Contrary Cow!

A much younger me - arguing with Anna!

The photo at right was taken in the late 1970s when my family was just starting to settle in the Dooralong Valley, after around two years of caravan adventuring.

Goats have a reputation for being stubborn and certainly Anastasia was one who lived up to all widely-held beliefs.  I reckon though that our calf, Tea, could've given Anna a run for her money!  No kidding!

Tea will be four months old tomorrow.  She is testing boundaries, in all senses of the expression.  She is testing my patience too.   In the past fortnight she has broken out of her paddock several times, run away when transferring from paddock to enclosure (or vice versa) - and just generally been contrary!

She and I were at a stand-off yesterday afternoon.  Tea decided she didn't want to mosey along to her evening enclosure but rather did the bolt to explore the larger side paddock.   I locked that gate after her and manoeuvred Elmer to block the stupid gate leading to the main driveway.  She danced and dashed about for a while.  I left her to it.  (I have a few stubborn tendencies myself, left-over from my goat-herding days). 

About half an hour later, she'd decided I was the bigger cow and started moo-ing for her evening milk.  I brought in the washing and took my time about organising her feed.  By that stage she was happy to trot along behind me back to her "Tea-house".

I had another win - or a series of wins.  Over the course of the weekend I had refused to let her suck my fingers, while she was drinking milk from the bucket.  She wasn't impressed but wore the 6th consecutive finger-free feed - and I wore less of the milk, when she butted against the new rules!