This month has been nightmare tunnel which is why I am late writing this blog- I usually aim for the middle of the month but so far the weather here has been so full of surprises that it has meant a lot more problems and a lot more work At least we haven’t been flooded unlike large parts of England with the torrential monsoon-like weather. At one point we had 2 months of rain in 2 hours. In fact that was why I moved to the top of the Sussex hills four years ago after an exceedingly drenched year. We used to live in the Witterings near the sea outside Chichester but my animals would spend most of the year knee-deep in mud. The land was flat and the rain never had anywhere to go- at least here the soil is well drained and the rain runs off it albeit in torrents over the last few days. However thank goodness my new shelter was finished in the nick of time. There was enough room in the field shelter for all the 5 Shetlands and the 2 Welsh ponies but they can be inordinantly selfish so when I found Rupert the bay Shetland sodden and shivering outside while the others hogged the stable I decided a new shelter was the only answer. At least now I don’t have to rush out and put a coat on him every time there’s a deluge- usually getting thoroughly soaked my self in the process!
Katie and the 2 lambs have an enclosure in the barn but are now spending most of the day outside. I feel a little like “Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow and everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go” except that I am called Alex , there are 3 of them and the 2 lambs are black as coal! The other 7 donkeys, 2 horses, 2 ponies and 7 Shetlands all have their own stables which is fortunate as yesterday the weather was so vile they all opted to spend the day inside!
I am just so glad I don’t make hay any more. I used to be a nervous wreck ringing up the met office to try and find 5 consecutive days when it wouldn’t rain. That is the perfect time for hay making and in that period ideally the hay is turned twice so it dries on all sides. However when I discovered I could buy in hay for the same price I paid someone to make it I decided to give all the land over to the animals and buy in the hay instead thereby saving myself an enormous headache. This year it has proved to be absolutely the right decision as the hay makers are pulling out their hair trying to get in the hay. Either they have to harvest it over a shorter period which means it is still a bit damp or they risk it being totally flattened by the weight of water falling on it. I did find some top quality hay that was made before the bad weather but at £5 pounds a bale it was too expensive so instead I bought hay at £2 a bale slightly damp but anticipated it drying out in my closed barn. What a mistake! Now I know why you see so much hay stacked in open shelters. Jim, the farmer next door, put his hand into the centre of the hay bales and said that it was so hot that there was a chance they could combust and set fire to the barn. With the sheep and donkeys in there at night that was definitely not an option. Instead we have had to stack it on pallets outside at a safe distance from the barn. On top of them I have put coils of wire fencing to ventilate and over that I have put the bad- weather plastic sheeting that I used for my car this winter. I wish I could say that it has done the trick but it hasn’t as the moisture from the damp hay rises and condenses falling down in drops back on to the hay. As a result most evenings have been spent hauling hay bales into the barn, opening them up and shaking them into aerated pieces. A not unpleasant sensation as a warm mist envelops your face as the heat is released from the damp hay. This afternoon Sue and Katie , two of my helpers, and Sonia, my neighbour, came to the rescue so only 40 bales still remain outside from the original 80. But it is laborious work so I expect to be busy for a few more evenings yet!However the latest news from my hay farmer is that the field that was cut for my hay is now sitting in 4 feet of water- so he harvested it just in time!
Well at least the animals won’t go hungry for a while- the hay should last about 3 months- although I may have to buy better quality hay for the 2 horses. Nutmeg, the 13 point 3 chestnut pony was finally delivered by my friend Sue Marskell and is proving to be an absolute delight. Her blindness in one eye does make a difference though as she feels a need to be very near you if you are on her blind side as though needing to sense your presence. At first I was a bit worried about Freckles, the grey pony, as she seemed to push him out of the food, but now she realises there is enough to go round that is not proving to be and issue and in the bad weather the two of them plus Eddie, the tiny Shetland, are all happily sharing a shelter.When the equine vet came to give Marty, the cob, his vaccinations, he said that had Nutmeg been treated at the time of the accident she would not have lost her sight. Neglected as usual but with the help of antibiotic ointment and equipazolone the swelling and the weeping eye are a bit better. Meanwhile Marty and Shabba, the other horse, are enchanted with her presence and are flirting madly over the fence while she in turn has taken a shine to Rhett, Sky’s son, over the fence on the other side. But in her own field Freckles at last has a horsey companion of his own and seems to be extremely cheerful these days!
Other equine or asinine news: Hansel the new brown donkey has really been transformed and is quite a cuddler and even lifts his feet for me to pick where before he just kicked! Gretel the little grey girl is an absolute sweetheart but- according to the vet- will never be quite right and needs a lot of extra vitamins and garlic in her food and the odd sachet of bute the pain killer when her arthritic knees play up. However I have just heard of a product called “No Bute” which I must investigate. The previous donkey residents , Troy and Jacko, of the upper stable are now at their new home in Essex with a charming animal lover called Debbie. They have lovely stables and an immaculate rolling field. When I asked how they were getting on she said they were lovely but that there was just one problem- they had wanted to take them for a walk but they had refused to leave the field. I laughed- when we had taken in Troy and Jacko the former had been covered in sores from an old rug which had not been taken off. For the 10 years of their life they had gone from field to field, usually without shelter. Now they are in donkey paradise why on earth should they wish to leave!. On the equine front we are expecting 2 mini mini Shetlands shortly- one with deformed back legs so more of that next time.
Bad news or is it good news Arthur, the gorgeous cuddly Selkirk Rex has been returned by his new owner. Not his fault at all- he behaved impeccably- but the lady started to have asthma attacks so I got him back immediately. However there had not been a day when I hadn’t missed him and he is now being allowed out all night while his imagined foes(the other cats) are locked up and happily sleeps through the day when they are out. So he is back for a while. The other real disaster is that the other Selkirk , little Teddy, went into a decline again and ended up back on a drip at the vets. With a combination of drugs he has now improved but I do worry about his long term future. For such a young cat, having suffered from Giardia(intestinal parasites) from birth his immune system is very much impaired.
The lovely cream, blue eyed Persian and the apricot long-haired cat after de-fleaing, de-matting, de-worming and administering antibiotic creams to eyes and ears finally recovered and have now gone off to their new home in London. I was a little worried as they were afraid of strangers but that evening I was told that the gentle 6 year old son was sitting on the sofa with his hand on each feline grinning from ear to ear and whispering to himself “My cats, my cats”. I must say when I have reports back like that or the one about Troy and Jacko, the donkeys, it makes what I do so worth while. Another Persian has just arrived in very poor shape but more of that next time.
TIPS:
I have just read another article on animal feeds. Apparently there is now a pill for obese pets. A cat or dog’s natural food would be its prey. The only carbohydrate they would have access to would be the grain in the stomachs of that prey. Mark Elliott, my homeopatic vet friend says: “Are pets meant to eat cereal nuggets?!” I don’t think so. They are also not meant to eat sugar and it is very hard to find cat or dog food without it though Denes (some varieties) and Naturediet seem to be free of it. It often goes under the mis-leading title of caramel in the miniscule print on the packets or tins. So please watch out what you feed your pet. Nobody should need to feed their animal obesity tablets.
NEWS: Big news my new animal web site (totally separate from my acting career one) will be up and running VERY soon so watch this space. There will be lots of new pics- my volunteers and I have taken over 2000-, regular updates and adoption schemes initially, but hopefully it will evolve along with the sanctuary.It is now in its 25th year and moving on to a totally new plane. On that note my thanks to Alyson for her charming letter about my work and for her thoughtful donations to the vet and animal feed bills which as you can imagine are endless!
On that note Monday is a big day as the theatre at the Mill at Sonning- near Reading- is holding a 25th Anniversary evening with excerpts from the plays they have done interspersed with readings of animal poetry. The narrators are Peter Egan and Anthony Valentine and there are many celebrities appearing including my great friend Kate O’Mara. The proceeds from the evening are being divided between the ABC (Alexandra Bastedo Champions) Animal Sanctuary and Celia Hammond’s wonderful animal trust Unfortunately my friend Celia will not be able to be present as she is rescuing- to a deadline- all the feral cats at the Olympic site in London before the demolition contractors move in. We once managed to engineer the rescue of 77 wild cats together , but that is an episode which is being written about in my next book!
Late as usual so I must sign off, but I will update the blog as soon as I know the new animal site is out on the net.
All the very best,
Alexandra Bastedo.
Copyright Alexandra Bastedo.
23rd JULY THE NEW WEBSITE FOR THE ANIMALS IS NOW UP AND RUNNING:
you can find us at: www.abcAnimalSanctuary.co.uk
