July 2018
Trampoline / Pigs / Vegetables
Monday 2 July, 2018
Monday 25 June
The good weather continues. The grass in the fields has stopped growing though. Still, it’s long enough to hide two calves.
Spot the calves.
I thought I had made a mess of my lamb registrations but it’s not as bad as it first seemed and it’s easily fixable. Ordered the tags I need and will get them sorted next time they are in.
Barn alterations / Ace / High summer
Monday 9 July, 2018
Monday 2 July
Still hot, dry and sunny. I guess this is not going to be good news for winter forage. Sheepfold is very dry but we have a bumper crop of clover.
Corgi in a very dry Sheepfold.
Dan made some alterations to the barn, which will give the ponies (now) and the cattle (in winter, if the weather is good) access to the outside. There’s a gate to go on and the fence to replace the hurdles to be put up but it’s a step in the right direction.
Grass / Cherries / Peas / Sink
Monday 16 July, 2018
Monday 9 July
We had a wee smidge of rain – I do mean a smidge – overnight and it’s been cooler and cloudier today. So much more pleasant, in my view.
Paperwork day – so I started to look at last year’s income and costs – it’s not making happy reading. This year will be worse as hay for the coming winter has doubled in price – and while it might be good quality, I hazard that the cows won’t eat half as much. And doubling the price of beef and lamb isn’t an option.
Marmalade / Vegetables / Smokey's bath
Monday 23 July, 2018
Monday 16 July
The dry, sunny weather continues. We launched our new website www.dalmore.org today – very pleased with it. It’s aimed at the local market – food, yarn, courses. Dan picked blackcurrants – we have a bumper crop this year. Met my chum Carol for tea then went on to a meeting about the implications of Brexit on food and farming. It was all pretty depressing.
Tuesday 17 July
Made two batches of blackcurrant jam and one batch of cordial. It should have been three batches of jam but I wasn’t concentrating and tipped the sugar in before I’d cooked the fruit. We’ve discovered that the drained fruit remains after the cordial is made is delicious with yogurt. Picked strawberries – the last of the early ones and the first of the late ones. Cooked some for breakfast.
Dead calf / Milk / Muck
Monday 30 July, 2018
Monday 23 July
Had a good bit of rain today, which was most welcome. Dan scythed one of the poultry paddocks – he likes doing it. He also picked more blackcurrants, while I picked some beetroot. It all needs to be up now. Did some weeding – the pea bed now looks much better.
Tuesday 24 July
Very hot and windy today, drying up all yesterday’s rain. Made more blackcurrant jam and more three fruit marmalade. It's our Brexit stockpile.
Our Brexit stockpile.
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