FRAZZLE DAZZLE

.I don’t know where the time has gone. Two weeks ago we weaned the lambs…and gave Frazzle the Highland Bull a shampoo and blow-dry! All went very well as we had the assistance of Robert Tedbury from whom I purchased the bull. He has shown Frazzle a few times and is going to drive down from West Sussex and do most of the work at the Melplash Show. I could not do it without him.


Since that day the weather has taken a turn for the worst. August has been wet and gloomy. But Minty and I have continued to work with the lambs and shearlings and we are feeling confident they won’t completely embarrass us on the big day. I really want Minty to do well and win a prize, as she has trained two of the lambs. 


I have also been feeding up Frazzle to get him in show condition. He is a working bull so will never be the biggest beast, but he looks good to me. I noticed his eye was weeping last week, though, so called the vet to have a look. I moved him to the holding pen, into the race and down into the crush when the vet arrived. Frazzle was not very happy when we attempted to tie him up very securely so the vet could inject his eye. That is when I got careless and WHAM he caught me with his horn on the underside of my upper arm. My shirt was torn and I didn’t feel anything…until the vet saw blood. I had been gored by my bull! Dan was down in the barn, luckily not far away so he was called up to help. After the vet got a big bandage wrapped around my arm I went in for a cup of tea while they got the bull’s eye injected. Then off to the Bridport minor injury unit where I received 10 stitches while sucking away at ‘gas and air’. Two days in a sling and after another checkup two days later, with no infection and healing well, I am back in action. And very grateful I was not more seriously injured. I have said my prayers of thanks many times since then.


Now it is a quick countdown to Melplash Show in four days. The weather forecast is dire, but after all the preparation, we will make the best of it. I am busy making lists, gathering equipment to bring, filling out paperwork, and trying to find a gazebo to cover the bull. We will pack up the two Land Rovers the night before, only needing to load up the livestock on Thursday morning. Really nervous already. butterflies just thinking about it.


Oh, and we now have FOUR beehives (swarms collected and re-housed) and still not a drop of honey.

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