Bulls, goats and an excuse!

I’ve been away a while.

But, in my defence, I’ve been busy!

Three weeks ago, I went out and collected two bull calves, not the calves that I had arranged to collect, but that’s another story. All the same, I came back with two young lads, one three days old, the other seven days old.

Now, a lot of people would say that they were too young to be taken from their mothers, but the fact is that they already had, and they were destined to become meat. And, on the third day, when the youngest wouldn’t move, despite, Ellie, my oldest dog trying her best to get him to respond and panicking when he wouldn’t, I would have agreed.

However, after an afternoon of constant attention, he rallied and, I am still the happy owner of two active and friendly young lads.

Why have I bought two bulls?

No, they aren’t going to become my BBQ, I am raising and training them so that they will be able to pull my vardo (gypsy wagon) and we can tour.

I hadn’t gotten around to naming them, but someone suggested that they should be Bill and Ted because they were going to have an excellent adventure. I guess that considering their alternative, yes, it was going to be pretty awesome for them.

My plan is to video the entire process, from arrival to the day when we finally pull away from the woodland glade that is presently my home. Unfortunately, batteries and the calves have had a different idea.

By the time I got around to replacing the batteries in my camera, the calves had already taken it on themselves to come to me when called and walk by my side. So, we will be playing catch up when I finally get to posting my videos.

A brief back story for those that have just joined.

I embraced my coming homelessness (when a friend pulled the plug on the rebuild that I was looking after for him), and I decided that I would travel, the old fashioned way, with my self built gypsy caravan and my (then) two dogs.

My goats had gone to a friends home, where I was assured that they would have a good life and, my biggest problem was deciding on an ox (or oxen) or a horse as the power to pull my home.

Having taken my goats back, because the quality of care that they were receiving was far below what was promised, the fact that I now have three dogs after meeting a free spirit on the track to the local village and, having decided on oxen, I am now living in a small woodland glade and considering the final rebuild of my home (it’s on version four at the moment, set up as my winter home.)

So, interesting times are ahead as I cut the final ties to ‘normal life’ and become a truly free spirit.

Already I am enjoying the benefits of being able to sit on the steps of my vardo, first thing in the morning, enjoying a coffee and listening to the sounds of nature. The next stage, when I will be on the road can’t come soon enough (although I will have to wait a few years, unless I can raise the funds to get an animal that I can hitch up now, and head off, training the animals as we move.)

So, how do I survive living with a very limited income? (I currently have to make do with around 100 euro month, I need to make 200 to be comfortable – as in have food on the plate every day.)

I love it! I can’t see myself ever returning to civilisation. Sure, there are challenges and I’ve been through some tough times, but I’m still here, and more importantly so are my animals.

The animals always come first. I have the benefit of understanding why I’m not eating today, or tomorrow, or at least making do with very little, my animal colleagues don’thave that pleasure, so, it is my responsibility to make sure that their needs are met.

More on that in the next post!

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