s e v e n i s a j o u r n e y

Friday – more anime (Irresponsible Captain Tylor)

Saturday — watched the rain bucket down. LOTS OF RAIN. With thunder and stuff, but fortunately not much wind. It cleared up a bit in the afternoon & we hauled some more ragwort out of the gallop paddock. A repetitive screeching during our survey of the swollen stream out front led us to a baby pukeko that had pretty clearly been washed downstream. Seen up close, it seems even more obvious that they are born with their adult feet. HUGE FEET ! With one foundling already to look after, we decided not to take on trying to raise a pukeko (although the mental image of a cat and a pukeko that had been raised together still bemuses me). Instead, we carried it a bit further from the water, and down towards the high rushes where we know there are nests. Pukekos raise their young communally, and we could see at least one adult watching us from the cover of some scrub, attracted by the little screeches. Hopefully, the little fluffball’s been adopted.

Saturday night, Stephen went off to game, and I went to Dayna’s Hen Party. My first ! At least, that I recall…. There was belly dancing, a piñ¡´¡, drinking games, and karaoke. (Yes, I did sing. Though I was appalled at how few of the songs I actually knew.)

Sunday — more ragwort (…help … us…). Then a hike up to the Brooklyn wind turbine, and poking around some old gun emplacements. Lots of good walks up there, it looks like.

Plus, lots of playing with little Roadkill (who will probably get a proper name once we can be sure she doesn’t have any nasty viruses (and yes, Jude, I think it was actually peritonitis I was thinking of…) but will probably be stuck with “Roadkill” as a use-name much the way Rasputin is also “Puddin’”). Still not sure if her gurgling cough and wheeze is lungworms or pneumonia, but I’m thinking it’s probably pneumonia. Either way, she’s doing very well — bright eyed and active. Boy, I hope her next growth spurt evens her out a bit, though. I swear she looks like she’s been put together wrong. Her head’s too big; her tail’s too short, along with her legs. I think her back legs are actually longer than her front. It all looks much worse than it probably actually is, though, since her belly’s so swollen. It’s better today than it was yesterday, I think, but she looks like she swallowed a softball. Completely round. Oi.

This picture hides most of it: