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Title: A - Animals
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Blog Entry:   I grew up on a farm where there were lots of animals. We had over 400 Merino sheep. They were shorn for their wool each spring and the wool was packed in Bales and transported to the Wool Markets to be sold. Every ‘lambing’ season there were always one or two newborn lambs where the mother may have died or refused to accept her offspring.    These cute little lambs when found,   were brought home by my Father where we kids would bottle feed them with cow’s milk until they were old enough to eat grass and fend for themselves. They became so attached to we humans it sometimes became a problem even when they were adults, putting them back with the flock to live.   They were very adept at crawling through fences to return back to the home paddock near the house.     Then there were the Dairy Cows that had to be milked every morning and night. This we kids did by hand having 3 cows each to milk in the mornings before we went the 5 miles to School and on returning home in the afternoon. The milk was then separated and the cream sent to the Butter Factory.    Some of our cows had  ‘classy’  women’s names such as Peggy, Roma, Alma, Bronwyn, Petunia ….Then there was Bunty and Pet the two quiet ones that we all learnt to milk on.  They never kicked or fussed around and seemed to enjoy having us around.     Of course there were the baby calves which we also hand fed with bottles until they were old enough to drink by themselves.   Another chore we had to do before and after school.  My father never worked the farm with tractors.   At that time not too many farmers had them.  Instead he used the Clydesdale horses.    They are such beautiful placid giants.   It never failed to mesmerize me to watch those horses in teams pulling ploughs turning over the soil for cropping, or pulling the wagons/drays, Binders etc.  Never out of step and in beautiful formation as they worked. Then of course there was ‘Sally’.    Sally was a ‘quarter’ draft horse.   She took us to school pulling a sulky/Buggy.  She was the sweetest natured horse that I have ever known. My father purchased her from a local Butcher who used her to pull the Meat van when he delivered meat to all his customers until he purchased a vehicle.…..When harnessing Sally to put her into the shafts of the Sulky it was not unusual for we kids to climb under her belly to reach the other side to buckle up the harness.  To her it was a ‘Ho Hum’  here we go again attitude !!. There were Chooks and chickens, Roosters, ducks, Turkeys and at one stage we had a Peacock and Pea Hen that we inherited after my Uncle died.  The Peacock would spread his tail feathers into a fan shape. The colours in his feathers were brilliant. One day my eldest brother went away for the day with friends and came home with a Baby goat.  We named her ‘Nancy”.    She was black with white socks a patch of white on her chest and a white blaze on her face.  As she grew up she would run with the cows but often one would see her ’snobbing’  the cows and running with the Clydesdales.   When she decided that she wanted some excitement and new scenery she would jump the boundary fence into the neighbouring Station Property, and run with their prize Percheron Horses.   After 3 months or so she would tire of their company and return back home. Then there were the dogs and cats. My father had a ‘Sheep Dog’ that he used to work rounding up the sheep for yarding.  He always purchased pedigree Border Collies, especially bred to work sheep.   My Mother gave my eldest sister a Scotch Collie female who had a litter of pups. Then our total of dogs increased so there were always at least one or two dogs as pets.    The cats, although pets, were essential on the farm as they kept the mouse population under control.  Often when milking the cows they would hang around waiting for one of us to ‘squirt’ some milk into their open mouths which they cleverly caught lapping away with delight!!.  that is unless my father caught us and then woe-betide us !! Hence, my love for animals.   I can’t imagine living without either a dog or cats.