Sorry folks, it has been months since last blog
Current mood: energetic

Sorry it has been soooo long since last blog but you can keep up to date by visitng my website www.uknaturepics.com

I have been bust with my work and helping Roy, my mate with lambing.  One of his ewes had six living lambs ouch!  she is doing well but we have been hand feeding three of them as should would not be able to cope with all of them.

We have had a little Ryeland ewe, she is called Whisty, although we do not normally name them she came into the world with some difficulty and took the expertise of three neighbouring farmers to deliver her alive, thanks Scott, Roy and David. I was working at Bransby horses home at the time sitting with a dying horse, he was very old and had many problems, and in recent weeks had deteriorated rapidly.  His name was Whisty so we named our lamb after the friendly old fellow. Working at Bransby has given me a new found confience and energy, it is physically very demanding and rewarding and I am loving it although only every other weekend, I find myself thinking about my favourites when I am not there, inlcuding Maddie and old girl who needs plenty of medication but can race of down her huge field when she wants, she is fast and friendly and has a spark for life as well as playing by peeking over the stables in the barn when I am mucking out the old donkies (one is 50) she peeks over the top until I look up, then drops down below the barrier, Maddie will play this game for ages until I reach over and cuddle her, after that she will play happily in the field with her friends until feed time. Leroy the little donkey is another favourite.  He was found abandoned and is a cuddly little boy, who calls out inpatiently for his breakfast!  Chutney, one of the youngsters is another favourite, she is a pretty cob who is lazy and slow at bedtime.  Each and everyone has their own personality and it is funny how bonds between humans and these horses can form.

Work on the picture front is picking up and now spring has finally arrived, I can catch up. I am doing a lot  of bits of work. We had sleet and snow until recently so getting the horses fit is also a priority.

Hope to catch up soon

Rosey

xx

3:21 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Hard Work
Current mood: busy

Sorry folks, not been on in a couple of months I am a bit behind with things at the moment.

Lincolnshire enjoyed its biggest earthquke for a few hundred years this week 5.2 which made a few chimneys fall in and the barn in the village collapse, my house is over 300 years old and nothing happened to it. All of the animals slept through it and so did my daughter, the windows shook and the old fireplace in the bedroom rattled a bit though.

I have started working at Bransby Horses Home in Lincolnshire as well as my usual work, it was where we adopted two horses from. It is hard but enjoyable, some of the horses and donkeys need lots of help but they reward you by not being too grumpy, well some anyway....

Our Ryeland sheep are due to lamb this month and we are preparing the barn. Ryelands look like teddy bears on their faces and have very strong personalities. Ivy,the head ewe likes to lick people and whilst I was building the new enclosure for the hens, she kept picking up my tools and moving them, I do not know who said sheep were stupid but they should meet Ivy!

I have lost some weight recently and, although still a bit to go feel human again, it is my birthday tomorrow and will be 43 (GOD) so need to get the final bit off before I am too old!

Take Care All

Rosey

10:23 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Podcast launched
Current mood: hungover

Hi folks

Sorry have not been on in a while but I have been soo busy with work and Christmas?winter fest.

We have now launched the podcast on www.uknaturepics.com

The intoduction one is on an the first of the series will be on by the end of the week.

Ponies are all doing well, Tiny, the nervy one is working extremely well but it has been wet this week so is difficult to do too much.

Moss is a year old at the end of the month and is now working sheep, I bought Jeff three Ryelands (look like teddy bears) for christmas as the are ewes and may be in lamb, it will be fun.  Looking for a name for one of them still, let me know any of your POLITE suggestions.

Regards

Rosey

9:38 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Where does the time go?
Current mood: happy

Sorry I have not posted in a while but work has been kind of busy as well as getting ready for christmas. Yes I know I am not a practising christian but we enjoy it as a winter festival as well (old english winter festivals last longer, 12 days).

The horses are all doing well, Earl the shetland pony from Bransby Horses Home (www.bransbyhorses.co.uk) has been backed by my daughter on the whole he is fine but did have a rearing and bucking session at the weeked as he did not want to leave the grass, Holly  laughed as he is so small he just looks funny! Tiny, the other horse from Bransby is still very nervous and spooky but he hides his head in our coats if he is scared when out, he is very funny who he likes though, and will not come to my friend who shares our field, yet Roy who owns the farm is like us we just softly call his name and he follows us anywhere as long as we talk to him all of the time.

Moss our young border collie has been busy learning to jump with Earl the pony, they both get on fine although I am wary of him being with the horses as Max his dad was killed last year when he was kicked by another horse on the farm. 

Seasons come and go and in the country it seems the cycle of events remain constant, the rams are back with the ewes and come March lambing will begin again, it seems odd watching the ones that were born last winter grow up and next year we we will watch them with their first offspring.

The fieldfares are back (birds) a sure sign winter approaches but with the seasons being so mixed our goldfinches have chosen to stay this winter rather than flying off to sunnier counties and returning next spring.  The bird food bill has shot up! We have had a couple of frosts but nothing to kill all of the diseases around or frosty scenes for me to photograph. It was cold enough to freeze the horses water though, thank goodness for lots of wood and big stoves to keep us warm. I am a waiting for some really cold weather and snow to go up to yorkshire and do some black and white landscape shots. I have always found Digital cameras do not give me the depth or grain that I prefer for balck and white so I continued to use a 1972 Minolta but my new Nikon together with a brilliant bit of software had finally produced the same results, so my enthusiasm is rekindled.

There, blog over. Boy my life is dull when in print!

Rosey

www.uknaturepics.com

2:27 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

In the office trying to work
Current mood: cheerful

In the office today, trying to concentrate on work but getting bored, the sun is shining so I am off out to the field to sort the horses and take some pics before the light goes,

see you soon

Rosey

www.uknaturepics.com

7:11 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Two new ponies, nine hens and a new field.

Well not only work but the home front has been pretty hectic as well.  I have sold some framed prints and am trying to decide which ones to use for next years exhibition.

On the home front Jeff had to take a few hours off so we could pick up the new ponies.  Tiny is 13.0 hands liver and white (scewbald) and Earl is a dark brown 10.0 hand shetland both are ridable so Holly has been getting them exercised along with her other pony, Fritz who has just recovered from colic after getting into a field of white clover. Fritz loves Tiny but really hates Earl so it will be an uphill struggle for those two.

We have also taken on a wyandotte hen and her eight mixed breed chicks,three female and five male we think, the boys will be going to a friends apart from one which we will keep to breed with the other hybrid hens.

We are about to take on another two acres to accomodate the poultry only renting so we can decide whether it will be economically viable or not.

All in all along with exercising the collies we have our work cut out at present. A bit of a boring news blog but hey that's life sometimes.

5:18 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Catching up with work

At last I seem to be catching up with work and therefore will more time for friends.

I have let my website slip in recent months, so I am in the process of updating it.

www.uknaturepics.com

The charity calendar is done although it nearly stalled as I was feeling rough with a cold and nobody wants to photograph nude blokes like that. It was very challenging to do, trying to have well placed items so not to offend and soft lighting but we got there and it goes to press this week (ouch!).

The animals have been taking some work, last Saturday Fritz, Holly's pony developed colic and nearly died, luckily Holly spotted it in time and I spent the next hour walking him around the field to stop him going down (that's when it can be fatal), the vet came, said he was fine and charged us £60 he then raced over to the other horses and stole their food!

This weekend we had a tearful phone call from Sally, who shares the field, her horse had spooked at a large trailer, thrown her over the hedge and ended up up to her neck in a ditch and she couldn't get her out, we immediately set off to get her out but luckily there was a shoot on, the men had stopped the shoot, closed the road and between them manhandled the horse out and helped them back to the field. It was a miracle Sally was bruised and her horse only sustained some tendon damage.

Today it is chucking it down with rain so we are limited what we can do, so the range was hot and I made jam and pickled onions, hoefully tomorrow I will be able to work, nothing as interesting as nude men though!

10:07 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

getting ready for the best assignment
Current mood: energetic

Hi

Can't stop, checking my camera gear ready for this weeks charity nude male calendar! Hope the pub where it will take place is warmer than outside this morning though otherwise I am not going to have to do much with the strategically placed items!

Cold today, have lit the Rayburn (aga) so I will be warm later, got a cold and a sore throat, still never mind at least the sun is shining!

2:17 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

What a strange jobs I will do for money!
Current mood: tired

Well  as a photographer I have always shunned jobs like weddings, the idea of dressing up and being sociable is not me, although I will photograph pretty much anything else including recently a calendar of nude men for a local pub (ok tough job but hey someone has to do it)

Yesterday though I went up a windmill, a complete, working windmill, full of flour dust and the like, being left to climb the tiny steps to the top with my mate Wendy, we were fine, until it started up.

I was was balancing one legged on a small laddder photographing the top when all of a sudden there was an almighty crash and the ladder started to shake, I hopped down and there stood Wendy and I looking at each other as the sails thundered past within inches of us and the floor shook.  The dust raining down on us like a bad Christmas scene.

We did get the pictures, we wanted along with the freshly milled flour, We came out covered in dust a creamy white haze followed us around, sometimes though I do wonder if I shouldn't go back to an office job!

6:11 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Watching the Sparrowhawk hunt over the fields
Current mood: restless

Well amongst other things, My daughter came home from school ok and is now an old hand, I am glad I let her do it as she is becoming ever independent and free spirited. She will deal with adult life a lot better if she is prepared.  It is funny though as I watch her change and grow up, I can see a lot of a younger me in her, free spirited, a bit to eager to share her own opinions, a need to try new things, maybe one day I will relocate that person in me although some will say the restlessness and love of the outdoors is still who we both are.  My daughter is extremely clever and is gifted in some subjects but even she admits that the last thing she wants is a career that will take her into an office, for her the ideal is to be a field archaeolgist something that she has dreamt of since she was four.

The other day I was down the field feeding the horses and filling Nezzies water (my mates ram, nezzie mo.) I heard lots of noise near to where the horses were and just above them was an adult sparrowhawk hovering in the light, late Summer breeze, it suddenly took a dive down to the ground and, with a short squeal flew up the young sparrowhawk.  For half an hour I watched as the two flew and tumbled in the summer skies.  I am not sure whether the adult was trying to tell its young that it was time to go or whether it was learning some valuable survival lesson for the long winter ahead. 

Autumn and winter for me are my favourite seasons, from the damp misty mornings of Autumn, with the rich smells of fallen leaves and damp grass to the frosty cold of winter with ample opportunities to go with my camera to empty fields or a quick to Yorkshire to watch and listen to the icy becks and the heady scents of a frosty moorland.

4:01 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment