Autumn in Summer!

Yes, yesterdays weather was like that, but Pela delivered her cria, Autumn Gold this afternoon, with a little assistance from ourselves.

After two and a half days of what seemed like intermittent labour, the final push for freedom came between 10 and 2 today. I think she spotted a pleasant gap in the weather.

After humming and restlessness for four hours, a nose and mouthed pushed out, but held this stage for 15minutes as we got more anxious, so just as I had entered the vets phone number to call for help, the front legs pushed through - head and legs dangled for what seemed too long, given the previous time of nose-protrusion, so we decided to assist - we caught her, and while I restrained her with the assistance of a fence post, Mrs. Smallholder had donned gloves and lubed-up, and pulled the legs, and out she slipped. "It's a boy", I was told, but after allowing ten minutes for scent familiarising, I went to sterilise the navel, and found four teats!

It's amazing how fast they develop in the first 8 hours or so - turn away and you miss something, and I feel that while I write this, I'm missing something. Having kept them in the lower paddock for the birth and to establish suckling, I've just opened the gate to the top paddock, and after the rest went through Autumn Gold and Pela went through - Autumn charged up to the brow of the hill, where we have views across the Levels "wow, so that's what you've all been talking about!" I'm sure she said (my Johnny Morris impersonation kicking in!).

So the naming theme is apples, and hence Autumn Gold.

Having been 'lucky' enough to witness our first two births, with the attendant anxiety and clock-watching, I can see the appeal of returning from a trip to the shops or break for lunch, to find a cria sitting in your field ready to go!