January 2018

Diary

End of 2017 / Dead ewe / Tom settling-in

Monday 1 January, 2018

by Rosemary at 12:18pm in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 25^th December

Sadly the ewe died overnight. Phoned the knacker re collection – really just looking for a message about opening hours, but spoke to the man (apologised for disturbing him on Christmas Day, but he said I wasn’t the first) and arranged collection of the carcass on Wednesday. Hope it stays cold.

Tom has left the house but not the smallholding. We put food outside and Dan saw him eating, so he’s around.

Then the most remarkable thing happened. Dan noticed Diesel sitting on the kitchen windowsill, meowing. This is unusual. Pen sits at the window and meows to get in but D just lets himself in through the cat flap. So Dan went to open the boot room door, and there was D. With Tom just behind him. Honestly, it was like D was bringing Tom home.

Cattle brush / 2018 planning / Halter training

Monday 8 January, 2018

by Rosemary at 11:08am in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 1^st January

So 2018 begins – with a planning meeting! Dan and I always have one around 1^st January then maybe every quarter through the year.

I thought 2018 was going to be the year of pottering but maybe not. I’d like to start growing flowers for cutting and Dan’s keen to plant willow – for sale and also because he wants to learn willow weaving.

I moved the tup and wether into Home, from the makeshift pen by the byre. They let themselves out today and they didn’t like it much. On the plus side, this lets us get the area beside the barn tidied up after the work on the apiary and the triangle last year.

Bugsy / Blizzard / Bakeware / Tom

Monday 15 January, 2018

by Rosemary at 11:37am in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 8^th January

Cold – minus 7°C overnight. So this morning, all the water to the fields is frozen AND the water in the feed store, which is unusual

Tuesday 9^th January

One of those grey, mild days that never get light. The water’s unfrozen though, so it’s an ill wind...

I’m pressing on with mucking out the barn round the back of the ring feeder – at four barrows a day, I reckon I’ll have it done by the weekend.

Cattle feet / Bird boxes / Swiss rolls

Monday 22 January, 2018

by Rosemary at 10:33am in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 15^th January

A rather nice day – dry and sunny. Which made it a good day to give Annie a mini-bath as she had obviously laid in a big poop.

Texted Nik, our cattle foot trimmer, to see if he can swing by to trim Blizzard.

Tuesday 16^th January

Very cold, but sunny. Some snow flurries but no snow lying.

Wednesday 17^th January

Cold and windy with a hard frost but no snow.

Annie is lame – really lame – in a back foot. Her feet are quite long and when I checked my records, their feet were last trimmed in February last year.

Hurdies / Apiary hedge / Cattle shenanigans / First sock

Tuesday 30 January, 2018

by Rosemary at 12:42pm in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 22nd January

Nice and warm today – up to 5C, but damp and that made it feel raw.

The cows must have had a party last night and invited the neighbours – what a mess in the shed this morning.

Caught up on paperwork including the minutes of the last Smallholding Scotland meeting.

Saw Ian the “back man” about my achy back.

Tuesday 23rd January

Windy, grey and damp. Pretty much finished the potting shed – just a few things to identify before deciding on their fate. I need to buy labels and seed compost – other than that, I think I’m good to go!