First calf of 2023 / Tatties / Hens
Monday 24 April, 2023
Week ending Sunday 23rd April
We’ve had the loveliest weather this week , and better than forecast. I hate to say it, but we could really do with some rain. We’d had the sprinklers on in the garden Saturday and Sunday evening.
However, that made it a good week for a calf to be born and Blizzard obliged at about 3.30am on Friday. Her due date was the 1st May, but when they’re cooked, they’re cooked. Dan said he thought she was close so I checked at 2am, and right enough she was starting.
Seedlings / Shrubs / Cookies
Tuesday 18 April, 2023
Week ending Sunday 16th April
Jings, what happened this week?!
Well, Grey isn’t going on his expected Club 18-30 holiday, so we’ll manage him around the fresh-calved cows and calves – still, it means we don’t have o quarantine him for 28 days when he comes back. It also changes the timetable for health scheme blood testing, but the plan has been amended and I’m comfortable with it. I’m starting to feel a bit keyed up about calving; based on service dates and a 283 day gestation period, they’re due over 28th April to 2nd May but they haven’t read the chart, so I’ll start night checks from Friday 22nd. They’re all working on their udders, but Baby is most successful.
Treacle / Strawberries / Udders
Monday 10 April, 2023
Monday 3rd April
Cool but sunny this morning; traces of ice on the water troughs, but full sunshine.
Today was the day to give the cattle the flukicide. I was a bit concerned that they – Rora in particular – wouldn’t eat their feed with the medicine in it so I added a good dollop of black treacle to the feeds – and they nearly ate the buckets. Job done!
Thank you, Messers Lyle and Sons.
Chooks / Spring / Flukicide
Monday 3 April, 2023
Monday 27th March
Gwenna seemed to have a good night. She hates going out on her lead though. Wee grumpy face, and if you walk ahead of her, she stops and refuses to move. We took her to our vet at lunchtime. I was expecting the worst – well, not “the worst” but possibly more surgery – and so was the vet, having read the notes from yesterday. So we were all pleasantly surprised that there had been a significant improvement overnight. So painkillers and rest for at least a week – and “quieter” behavior afterwards. Like no trying to kill dogs through the gate.
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.