L
LKSF
Pennine Hillbilly
To not like something or someone is perhaps due to not knowing them 
Sorting out the drainage in the lower field and other gubbins. An apprentice digger driver writes.
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
sad about the little kitten's inherited issues, but very often the case with feralsAnimals
So after the old cat had passed we took on two rescue kittens and one sadly had to be put down. He was a lovely characterful chap, quite vocal, trusting and friendly to everyone, but some of his internal organs began to pack up. The local vets couldn't cure him and offered the name of a specialist who wanted umpteen £K up front and no guarantees of what it was or if they could help. They were miles away and by that time he was on a drip and very weak so we were forced to say goodbye.
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That left his sister on her own. Another unwanted kitten was sourced, again from a charity, so Harry was picked up and brought in.
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It was then I was offered a 7yr old Cocker whose owner didn't want him anymore, so I drove up to Scotland to pick him up. It all seemed quite sudden, but it's important to get animals all in at the same time as there are less territorial issues.
The kittens are now nearly 1yr old so young cats, they've settled in well and the veg patch doesn't suffer from rabbits anymore. Make no mistake, they will annihilate your food, but Harry likes hunting and enjoys a bit of rabbit so all is well in that department.
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Doggo has spent all his life living outside in a kennel so has had to adjust and learn a very different and better way of life, he has his issues, tests our patience and budget to the limit, but he's in the best place he's ever been now. He's a big softy who loves people, his bed, running around and food more than anything else so is enjoying the second half of his life. Being the way he is it must have been absolute torture for him to be locked up on his own for so long. I think this is why his teeth are half the height they should be, he's ground them away with boredom, loneliness and frustration.
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Because of his temperament he gets on with everything and everybody, cats, vets, postmen, pheasants, sheep, people you name it, he's friendly with all.
I was out walking with him in Summer and he came out of the undergrowth holding a chick in his mouth, he gently dropped it by me and it ran off back to it's parents whilst we watched.
All 4 of us go for a walk sometimes leading to some interesting meetings:
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Landowners and farmers round here make money from breeding game birds then charging people to shoot them. They're not interested in food, just shooting (which seems a bit pointless to me), but it works. The outcome is loads of free pheasants for us peasants. I eased myself in by taking a bootload last season, then a van full this year. There is a great possibility of them going to waste so I offer them whole for free to locals, a charge for them 'processed' and also sell some proper winter veg alongside.
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I give some of that and more to the local drop in centre for the homeless and skint, my instructions always are that the volunteer staff get first dibs and whatever is left goes to Joe public. I think you've got to look after the people who are looking after the people first, they're the real heroes, they've even opened up today.
Pheasant burgers:
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When snow covers the ground the hunters can't see the prey so I put some food out for them:
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Some dog turd has let two un-neutered cats go and I think they live feral, they got together and with some spectacularly bad timing had kittens near us after we'd got ours. They soon abandoned them so they started coming to us for food:
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I borrowed a trap from our friendly neighbourhood gamekeeper and caught them all. The people in the local village were really helpful lending us a cage to keep them in and gifting food.
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In between cowering, hissing and clawing us they started to calm down and become used to us. Males tend to be more laid back and one did let us hold him for a bit in the time it took to find new owners. If we hadn't already got a house full we would have had them all, but 5 cats is pushing it! My OH would have had them and was becoming attached. Eventually I found new homes.
One went to a farm and the bonded pair (male and female) went to a chap who lived on a quiet close with a wood and fields to the rear. He still sends us updates of how they're doing.
Everyone likes a happy ending
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... at least he didn't suffer what would have been his ultimate demise - kindest act fella ... got some lovely looking felines there now Boyocurrently working on 'calming' this one down .. reckon he's 12 months or so and 'taming' a lot easier than the last ginger refugee that turned up, who sadly had a heart attack just as we'd made sufficient progress that he was coming in and behaving himself
squeak sadly is not in the best frame of mind to be 'adopting' a new friend, but they've at least stopped sparring and I can handle the little ginger fella, reasonably safely ( a lot tamer than the scratching, biting little 'tiger' that first showed up)
Patience is a virtue, when dealing with ferals.
we (Pam) didn't really want a.n.other puss -- but she was the first one to put him some food out and has christened him Brulee ('cos his coat looks like the top of a creme brulee [apparently])
Anyway .. he's getting there slowly and has been in and had a look around, a couple of times - pretty sure he came in / out the flap the other night and devoured Squeak's supper.
S
Stroppymonkey
Well-known member
I grew up on the farm as part puppy . My first objective memory of childhood is being mildly savaged by a litter of collie puppies that I was running with. Father used to breed and train working collies as additional income. He still has working collies 40+ years later. I had my own collie at 13 and she moved out with me and survived long enough for both my daughters to spend time with her. Had a Golden retriever with a later (ex) partner and she was lovely but a complete twat and practically untrainable. These days I find a cat around the house a lot easier than having a dog. We can go off in the tin box for a day or a weekend and the cat doesn’t really give a s**t as long as someone puts food down. Dogs are a much greater tie and not something I need in my life currently. Cats are contrary murderous evil little bastards and I have no idea why they are so great to have aboutsad about the little kitten's inherited issues, but very often the case with ferals
currently working on 'calming' this one down .. reckon he's 12 months or so and 'taming' a lot easier than the last ginger refugee that turned up, who sadly had a heart attack just as we'd made sufficient progress that he was coming in and behaving himself
squeak sadly is not in the best frame of mind to be 'adopting' a new friend, but they've at least stopped sparring and I can handle the little ginger fella, reasonably safely ( a lot tamer than the scratching, biting little 'tiger' that first showed up)
Patience is a virtue, when dealing with ferals.
we (Pam) didn't really want a.n.other puss -- but she was the first one to put him some food out and has christened him Brulee ('cos his coat looks like the top of a creme brulee [apparently])
Anyway .. he's getting there slowly and has been in and had a look around, a couple of times - pretty sure he came in / out the flap the other night and devoured Squeak's supper.
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.
L
LKSF
Pennine Hillbilly
I didn't have the heart to research it so am only guessing, but I think the problems are due to them not being neutered and left to have sex with each other from the same family. This then produces animals with strange untreatable issues.sad about the little kitten's inherited issues, but very often the case with ferals
currently working on 'calming' this one down .. reckon he's 12 months or so and 'taming' a lot easier than the last ginger refugee that turned up, who sadly had a heart attack just as we'd made sufficient progress that he was coming in and behaving himself
squeak sadly is not in the best frame of mind to be 'adopting' a new friend, but they've at least stopped sparring and I can handle the little ginger fella, reasonably safely ( a lot tamer than the scratching, biting little 'tiger' that first showed up)
Patience is a virtue, when dealing with ferals.
we (Pam) didn't really want a.n.other puss -- but she was the first one to put him some food out and has christened him Brulee ('cos his coat looks like the top of a creme brulee [apparently])
Anyway .. he's getting there slowly and has been in and had a look around, a couple of times - pretty sure he came in / out the flap the other night and devoured Squeak's supper.
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That's a lovely looking cat there, hope it works out ok. Yes, lots of patience needed, but it pays off. Kidda the dog just wants to please, when I teach him a new trick and he gets it right he's over the moon. He doesn't need treats, just the knowledge he's got it right and caused me to be happy is enough for him.
As said earlier it can be problematic getting new members in when the others have been there a while, pretty much the same with humans too! When you delve in to human psychology and then study animals you see a lot of similarities in their behaviour. When either gets a bad start in life it takes a lot of work to rewind the issues caused and iron them out.
I told her we aren't getting a ginger cat, she laughed when I came home with a ginger dog
Harrycat also tucks into Kiddas food, if he's not hungry he lets it slide, but if he is then a soft growl sends him scooting off. He knows he's trying it on.
Same when he gets out of his beloved bed, often the cat will go get in whilst its warm. Most times he just looks at the unwanted visitor and lies on the rug, now and again though he gets fed up and throws himself in by the cat who gets out and walks off.
Both males are laid back, something i've observed this with 'our' owls too. The male will sit in the tree, eyes almost fully closed whilst I watch from below, but the female usually flies further up the tree.
The female cat is skittish and will only be touched on her terms at a time that suits her. Both male dog and cat don't mind being covered or dressed up even.
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V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
yep in breeding produces all sorts of genetic problems/faults/issues ... needs a wider gene pool -- same with any animals -- including us ........ just look at some of the population of the Catskill Mountains
Bru is getting to the point that he comes to me for a fuss and the occasional cuddle....he'd probably come in, if Squeak was a little more welcoming ..... they'll get there
6
6feetdown
Well-known member
I didn't have the heart to research it so am only guessing, but I think the problems are due to them not being neutered and left to have sex with each other from the same family. This then produces animals with strange untreatable issues.
That's a lovely looking cat there, hope it works out ok. Yes, lots of patience needed, but it pays off. Kidda the dog just wants to please, when I teach him a new trick and he gets it right he's over the moon. He doesn't need treats, just the knowledge he's got it right and caused me to be happy is enough for him.
As said earlier it can be problematic getting new members in when the others have been there a while, pretty much the same with humans too! When you delve in to human psychology and then study animals you see a lot of similarities in their behaviour. When either gets a bad start in life it takes a lot of work to rewind the issues caused and iron them out.
I told her we aren't getting a ginger cat, she laughed when I came home with a ginger dog
Harrycat also tucks into Kiddas food, if he's not hungry he lets it slide, but if he is then a soft growl sends him scooting off. He knows he's trying it on.
Same when he gets out of his beloved bed, often the cat will go get in whilst its warm. Most times he just looks at the unwanted visitor and lies on the rug, now and again though he gets fed up and throws himself in by the cat who gets out and walks off.
View attachment 67528
Both males are laid back, something i've observed this with 'our' owls too. The male will sit in the tree, eyes almost fully closed whilst I watch from below, but the female usually flies further up the tree.
View attachment 67529
The female cat is skittish and will only be touched on her terms at a time that suits her. Both male dog and cat don't mind being covered or dressed up even.
View attachment 67530
I didn't have the heart to research it so am only guessing, but I think the problems are due to them not being neutered and left to have sex with each other from the same family. This then produces animals with strange untreatable issues.
That's a lovely looking cat there, hope it works out ok. Yes, lots of patience needed, but it pays off. Kidda the dog just wants to please, when I teach him a new trick and he gets it right he's over the moon. He doesn't need treats, just the knowledge he's got it right and caused me to be happy is enough for him.
As said earlier it can be problematic getting new members in when the others have been there a while, pretty much the same with humans too! When you delve in to human psychology and then study animals you see a lot of similarities in their behaviour. When either gets a bad start in life it takes a lot of work to rewind the issues caused and iron them out.
I told her we aren't getting a ginger cat, she laughed when I came home with a ginger dog
Harrycat also tucks into Kiddas food, if he's not hungry he lets it slide, but if he is then a soft growl sends him scooting off. He knows he's trying it on.
Same when he gets out of his beloved bed, often the cat will go get in whilst its warm. Most times he just looks at the unwanted visitor and lies on the rug, now and again though he gets fed up and throws himself in by the cat who gets out and walks off.
View attachment 67528
Both males are laid back, something i've observed this with 'our' owls too. The male will sit in the tree, eyes almost fully closed whilst I watch from below, but the female usually flies further up the tree.
View attachment 67529
The female cat is skittish and will only be touched on her terms at a time that suits her. Both male dog and cat don't mind being covered or dressed up even.
View attachment 67530
I didn't have the heart to research it so am only guessing, but I think the problems are due to them not being neutered and left to have sex with each other from the same family. This then produces animals with strange untreatable issues.
That's a lovely looking cat there, hope it works out ok. Yes, lots of patience needed, but it pays off. Kidda the dog just wants to please, when I teach him a new trick and he gets it right he's over the moon. He doesn't need treats, just the knowledge he's got it right and caused me to be happy is enough for him.
As said earlier it can be problematic getting new members in when the others have been there a while, pretty much the same with humans too! When you delve in to human psychology and then study animals you see a lot of similarities in their behaviour. When either gets a bad start in life it takes a lot of work to rewind the issues caused and iron them out.
I told her we aren't getting a ginger cat, she laughed when I came home with a ginger dog
Harrycat also tucks into Kiddas food, if he's not hungry he lets it slide, but if he is then a soft growl sends him scooting off. He knows he's trying it on.
Same when he gets out of his beloved bed, often the cat will go get in whilst its warm. Most times he just looks at the unwanted visitor and lies on the rug, now and again though he gets fed up and throws himself in by the cat who gets out and walks off.
View attachment 67528
Both males are laid back, something i've observed this with 'our' owls too. The male will sit in the tree, eyes almost fully closed whilst I watch from below, but the female usually flies further up the tree.
View attachment 67529
The female cat is skittish and will only be touched on her terms at a time that suits her. Both male dog and cat don't mind being covered or dressed up even.
View attachment 67530
Is this wales generally or the valleys
Lancs Lad
Well-known member
Gunna say you dint need to look far
And surprise surprise did you see who kicked off about this ..
MP calls for first-cousin marriage to be banned
Tory former minister Richard Holden says the children of first cousins are at greater risk of birth defects.
www.bbc.com
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
or Blaina........ just look at some of the population of the Catskill Mountains
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
thought it was only 2nd cuzs were allowed to anyway ...... firsts're asking for troubleGunna say you dint need to look far
And surprise surprise did you see who kicked off about this ..
MP calls for first-cousin marriage to be banned
Tory former minister Richard Holden says the children of first cousins are at greater risk of birth defects.
S
Stroppymonkey
Well-known member
Firsts cousins are legal. My wife’s Cornish family has em married and breeding and my exes family ditto, and they weren’t even Cornish! Kids weren’t any weirder than averagethought it was only 2nd cuzs were allowed to anyway ...... firsts're asking for trouble
L
LKSF
Pennine Hillbilly
Harry had a good thick coat of fur on him, but TT's was thin and fine, you could feel her bones through it. I wondered how she'd cope up here in Winter, but needn't have worried, as it got progressively colder she grew a good thick coat.
Repointing a house in Summer up here with lime is very difficult. You would have thought that would be the time, but it needs to cure slowly otherwise it cracks, shrinks and weakens, it doesn't set slowly when a warm wind is constantly blowing on it and the sun occasionally shines. I sheeted the fresh pointing over, but the wind either went through it or just tugged at it until it came off. I could soak the wall and pointing every few hrs with a hosepipe, but it dried out really quickly. There is a lot of aftercare with lime, but this was ridiculous.
Winter 2023/24 was the season of the storm, one after another from Nov onwards. An early one hit the East end so hard and for so long it soaked it really deep, then the winds swung around to come from the more normal Westerly direction. I figured I could make good use of this weather and zipped up the scaffolding. I'd bought a pointing gun, but it didn't like the bigger pieces of grit in river sand. Once I started using a still fairly coarse sand, but with a lesser particle size it ran lovely. You've got to get the water content right too. It's like any new tool, (and an ASHP lol) you've got to learn how to use it to get the best out of it before dismissing it as rubbish.
After the first storms came the freeze, so time to sheet up to prevent it from freezing, a lot of people say you can't point in Winter, but you can. It just depends what it is, where it is and how you protect it. Solid walled houses which are lived in and have some heating on exude heat, you can trap it and prevent the wind and chill from cooling it to some degree.
Soon after I started a little bit of snow fell along with some heavy frost:
A bit further up here and some more snow fell:
It got down -7 out there and the frost crept around the edges there once - lesson learned, wrap the sheets around the corners. Only a few inches had a bit of spalling.
As far as I could reach on the L/h side complete there.
The stone and mortar dried out very slowly over a period of months leaving a very good strong job.
I've done the most exposed walls now, but when I do the rest it'll either be in Winter or when i've been at the wall for a while with the pressure washer.
diggerjones
Well-known member
Yeah I've done some pointing resently
diggerjones
Well-known member
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
talking of 4 in 1s ... what's this I spy Dyl??
diggerjones
Well-known member
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
ah -- it's off yer moxy ..... what width is that Dyl? .. looks 'a bucket' that
diggerjones
Well-known member
It's a Rubery Owen. Off a drot I think. Very heavy well made bucket. Same size bucket as standard what ever that isah -- it's off yer moxy ..... what width is that Dyl? .. looks 'a bucket' that
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
diggerjones
Well-known member
No it was made by Rubery Owen. Got a plate on itoriginal and best
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
yeh they designed it and made lots for Drott, initially and then made under license at a later date by Drott themselves - you've got a genuine one there Dylan ... can't be a hell of a lot of them about
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