Chapter 11: A bit of a joke (pages: 39-41)
Tristan came over again.
I was now happy and settled in my life at Darrowby.
Saturday, half past ten the phone rang. There was someone calling me to see a sick horse. The man speaks on such a tone to me that I did not want to help hem. Tristan than began to laugh and said that it was a joke and he had called me from the pub.
Chapter 12: Doing a favour (pages: 42-46)
I was asked to go to the Bellerby family.
When I was there they asked me if I could take the family in my car to a concert in Darrowby. I agreed, because I would go to the concert too. The concert starts in two hours.
When I came in the family was eating. They asked me to eat with them. But the housekeeper has cooked a meal for me. They have a very good dinner that takes very very much time. And I must wait.
I bring them to the concert in time, but I must eat myself and arrive too late!
Chapter 13: An old dog (pages: 47-50)
I have a visit in a small and little street in Darrowby.
I come in a little poor house from an old man. His dog is very old and sick. I cannot do something for this dog. He has cancer and I must give him an injection and he is dead.
The old man will give me money, but I don’t want that because he is so poor. So the old man gives me a cigar. That’s all he has, I think.
Chapter 14: Tricki Woo (pages: 51-55)
I found my work hard when it was winter. I began to learn how nasty life could be for a vet in the country: frozen feet, etc.
The nicest person to visit was Mrs Pumfrey. She was a widow. She had a small dog and always give the dog too much food. She is crazy about her dog and tells stories about it.
And she thanks me by giving me small presents. She says that Tricki Woo is giving the presents.
Chapter 15: Miss Harbottle (pages: 56-58)
Siegfried Farnon has good news. He said: “We are going to have a secretary and the woman is about 50 years old, big and strong. Her name is Miss Harbottle.
When she comes in the room she finds a very bad organized office, but she says she can put things to rights.
Chapter 16: Siegfried has an idea (pages: 59-60)
One day when Siegfried Farnon comes home in the morning he tells he wants to have a pig and some hens. They could feed the pigs with the scraps from the house. And they could sell the pigs later.
Siegfried says that Tristan can take care of the animals, because Tristan is doing nothing and he just smokes cigarettes.
Chapter 17: Trouble for Tristan (pages: 61-63)
The ten little hens were behind the wire of the hen house. Siegfried Farnon expected that the hens would give eggs, but after a week there were no eggs and after three weeks there were no eggs too.
Often the hens escaped and the neighbours began to complain.
Siegfried Farnon than gave the hens to an old lady who lived nearby.
About a fortnight lager, Siegfried cam home very angry, because the hens give the old lady ten eggs a day.
Chapter 18: Ten little pigs (pages: 64-47)
Tristan liked the pigs when they were young. Later he didn’t because they pushed him.
On market day when the pigs were quite big Tristan left the door open and the pigs ran away. Tristan got them again, but then one pig saw itself in the shop window and got crazy. They all ran to the market. The police and other men helped to catch them.
But when Tristan ran after the pigs he had forgotten to close the gate from the horse. And the horse ran away too!
Chapter 19: Mrs Harbottle gets to work (pages: 68-70)
Miss Harbottle is upset, because Siegfried Farnon empties the cash box without a note. He doesn’t write his visits in the book, so she cannot send invoices. And she can’t read his writing. She also has a lot of questions.
Chapter 20: An invitation (pages: 71-74)
James Herriot was invited for a party by the dog Tricki Woo.
Siegfried told him that he must go to that party, because he would enjoy the party.
So he went. He drank a lot of champagne and ate smoked salmon and went home again very late.
He was just in bed when the phone rang: Atkinson of Beck Cottage asked him to come to help a sow to pig…..
Chapter 21: Night call (pages: 75-78)
It’s two o’clock and I have to go to a farmer two miles away.
Just after the party I am in a dirty barn to help a pig to give birth to eight piglets.
That is real variety!
Chapter 22: Tristan baby-sits (pages: 79-81)
A big black labrador is operated and now he is sleeping.
But when we have lunch the dog is howling. When James and Siegfried must go they put the dog in the sitting-room and Tristan must baby-sit the dog until they come back. Tristan is crazy later in the evening.
Then Siegfried said that we must not forget that we’ve got to go to a vet’s meeting tonight. Tristan must baby-sit the dog all the evening, and that is driving him mad. Siegfried said he was sorry, but we must go, otherwise one of us could have taken over.
When Tristan stumbled back into the room I put on my coat. As I went out into the street I stopped for a moment and listened. The dog was still howling.
Chapter 23: A hard night (pages: 82-84)
When Siegfried and I came home and got out of the car we heard the howling of the dog. When we came in the house we asked Tristan how the dog was and he remarked that the big dog had his head up and his eyes were open. The howling had stopped, but Siegfried did not feel good about it and said that during the night the dog must sleep in Tristan’s room. I helped him to put the big labrador in the corner of Tristan’s bedroom. When Tristan went to sleep it is quiet, but in the night the dog started walking around. I heard Tristan crying.
The next morning at breakfast Siegfried heard about Tristan’s bad night and smiled.
Chapter 24: A cold wet morning (pages: 85-87)
It was early in the morning when I went to a cow having milk fever. The cow was slipped down a muddy river bank. She was not conscious, and her back half was right under water. I gave her some bottles of calcium. Then Mr Cooper and I pushed her out of the water.
Later she was trying to stand up and we brought her to a warm shed.
When we came in the kitchen they gave me sausages, bacon and eggs, socks an a big bowl with hot water and added some mustard.
When I went home I got some more sausages. So I thanked them very much. I got home feeling warm, full of good food, and pleased that I had been able to save the cow.
Chapter 25: A pig’s ear (pages: 88-91)
There is a pig with a blood blister.
When the pig saw me he rushed at me and I could jump over just in time.
As the pig was very big and roared angrily I went away the the excuse that I had forgotten my instruments.
Siegfried then told Tristan to go.
Tristan had a lot of excuses too: wrong address, the family was not at home, it was too dark in the shed.
Chapter 26: Tristan wins through (pages: 92-93)
But Tristan had to do the job.
So he went in the sty and the pig pushed him on his back.
Then Tristan was so angry that he booted the pig’s behind and then it appeared that the pig was a coward at heart and did nothing.
And in the dark the pig ran up against the wall and bursted the blister.
Chapter 27: A giant problem (pages: 94-97)
One morning in spring Siegfried called me to go to a horse with a growth on its belly at Wilkonson’s of White Cross.
I am no horseman; in fact I am scared of big horses.
When I came up I saw the biggest horse that I have ever seen and he was very wild. When I drank tea some big boys brought the horse out. They had a hard tome to let him stand still.
When I gave the horse a shot he moved very fast and stuck my right leg. I could not do anything more. Siegfried Farnon had to pick me up. I had luck: my leg was not broken, only very badly bruised.
Chapter 28: A dose of salts (pages: 98-101)
A rich farmer, Mr Phin Calvert, rang me. When I was there he led me the way across the yard. His calves were not well.
When I had inspected them I saw that they must have got lead poisoning and I found a loose board in the calf house.
I told Mr Calvert that he must give his calves Epsom salts for three days. There was no other drug that could help at that time.
Then we went to the kitchen and drank something.
In the following days the calves got better. At the end of a fortnight they were all eating normally, thank goodness.
Chapter 29: Mr Calvert again (pages: 102-105)
Mr Phin Calvert called me again. His bull, a prize winner, could not breath. His temperature was very high.
He had sunstroke. Cooling down with water and he became better soon and I could go away.
Chapter 30: One in the eye for Siegfried (pages: 106-109)
Siegfried learned new things after reading the latest scientific books or films about the newest methods for vets.
He was pleased when his friend asked him to operate a cow.
He took all his new instruments with him.
He cut into the animal, but then the wall of the first stomach bulged out and lots of greenish-brown stinking mess came out. It hit Siegfried’s face, his hair and down his neck and all over his white smock.
His friend was glad he did not accept his invitation to have a drink together after the operation.
Chapter 31: Mr Crawford (pages: 110-114)
Mr Isaac Crawford called me to look after a cow that was dead.
Struck by lightning, he said. And than he could get money from the insurance company.
But when I came I could not find signs of lightning, so I had to open the cow to be certain. The cow had a heart with a growth like a cauliflower. It was not lightning that had killed the cow.
Mr Crawford was very angry and said I’ll never walk on his farm again.
Chapter 32: Mr Crawford complains (pages: 115-116)
It did not take Mr Crawford long to do as he had threatened. The next day he came to the house soon after lunch to complain about me. The dogs from Siegfried did not like him. The barked.
He came in and tried to talk to Siegfried, but the dogs remained barking and we could not understand a word.
He went away, understanding that Siegfried did not want to listen to his complaints.
Chapter 32: Mr Crawford complains (pages: 115-116)
It did not take Mr Crawford long to do as he had threatened. The next day he came to the house soon after lunch to complain about me. The dogs from Siegfried did not like him. The barked.
He came in and tried to talk to Siegfried, but the dogs remained barking and we could not understand a word.
He went away, understanding that Siegfried did not want to listen to his complaints.
Chapter 33: A terrible muddle (pages: 117-119))
But Mr Crawford called again some weeks later.
Siegfried asked Tristan to bring an ointment for his prize boar to Mr Crawford.
At the same time Tristan must bring a parcel to the post office with a tin brimming with stinking, watery dung to be tested in the lab.
But Tristan made a mistake and sent the cow dung to Mr Crawford to rub it on the boar’s back three times a day. Mr Crawford opened the parcel at the breakfast table and was so angry that he will never call Siegfried again.
Chapter 34: A cure for Tricki Woo (pages: 120-122)
One time when I went to Mrs Pumfrey her dog Tricki Woo was very sick. When I arrived I was shocked. I decided to take the dog with me to Siegfried’s home.
For three days Tricki got no food, but water.
After these days the dog got some food and he was a bit better.
In a week he was much better, because he got the right food and he was very happy with Siegfried’s dogs.
Chapter 35: Tricki goes home (pages: 123-124)
Mrs Pumfrey rang often. She sent eggs, sherry and also brandy for Tricki . These were happy days for us!
Later Mrs Pumfrey took Tricky home and she was very happy that Tricki was better.
Chapter 36: Giving a hand (pages: 125-127)
I woke up with a jump. The phone was ringing: Mr Dixon.
This was the second time that night that I had to go out of bed in the middle of the night (it is 3.15 now and I have slept 15 minutes).
When I arrived on the farm they laughed when the saw me.
I looked down at my pale blue striped pyjamas. I told them that I had not bothered to dress.
I could help to give birth to a foal and we all felt happy about it.
Chapter 37: If only they could talk (page 128)
It was an afternoon when the sun was blazing. I went out in the car with Siegfried’s dogs to where an old path ran up the side of a valley.
I was sitting on the grass with the dogs, smelling the sweet breeze.
I thought about my first year as a country vet.
I could see many of the farms I had worked on from where I sat. There were people who liked me, and people who didn’t.
I thought about the animals. What do they think of us? Do they manage to get a laugh out of it all?
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