Smallholding
Rhubarb / Hen run / Gwenna
Sunday 26 March, 2023
W/e Sunday 26th March
Once again, this is going to be a pretty short blog. It’s Sunday 26th March, Dan’s birthday, and we spent the morning at the emergency vet’s because there’s something bad going on with Gwenna’s spine. Again. She’d had painkillers and looks a good deal happier but a follow-up visit to our own vet tomorrow will reveal more. This is not what we expected – she recovered so well from the surgery and has been such a wee trouper. Anyway, we’ll know more tomorrow.
Sun / Toast / Sprouts
Saturday 11 March, 2023
Monday 6th March
Lovely morning – sunny and still. I’m speaking at a local women’s guild tomorrow so needed to get my presentation done for that AND have a run through the equipment. It’s a while since I’ve done anything like this.
I must have failed to close his pen properly yesterday, because Grey was out and about this morning. He’d had a good nibble at the ivy and a play in the woodchip pile and I think he was quite tired by 7am. I opened the door to his pen, put in his breakfast bucket and in he went. He has seemed to spend most of today lying down.
Health Plans / Udders / Ponies
Monday 6 March, 2023
Monday 27th February
No frost but bitterly cold and damp this morning. Alistair, our vet was here this afternoon, updating our health plan and helping me put together a parasite control plan, based the result of our worm and fluke test. The Scottish Government are giving a grant to farmers to test and act on the professional advice, although we’d done the testing before I knew about the grant.
Our bull is going on a “working holiday” from mid-April until the end of June; the folk we buy our hay from have two Aberdeen Angus heifers that they want to get in calf. It suits me to have him away over calving – Ace was a total doofus when we had new calves. Grey might be fine but it’s easier (and safer) if he’s four miles up the road. Of course, he will need to be quarantined and blood tested when he comes back to comply with our health scheme.
Pruning / Strawberries / Trough
Monday 27 February, 2023
w/e Sunday 26th February
Another short entry this week - not because nothing is happening but much of what I’m spending time on at the moment isn’t smallholding.
As is usual for the time of year, the weather has been changeable – some stiff breezes, often from the North, a bit of rain, some sun and temperatures from 0C to 10C.
Dan’s been pruning apple trees most days; his new long pruner is proving to be a good buy. He’s done two of six paddocks – but these are the older and therefore bigger trees that take longer. He’s aiming to do an hour each day after work. If he manages that, he'll be done my mid March. A few trees weren't pruned last year, so they will be a bit more work.
Pigpen / Hanging baskets / Diesel
Monday 20 February, 2023
Not much of a diary entry this week. The start of the week was cold and frosty so gardening was out, then Storm Otto came in with rain and strong winds.
Before Storm Otto.
And I was floored by the shock resignation of Nicola Sturgeon on Wednesday and spent the day pretty much in tears. My chum was in John Lewis when she heard and “disgraced” herself (her words) by bursting into tears. Thursday was pretty much just a fug.
Diesel / Polytunnel / Raspberry
Monday 13 February, 2023
Monday 6th February
Cold and windy at 7am, but the sun got out by 10am, warming things up a wee bit. I did a bit more weeding – finished what will be the pea bed (tatties last year) and started the bed with the rhubarb and flowers in.
This season's tattie bed.
This season's pea bed.
Elder / Cherry / Blackberry / Flapjack
Monday 6 February, 2023
Monday 30th January
Oh, it’s been a lovely day – sunny and warm, dare I say it. Tom managed to find a spot in the sun. Indoors.
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Tom's spot.
I finally planted the shallots – Jermor, then since I was in the garden anyway, I did 20 minutes weeding and cleared about two linear metres of a bed.
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Shallots Jermor here.
Ladybird / Teacosy / Rhubarb
Sunday 29 January, 2023
Monday 23rd January
No diary for last week; sadly, Dan’s Dad died last Thursday, so I wasn’t in the mood, to be honest. Although he’d been poorly for a while and we thought we were prepared, we weren’t as prepared as we thought we were. He was a lovely man, and he will be sorely missed – this place is full of memories of him – and he’s left us with so many good ones.
Last week was very cold – the water to the cowshed was frozen most of the week, but it’s been mainly dry, and the standing water has almost gone from the fields. Yesterday, it thawed so Dan and I were able to get out in the polytunnel, get all the wires down and finish the edges, and do a bit of general tidying.
Hedges / Leaves / Fire
Monday 16 January, 2023
Monday 9th January
Bit dreich this morning. I was away first thing for hay – one bales is doing the cows about eight or nine days. Not sure how long a pony / bull bale is doing but I’ve marked the opening date on the board in the feed store.
Dreich Monday.
Duncan was here doing the hedges. Nice tidy job –five men, so it didn’t take long. He’s going to come back in February to take down about twenty trees that are surplus. Andy and Dan will process them for firewood. We’re going to fill the gaps in the orchard with smallish, nature friendly trees rather than more apples.
Leeks / Gracie and Bronte / Polytunnel
Monday 9 January, 2023
Monday 2nd January
Spring cleaned the feed store. With no hens or sheep, it’s emptier than it’s been for years.
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Nice and tidy.
Tuesday 3rd January
Tom loves the fire. This isn’t an action shot – he’s been lying like this for ten minutes. Channelling his inner Gwenna.
