These calls are almost always from call centres and are very, very irritating. Often, the moment I speak, the call is terminated. I can't not answer them because I have family living outside the UK and I am always very keen to hear from them. I have now come up with a new tactic, which I hope annoys cold callers as much as they annoy me. I don't speak so this keeps them on the line a little longer - then they hang up. I get a little burst of pleasure thinking of their frustration.
Realistically though, they are so thick-skinned (they'd have to be) that they will hardly give a toss if the call doesn't work out for them.
Bert is hanging about this morning waiting for the AI man to call. The AI man, for those not familiar with the term, sells and administers sperm. The AI man looks like Henry VIII as portrayed in that famous Holbein portrait although nowhere near as well-dressed. Henry VIII is coming to see if the heifer took from her New Year's Day insemination. We are not hopeful as the procedure has failed with her before. Her friend (and half-sister) the other heifer has a sweet little calf already and this will be the first time the AI man will set eyes on her. I said to Bert,
D'ye think when Henry VIII sees the wee calf he'll glow with paternal pride?
Pearlie has returned from a two week respite visit to the Home For The Bewildered and Sometimes Belligerent. She is in her usual good form. Not. I had her best eiderdown in the wash and got her a new wastepaper bin and she was not best pleased. I was that annoyed with her this morning that I left the crusts on her bread and butter. But we'll get used to each other again and get to rubbing along just fine.
You know what is the best bit about her not being here? It's not her not being here. It's her carers, her district nurses and her visitors not being here. There is a lot of footfall through Pearlie's part of the house and it is sometimes hard to put up with. There are days when there will be up to seven lots of people in the house. I do get fed up with it. And although I know we're lucky to have the care team I'll not be sorry when the day comes that we don't need them.
FOOTNOTE
It is with great pleasure that I can announce that the New Year's Day insemination has worked. The heifer will be calving some time in September. Yippee! This means she will not be going to market for slaughter.
9 comments:
Good for Henry V111 - A lovely name for a vet - Glad to know the heifer will be around for some time longer.
Three of the grandkids heifers have now calved out....thanks to the talents of our AI man...though he looks nothing like royality.
I always tried to keep the good but open heifers for one more go round.
GM - Henry VIII is just an AI man but I guess he knows plenty about 'vittin'
Brighid - does that mean they get to calve just a couple of times before it's hamburger time?
Nelly, at times we ran 500-750 hd of heifers. If they didn't catch in the first cycle, or after the cleanup bulls, down the road they went. We were raising 2,500 hd of steers at the same time. Cost effectiveness was ever the deciding point.
Ha! I see where you're coming from! Bit of a difference with us with half a dozen or so. It must have been very hard work.
I guess it could be considered hard work, but weither we were raising a handfull or a couple of thousand it was more about a love of the land and the stewardship of the creatures.
I've often thought that farming is more a way of life than a job or a career. Both our fathers were small farmers (it's a small country) but it is only recently that Bert has got into keeping livestock. His main occupation is horticulture - growing clematis and other climbing plants.
Wasnt Henry vii hung up on bull calves. Id have been in serious diffs, headwise, having oroduced a mere female.
Good point Charlotte. However only (legitimate) male calf Harry 8 sired didn't live beyond his teens
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