Where I milk, we Autumn calf, which is calving the whole herd as Autumn starts, with practically everything calved in by Christmas. The heifers are for the best part all calved in by early Autumn, but this year there was one little heifer that had not gone on with the main batch. Most of the heifers are Artificial inseminated (AI) and then the Angus bull they have runs with the heifers during the summer picking up any thing that may return. Steve who I work for at the end of the summer has anything he is unsure is still pregnant, Pregnancy diagnosed (PD) and this little heifer who he thought was not pregnant was around 3 months pregnant.
She was a bit small, but nicely made. More than often it is not a good omen when a heifer takes so long to get in calf, but she was given the benefit of doubt and hoped that she just was a slow developer, a bit immature and needed to grow on a bit more, as the reason for not going in calf at the same time as the others.
With all the rest of the heifers calved in he decided, because this little heifer was so far off calving to run her with the milking cows, during the winter and for the last five or so months, this little heifer has been skipping through the parlour. What at first was a little heifer a bit nervous of my touch, became happy to walk out of the cubicles with my hand gently scratching her rump. Then it happened, I should known better by now, but one morning getting her to rise out of the cubicles, it slipped out without thinking, a name. I said, "Come on little Tinkerbell, time to get up." "Setting myself up for nothing, but heartache," I told Steve, when telling him about accidentally calling her, "Tinkerbell," shortening it to "Little Tinks."
All seemed well and Little Tinks blossomed and grew a bit more, although still a bit smaller than her counterparts. She even got to know her name and around a week ago she was removed from the herd and put in the calving shed. She was nearing her time to calf and last Saturday morning I left milking knowing that by Tuesday morning when I milked again she would be calved. Milking this morning Steve arrived in the parlour and told me Little Tinks had produced a lovely tidy Angus bull calf, seemingly easily and she had then hemorrhaged really badly. The vet was called and they hoped that they had stopped it. She went through the night, but in the morning she tried to get up and hemorrhaged again and died within a couple minutes. Steve said he had never seen a cow lose so much blood after calving and the vet seems to think that because she was late getting in calf, may indicate that she hormonally was not quite right and the bleeding was likely caused because of lack of production of Prostaglandin which helps contract the uterus down and subdue bleeding from the detachment of the placenta. Even in this day and age, birth is still very precarious for mother and baby.
There is saying with farming "If you got livestock, you got dead stock." but it still does not make it any easier losing stock. I have told myself not to name a cow again. I've told myself that a few times over the years though milking cows, but I have no doubt around the corner there is another cow waiting for me to forget myself. 

We've sorrow enough in the natural way, 
When it comes to burying Christian clay. 
Our loves are not given, but only lent, 
At compound interest of cent per cent, 
Though it is not always the case, I believe, 
That the longer we've kept 'em, the more do we grieve; 
For, when debts are payable, right or wrong, 
A short-time loan is as bad as a long - 
So why in - Heaven (before we are there) 
Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

By Rudyard Kipling

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I received today an update from Tracey for Bertie who was from our Brittany/Cavalier litter from last April, so our Bumble and Blottie's brother. Before Tracey meet him and named him, he had rather stolen my heart and I had called him, Mushroom, due to a button of brown on one of his ears, so Button Mushroom. Mushroom works his portfolio and my heart If Mushroom had been a girl I certainly would of kept him, but he found his place in Tracey's family.

"Hello Jane 

How are you? Sorry it's been so long since we've updated you but we've had a mad few months! 

Bertie is doing very well - he couldn't be more loving and affectionate. He's been a real comfort this week as we sadly said goodbye to our cavalier Rosie who was 11 and a half. 

His recall is still very hit and miss and we mostly use a very long training lead so he gets a run as he's gone missing too many times! His hunting instinct is very strong and he's tracking the whole time !! I think that must be the Brittany side of him. 

The cavalier side wants to say hello to everyone we meet and he's so lovely with children. 

Here are some pics of him with his doggy friends 

Love Tracey xx"
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​And my reply to Tracey,

​"Hello Tracey,

sorry to hear about Rosie, she looks a very special old girl. Never easy saying Good bye.

The recall with Bertie is more likely from his Mum. Smudge can have very selective hearing and has a very strong drive to track prey. Henry although a working breed, has a very good recall. Funny with the two girls we kept. Bumble's recall is spot on and when out she is glued to us, but Blottie was okay and then went through a phase of trying us, but seems to of turned a corner and is getting back to coming most times of first call.

A really good place to get for help with recall is a Gundog trainer. If you want some help with his recall you can find a qualified Gundog trainer in your area through the The Gundog Club — Gundog training for pet and working gundogs

Thanks for letting me know how Bertie is and that he is a help after losing Rosie.

Kind regards

Jane xx

Just a group of photos of Blottie and Bumble our two Brittany/Cavalier girls that we kept back from our first ever litter of Brittany/Cavalier pups, born last April with Mum, Smudge and Dad, Henry. Showing how much improvement in the skull shape for better health function for the dog is achieved with this cross.

Time is going on with Treacle's gestation. She is due around the 14th April. This week I will get the Whelping box ​and the labour ward in situ for Treacle to get accustomed to. Really interesting to see what look we get with this litter being 3/4 Cavalier/1/4 Poodle. 

Thankfully, I have her two beautiful daughters to carry on her genes Bumble and Blottie.

I'm not big on going in to town at the best of times and Bert with his brother, Alfie were meant to be Clay pigeon shooting (​Bert's 16th Birthday treat) and I would be cutting it fine if I had carried on queuing in to town.
Thankfully the dogs got run out this morning before the heavy rain came in, but my husband, David just rang me from his car, watching the two boys in the wind and rain trying to shoot Clays and funnily though, they were happy has two pigs in muck.
So for dinner Florrie asked if she can make her Vegetable, tomato and pasta soup and a lattice loaf. As she told me, "It is soup weather, Mum." I have some cooked Chicken breast that needs using up, so I told her that she can make it, adding the chicken to it.

Poppy does look like her Mum and sister, Treacle who will be having a litter of pups soon. The scones are a Westcountry recipe that is plain, no sugar and uses SR flour along with baking powder, which almost guarantees a good rise every time.
I'm afraid the killing fluffy toys is a Reggie trait. Reggie can also undo zips and kill dog beds, so all our dog beds have those flaps over the zips sealed with Velcro, but occasionally he can still kill them if the Velcro is getting a bit dodgy. You go in the utility and it looks like a snow storm of fluff.
Thanks Julie for staying tuned to the blog and as always lovely to hear about what Poppy's up to. She is super cute!