Ups and Downs…

First thing this morning the sick quail was still sick, the two big silkie chicks were prancing about on top of their heater and the little bunny had died in the night. There was also a new silkie chick in the incubator, still damp and trying to work out what feet are for.

I spent three hours this morning sorting out financial problems for my elderly mother (seriously, 6 different insurance policies for 3 appliances, all of which are already covered under the house insurance??) so she’s about £100 a month better off from here on in. After that I brought the car home and set about cleaning it.

Those who know me will have realised long since that my attitude to any car is that it’s an object to get from point A to point B. I don’t like fussing with them, I don’t waste my time grooming them, polishing them or whatever. I had 4 bales of hay in the back of this one just the other day so you could cheerfully have bedded down a miniature pony in the back!

Five hours later it is immaculate. I have dismantled every bit that can be dismantled without tools, so the mats, the parcel shelf, the boot floor, the spare wheel, all the tools – everything out, shaken, brushed clean, vacuumed, reassembled and packed back in. I found three compartments in the back that I hadn’t even known there there, two under the footwells and one in the central armrest behind the drinks holders (tbh, I hadn’t actually noticed them either because I’ve never bothered pulling the arm rest down…)

Every hard surface has been cleaned with baby wipes. All interior paintwork is spotless. Once the garage have had their chance to fix the fuel computer issue tomorrow, it just needs a wash on the outside and it’ll be ready to sell.

George spent most of the afternoon watching me with a slightly baffled expression. The Arabs came and went, but I think they’re all finding it too hot to stay out grazing for long and all of them kept retreating into the barns for shade. They’ve gone through nearly seventy litres of water between them during the day – I’ve refilled the water buckets twice over, and all the bunny and quail bottles several times as well as the ferret dishes.

After all this tedious car cleaning stuff I did the evening round of critters and went off on a rescue mission.

From time to time, someone in the Scottish Ferret Club or one of the rescues centres will post on Facebook to say there’s an advert on Gumtree or some local site that involves ferrets going cheap or free. We try to get in there before the dog-fighting thugs take them to use for training fighting dogs, which is a horrible end for a cherished little ferret (not so great for the dogs, either). Last night I messaged for a pair on Gumtree in Aberdeen and arranged to pick them up tonight, so I’ve brought home a gorgeous pair of wee carpet sharks, Fido and Rambo, together with their big indoor cage, sacks of toys, litter, hammocks, treats, the works. They’re about a year old and very friendly, well-trained and lovely pets – so it’s as well they’re in my spare room and not being thrown into a shed as bait for a fighting dog.

The moment I offered them a day old chick (the dogs can cope with just one each for breakfast!) both boys sniffed, nuzzled, then grabbed and ran for it. Naturally, they both grabbed the same chick, but after some tug-of-war Fido came back and I handed him the other chick. They’ll stay in the spare room for a couple of days until we know each other better, then I’ll move them out with the other ferrets and see if they make friends or war.

I checked the other eggs in the incubator this evening – two were clear, so infertile, but two are making chipping noises when I held them to my ear and the third is dark, so hopefully the occupant will wake up and start kicking its way out soon.