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- Herausgeber: The O'Brien Press
- Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023
As summer ends on Hazel Tree Farm, the Farrellys have a lot on their minds. Kate is doing her best to inspire the people of Ballynoe with her 'Operation Plan Bee', a scheme to protect the precious insect population. Meanwhile, Mam and Dad are hoping a new herd of giddy Angus heifers will improve the farm finances. Peter dreads going back to school, especially now he knows that rude Simon Sinclair, who has moved into the big house down the road, will be in his class. When Simon goes missing, Kate, Peter and their loyal sheepdog Blue rush to help with the search. But are they too late? The next instalment in the Hazel Farm series, following the adventures of Peter and Kate Farrelly, their parents and neighbours and a host of furry and feathered friends!
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Dedication
To all the AgriKids I have met over the years. Your enthusiasm for farming and your stories from home have inspired and motivated me. This one’s for you!
Acknowledgments
To my family, Mark and Eamon (and of course our beloved pooch Benji) as well as my parents, Mags and Dave, sisters Emily and Louise, and brother Derek. I have kept you all with me as I wrote this story. You provided me with company and comfort, and this book would not be possible without you.
Contents
Chapter 1
Calamity Calves
‘No, no, no!’ wailed Peter, as a buckarooing calf suddenly made a sharp right turn away from the herd. ‘You’re going the wrong way!’
Peter extended his arms as far as they would go to guide the cheeky youngster back to the other calves, who by now were getting far too excitable for his liking.
As he lowered his arms once again, his long cattle stick dragged beside him in the mud. This wasn’t how Saturday mornings were supposed to go. It was still the summer holidays, after all, and right now he should be curled up on the sofa with a massive bowl of Chocco Puffs watching his favourite TV programmes on the SoFun Network. Shows like Billy & Frank: Crime-Busting Pups or The Mighty Kidz: Superheroes.
Instead, he was out in the lashing rain trying to move a herd of young calves who, quite frankly, had zero sense of direction. Or, for that matter, zero sense of anything.
He had considered bringing Blue, his champion border collie. She was a top animal herder, but these calves were very young and only accustomed to people. Seeing a dog, even one as lovely as Blue, could cause panic and even more mayhem.
Blue and Peter were the local sheepdog trial champions, and they had represented Ballynoe at the county final. Even though they hadn’t won, they were highly commended, and their success was the talk of the county for many weeks after.
Now it wasn’t just Peter trying to guide the giddy calves to their new paddock – it was a family affair.
Peter’s little sister, Kate, dressed in her bright-yellow raincoat, stood sodden and miserable halfway down the lane. She leaned against the hedge, trying to get some shelter. Her job was to ‘block the gap’; to stop any calves wiggling through the small opening in the hedge behind her. She had a cattle stick of her own, which she held limply by her side.
‘How much longer?’ she called out again. ‘I am freeeeeezing!’
‘Not much longer, Kate!’ Mam called back, trying to keep the mood upbeat. ‘You just stay where you are. You’re doing a great job!’
Not believing a single word her mother said, Kate pouted and smacked the ground with her stick, splattering her wellies with mud as she did so.
‘Why is my job the most boring of all?’ she whined to no one in particular.
If she was a calf, she would have no interest in the field behind her anyway. It was boggy and wet, full of reeds and mossy grass. Nothing like the beautiful, lush green pasture that awaited them at the end of the lane. Why couldn’t they just hurry up and get to the good stuff?
Kate normally loved helping with the animals – she wanted to be a vet when she grew up, like Mam – but moving calves had to be the worst job on the farm. And if these animals (and people) didn’t do what they were told, they would all be in trouble with Dad, whose normally jolly nature was nowhere to be seen on this miserable Saturday morning.
‘Peter, you have to stay RIGHT!’ Dad was pointing his finger frantically to the right just in case anyone was not sure what he meant by … ‘RIIIIIGGGGHHHHTTTTT!’
‘I know!’ Peter called back. ‘I’m trying, Dad, but they keep moving the other way!’
Peter lifted his stick in one sudden motion to wave the calves on, but they could sense his cross mood and they didn’t like it. Not one bit. Instead of moving on, all eleven of them panicked and took off in a gallop, veering sharply right into a tangle of briars and branches. Soon they were completely stuck, very upset, and mooing loudly for all to hear.
‘Oh no …’ Peter groaned.
‘Oh no …’ Mam whispered under her breath.
‘Well, that’s thorn it!’ Kate called out, grinning at her own joke.
Dad was furious. ‘Get them out of there, Peter!’ he blasted from the top of the lane.
Mam didn’t want her son getting tangled in briars with a bunch of young, skittish animals, so she ran to his side. ‘You stay there, Peter. I’ll go in. If I can get around them, I will push them back out to you. Remember, when they come out, send them right, towards Dad.’
Peter watched as poor Mam fought her way through, the brambles scratching and scraping her legs and arms.
This wasn’t how Marian Farrelly planned to spend her Saturday either. As the local vet for Ballynoe, she had plenty of her own work to be doing. The Reillys’ cat was about to have kittens. And she had to take care of a poorly hamster called Charlie who had escaped from his hutch and nibbled his way through a whole bag of hamster snacks.
‘Go on, go on, you little monkeys.’ Mam spoke gently to the calves as she tried to coax them out. But instead of turning the way she wanted, the silly sods moved further back until there was nowhere else to go. Now they were in an even bigger mess and an even bigger panic.
Mooooo Moooo Mooooooooo! they cried.
‘Oh, for goodness sake,’ Mam muttered.
Kate shook her head and rolled her eyes.
‘What’s the holdup?’ Dad called from down the lane, his mood not getting any better. ‘What is going on?’
Peter gave a thumbs-up. ‘They’re coming, Dad! Is the gate ready?’
He turned to his mother, knowing it was now his job to rally the troops as Mam was starting to look fed up. ‘Come on, Mam. We’ve got this.’
Mam used her stick to smack and flatten the branches and overgrowth. Soon she had made a path wide enough for her to reach the panicked calves. By now they had stopped mooing and were watching this human with great curiosity. One, with the number ‘1360’ on her yellow ear tag, licked her nostril as she stared.
All the calves had to do now was to turn back around and they would be facing the path to freedom.
‘Come on, you lot,’ grumbled Peter under his breath. ‘It’s not rocket science.’
Mam continued to move carefully towards them, gently rubbing her hand along their necks and heads.
‘Come on,’ she whispered as she looked into each set of big brown eyes. ‘Let me help you out of this mess.’
Mam gently pushed ‘1360’ away from her, prompting the calf to turn her head and then her whole body. She was now able to see the opening she had come through, and without any hesitation, she headed towards the laneway. The others dutifully followed.
‘Finally!’ Peter smiled and got ready to move the herd in the right direction.
Mam pulled herself free from the briars, making sure she stayed close behind the calves. She dipped her head to avoid the low-hanging branches. But as the last calf emerged onto the laneway, it brushed past a thick briar, jutting out from the side. It dragged the branch forward as far as it could go, making it swing back at great force just as Mam was approaching.
SLLLLLLLAAAAAAAPPPPPPP!
‘Ouch!’ Mam cried out, as the branch slapped her hard in the leg.
Peter winced, but there was no time to check if his mother was ok. The calves were now back on the path, and Peter was in action mode. Raising his arms – slowly and calmly this time – he veered the animals right. Finally, things were going to plan.
Dad, happy to see the animals back on the path, looked over to see his wife standing by the bushes, patting her throbbing leg.
‘Marian, you’re too far behind!’ he called out grumpily. ‘Catch up! They’ll scatter in all directions if you don’t keep them tight.’
Feeling flustered, Mam took off in the direction of the calves. ‘G’wan, g’wan, hoop hoop!’ she shouted, waving her hands.
‘Don’t run!’ Peter warned in a loud whisper. ‘You’ll scare them again.’
Mam slowed down, throwing him an exasperated look. ‘I always hated moving cattle,’ she said through gritted teeth. ‘I remember doing it when I was your age, and your grandad would get so grumpy.’ She brushed a wet lock of hair out of her face, her leg still stinging from being slapped by the branch.
‘Me too,’ said Peter softly, hoping he was making his mam feel better. ‘But we’re nearly there. Let’s just get them safely to Dad.’
‘That’s it, Kate,’ Dad was shouting, his attention now on his daughter. ‘You stay right where you are.’
By this stage, Kate had been ‘staying right where she was’, guarding the same gap in the hedge, for nearly an hour. The rainwater was running down her face. Some drops had reached her neck and made their way inside the three layers of clothes she had on. Her teeth chattered with the cold.
‘Kate, remember, you have to block that gap,’ Dad shouted. ‘If they go towards you, hold your stick up and that’ll turn them towards me.’
‘Finally something to do!’ Kate called back.
She stood tall and braced herself for her big part. She lifted her stick as if it were a mighty sword, holding it out in front of her. ‘You shall not pass!’ she said in a commanding tone.
Peter rolled his eyes while Mam grinned.
‘Stop being so dramatic,’ Peter called out to his sister. But he knew now was not the time to take his eyes off the job.
Calf 1360, who was obviously the leader of this crazy crew, suddenly glimpsed the tiny opening in the hedge where Kate stood. She made a bolt for the gap in spite of the bright-yellow human guarding it. Thinking this was a great idea, two more bovine brainiacs followed, and soon all three were heading straight for Kate.
‘Peter,’ his father roared, ‘keep them right! Right! Go right!’
‘I’m trying!’ Peter shouted back defensively.
All the sudden shouting spooked the other eight calves, who also took off in full flight in Kate’s direction.
‘Daaaaaaaad …’ pleaded Kate, ‘they’re coming! What do I do?’ She tried to hide behind her stick.
‘Wave your stick!’ shouted Dad. ‘WAVE YOUR STICK!’
Trying to look braver than she felt, Kate waved her stick in front of her. ‘Shoo, shoo!’ she shouted. ‘Get away!’
Suddenly Mam ran wide to the left, her outstretched arms creating a shield between the calves and Kate. Peter followed her lead.
Seeing her mother and brother coming to her aid, Kate felt more confident and took a step forward, her stick in the air.
With their path blocked, the calves skidded to a stop. Their hooves sprayed fresh mud all over Kate, Peter and Mam.
‘Arrrrrgh!’ Kate shouted in disgust. ‘Anyone got a tissue?’
But no one was listening to her. The calves were on the move once again, with Peter and Mam trying to keep up. Luckily, the animals decided to pirouette back towards Dad, finally heading for the field gate.
Determined to get this job done, Kate took up her position alongside Peter and Mam. She walked to the right; Peter was staying left, leaving Mam happily in the middle. This was their walk to glory. All they had to do now was to keep this situation steady and under control.
Soon they reached the gate. In no time, the calves would be safe in their new home in the front paddock of Hazel Tree Farm.
‘That’s it,’ said Dad, finally sounding calm. ‘Keep them coming, we’re nearly there.’
The calves were now trotting towards Dad, who was holding the opened gate with his left hand. His right arm was outstretched. He was gripping a stick, which gave him additional arm length, preventing any calves escaping to his right.
Peter copied his dad, extending his arms to create more length. He took a deep breath and focused on the calves in front of him. Just like herding sheep, he knew only too well they had to get the balance of speed versus timing. Moving too fast at the wrong time was disastrous, they had seen that. Just keep it slow and steady.
He was concentrating and staring so hard at the rumps of the eleven little calves that he didn’t see the pothole that lay in his path.
SPPPLLLAAAAAATTTT!
Poor Peter was face down on the wet, mucky, stony lane.
‘Owwwww!’ he cried out. His hands and face were filthy, and his knees were badly scraped.
Mam pulled Peter up, while Kate kept the procession moving forward. They were a team now, and their prize was in sight.
‘That’s it … That’s it …’ Dad’s words came slow and steady. The calves were just a few feet from him, with calf 1360 leading the way.
‘That’s it, girls,’ whispered Peter as he limped along beside them. ‘You’re nearly there.’
‘Not much longer,’ breathed Mam.
‘Please just go in the field,’ begged Kate.
Spotting the luscious green grass that awaited her, calf 1360 took off in full flight through the open gate. The others followed, bucking, leaping and skipping as they did so.
With a big grin and a tremendous feeling of pride, Dad closed over the gate, sliding the latch into place. He paused to watch the eleven heifers playing happily. The rain had stopped, and the sun had finally come out. A perfect morning.
‘Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?’ Dad asked, turning towards the three sodden, muddy figures behind him. Peter’s hands were bloodied from his fall, Mam’s leg stung, and Kate’s face and clothes were speckled with dried mud droplets.
‘Oh no, are we too late?’ The man’s voice came from down the lane.
The Farrellys turned to see their neighbours Eamon and Maggie Cooper, who had come to help with the move. They wore sensible overalls and wellington boots and carried long cattle sticks.
‘Oh, we’ve missed it.’ Maggie sounded disappointed before spotting Peter’s bloodied hands. She rushed over, taking a tissue from her pocket.
‘We said we’d be over as soon as that rain had passed,’ said Eamon.
‘Daaaaaad!’ cried the children in unison.
‘We could have used their help,’ said Mam.
‘I, em … Well, emmm …’ Dad struggled to find the words. ‘I thought it would be something nice we could do together, as a family.’
But the children weren’t buying it.
‘This has not been a good day,’ remarked Kate to Eamon and Maggie.
‘Not one bit good,’ added Peter, trying to avoid Maggie’s tissue.
‘Ahh, it’s always a good day when new animals arrive,’ said Eamon, watching the calves over the paddock fence.
By now they had settled and were starting to graze. Some were even lying down, which was a sign of contentment.
‘Look at that!’ said Eamon, putting his arm around the children. ‘This is a big day. It’s been over twenty years since cattle were at Hazel Tree.’
‘I remember when I was a young woman, coming to Ireland and seeing all the wonderful cows, looking so healthy and happy,’ said Maggie with a smile. ‘Cattle have always thrived on this land, and so have those of us lucky enough to live here.’
Kate looked on, her irritations fading away as she watched the calves. She remembered how lucky she felt to live on a farm surrounded by animals.
‘I’ll be down in a couple of days with some medicine,’ said Mam. ‘With all this rain, nasty parasites can thrive in that grass, and I don’t want them picking up something.’
‘Some of them had ringworm when they arrived,’ added Dad. ‘We treated them with iodine.’
‘What’s ringworm?’ asked Peter, looking a bit worried.
‘It’s a skin infection,’ said Mam. ‘Can be fairly common in cattle, but it’s easily treated.’
‘Can people catch it?’ asked Kate.
‘Yes, they can,’ said Maggie, who was now trying to rub the mud from Kate’s face with the same tissue she used on Peter. ‘That’s why we always wash our hands after touching these animals.’
‘You should have hung up a holly branch in their shed,’ Eamon said with a chuckle. ‘My mother used to say that it prevents ringworm.’
Kate wasn’t sure which was more gross, a case of ringworm or whatever she was going to catch from Maggie’s tissue.
‘Right,’ said Mam. ‘Let’s leave these ladies to settle in and get ourselves on the right side of a cup of tea.’
‘Absolutely,’ agreed Maggie. ‘And I know of a certain tin box with the most delicious goodies.’
‘Maggie’s Treat Tin!’ Peter and Kate shouted together, high-fiving each other.
‘You got it,’ laughed Maggie. ‘Caramel squares, rocky road bites, and fresh scones hot out of the oven. I even have some homemade raspberry jam.’
‘We’ll be with you soon,’ said Dad, as Maggie, Mam and the children walked away.
He and Eamon stayed for a final look at the new calves. Their little tails swished from side to side as they happily grazed on the fresh, green grass.
‘Have I done the right thing, Eamon?’ Dad asked, sounding unsure. ‘Will this be enough to keep the farm going?’
Lately the value of sheep had gone down, and some farms were struggling to make ends meet. With animals to be fed and bills to be paid, things were tight at Hazel Tree. There seemed to be less money each year and no signs of things improving. Dad was worried that buying these new cattle was too much. What if their value also fell? It could make things so much worse.
‘Hazel Tree always provides,’ Eamon said kindly. He had worked with the Farrelly family for most of his life, as well as running his own chicken farm next door with Maggie. ‘I remember your dad asking me the same thing. This land is special, and you are following a long line of great farmers whose instincts were always strong.’
* * *
As Dad and Eamon spoke and watched the cattle in the paddock, they hadn’t noticed Peter listening close by. He had crouched down to fix the crumpled sock in his welly boot and overheard what they were saying.
What does that mean, ‘keep the farm going’? he thought in alarm. Is Hazel Tree in trouble?
Not wanting to be seen, Peter crept away and caught up with the others.
‘Come on, slowcoach!’ Mam called to him as they headed up the road to Cooper’s Cottage.
Peter was going as fast as he could, but his achy knees were slowing him down. And despite Maggie’s best attempts with the tissue, he was still covered in mud.
The noise of a car coming from behind made him move to the side of the road. A huge Mercedes-Benz was travelling in his direction. As it got closer, it slowed down before coming to a complete stop. The window on the passenger side glided down.
A well-dressed lady with a silk scarf and bright-red lipstick smiled at him. An equally well-dressed man in a suit and tie was driving. In the back seat was a boy who looked about the same age as Peter. He was staring down at a mobile phone. As he momentarily took his gaze away from the screen, he looked Peter up and down, and a slow smirk spread across his face.
‘Excuse me,’ the lady asked, ‘can you help us with directions, please?’
‘Really, Mummy,’ came the voice from the back, ‘it looks like he can’t even wash himself, let alone tell us where to go.’
