Anything goes
It's snowing
Sunday 6 April, 2008
Not very heavily, to be fair, but it's still snow! It was lovely here yesterdya, as it has been for most of last week - blue sky, sun, usual breeze, but warm out of it.
Dan and I had yesterday in the garden - very busy (what we did will be another post) and today - snow! And we planted out lettuce yesterday!
Hey ho, I'm off to spring clean Lorna's bedroom and maybe the front hall, if the snow stays on.
New arrivals
Sunday 30 March, 2008
Yesterday was a day of planned and unplanned arrivals.
I ordered some new POL hens at the weekend, expecting to wait a couple of weeks for delivery. This was fine as the spare ark was in Alloa and Dan was going to bring it up at the weekend. I got a call night before last to say hens would be delivered the following day - yesterday. Our car was in for a service and MOT, so wasn't available to bring the ark up.
So, John went down to Alloa early yesterday morning to get the ark, which didn't fit in the trailer without the handles being sawn off. Anyway, we got it set up - cleaned, dusted, feeders in and waited for the hens to arrive. I'd just started cooking dinner when the van pulled up. The hens look great - 10 Warrens, 2 Bluebelles and 2 Speckledy.
Easter weekend
Monday 24 March, 2008
Despite, or maybe because of, the variable weather, we've had quite a busy few days.
Dan spent a morning in the orchard, weeding, fertilising and mulching the fruit trees. This had been on the list for a couple of weeks but for some reason, it's not our favourite job. He also headed out to plant a horse chestnut and a holly in the beech hedge. The holly will fill a gap at this end and the horse chestnut, which was a gift from Claire, is at the far end. When it grows, it will shade our little pet cemetery.
"Home Farmer"
Sunday 9 March, 2008
I have recently subscribed to a magazine called "Home Farmer". I got a sample copy somewhere, but I can't remember where - and really enjoyed it. The first "proper" edition came yesterday. It's not in anyway "technical" but the articles are simple and accessible. In the sample copy, there was a recipe for soda bread and instructions on how to make cheese - I've tried the former (very good, too) and hope to get to the latter shortly.
Catch up
Thursday 6 March, 2008
We were shocked last night when an email reminded us that it was almost a month since we'd last posted! We couldn't believe that it was that long but it was!
So this is a short post, prior to better ones, just to reassure anyone who migt be concerned that we're all fine. Now.
Since 8th February, Dan and I have been away for a week's welcome break in Madeira (third time, same hotel - we're getting old!). When we got back, my horse, Smokey, had developed laminitis - fortunately mild - but it meant he was on box rest and I was going to the stables three times a day. Dan's also been away on business; we've got landscapers in doing some work on the garden; Meg stuck her stick in the mud last night and punctured the inside of her mouth so emergency trip to the vet (she's fine this morning).
Recycle your old mobile phone
Monday 4 February, 2008
Apparently there are over 80 million redundant old mobile phones in the UK today. That's a staggering number, 2 for every man woman and child in the country capable of using one.
This week I got an email from envirofone who recycle mobile phones for resale in this country and abroad, bringing environmental and economic benefit. They basically buy old mobile phones directly from individuals or organisations. It seems to be a great way to raise money for good causes or to just extract some value from an unused phone. They take broken phones too.
Sunshine and snow showers
Saturday 2 February, 2008
The weather's been somewhat changeable today. When we got up this morning, there was a light cover of snow, but it was quite sunny. When I was feeding Smokey, the snow came on HEAVY; it was really overcast and I thought it was on for the day. However, the snow went off and the sun came out; I even managed to get washing out for a while. It's not dry but it's close to dry. Now, at 4pm, it's dark and dismal and sleeting a bit.
Typical Scotland - four seasons in one day - but at least the animals have had some sun on their backs. It does seem to cheer them up - on Thursday, I think, it was sunny; I took the dogs into the field and the sheep came racing over, as fast as their short, fat legs would carry them. This wasn't a "coming to get fed" run, this was a "just for fun, who's the fastest" run; just as they got to us, they went into a frenzy of hop, skip and jump, leaping in the air. With the sun out, I felt a bit the same, but decided not to try it!
Herbal wormer
Sunday 27 January, 2008
We bought herbal wormer yesterday, for the sheep and the hens. Both products are used monthly - over three days for the chooks and seven for the sheep, so I'll start on Friday (since it's the 1st February). The wormer for the hens is liquid, so it can be put in water or on bread. I'm going for the latter because ours freerange and drink from puddles etc.
The sheep wormer is pellets and goes on their food - I don't think there will be any trouble getting them to eat it. They're getting a pedicure next weekend, too - so healthy, inside and out! I've got the vet coming to do Smokey's flu and tetanus next week, so I'm going to ask him about worm counts for the sheep, so I can check if it's working OK.
How to scare a fledgling smallholder.
Sunday 20 January, 2008
Some folk like to scare themselves witless by watching horror movies. Some like to do it by going on huge fairground rides. Some do it by taking a "ghost wak". Me? I read a book about stock rearing!
I buy the "The Scottish Farmer" every week. It's written is a strange "farmer-speak" but I like to look at what's for sale. This week, it had a 16 page "Lambing Special", half of which was adverts for drenches and injections to prevent and cure diseases I haven't even heard of.
So I got out my sheep book and terrified myself. At one point the author says that sheep are either healthy or dead and it's generally quite easy to tell the difference! Although we're not lambing this year, I'm thinking ahead. To be honest the lambing itself is the least of my concerns - I'm more worried about grass and how to have enough. I'm also worried about liver fluke, coccidiosis, abortion, footroot and various skin parasites. If I treat them all, the girls will be like pin cushions!
House Cow
Friday 18 January, 2008
No, not yet. But I know what we're getting when we get one - a Shetland!
I've been browsing the web and was intending to look up Dexter cattle, but opened the RBST website to discover that the Dexter isn't listed. So I looked up the Shetland instead and that's what we'll have!
It ticks all the boxes for me - size, nature, thrifty, dual purpose. More research, now.
