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Brassicas / Merlin / Sunken garden

Monday 29 May, 2023

by Rosemary at 7:57pm in Smallholding 0 comments Add your own

Monday 22nd May

The week started well when I have the opportunity to save a bumblebee. It had fallen in the ponies’ water bucket; I thought it was dead but it’s legs were still moving, so I swept it up and gave it a saucer of sugar water. When I returned, half an hour later, it had gone, so I’m counting that as a save.

I registered the heifer calves; it’s a D year, so Baby’s calf is Rosedean Duibhe, which is Gaelic for black and Rora’s is Rosedean Dorcha, which is Gaelic for dark.

Strawberries / Pizza / Beech

Monday 22 May, 2023

by Rosemary at 8:17am in Smallholding 0 comments Add your own

Monday 15th May

Sun, interspersed with ninja showers of rain and hail. Desk day and started work on the Festival. Seemed like a good time to scatter some grass seed on the bare bits in Sheepfold, now that it’s been harrowed again.

While I was grass seeding, Dan was trimming the mats in the cow shed. Over time, they’ve lifted a bit and become a trip hazard, so he trimmed them to fit perfectly. Or near enough.

barnfloorDan sorting mats in the cow shed.

Bronte calves! It's a bull.

Monday 15 May, 2023

by Rosemary at 9:20am in Smallholding 0 comments Add your own

Monday 8th May

Still dismal weather, but warmer. The grass is growing steadily, if not fast.

It’s almost our anniversary of moving here, so it’s time to review our insurance. It’s making my head hurt.

Tuesday 9th May

Hallelujah! We have sun.

weatherHere comes the sun.

Mainly calf spam

Tuesday 9 May, 2023

by Rosemary at 11:11am in Smallholding 0 comments Add your own

Monday 1st May

May Day, Beltane, first day of summer. Well, it didn’t rain but it wasn’t taps aff weather either. My brain is like cotton wool – come on, Bronte.

calvesThree calves.

After the chores, I did the monthly shop. It’s great to get it out of the way. Dan was doing his monthly chores – invoices and the like. At lunchtime, our washing machine went BANG and we couldn’t get the door open. Manged to get the washing out by prising open the door. And it looks like we’ll need a new machine.

Calves / Milking or not / Ponies

Monday 1 May, 2023

by Rosemary at 4:10pm in Smallholding 1 comment Add your own

So, Monday morning, I had to drive to Stirling to collect our meat chicks and two Maran pullets for a friend. I was supposed to collect them last Friday, but I wrote the time down wrong. Anyway, it worked fine because it meant I was able to fit in a visit to UA Mart, which may be the new venue for the Scottish Smallholder Festival. Forfar Mart, where we’ve held the event for the last two or three years, is closing next month, leaving us homeless.

It was sunny first thing but as I prepared to leave at 10am, we had this huge ninja shower. Temperature dropped from 8C to 2C. Within a couple of miles, I was into sunshine again, then ninja showers all the way. I did say last week that we needed rain – this wasn’t quite what I had in mind.

First calf of 2023 / Tatties / Hens

Monday 24 April, 2023

by Rosemary at 8:37am in Smallholding 1 comment Add your own

 

Week ending Sunday 23rd April

We’ve had the loveliest weather this week , and better than forecast. I hate to say it, but we could really do with some rain. We’d had the sprinklers on in the garden Saturday and Sunday evening.

However, that made it a good week for a calf to be born and Blizzard obliged at about 3.30am on Friday. Her due date was the 1st May, but when they’re cooked, they’re cooked. Dan said he thought she was close so I checked at 2am, and right enough she was starting.

Seedlings / Shrubs / Cookies

Tuesday 18 April, 2023

by Rosemary at 8:52am in Smallholding 0 comments Add your own

Week ending Sunday 16th April

Jings, what happened this week?!

Well, Grey isn’t going on his expected Club 18-30 holiday, so we’ll manage him around the fresh-calved cows and calves – still, it means we don’t have o quarantine him for 28 days when he comes back. It also changes the timetable for health scheme blood testing, but the plan has been amended and I’m comfortable with it.  I’m starting to feel a bit keyed up about calving; based on service dates and a 283 day gestation period, they’re due over 28th April to 2nd May but they haven’t read the chart, so I’ll start night checks from Friday 22nd. They’re all working on their udders, but Baby is most successful.

Treacle / Strawberries / Udders

Monday 10 April, 2023

by Rosemary at 1:20pm in Smallholding 0 comments Add your own

Monday 3rd April

Cool but sunny this morning; traces of ice on the water troughs, but full sunshine.

Today was the day to give the cattle the flukicide. I was a bit concerned that they – Rora in particular – wouldn’t eat their feed with the medicine in it so I added a good dollop of black treacle to the feeds – and they nearly ate the buckets. Job done!

TreacleThank you, Messers Lyle and Sons.

Chooks / Spring / Flukicide

Monday 3 April, 2023

by Rosemary at 7:20am in Smallholding 0 comments Add your own

Monday 27th March

Gwenna seemed to have a good night.  She hates going out on her lead though. Wee grumpy face, and if you walk ahead of her, she stops and refuses to move. We took her to our vet at lunchtime. I was expecting the worst – well, not “the worst” but possibly more surgery – and so was the vet, having read the notes from yesterday. So we were all pleasantly surprised that there had been a significant improvement overnight. So painkillers and rest for at least a week – and “quieter” behavior afterwards. Like no trying to kill dogs through the gate.

Rhubarb / Hen run / Gwenna

Sunday 26 March, 2023

by Rosemary at 10:08pm in Smallholding 5 comments Add your own

W/e Sunday 26th March

Once again, this is going to be a pretty short blog. It’s Sunday 26th March, Dan’s birthday, and we spent the morning at the emergency vet’s because there’s something bad going on with Gwenna’s spine. Again. She’d had painkillers and looks a good deal happier but a follow-up visit to our own vet tomorrow will reveal more. This is not what we expected – she recovered so well from the surgery and has been such a wee trouper. Anyway, we’ll know more tomorrow.

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