Introducing our correspondent - Carol Ogborn
Hello. Since I’m new to the Countryside blog I thought a few lines of introduction might not go amiss. I live in the New Forest and have done so for many years. I certainly won’t see twenty one again but I cannot do anything but live with that. I still work full-time, am a grandmother of three with another on the way and fairly live and breathe animals of all sorts.
I used to farm on a small scale, sheep and cattle, and pigs in the early days, but pressure of only having rented land finally got the better of me. I still have a few chickens and an odd ewe. Strangely, I miss it still, despite the winter weather, the lifting of heavy machinery at haymaking time and the daily rounds of feeding and caring.
I have a Friesian horse who is known as ‘Barbie’ for all the obvious reasons, although that isn’t her proper name. She is a dear girl, if a little ditzy at times, and I was very lucky to have found her. I also have a largish mountain dog and have just acquired a puppy of the same breed, who will be known as Yogi and Boo. I show the dogs for fun and we seem to have done quite well. I like gardening, growing my own herbs for cooking and medicines, reading and all sorts of crafts, such as spinning, weaving and knitting. I occasionally carve or turn wood too!
I suspect any other information about me and mine will turn up over the course of the coming months.
Carol writes
Walking the dogs by moonlight. How romantic that sounds, the silver white moon shining through the thin twigs, the tree trunks, black silhouettes and the ground an indeterminate grey. Breath steams in the cold air as a tawny owl hoots nearby and the world is quiet.
Oh how I envy the owl’s eyesight on these evenings, as I trip over lumps of old gorse wood, catch my food on a heather hummock and the dog’s 25foot line snags yet again on the brambles.
Last week at least, I could actually see by the moonlight, as it was indeed beautiful, but it’s only the foolish who look up to see it with so many traps underfoot. The dogs think it wonderful as they weave in and out of bushes and trees but I have to be honest and say I find it quite exhausting.
My eyesight is fairly good and I probably see better in the dark than most due to a strange eye function which means my eyes don’t close down properly in bright light. It seems to work well in full moonlight too so I have been walking the dogs after seeing the horses. It’s about the only time available now.
Luckily the horses are living out still, even now, although I did rug my mare last weekend, mostly to stop her getting so dirty. My partner is in hospital again, this time with pneumonia and a serious heart condition, which we were totally unaware of until last week.
This changes the balance of my days considerably and the dogs are missing out on walks, the horses have had to stay out with a small feed once a day and I only have time to type about 5am.
The rest of the day is taken up with work, visiting and answering the telephone and repeating the same news about six times an evening. But it is wonderful to have so many good friends and I have had many offers of help.
We will find out today if major surgery is to be performed and if he will be home for Christmas.
I will take this opportunity to wish all the readers, co-writers and the Blog staff at NFU, a very happy and peaceful Christmas and look forward to the New Year with hope.
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