the accidental smallholder :: diary archives

Warm work

It's a lovely day here so we've been working outside. At thsi time of year, it seems that tidying and cleaning are the order of the day - and that suits me fine. While Dan was painting the window frames, I spent a happy hour scrubbing the rubber mats out of Smokey's stable.

Since we moved him home in February, the mats have been stacked behind the wood store - for seven months, I've been going to clean them since February but today turned out to be the day. It was so warm, working in the sun - it never seems so much like work, though.

It's funny how certain smells bring back memories. I was using Jeyes fluid to clean the mats - and it took me right back to when I worked on a farm in Northumberland. We used Jeyes fluid to clean calf buckets and equipment.

I'm glad I kept the mats. When I moved Smokey, I could have sold them to the folk taking his box and I've almost sold them twice since. But I think they will make excellent bases for a brooder and for a sheep shelter. They are non-slip, non-porous, easy to clean and well insulated. I've got three full size mats about 6ft x 4ft (which will do the sheep shelter), three probably half that size (for the brooder) and a couple of "bits", so should have plenty.

I'm planning the sheep shelter now - I think we can probably build something simple if we rope Dan's Dad in to help.

Dan's just brought me a G&T, so I'm off to sit in the late afternoon sun and put my feet up!