Smallholding
Clegs / Rain / Flowers
Monday 21 July, 2025
Monday 14th July
Sunny and warm this morning, although cooler than last week. It was raining a wee bit last night at bedtime but the proper rains started about 1pm.
My cleg bites have blistered – got a whopper on my right ankle and am struggling to get a shoe on.
Took Bryn and Gwenna to the vet for their Lepto booster; Bryn has lost 400g, Gwenna nothing. But the vet said both were absolutely fine condition wise. They both had their nails clipped, which was a bit of a trauma.
Heatwave / Shallots / Garden
Monday 14 July, 2025
Monday 7th July
Sunny and warm, rain overnight but not sure how much.
Moved the sheep into Far Top after Alistair came and took three away for the fat sales.
New field for the nine.
Tuesday 8th July
Another hot day; we were in Stirling for our annual lunch with Jim & Jean. Always good to catch up and the Green Gate was excellent as always.
Flossies egg / Gala / Cooper
Monday 7 July, 2025
Monday 30th June
Very hot first thing; it was roasting overnight too.
Moved the sheep to Near Top.
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Sheep into a very clovery Near Top.
Looking back from the field. I thought this looked rather pretty.
View from the field.
Birthdays / Champagne / Newburgh
Monday 30 June, 2025
Monday 23rd June
Dogs got me up at 5.30am. Overcast and breezy, mainly, with some sun.
Baked ginger nuts and mincemeat cookies, the latter for the event at the hub tomorrow evening.
The roofer came to measure up for new gutters on the house. The existing ones are the originals and have come to the end of their life. It would be great to replace with cast iron, but it’s prohibitively expensive and needs too much maintenance.
Alistair dropped off three ewes, to join the nine here. One was at the Highland Show and was here until last week, the other two he bought in-lamb; they lambed later than the rest of the flock, so have just been weaned. So they’re now in Home and up to their bellies in grass.
Highland Show / Solstice / Beret
Monday 23 June, 2025
Monday 16th June
Mild, overcast, light breeze. Big week in prospect, with Thursday and Friday at the Highland Show – RBST on Thursday, Scottish Smallholder Festival on Friday – then SNP National Council on Saturday. Dan has jury duty Tuesday definitely and probably Wednesday, but hopefully that will be it.
Sheep moved into Sheepfold this morning. It might do them two weeks, being twice the size of the other paddocks, although the grass isn’t as good.
Pullets / Strimming / Kitten gym
Monday 16 June, 2025
Week ending 15th June
Very short diary entry this week, as nothing much happened. The weather was lovely until Saturday, when we had biblical rain. But that was fine as the ground really needed it.
Tractor work is pretty much suspended until I get more red diesel. If it runs out of diesel, it’s a real faff to get it going again. The weather is set fair for the next week though, so it will be fine to get topping and harrowing then.
Sheep came into Near Ditch to share with the ponies, who have started going out overnight. It’s a wee bit of a faff because the sheep have a licky bucket that the ponies would love but that would do them no good at all, so gates are opened and closed morning and evening.
Sweet peas / Embroidery / Pullets
Monday 9 June, 2025
Saturday 7th June
Oops, I did it again and forgot to write up my diary daily.
Not a very busy week Dalmore-wise. The leeks have finally sprouted. The runners, sweetcorn and the remaining courgette look poor. I made muck tea, so am feeding them.
Move the sheep to Far Ditch on Monday after Alistair came and weaned the lambs and took them home; he brought another two ewes, making ten. Not a squeak out of them. I guess the joys of motherhood had palled.
Lorna and I took our usual constitutional along Arbroath seafront on Tuesday. The wind was strong and the sea grey and choppy, but it wasn’t cold.
Smokey / Brassicas / Weeds
Sunday 1 June, 2025
Monday 26th May
Rain overnight again, sunny daytime but very, very windy.
Moved the sheep to Far Top; the ewes grazed and the lambs bolted off to explore the fence line. There’s still a lot of grass in Near Top (and Home), so the ponies can use Near Top for a week or so, while we harrow Near Ditch (then top and harrow Home and Near Top).
Smokey seems better today. He’s certainly moving fine and is much happier in himself. He ate his doctored food (which I topped with some black treacle), so fingers crossed for a full recovery.
Shearing / Show / Smokey
Monday 26 May, 2025
Monday 19th May
Cool this morning, and overcast; the sun got out by lunchtime but a very brisk breeze kept the temperature down.
The polytunnel strawberries are doing well but will need repotted in the autumn.
Polytunnel strawberries.
I moved the sheep into Near Top; my plan is to move them every Monday. Didn’t do much outside, but got beds changed and washed.
Anniversary / Birthdays / Openings
Sunday 18 May, 2025
Monday 12th May
Cooler this morning, and overcast first thing, but the sun got out. It's warmth was somewhat tempered by the continuing easterly breeze.
It’s Smokey’s 28th birthday, so he and Mickey shared three cans of Guinness. We don’t know when Mickey’s birthday is, although we guess he’s of similar vintage to Smokey, so they’re going to share May 12th.
I didn’t get into the garden, except to water the new baby plants but Dan finished weeding the heather bed. The little conifer that came out of a pot after many years, has been destroyed by “something”.
