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Community Home

It seemed so quiet without Albert home first thing in the morning. It’s always him who instigates the howling pack out into the garden as soon as we get up. Liz, the vet left a message to pick him up at 11 a.m. and then we could have a chat about the different cubs we have had problems with.

Managed to get a couple of letters done but there were call outs almost as soon as the day started and it’s surprising how long it takes working your way down the list of response drivers until you get one that can help – still we usually find one !!

Ozzy took his first bottle very well and enjoyed a run around the kitchen until it was time to go back to bed.

I took Rocky in to see Liz as well as his claw is looking infected. He just won’t leave it alone and only has to be left for a few minutes for him to get the bandage off. I didn’t even trust him on the journey in so anyone following a corsa van with a huge dog looking out of the back window with a great collar blanking all views, it was Rocky and me!!

Liz has put Rocky on antibiotics and poor little Albert is not allowed to jump up on chairs, no stairs and controlled walking so have had to put a dog cage in the kitchen and in my office as he is so quick at sneaking out. I’ll have to teach him to howl more in tune, bless him.

Albert - not a happy chappy when in the cage

Lots of other call outs during the day. Luckily Maggie was in this afternoon to do the phones so there was a short respite. I had someone ring up about a mallard duck with 3 ducklings in Macclesfield! Managed to pass that one on to Lower Moss Hospital at Knutsford. It’s really useful having so many contacts.

 Ozzy had his first swimming lesson in the bath this evening and loved it. He did about 8 lengths and then thought it was time to come out!

Ozzy in the bath - look at his webbed foot!

I actually enjoyed a bit of a lay in as it was my day off and Derek made a cooked breakfast, so really spoilt. I still had paperwork to do and got held up with Richard Austin taking silly photos. He had drilled through a cricket ball and put a tiny sign up as the house name ( The Ashes – of course!). Placed amongst the corn and grasses which we have in our glass tanks, he was able to photo the face of an inquisitive mouse looking out from inside the ball! It will be interesting to see if the papers pick it up !

A new HOuse for the harvest mouse, a drilled out cricket ball with the house name 'The Ashes)

Albert is still carrying his leg high so he must be in quite a lot of pain. He’s got Derek carrying him up and down the stairs but can fly down there on his own if he thinks anyone is about. He has resorted to howling if let in a room on his own for too long. I feel somewhat demented with him and Rocky to keep an eagle eye over. Thank God Simon is back on Tuesday. 

I did try an attempt of reducing the ironing pile but did not get very far – feeling very tired ( probably old age!!)

The day started with a radio show on Somerset Sound in Taunton. It’s a chatty programme that gives us chance to air our views about items in the paper and other things besides! I’m hoping someone may have heard my appeal for 4 square metres of standing wheat to furnish my harvest mice tanks but am less hopeful about someone being able to arrange a wing walking opportunity that I foolishly said I would like to do. 

When I got back to our Centre, one of our volunteers who is very knowledgeable in the wiring of cameras came and sorted a screen out to show our short DVD to visitors in reception. People still come out thinking that we are open every day so at least they can browse in the shop and see the short film. We hope eventually to show the web cams that are in many of our pens.

 We have had a heron brought in as a casualty. They are such stunning birds and it’s quite unbelievable how large they are and yet some people

Heron - such big birds

never ever see them. Around here with the rhines, they are often seen standing in the water waiting for a fish or eel to pass by.

Albert has damaged the muscle in his leg and is carrying it up all the time. We were told to put him on pain relief and to take him in to the surgery on Monday. Poor little chap has to be kept restricted which he absolutely hates and with Rocky following me everywhere, I’m sure Albert must think I have changed allegiance .

It took me almost 5 solid hours just to re stock and clear the shop in reception and it was nearly 2 a.m. by the time I had finished. I was actually the last one to bed ( Derek usually falls asleep in the chair ) but seeing as there had been no cricket due to rain, he had had a more restful day.

A very busy few days which were compounded by my agreeing to look after Rocky, Simon’s Great Dane, while he was away on holiday. Rocky unfortunately has been chewing one of his claws on his back leg so won’t leave it alone. It was therefore necessary to put a bandage on during the day and Elizabethan collar at night. Poor Albert really had his nose out of joint having to share me with such a thundering big dog. As you can see from the photo – there really isn’t much room but Rocky still felt he could just squeeze into the same chair as Albert !!

They only just fitted on the chair together!!

Even Max was fed up with the weather

Max also spent a lot of time upstairs during the week as the rain was just constant. She’s usually outside with the staff during the day but not this week.

The little Shelduck has grown and is doing well. He really does need company, we shall have to see if anyone else has any shelducks the same size.

He really does need company !

We had even more swifts brought in. That takes us up to 32 swifts this year which is three times the amount that we would usually care for. Emily, Marie and Laura have worked hard to get them to gain weight ready for release. Luckily there has been a few sunny spells when the ones that are up to weight have been able to be released. They are such fabulous birds and I love the sound of them trilling as they soar high in the skies.

So much has to go into these fantastic birds to get them ready for their journey

Ready to go !!

The alarm went just after 1 a.m. and it was two people who had picked up a badger cub that had been knocked over in the road. They were very

The fallow fawn settled with the roe kids

 upset as they had thought the person who knocked it down was stopping to help it but when they went past later it was still there. It was alive but sadly died on the journey to us. It was so kind of them to bring it in to us at such a late time. When I came back in the house, the sight of all the fawns in the cubby hole together was a delight to see.

I woke to the constant noise of the fallow fawn calling. He has been very unsettled all day so I decided to move them all down to the fawn unit. Some of the volunteers have been putting up an extra shed so that we have somewhere to put deer if we are called out to them as the red calves are taking up the deer pen at the moment. At least I can watch them on camera and I managed to weigh them as I moved them down to the unit so I can monitor their weight.

 At last I have chance to put the vacuum cleaner around the kitchen properly and the only thing on view in the cubby hole for 24 hours will be the dog or cats. There’s somebody whose pleased about it!

 Another hot day, it’s been hard to keep everything cool in the pens

Albert's pleased to have the Cubby Hole back again!