Diary
Blossom / Bluebells / Bean
Monday 16 May, 2022
Monday 9th May
Cool and overcast, then rain. Dan’s home from Portugal – then his phone started pinging as a number of the team tested positive for Covid. Thankfully, he’s negative.
I’ve booked a stand at Bannockyarn, a yarn festival at Bannockburn House of 6th and 7th August.
Tuesday 10th May
Really windy; sunny, but a real blow on. Dan thinks his last bee colony might have died – no activity this morning even though it was warm and sunny.
Potatoes / Astrid / Dusty
Monday 9 May, 2022
Monday 2nd May
Cool, this morning. Actually, quite cold. Damp, light showers. Glad all the paddocks are harrowed and topped -perfect timing – come on, the grass.
I love these tulips
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Tulips.
Tuesday 3rd May
Still cool and overcast. Dropped eggs into the Food Bank, went swimming then for a coffee with our daughter, did some shopping and picked up red diesel. How did it get to be 3pm?
Brassicas / Squashes / Udder
Monday 2 May, 2022
Monday 25th April
Dammit, the fox has taken four meat chicks. This is entirely our fault for not securing the run well enough. Done now
Finally, planted out the brassicas; a summer cabbage, a winter cabbage and three types of sprouts.
Brassicas finally planted out.
The courgettes and squashes sprouting and there are small signs of dahlias coming through.
Mastitis / Beans / Bye, Buster
Monday 25 April, 2022
Monday 18th April
Glorious day – sunny, bit of a breeze. I hung a load of washing out and got it all dried – solar and wind powered dryer. Ploughed through the office jobs though, then got into the greenhouse to pot on most of the tomatoes. And I set the runner and French beans to germinate and planted out the sweet peas.
Dan managed to get away from his desk to get the harrow on the tractor.
Tuesday 19th April
Spot and Notspot barely feed off the bottle at some feeds, so we’ve put them on to three feeds of 300ml each -7am, 3pm and 11pm. If they start clearing up, we’ll increase the amount. They look well.
Scoot / Astrid / No2
Monday 18 April, 2022
Monday 11th April
Kit and her lambs are now out in the wee paddock; I’ve put No3 in there with her single ewe. I’m not delirious about No3’s lamb – she looks a bit tucked, but her mother has plenty milk. Made sure she got a good feed this afternoon and will keep a close eye.
No1 is in the pen in the barn with her twins, because she has two doses of antibiotic to get before she goes out. If I let her out, my chances of catching her again are slim. She seems well and the lambs are quite content.
Spot / Notspot / No1
Monday 11 April, 2022
Monday 4th April
Still feeling rough; didn’t even get up for the morning chores, which I’ve done the last two days. Tested positive for Covid. Quelle surprise.
Tuesday 5th April
Woke at about 5.30am; raging sore throat. Could hear the ewes fussing. Out of bed, in the jammies, and round to the field. Kit had one lamb – she scanned with twins and wasn’t due until Saturday. It was cold and wet, so I got them into a pen and decided to leave her for half an hour to have the second. Went back in half an hour, still only one lamb. Looked around and here’s this wee, soaked, bedraggled lamb outside the field shelter – obviously the first lamb born. Whisked cold lamb into the kitchen and into a bowl of warm water until he warmed up, then towel dried and left wrapped up with a hot water bottle, on the floor (we have underfloor heating) until we moved his mammy and brother into a new pen in the barn, with a heat lamp. Two tup lambs, both a bit dim. Got them warmed up and latched on then gave them both some packet colostrum in a bottle to warm the up and give them some energy. By bedtime, they seemed to have found the milk bar and are quite content. Fingers crossed.
The lurgy has struck
Wednesday 6 April, 2022
Sorry, no diary this week. I have Covid - how I got it I have no idea, but I have, so I'm having a week off. Hope you're all well!
Cheeps / Steers out / Tidy up
Sunday 27 March, 2022
Monday 21st March
The good weather continues. Finished setting up the box for the meat chicks and took myself off to Harbro for chick crumbs and a spare bulb for the heat lamps. I have two lamps on while they are tiny – just in case a bulb blows. It happened once and we lost a few because they crushed into the corner of the box to keep warm.
The steers at East Pitkerro needed hay and bedding so we turned them out. Boy, were they happy. Tomorrow we’ll have to move them to the right field but for today, they can just tear around and get the tickle out of their feet.
Dahlias / Peas / Ostara
Tuesday 22 March, 2022
Monday 14th March
My new dahlia tubers have arrived. One variety of leeks is sprouting, as is the cabbage. Bought some tomato seeds at the supermarket today - the ones I bought previously had only two seeds in the packets. I should complain but I can’t be bothered.
Leeks, sprouts and cabbage.
Tuesday 15thMarch
Lovely day! Started Spring cleaning, such as it is – stripped our bed and will do the dogs’ beds tomorrow.
Seed sowing / Thief / Booms
Tuesday 15 March, 2022
Monday 7th March
Finally got round to sowing seeds – tomatoes, cucumber, leeks, sprouts and one variety of cabbage plus parsley and basil. And lots of sweet peas. Also set the peas on damp kitchen paper to germinate, before potting on. Planted out more shallots too.
Wednesday 9th March
A couple of mornings I’ve looked at Smokey’s breakfast hay net and thought it looked emptier than the night before. Now I know why.
