Anything goes
Aaargh! Knitting with electric fence
Wednesday 2 December, 2009
At this time of year, I usually put a few sheep on the lawn. When I say "lawn", it's the bit of grass INSIDE the fence as opposed to "field" which is the same grass outside the fence. Bowling green it ain't. However, the sheep do graze it nicely down AND they tidy right up to the clothes poles, fertilising as they go. The lawn was probably it's best ever this summer, thanks to the sheep.
In order to protect the postie from said sheep, - Dickie and Li'l' Bud this year - I run electric fence along the path between the lawn and the front door. Now, I have an electric fence in the big field - one strand, high enough to let the ewes through but keeping the horse out of the sheeps' trough and lick. We only have one energiser, though, and that has been on the big field's fence.
First snow
Sunday 29 November, 2009
Not down here, but there is a dusting of snow on the Ochils this morning. I'm not surprised - it's pretty cold and very windy. However, at least it's dry and the wind is drying up he ground fine.
We're having one of our Hubbards roast to day, so off to pull some carrots, swede and parsnips for roasting. And apple sponge, I think, to follow.
New job
Thursday 17 September, 2009
When I left the Council in July, it was my intention to have a gap year. My good friend, Carol, said I would be back at work within six months. Well, she was right and I've got another job.
I am delighted to be the Project Co-ordinator for Forth Valley, for the Royal Highland Education Trust www.rhet.org.uk. The tagline for RHET is "taking the classroom into the countryside" and its aim is to reconnect children with food, farming and the countryside by organising school visits to farms and farmer visits to schools, along with specific projects like "Count and Grow" with the Clydesdale Bank and Farmhouse Breakfast Week with Tesco and the Home Grown Cereals Authority.
Autumn
Saturday 22 August, 2009
It feels distinctly autumnal. The light has changed and it's cooler; the leaves on the trees have barely started to change, but it feels different.
I love autumn - it's my favourite time of year. I hope we get some good weather, since our barbeque summer didn't quite happen. It's been lovely today, especially when the breeze dropped. It was the kind of day when you just HAD to be outside, putting things in order.
Dan cut the grass in the garden, the vegetable garden and the orchard - hopefully that will do it this year, since we bring the sheep on to it in the winter. I've been weeding and brushing up - our garden looks almost respectable, for once. I might buy some bedding plants tomorrow and really go for it and fill some pots and tubs for early colour. That's the easy bit - keeping the hens off it is the challenge!
Update w/e 16th August
Sunday 16 August, 2009
Well, we've seen the end of an era here this week. Our old Rhode Island Red hen finally fell off the perch, literally. We bought her as part of a batch of eight point of lay pullets in 2003 and she was the only one left. She did look old, but she was fine right up until the end, except she couldn't manage to get up on the roosting perches the night she died. Dan found her in the morning, stiff as a board. We'll miss her - although she wasn't really tame, she knew that hanging round the kitchen door was good way to get any treats going. She was also Hector's "enforcer" and could put all the younger hens in their place.
Update w/e 9th August
Sunday 9 August, 2009
Well, it's been a week with a couple of new sheep experiences here - castration and ear tagging.
After some deliberation, Dickie, one of our Ryeland tup lambs, was castrated by the vet on Thursday. He's not good enough for breeding (Dickie, not the vet) and I just couldn't eat him, so we're keeping him as a companion for Li'l' Bud, who won't be able to run with the ewes for much longer. This will be the only year such sentimentality is allowed.
On Friday, we had a foot trimming session, for both ewes and lambs. We don't turn them over now; Dan holds their heads and they stand quietly while I trim their feet as you would a horse. Although none of them were lame, some of their feet were quite long and they will be more comfortable now. We also took the opportunity to put in the lambs' ear tags. I did try this on a lambing course, but the lambs there were a few days old, not like our bruisers. Anyway, it went pretty smoothly and, to be honest, it didn't seem to bother the lambs at all. We did Bud first, and his first tag is the poorest but I got better with the rest. Next week, we're going to wean the lambs and move the ewes to a different field. I never see the lambs suckle now and the ewes' udders were soft when I checked them yesterday. The ewes are in pretty good condition, so I don't want them getting over fat this year.
Update w/e 2nd August
Saturday 8 August, 2009
I have to confess that it hasn't been the most productive week here. It's all the kittens' fault - they are just so cute and such terrible timewasters. We can now tell the difference between them with reasonable certainty. Bertie is blacker and has a shorter, thicker coat than Harry, and is much bolder than his brother. Bertie blanks the dogs but Harry goes past them like a hairpin, tail like a lavvy brush and spitting. The dogs simply look bemused. They have been outside for the first time this weekend and are exhausted. Our garden is like a jungle (see below) so they have been very busy exploring.
Plea for British Rare Breeds
Wednesday 29 July, 2009
I'd like to make a plea on behalf of British rare breeds. Please support the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, and maybe more importantly, use the breeds on the RBST watchlist. With support since the Watchlist was published in 1976, 13 breeds have moved from the watchlist to being Category 6 Other Native Breeds. But many more still need help - almost all the pig breeds, many of the horse and pony breeds, as well as cattle, sheep & goats and poultry.
See the RBST website for more information.
Update w/e 26th July 2009
Monday 27 July, 2009
The vegetable garden is really getting going now. We've managed to get a handful of runner beans, with the glut yet to come. The French beans are doing really well - next year, I'll grow these instead of broad beans which neither Dan nor I really like. Peas are regularly contributing to plate and freezer - I wish I'd grown more of them. Beetroot and carrots are available as thinnings and we've had the first of the Minicole cabbage. The new netting has transformed the brassica bed - just hope the sprouts and the sprouting broccoli don't get too high and pull it out.
Update w/e 19th July 2009
Tuesday 21 July, 2009
The weather has continued to be changeable here. We've had some really heavy showers and our garage has flooded a few times – the drain is inadequate so I'm going to get a water butt to put on the downpipe to take the pressure off it. Fortunately, anything that could have been damaged was high enough off the floor to be safe.
In the garden, the French beans are ready – I've not grown these before but we had them for dinner yesterday and they are really tasty. Along with peas, carrots and new potatoes – all our Sunday vegetables were homegrown.
