Sue Woodcock: Some good deeds and a bad back

On the far side was a lorry and a van and some men replenishing the tanks of a small helicopter spraying the bracken up on the moor which kept coming back to refuel. Brillo had to be dissuaded from trying to leap up and catch it as it came low overhead. The guest dog, Buster, was a little timid but soon accepted it would not hurt him. Another dog later came to me for a few days. Little Whimsy and Buster fell hopelessly in love. She was on heat but he, having been neutered, was no danger to her. They were like lovesick loons around each other.

With Buster had come Angel the cat, who had to take up residence in my front bedroom for her stay and was most disgruntled to be put into her cat basket to go home. A friend of mine has a black labrador bitch which has had 11 puppies, all black and they are desperate to find good homes for them. They have asked me to help but I cannot keep them all!

Since Bentley died a couple of years ago, I have been looking for a large dog to replace him. Living on my own, it isn't a bad idea to have a big dog around that looks like it may protect me and the premises. I do get the odd unwelcome visitor occasionally – as well as many nice ones. A couple of chaps arrived the other day wanting to give me two large tilly lamps they no longer needed and it was so kind of them. I now have decent lighting in the barn and shippons if I need it. People are so kind and generous.

I was also sent a precious gift from a lady in Eastbourne, who reads this diary, of a New Testament and Psalms which I shall treasure. My faith is very important to me. Before I go to Street Angels in Skipton, I pop into the local takeaway for a snack and the Muslim chaps there are very good people and we sometimes talk about our respective faiths. I extended an invitation to one of them for him and his family to visit the farm. His little boy is just starting school and he was telling me how expensive school uniforms were. We had a secondhand shop at my school many years ago and I was kitted out from that.

During the week, I had a double load of logs delivered to be prepared for the winter. After working at the pub for the morning and then helping with a bit of chambermaiding, I spent the whole afternoon neatly stacking the logs and then re-stacking them when the goats decided to knock them off. Sometime during the day I must have strained my back because it was very painful by the time I headed into Skipton to help with Street Angels again as someone had dropped out. Initially, it was a very quiet evening but later on we managed to help a lass who was terribly upset and needed our help.

I was so glad I was there because I think we packed her off home in a happier state of mind. It was after three in the morning when I got home and by this time my back was agony and I couldn't get to sleep. I felt terrible at church and had to resort to sitting down for much of the service.

I did get some rest in the afternoon before writing the quiz for that evening. When I arrived there, I had to sit down again. But we raised a fair bit of money for the Air Ambulance.

I have a thousand jobs to do but with a painful back and a cold wind coming from the north I feel disinclined to get on with them. I must be a little more sensible as I am not 20 anymore!

CW 11/9/10