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I realise we are reaching another stage. Having babies seems to be all about stages and they come very quickly first of all. There are all the settling in stages such as sorting out a routine for feeds, baths, changing and sleeping. Just when you feel like you have got it all under control, it all changes and there are you are again, back to juggling 20 balls when you had got it down to three. And, as I say, at first this happens every few days, then gradually every few weeks. Then you get to the bigger changes like moving around, standing up, cruising on the furniture and walking. And all the while the food is developing, going from milk to purees to little lumps to bigger lumps.

Anyway, I feel we are moving on to another stage and growing out of one or two of our suppliers. So I thought I would make a note here of the companies who we have found to provide good products, a good service and have enjoyed working with over the last couple of years. Some we will continue to do business with I hope for many years to come, but James and I would like to recommend them to you if you haven’t come across them yet.

Raindrops: The suppliers of James’s boots and waterproof trousers that have been admired by many. Their products are well made and are delivered fairly quickly although you do sometimes have to wait as the waterproof trousers in particular are so popular they sometimes run out.

Yellow Moon: A huge range of art and craft products, and kits. Yellow Moon will give cash back to your local school or nursery so find out if they use them and then just add their code to your order to support your school or nursery.

Letterbox: Excellent for toys and all sorts of personalised things too. They supply the name labels that you need to sew or iron into clothes for example, and James’s named lunchbox came from Letterbox. And they are great for birthday presents for other children too. Ask for their catalogue to browse - there is so much that its much easier than trying to look through everything on their website.

Red House Books: Even though we have our own Spiced-apple Bookstore, we still want to promote Red House. They do a lovely range of children’s books sorted by age range. If you get their monthly newsletter then they also include little articles by children’s author’s, illustrators and reviews from the children themselves.

Nippers: Nippers were brilliant for those first major things you need to buy. Their shops are all run by mums who have been there done that and know just what is good and what isn’t. The nearest store to me is as Whaddon near Royston but they have a store locator on their site. Nippers also used to run mornings where you could get hand and foot prints put on vases and plates which they then fire for you. Great for Christmas presents that first Christmas.

Or there’s Bricolage: based in Newport near Saffron Walden.

Baby hand and foot casting: We had a cast of James’s little foot made for my Grandmother, James’s Great-Grandmother, who can’t see too well. But she could hold and feel his little foot. There are lots of places that do it. The nearest to us was Elsenham. But there are kits you can get to ‘do it yourself’ too.

And I don’t know where we’d be without Cheeky Monkeys Playbarn - from toddler up this is a great place for the boys to wear off their excess energy (and girls too of course!)

So we hope you enjoy browsing some of these sites. We’re not on commission, honestly! but like to pass on useful information. And if you come across similar suppliers that you would like to recommend then please let us know.

(Disclaimer: the following article is my experience on a potential lameness. If you are in any doubt, at any time, about the health of your animal, then call your vet. Do not hesitate.)

It is one of those decisions that I hate. Do I need to call the vet or not? There are so many factors involved in one of these decisions. Obviously first is the animal’s need. Having the vet out is not known by many animals as the most pleasant experience, however good the vet. So if its not really necessary then it would seem better not to. But it is much better to call earlier rather than later. If a situation has deteriorated then it can mean a lot more veterinary intervention which could have been avoided.

Then there is the timing. Invariably whatever is going to happen, happens on a weekend, or in this case a bank holiday weekend. And don’t forget this isn’t just a matter of popping an animal into a carry basket and going to the surgery. With donkeys it is always a call out job and over a weekend that means an emergency call out rather than just the standard ‘farm calls’ that are bookable during the week.

And finally there are the circumstances of the problem. In this case Pru - its always Pru - or very often. Margo tends to get real emergency things like something stuck in her eye - vet call, no hesitation. Pru goes for the more under cover stuff when she might need a vet or she might just need to stand in the sun for a while and rest. Anyway, in this case, Pru had had a little bit more grass on Thursday than she had of late. I had also got some nice new barley straw which I had decided to feed along with their hay, i.e. a change of diet. And Pru is so sensitive to things now that any slight change can have an effect. And the straw was so nice I had got a bit carried away and given quite a large section of straw the day before.

Finally of course there is her general medical history. She has laminitis and has had for many years now. She also has bad hips. And both donkeys were in season leading to some boisterous playing around and probably Margo jumping on Pru’s back, not to be recommended when you have bad hips.

So when she came out of the stable just occasionally lifting her back hoof off the ground on Saturday morning, what do to?

Well Friday night I had checked their feet and there was some heat in that hoof. (Always keep a stable diary and keep a note of such things, as well as what you have fed them that day.) But there was no heat Saturday morning. I checked the foot carefully, cleaned it out and checked the white line which didn’t seem to have any stones or holes. The white line is the part of the hoof between the sole and the outer wall. It is where donkeys commonly get something called seedy toe and as the white line disintegrates is can lead to little tiny bits of soil or stone tracking up into the hoof and causing an infection. This creates an abscess which often needs poulticing and certainly needs veterinary and perhaps farrier intervention. (Image from: http://www.miniaturesforu.com)

I walked her up and down the yard and there was no sign of lameness. Her back was dipped gently and naturally. (Another tip - watch your animals closely and get to know how they carry themselves. They will show signs of pain in their body. If Pru is uncomfortable on her feet, she will hump her back in an effort to relieve pressure on her feet.) And she was looking relaxed and happy. She ate her breakfast and tucked into the hay (with less straw this time) quite happily.

I checked on her later in the morning and then again towards the end of the afternoon. She was wandering round the field with Margo. So perhaps she had just slept oddly. Perhaps her back was aching from Margo leaning on her. Perhaps the straw was too much of a quick diet change. Perhaps it was all of those. But for the time being anyway we don’t need to disturb the vet. Thank goodness.

As I said at the start, this is just my experience. I am not a vet but I have got to know my animals over the years and I would recommend you do the same. Watch them and learn from them, and if you are in any doubt then get the vet out. Most surgeries provide a 24 hour service and if they only come check your animal and say it will be fine then that is much better than missing something serious.

1. Check your animals every day
2. Watch and learn how they move, what they do
3. Don’t ignore any signs of unhappiness - not eating, drinking, interacting with companions
4. Keep a stable diary and make a note each day of what you feed and anything unusual - it really doesn’t take a minute and can be invaluable
5. Check your donkey’s feet regularly and learn their natural temperature and condition
6. Have the farrier out regularly
7. If in doubt - call the vet!

Happy donkey-ing!

Resources:

1. The Laminitis Trust
2. Seedy Toe
3. Books:
1. Keeping a donkey
2. Donkey Breed Society Books

Finally it has been necessary to remember to pack the sun hats, sun cream and drinks when we set off on a trip. After weeks of rain we have been getting a little sun and the 1st August was a sunny day. So when James and William set of on their next trip out it was with the sun shades up and a picnic packed in the boot.

We were off to Hatfield Forest, Takeley near Bishops Stortford, a beautiful old Forest that was the hunting ground of many Kings over the years and is now owned by the National Trust.

Hatfield Forest was mentioned in the Domesday Book (now awailable on line!), passing from King Harold to William the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings. It is thought that Henry I developed Hatfield Forest as a royal hunting forest in around 1100AD.

Not that any of this particularly bothered two small boys, sitting under the shade of one of the huge oak trees in the forest, consuming crisps and sandwiches like they had gone out of fashion. They were slightly late having lunch as the driver (me) had got a little lost getting there. But we were still in plenty of time to enjoy our picnic before setting off to see Mr Muddle.

Mr Muddle’s Magic and Theatre Show was why we were in the forest at all that day. We all sat around on the grass and enjoyed the antics of Mr Muddle, his Uncle Monty and Pete the Plumber who was actually a pirate. The children enjoyed it and joined in wriggling their fingers to make the magic work and calling out enthusiastically when Pete (Pirate/Plumber) tried to steal Mr Muddle’s sandwiches. And the way he could put his hand into a box and have it appear in a window way behind him was amazing! It was hot sitting in the sun but it made such a pleasant change from all the weeks of rain and the ice creams and drinks we had afterwards were all the more enjoyed.

We sat by the lake, just outside the Shell House to eat our ice creams and then had a walk round the lake and into the cool of the trees. We found thistle down to look at and the boys enjoyed climbing around the trees before we made our way back to the car.

There are all sorts of events on in the Forest including regular clubs for children. There are plenty of walks and cycle rides and schools can book educational visits too which I think is really good. It’s a beautiful place to find nearby. (I would just like to find a way of getting to it without having to go round that horrible huge Stansted airport roundabout!) We will definitely have to try some more of their events.