Progress

We ended up bringng the girls in last night as part of our drive to habituate them, and also to get their rugs on. This was quite an operation in tact since they've never had one on before, but they were amazing.  So that was good. No attempts to get them off or anything, just acceptance. Gawd bless that Luso temperament.

At last it's stopped snowing but the situation with the trains was best described as diabolical, so working at home for the fourth day in a row. That doesn't mean a lie in though, of course. Lie ins are for Other People, although I did curl up on the sofa about 7ish for a while.

Popped out at lunch time to let the goats out and they all trucked along after me to the mares' field, who were happily munching on a big pile of hay. It gives you an idea what it must be like being part of a herd, because everywhere you go you're surrounded by goats. They came into the paddock with me and milled around while I cleaned the girls' shelter, then came to look over the goat shelter. At one point there were six of us clustered around a wheelbarrow full of hay, which was quite something I can tell you.

Dora came out with me, sporting her Puppy Parka, and the cats of course, gambolling and galloping around like the small furry and well-fed bundles of energy that they are, and the goats too. Our multi-species doings about the yard have taken on a whole new dimension. I mooched over to the picadeiro to collect the fork, and they all mooched over behind me: Angie, lagging behind, proceeded at a brisk waddle. Fork prcoured, I walked back up the yard and looked behind me to see them all tottering along to catch up. Feeling puckish, I started to run. Oh God - I'd have laid strong odds against Angie having a higher gear, but bugger me backwards over a rusty barn door if she didn't break into a gallop, along with the other two girls. I've never seen anything quite like it, and couldn't continue my run because I was too busy whooping with glee. There's nothing quite like a galloping goat, I've learned, especially a well-padded one, to raise your spirits.

It's about -6 or so tonight and we've brought the girls in again. Boys are in for the first night of the winter, mainly because heavy rain is expected tomorrow and at these temperatures it's going to turn the place into an ice rink. We'll make a small area outside the stables for them tomorrow so they can come and go a bit. If the girls' paddock is too dangerous they can go out in the picadeiro. The joys of winter.