Nearly a year on and much has happened. It took a full three months before Polly stopped bleating when I left her at Cow Creek. They even had to reinforce one of the gates and make it "Polly Proof" because she was frantically head butting each time I walked away. It was heart breaking really.
It was a wonderful moment one day though when she walked me to the gate, let me go through it without trying to push her way out too, then she stood and watched as I walked away and when I got to the entrance she turned round and went back to join the others. As my last blog (all that time ago) said "If you love something set it free, if it comes back it is yours, if it does not, it never was".
A year later Pollyanna is very much my girl. We still go through head butting stages but on the whole she's used to her life up there now.
Without wanting to ramble on too much I think I'll just let you know that as of yesterday morning at 0400hrs she became the proud (or not so proud) mum of twins. Audrey (as in Hepburn) and Edmund (as in Sir Hillary).
I would love to show you a picture of the three of them all happy and tucked up warm together but it didn't work out like that. Here's Edmund snuggled up in a towel and safe having gone through some nasty treatment by mummy.
Just in case any of you are thinking I should have given it more than 8 hours to let them bond believe me, I left it long enough. When they were born the poor think didn't know what to do with them. It was 4 in the morning, cold and dark. She'd been feeling uncomfortable for weeks, she's all on her own and suddenly two things push their way out of her. She had afterbirth dangling down and these two things were bleating for attention.
I got to her just as the second one had arrived and she was licking them but not in an maternal way, she seemed in a bit of a panic and didn't know what was going on. When they tried to feed she pushed them away and even head butted them out of the way.
By about 9am she had already made Edmund's nose bleed by pushing him around but I tried to let them all get on with it knowing that nature has it's way of making things right.
At 12.30pm I was watching them all in the pen and while Audrey had successfully managed to have a feed poor old Edmund wasn't getting close. I had two very dear friends with me. They are a married couple and very well known in our village. I shall call them Mr Rum & Raisin and Mrs Mint Choc Chip. We all watched in horror as Polly cornered little Edmund and went at him head on. In a flash I had my wellies on and I had climbed into the pen and retrieved him.
Any doubts about removing him from his mothers care were washed away. Before Mrs Mint Choc Chip was able to dress his wounds Mr Rum & Raisin took photographic evidence of Poor Baby Edmund.
Within minutes he was cleaned up, wrapped up, fed and happily sleeping.
There's a lot more to say about day 1 but for now I will leave you of a photo from this morning. Pol allowed Audrey to snuggle up after her feed and I have to commend our girl. She got there in the end and I'm sure she will indeed turn into a fantastic mum. It just goes to show that it doesn't always come naturally.
Finally a very big thanks to Mr Cow Creek, Mr Tam O'Shanter and the very wonderful Mr Rum & Raisin & Mrs Mint Choc Chip. I had a little moment last night when I realised just how lucky I am. Being independent is great but oh how lovely it is when friends rally round when you flounder a little.
