Rain, goats and life

This month of May has been dry until now. I had just 0.5mm last week when a cloud came and sat on the hill. It's quite nice being in a cloud; maybe it matches my brain? Wet and foggy. Then yesterday a large low came bowling up from the southwest. The forecast was for light showers, but during the night there was a big WHOOSH, of wind and rain arriving together. Good, I thought sleepily, I won't have to water the plants for a day or so... and so it was.

This morning Virginia-dog was upset, as usual when it rains. She walked out on her long tippy-toes and looked persecuted. When the sun came out later her tense muscles relaxed and she lay for hours warming herself.

Similarly the goats are always upset by the rain and take it as an affront to goatdom. Usually they won't move until the rain goes but this morning they came and shook themselves vigorously at me before deciding they would go into the paddock. There was no playing up today, just four indignant goats stalking their offended way along the track to the paddock gate.

The chooks (hens) are the opposite. They wander round looking totally bedraggled but blissfully happy, scratching the soft dirt with enthusiasm. If a chook could smile, they would.

It is good to have a home day after yesterday, when as usual the best-laid plans came unstuck. Handyman David was late, so late that I rang him to find out what had happened. His family were all sick, so he had been driving the various members around to relatives where they could stay and be sick for the day. I was worried, because the slasher man was due at the same time and we had to organise things for him.There was no sign of him, however, so I just stayed with David until John the pest-man showed up. Once more, this year the termites have stayed in the trees, for which I am very grateful - so that was something that went to plan, and the house still stands healthily. I went back into the house and was about to phone Phil the slasher-man, when the phone rang: his wife to say he had a flat tyre, or more specifically his large truck had a flat tyre. His visit was rescheduled. I then had to ring Brent the real estate agent to say that the paddock would still be hairy when he came to take the photo's. However, I told him I had El's DVD of photo's she had taken at the end of last year. When he came he said he was delighted with the pictures I showed him. All he needed to do was take snaps of the pots before the frost hits at the end of this week.

Everyone left and I bustled around getting ready to go to my doctor appointment with my usual GP who had been unavailable for the past couple of weeks. Well, groan. I went in on time to the surgery to find that Dr Hudson was still operating: 'come back in half an hour or more...' I did some hasty shopping and returned. Oh, oops, they said, another patient had turned up for a minor op while Dr H was still operating on the same patient as when I called in the previous time. He was going to be tied up until early evening. Sigh. Made another appointment and came home again, having made a mail delivery to El that looked as though Santa's little elves had been busy. She has her eBay parcels sent here to avoid the problems of mail being left on her lawn in town.

Now the sun shines while the shadows already grow longer. At present all is at peace on my little hill of trees and animals.

Have an excellent evening/morning, won't you?

Cheers - Fliss