Goats, this brings back bad memories.

I was brought up with goats. Togumburgs and the odd sarnan. But it wasn't until I bought a caravan to go behind my car about 25 to 30 years ago when I had a Volvo 360GLT which had a tow hitch, that I decided to head up north. For me it was rare to go too far outside my locality here in South West Wales. I had lost out in my years holiday the year before. We had a week off sometime in the summer and so I had to save (No holiday pay in retail work) and I was going to spend time at home, but I kept beig called into work... Every day... And so I said that I will take a week off before the Christmas rush starts. "You've had it" "You have taken your holidays". I explained that I had to come i every day and stay there ad they said it was not their fault... But they called me in! 

So the next year I bought an old caravan and I drove as far away as I dare, right all the way up to North Wales. I was in the latter half of my mid 20's and though I felt vunerable and alone, I knew there was no say I could be called back to work on my weeks holiday. 

I did phone home twice a day and my Mum said that work kept phoning me! But when I drove up there it was Wow, and wow and wow again! I reached Porthmadog and managed to find a camp site. Caravanning is easy. Soo much easier then reversing a small trailer. Reversing a caravan.. As long as I could do it on my own, first time nearly every time I could place it just where I wanted it. The only difdiculty I had was coming back home. If I was by myself I could do it every time, but when my Dad came out he would shout instructions and everything went allmover the place. I was trying to respect my dad but "Left hand down" or "Right hand down". It got all pear shaped ans my Dad was getting annoyed! It was his instructions! And when in a panic I lose touch with instructions! In the end I had to say to my Dad. Wait. Say nothing. Let me do it! Haha. And doing it this way I was fine. Was a tight spot, but usually it was straight in first go. No messing about!

Grr. Sorry. Goats! While on holiday to North Wales. The first time I saw a mountain goat. I smelt it a long time before I saw it! I was climbing a mountain. An incredible quarry system opposite Snowdon. Much more interesting then Snowdon. This had LOTS of remains of trains! Yes. I know. Snowdon has a train going up. But the other mountain... WOW! 

And when I looked up, the magifiscent sight of the male mountain goat! WOW! What a sight!!! And I saw him looking down at me from the top of the large rock he had climbed up on. It was WOW! 

Goats usually take a lot of looking after. Many die to either eating something poisionus (They have two stomaches so they can't go sick to get rid of the poisions) or pnemonia (Most breeds should not go out in the rain as their skin is not thicker then ours). Only anglo-newbiens (Which are sooly and practically a mountain goat) and the mountain goats themselves should be out in the rain.

So hearing them eating people gardens is a cause for concern because many plants in gardens are deadly for them, and being a goat, unlike other cattle and animals, they will eat poisionus plants ad they do die. So it is a concern.

Most other cattle and animals will nibble and then not go further if they find something poisionus... Though one thing that I have seen that can kill cattle is plastic bags etc. They suffocate and young cows will try to eat it. (Older cows don't bother). Is not a good farmer who leaves plastic in his field! 

Anyway... Goats. What lovely things. Easy to handle. Ok... a bit stubbern! But east to grab hold of them unlike sheep! Sheep one has to be quick. A goat... Much easier to approach and to grab hold of! :D

I saw the video of this, and thoroughly enjoyed it,  It reminded me of life in a South Wales pit town in the 60s. Every Winter, sheep would come down off the mountains when the mountain grazing got scarce. Ponies too, many of which were illegally turned out on the mountain by urban cowboys. The local animal pounds would round up a few dozen of them, and then their owners would organise a guerilla raid on the pound to get them back. 

The ponies used to come down our street at night on bin days knocking over all the bins for scraps. There was also a great deal of urban mythology about these sheep and ponies; about how they had learned to do stuff like roll over cattle grids, and get on each other's backs to hurdle over barbed wire fences. But one such story i can definitely verify. In a certain town not far away, there was a pedestrian crossing with flashing lights in the middle of the town; which was also a corridor between two stretches of mountain. i lost count of the number of times I saw sheep and ponies imitating pedestrians there. They would see a car approaching and place one hoof on the crossing, but then wait for the car to stop before they stepped across.. Most local motorists were very considerate of the ponies.

I saw the video of this, and thoroughly enjoyed it,  It reminded me of life in a South Wales pit town in the 60s. Every Winter, sheep would come down off the mountains when the mountain grazing got scarce. Ponies too, many of which were illegally turned out on the mountain by urban cowboys. The local animal pounds would round up a few dozen of them, and then their owners would organise a guerilla raid on the pound to get them back. 

The ponies used to come down our street at night on bin days knocking over all the bins for scraps. There was also a great deal of urban mythology about these sheep and ponies; about how they had learned to do stuff like roll over cattle grids, and get on each other's backs to hurdle over barbed wire fences. But one such story i can definitely verify. In a certain town not far away, there was a pedestrian crossing with flashing lights in the middle of the town; which was also a corridor between two stretches of mountain. i lost count of the number of times I saw sheep and ponies imitating pedestrians there. They would see a car approaching and place one hoof on the crossing, but then wait for the car to stop before they stepped across.. Most local motorists were very considerate of the ponies.