Cousin Peter

Cousin Peter, Moss and me at Wordwell Hall in Suffolk, look at the kindness in his eyes.

Last summer Moss and I went on a pilgrimage together.  The intention was to visit family and friends and to spend some time with them, simple as that.

On reflection, it was a real success and it’s helped me rediscover some of my family.  One of my fondest discoveries was cousin Peter.  He’s an absolute gem, and the effect he had on Moss was an inspiration to me.

Peter was a dairy farmer, he comes from a long line of farmers, and he has the temperament of a stockman.  He’s dependable, kind and steady - animals seem to relate to him.  

Moss was no exception.

He took me out in his truck to have a look around the farm, which is traditional in my family.  We passed through several paddocks, and because it was such a dry summer and the grass was limited, he needed to move his herd of cattle from one paddock to another.

He wound down the window of his truck and called them; they came trotting over.  There were cows with very young calves, and some older calves  too - quite a rabble. 

Moss and I sat in the truck, surrounded by a herd of about one hundred cattle.  This had the potential of driving Moss nuts!  But, Peter’s, quiet reassuring way worked on Moss as well as his cattle.

Moss, like me, is fairly highly strung!  As a Border Collie she has a strong urge to control movement.  I noticed that around Cousin Peter she was much calmer.

It was a wonderful attribute to discover in my cousin.  

My guess is that it’s not something that can be taught.  I think it’s a natural skill that he was born with, and has practiced over decades of his work.

Looking back at my family, they are people of the land. There’s also a strong line of stockmen and people who have worked with animals for generations.  

Whilst I’m certainly not saying I’m gifted like Cousin Peter, there is a natural instinct in me to have a dog by my side.  

I find that reassuring.

AJK

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