I am an early riser normally, but having woken a couple of times in the night, I was still sound asleep until woken by the sound of cows bellowing outside. In fact, they sounded very close and very upset. I was up and running before my eyes were even open and wrenched open the curtains to find upwards of 50 bloody piebald matrons in the paddock, munching for all they were worth and the ones who hadn't found the gap where they had broken the fence down, were bellowing outside the gate. Keith and I flung clothes on and hurtled outside to try and get them out which was not as easy as it sounds as in order to get these ones OUT, the front gate had to be open, and if that was open, all the rest wanted to come IN.
The poor cowman - middle European, very little English, could only mutter "string" in strangled tones and I had a Fawlty Towers moment where he reminded me of Manuel and I was very tempted to hit him over the head with a frying pan. Fortunately sanity prevailed and we concentrated on moving the outside bunch into the yard and then rounding up the ones decimating my paddock. The fact that I had put electric fencing tape around 7/8 of my new intake area saved it. Just one cow had got in and trampled through my raspberries (and God knows she did enough damage. I have trodden them back in and am hoping for the best).
It is NOT how I wished to start my week and fencing in pouring rain holds very little allure . . .
