Our new gorgeous kid goat was our pride and joy born just over a week ago. So cute with her beautiful dappled grey, white and black fur and so tiny. We proudly announced her arrival on our Coombe Mill facebook site, showing off lovely pictures of her and the children and her lovely mother Houdini (more on Houdini later!).
A cloud of doom surrounded us as Dusty was our first kid goat in 2 years and so loved. I was bracing myself as to how to explain on facebook that our lovely new arrival had disappeared without trace and farmer Ted continued to search along with many guests for the next 24 hours. Finally we all agreed that a tragic end probably involving a fox had to be the answer to her disappearance.
Farmer Nick was just explaining his fox theory to the guests on Friday morning when those staying on Pencarrow (our Scandinavian lodge overlooking the river and goat field) said they had seen Dusty the previous evening skipping around with Houdini and just presumed we had found her!
With new renewed hope everyone searched again, a young kid bleating was heard and the sound quickly followed. There was Dusty hiding inside an old Oak Tree. Nick was worrying about the need to call a tree surgeon and what a shame it would be to loose the children's favourite climbing tree, when who should pop out of a tiny hole at the base, you've guessed it... Dusty!
Whether she disappeared of her own accord or whether Houdini put her there and then forgot we will never know, but we are all delighted to have her back and know that she was safe and well the whole time!
Farmer Nick and Ted have been retelling the story to this weeks guests. In fact if you listen on the video clip here you can hear Nick explaining the whole saga to this weeks guests while they meet Dusty!
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| Just 1 day Old with Mum |
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| The Children crowing round Dusty & Houdini |
Dusty, as she has been named by the guests staying this week, gave us quite a scare just 5 days into her early life. She had become the highlight of the feed run for so many children. Houdini was quite at home letting the children cuddle and stroke Dusty and the children would search her out straight away on entering the field. All was well, the sun shone and life was perfect until.......one Wednesday morning last week when Dusty was nowhere to be found. Houdini was doing her pieces bleating for her, the children and Farmer Nick had an extended feed run embarking on a full scale hunt of the field .
Now I did promise to return to Houdini, she is named after her ability to escape from any field. A lovable goat, very gentle with heaps of personality, we had long since ceased worrying of her adventures as she always returned home at night. Needless to say, she didn't give birth in the field but in nearby woodland within the estate, this was no real surprise for Houdini and we simply moved Mother and Baby to the field. Searching for our lovely lost Dusty had therefore entailed combing not only the field but all the surrounding area too, sadly to no avail.
A cloud of doom surrounded us as Dusty was our first kid goat in 2 years and so loved. I was bracing myself as to how to explain on facebook that our lovely new arrival had disappeared without trace and farmer Ted continued to search along with many guests for the next 24 hours. Finally we all agreed that a tragic end probably involving a fox had to be the answer to her disappearance.
Farmer Nick was just explaining his fox theory to the guests on Friday morning when those staying on Pencarrow (our Scandinavian lodge overlooking the river and goat field) said they had seen Dusty the previous evening skipping around with Houdini and just presumed we had found her!
With new renewed hope everyone searched again, a young kid bleating was heard and the sound quickly followed. There was Dusty hiding inside an old Oak Tree. Nick was worrying about the need to call a tree surgeon and what a shame it would be to loose the children's favourite climbing tree, when who should pop out of a tiny hole at the base, you've guessed it... Dusty!
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| The now famous Oak Tree! |
Whether she disappeared of her own accord or whether Houdini put her there and then forgot we will never know, but we are all delighted to have her back and know that she was safe and well the whole time!
Farmer Nick and Ted have been retelling the story to this weeks guests. In fact if you listen on the video clip here you can hear Nick explaining the whole saga to this weeks guests while they meet Dusty!
Glad you found her safe and sound in the end, we like a happy ending - what a story!!
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