Tuesday, December 23, 2014

The arrival of Miss Willerby Salsa

Hi folks,
Waljan here, just to catch you up with the news and to wish you all a very good cheer at this festive season. We have had a busy year this year, and as a result I haven't blogged as much as I used to, so hopefully 2015 might change all that!
Mum and Dad squeezed in a second holiday in October and this time shot off to Cyprus  and the clubbing capital, Aiya Napa! Lol, I think they're too old for that malarky!!! Anyhow, you all know how much Mum and Dad like nothing better than a bit of snorkelling on holiday and this time was no exception. They found a place called Nissi Beach which was obviously one of these clubbing hotspots, as there was a DJ from 10am booting out clubbing records, but once you got past the shallow bit of beach which was all sandy and ideal for kids, there was a totally different seascape underwater with a miriad (gosh that's a good word for this time of day!) ahem, a miriad of different fish that they had never seen in any part of Greece before! They found some inquisitive squid that were just hanging in the water watching them and some long alligator gar fish which came within about two foot of them. I think because it was a cove and quite sheltered, the booming music kept all the predators away so they returned there a few times. They also went on the almost obligitory boat trip on Mum's birthday and swam off the boat, but then Dad wished he'd gone on the Black Pearl pirate ship instead and walked the plank, which I may say looked VERY high up!
The Black Pearl
Dad on the boat trip
They also went on a jeep safari and visited the Troodos Mountains and a Monastery.

At the Monastery
Holiday over they came home and then end of November went on a secret shopping trip to Hampshire. Now what would they be buying in Hampshire I can hear you asking.......soooooo may I introduce you to ........Miss Willerby Salsa!!!
Miss Willerby Salsa testing the lane!
Now Miss Willerby Salsa was supposed to arrive on the back of a rigid back high lorry so she would fit above the hedges down the lane but no, she arrived on a low loader! The driver promptly declared he couldn't get the lorry down the lane, soooo she had to be unloaded in the road. No sooner than she was off the lorry, another arctic from the local car sales pulled up behind, he couldn't back out of Ashdale Lane so he had to wait for us to move her. Keen to get her down the lane and off the road, Dad pulls her off and across the corner house which had a big pile of blocks in the way. Blocks had to be moved by hand and now she is straight in the lane. Edging gently into the lane, the end of the lane is now blocked totally just as a tractor comes up the lane and wants to get out! Willerby is now totally stuck in the lane and refusing to budge until we remove the banks!

The digger is dispatched, and three foot of soil now has to be removed, tractor driver still waiting. Two hours have now passed and the hydrolics are now leaking on the digger, mobile repair man summoned, tractor driver still waiting! An hour later, digger is fixed and digging resumes, tractor driver still waiting. We reach half way down the lane, enough to ease Miss Willerby Salsa into the middle of the lane so the tractor driver can bypass the lane, go through the field and out the other side, by then he had been waiting three and a half hours so was off like a rat up a drainpipe!
Digging out the bank!
Next the leek pickers wanted to get out, so they had to go through the field too. By this time the field had been cut up by the tractor driver so the van had to be pushed through by all the leek pickers, luckily there was a few of them! The only set of visitors we had in, Barbara and Maggie had come up the lane to go out, but realised there was no chance so went back!
Finally the last lot of leek pickers had to be pushed through the field and Willerby was now ready for her final push down the rest of the lane that wasn't so narrow! Finally at 4.30pm (from 9.00am that morning!) she arrived at the farm with only a small piece hanging off of her. She is now awaiting placement in January, as Dad will have to take down the fences at Swallow's Dance to get her in situ!
Sooo, after all that excitement relived, I think I'll need a lie down before the dogrun at 3pm.
It just remains for me, Donna, Blitzen and "Flip" to wish you all a great Christmas and to apologise on behalf of Mum as she hasn't managed to send and Xmas cards this year!
Happy Christmas from "Flip"
Also a quick pic of Princess Peeby in her Santa hat, I'm sure she will blog for us again soon....
Princess Peeby
and a cute pic of sleepy Fly.
Sleepy Fly!

Merry Christmas, have a great time from all of us on the Farm!
Speak soon,
Waj x