*sigh*
Got a message on the answer phone to ring back Johanna. So I did. Turns out she's rather unhappy with my effort at picking up the horse poo in the paddock. The reason being I didn't know she wanted me to pick up all HER horses poo too!

Ok, here's what happened:
After I long reined Ed and came back, I set out to do what I actualy had gone there to do; pick up all Ed's poo in his paddock. Except Johanna told me that Rebbecca had already done it. (hmm, I won't comment...) So instead she says how I can come do some other bit or something. I wasn't sure what she was meaning, so just headed in her direction once I'd put Ed back. I was catching up to her and trying to hear what she was saying, we were in the paddock that Ed had gotten into in his first 2 days there before we gave up putting him back into the little area, and put him into the better fenced large area. This paddock is the one she has her two big thouroughbred type horses in during the day, they spend the rest of their time over in another paddock and just graze this one during the day.

Ok, so when I first took Ed up there over a week ago, he was in a small area, and when I went up the next day he had just gotten out of the small area and into this paddock, in the last 10 mins, so I put him back and sorted stuff, then left him. The next day Johanna told us she'd put him into the paddock he's in now, because he kept getting out, which is fine!

Anyway, I was trying to catch what Johanna was saying, something about this is where Ed was running around, so I was to pick up the poos here, she said something about how it's mainly her horses poos now though, but not sure of anything else. I certainly didn't get the impression I was to pick up all her horses poos in the whole paddock as well as Eds.

I cleaned up teh main bulk of the paddock, where Ed had been when he'd gotten out. I don't know, but I never thought he'd gone over where it narrows and has a 'gate' so I didn't go over there. The 'gate' is a single electric fence bungy thing at a hight higher than Ed is tall. So I had assumed he'd not gone over there, or he'd have gotten waaaaay out! I probably shouldn't have assumed I guess...? Anyway, I picked up about 30 of her horses poos, and 3 of Ed's; all the ones I could find in the main area of the paddock. I thought I was being so nice picking up all her horses poo! My arms and back and legs certainly weren't thanking me for it, and it turns out no one else is either.

Johanna said on the phone there was heaps of poo left in the paddock, and how she'd understood I was going to pick it all up but I hadn't, and I'd left soooooooo much behind. I asked where I'd missed (thinking of the area around the gate; I didn't go there so there could easily be alot of poo in that area I missed...?) but she said all over. Even load of Eddy poos. Then she said how she didn't ask Rebbecca to pick up Ed's poo in his paddock, but she'd said she could, and how the other option is for her to charge me for grazing and pick up all the poo herself if she had time, but she doesn't. I was a bit shocked, I never guessed, so I didn't say anything but sorry really, now when I think back, I wonder what the heck was up! I mean I'm more than happy to pick up my horses poo, I'd always agreed to that, they have never ever ever said anything about me picking up their horses poo. If she had asked me to today, I hadn't realised it. But why did I have to pick up all her horses poo? Ed was in that paddock for periods over 2 days, over a week ago, and her horses have been in it for most days all day long for over a week. It's not my fault someone else picked up my horses poo, so why am I suddenly in the bad books for picking up extra?

Ok, I can understand if she thought I was going to pick up all the poo and I didn't, so I am very sorry for that misunderstanding!! I had thought she wanted me to clean up Ed's poo, and I cleaned up alot of her horses poo while I was there so thought I was doing good.

But what is grating me is that why did she expect me to clean up all her horses poo in the first place? Ok, I'm freeloading off her for grazing, but she DID offer it, and said I was just to pick up Ed's poo twice a week...I do it quite happily every 2-3 days when I can afford to go up there. So why, when I didn't ask Rebbecca to pick up Ed's poo, do I now have to pick up her horses poo? Is she just finding me work to pay for the grazing, seeing I had 'missed out' on picking up Ed's and she wanted me to do some...? But then if that was the case, our plans of having him in the small area, and her saying he won't need his poos picked up at all in there meant I would have been doing nothing, and she was happy with that...

Maybe she was put out by me saying no today to Rebbecca taking Ed places...? Maybe Rebbecca was put out over me taking Ed out and not her, even after she'd cleaned his paddock...? Maybe Johanna is now feeling used and wants me paying my way a bit by helping out more...? If it's the last one, then I'm sorry, but She should say so directly! She offered the grazing with no strings attached, I would just pick up his poo from the paddock he's in now, is she changing the 'terms' on me maybe?

Ack, I dunno. I'm feeling pretty upset and put out by it all. I'm just hoping I can take Ed to Rachels tomorrow and stop this stuff from going on and getting into a good freindship! Then at least Rachel can become more of a 'buisness' relationship with me dealing with her simply for Ed, rather than making things akward between freinds...

I'll go up and drive past tomorrow. If Johanna's ute is there, I'll carry on. I don't think I could confront her yet. If it's not, I'll go in and talk to Neil, tell him I'm really sorry about the whole misunderstanding and I'll go pick up her horses' poo I missed if that's what she had wanted me to do. And I'll remind him of how I told him I was seeing grazing down here last week, and that I'm seeing her today and we might be moving him away anyway.... I dunno. I'll have to talk to Johanna anyway probably, because I'll be taking Ed away tomorrow wether she's there or not when I drive past! I think I'll be taking Ed away even if I can't take him to Rachels, and tether him here. Or see if Rachel will take him for a week or so until I get him more grazing in the neighbourhood. If THAT fails, he can go to Alex and Merrals, or to Margarets, or even HD's!

*sigh* why does it have to be so complecated! I miss having our own land even MORE now!!!

Anyway, on a good note, me and mum made our first felted teddies tonight:



(both pics the same teddy, I'll take pics of mums one tomorrow)