Nature is Cruel

We have had another power failure, and there isn't a drop of rain, or lightning or wind in sight!

One of our neighbours has decided to put in some complaints about these failures and to follow them up until they stop, and finally the electricity company are taking him seriously. It seems that now that most power isn't supplied by local companies that know the area well, there is less maintenance around the overhead cables.

Of course all this is being discussed with and around Ram so at least he will be growing up knowing where his electricity is coming from!

We read Harry Potter 6 in the morning but in the afternoon Ram got stuck on the computer again. . He is still obsessed with the computer, even though the carpenters have left. He is still very stressed about the whole thing.

Of course some of this is educational. Ram has been studying The Trojan War again!

While he was on the computer I was able to do some more work on the response to the consultation on the guidelines for home education. It is hard work sometimes getting the ins and outs of home education and Statements and special educational needs. I feel like my brain is melting, but I know it will be worth it in the end as it will hopefully make the local authorities treat all children who home educate equally, whether they have SEN and statements or not.

This evening we got an emergency call from the farm! They needed to urgently take this years ducklings over to the main village pond as they had become poorly and were dying. Ram is still really fond of the ducks that we had in our garden, and thinks of Petra, George and Fred as his.

We rushed through our supper and then went over to help them round up the remaining ducklings that were still healthy. Ram was very good at it. We put them in a cardboard box and walked over to the pond and let them out. We stood and watched them for ages.

There is a goose on the pond and it is very protective. It helped Petra keep the ducklings with her – all except one!

One little one was clearly not as well as the others. It didn't have enough oil in the feathers to keep afloat, and made its way back to shore. It was clear that the other two ducklings were being rounded up every time they strayed, but both Petra and the goose left this poorly one on its own.

Nature may seem cruel, but it does have its reasons. By isolating the one poorly duckling I guess they were making sure that the other ducks didn't catch what ever it was that was afflicting it.