at school. The first year was a disaster partly due to the girls not knowing what they were in for and party because they did not do the preparation. Last year we said No, because they wouldn't put the work in the year before, but this year they can give it another go. Alice was up at the crack of dawn this morning telling me she would just have some cereal and then she was going to feed Fudge. I told her she would have to wait as Eric was still asleep and he was the only one who knew what to feed them (they are on some milk and electrolyte combination for 24 hours). This afternoon she has been asking since 2pm if she ought to mix up their teatime feed. Bless her. She was very chuffed to have got him out on the lead, as you will have read from her entry. Dear child, she asked me to get her up at 6am (I said No, I don't even get up that early!) so she can spend some time with Fudge before school. I hope the enthusiusm lasts.

Back to yesterday we went to Richard and Robyn's again in the evening for supper. They are still pretty flat out and when we got there a little later than planned Robyn had only just got in and was starting on the meatballs she was cooking (a very scrummy and interesting recipe the sauce to which includes ginger biscuits!!). I took over and sent her off for a shower. I had cooked and taken up the bulk of the meal as we wouldn't dream of them catering when they are so busy. Anyway we watched the first of Waikato's NPC games which they won very comfortably but it was only against Southland. As always we had a very pleasant and relaxed evening. As we drove home Eric and I commented on how we had missed our evening get togethers this last month or 2 and look forward to calving finishing!

The piglets got the shock of their lives yesterday-literally. We have been trying to work out how to give the mommy's some outside area to poo and wee in as in their rather confined quarters are getting smelly and they are soiling their bedding. It's been very complicated but we decided to try electric fencing off an area right outside the main door. It seems to be working but when Olympia was rooting around with half a dozen piglets hanging off her nipples she touched the fencing. 6 piggies shreiking at their food source suddenly sending out 3000 volts was very sad, and very loud. Poor little mites.

I will leave you with that thought. Night night all.

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