At the end of the day, checking the animals, one calf was unaccounted for.  Looking across the field from the barn, Debbie spotted her… behind the fence, on top of the wall!

With the light fading and only two possible options for a decent (either back down on the barbed wire fence, or a 6-foot drop to concrete on the other side), urgent rescue was required.  I ran to get the tractor, got a big-bale on the front loader and rushed back up the drive to coax her down away from the barbed…

Under the headlights, she stepped off the wall and onto the bale.  I then lowered the bale down with Alice on board!She did slip off the bale as it reached the ground, but she was safely onto the ground!  The photos are a little bit blurred as Debbie was just trying to capture the moment!

So, how did she get up there?  Confession time… I had not fixed a gate back properly; the gate opened; the calf got behind the fence and then walked on and on until she couldn’t turn around.  After that, the only was was up!  Lesson… Never trust a gate propped open by an old post!