Falling Apart at the Fingers!

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Well, after another fun and busy week at the farm, i am once again on a day off and this time visiting the doctors. A few days ago i found a few bumps on my hands, which we though were a reaction to the dairy chemicals as i have just started milking full time. But the bumps have developed and spread into a rash of very painful blisters all over my fingers, knuckles and backs of my hands. They are pretty sore to the touch and sting link crazy when they burst. I dont yet know what they are, hence the doctor's visit, but i suspect cowpox or something similar. Ironic really as Edward Jenner, who invented the smallpox vaccine from cowpox, lived in Berkeley, which is down the road from Wotton, my home village! Hopefully it will all clear up soon as i am tired of wearing disposable gloves all day, held on with tail tape! All you medically minded people (inc vets) with any suggestions? i would say answers on a postcard but that would take too long...
Otherwise i am in pretty good health. Had quite a spectacular motorbike crash the other day - spectacular looking, not in terms of injury or anything (its all right mum, you can breathe again now!). I was motoring down the track to put up a fence at the bottom. Quite often there are wire gates open across the track to direct the cows, with ribbon on them so you can see them. But someone had put one up without any ribbon so i didnt see it until too late. I tried to brake but the track was quite muddy so i skidded and dropped the bike. the handlebars jack-knifed into the ground, smashing off the front brake and sending me A over T over the top, smacking the top of my thigh into them as i went. i landed flat on my back on the track but luckily, apart from a handlebar shaped bruise on my leg, i was unhurt. My boss was following me down the track but just missed me coming off, finding me sitting on the ground going owwww! He wasnt very impressed about the smashed brake but was mostly just concerned that i was alright.
Talking of accidents, Michal, the Czech guy that works here, has had the same hand stamped on by a cow twice in the same week! as the trainee vet i am usually radiod back to the shed from wherever i am to patch him up. last time he jsut had some bruising, this time she broke the skin quite nastily. but Michal said my bandaging was very good (thanks mum) and as they are coming to ours tonight for dinner, i said i would redo it for him once or twice a day until it heals. i would advise him not to stick his hand in the way, but i can hardly comment as i broke the same hand in 2 places in 4 months last time i was here!

Other than the incident above, i am generally getting a lot more confident on the motorbikes. i did my first major cow fetch the other day, when we had to bring a bunch on induced cows up to the shed. they gave us the absolute run-around, turning back every few seconds and charging up and down the fences, but it was a good opportunity to practice my turns without stalling, and i even managed to (accidently) pull a donut and spin on the spot! The Suzuki man came the other day to service the bikes so i am getting my own one tomorrow hopefully. Because everyone else already has a bike, i get the newly refurbished one, that has a stand on each side, working clutch and kick start and a horn! doesnt sound like much but mine is the only farm bike to have all of that in working order! The weather is once again pretty varied, with a good few frosts recently. Very pretty, especially with the cloudless sky for star gaxing, but it does mean the bikes freeze over night. And even if you can get them started in the morning, your kumu freezes to the seat! Although today i bought some motorbike gloves so that at least my hands dont stick any more!

There doesnt seem to be much chance of me getting to church during calving. We dont finish work until 7pm most days, and with needing a shower and town being 30 minutes away, i can just never get there in time. I have found a couple of good Christian radio stations in the car though, so i am enjoying listening to them on my days off and when we go to get groceries.

Gotta run as i've got to get to the doctors. I'll upload more pictures soon - i ahve just discovered an internet cafe down the road from our house!

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