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Donald / Lambs / Elderflower

Tuesday 6 July, 2021

by Rosemary at 6:35pm in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 28th June

Still warm and dry. Spent some time in the vegetable garden; early peas are ready and delicious and the early tatties (Red Duke of York) are ready. And the Mini Munch cucumber in the polytunnel.

Ace and Rosie looking loved up today, but I haven’t seen her stand for him. Marked 17 days in the diary.

Home produced pork, peas and new potatoes for dinner.

Tuesday 29th June

Overcast in the morning, bit of haar, but the sun came out in the afternoon and it was hot, hot, hot

Sea / Grass / Rocky

Monday 28 June, 2021

by Rosemary at 10:16am in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 21st June

I’ve organised for the vet to come an take a second blood sample from Blizzard a week tomorrow; he’ll take samples from the two calves for BVD too.

Office stuff and weeding.

Tuesday 22nd June

Ace and Annie seem a bit loved up.  She calved 26th April, so she could well be in season. I didn’t see her served though. Just need to keep an eye out in 17 days or so.

Lorna and I had a walk along Carnoustie sea front. Very blessed.

Blizzard / Tests / Topping

Monday 21 June, 2021

by Rosemary at 8:33am in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 14th June

Quite a lot of rain overnight, which is welcome. Just pottered about today until the footie at 2pm.

Tuesday 15th June

Dry, sunny, breezy.

Well, this is a blow. Contacted the vet about the results from the cattle blood tests. All cattle clear for everything - IBR, Lepto, Neospora and Johne's except we have an inconclusive test for Johne’s from Blizzard. Not quite sure yet what the consequences are – there will be a retest. Feeling gutted. In touch with our vet and reading up. Can’t believe she’s got it – she’s probably a condition score 4 and is carrying her tenth calf in ten years.

Flowers / Calves / Lambs

Monday 14 June, 2021

by Rosemary at 9:59am in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 7th June

Another glorious day. Had a cheeky wee smallholder’s lie-in, then took our daughter swimming. Then some paperwork. How can it be a month since the last credit card bill came in? But it is.

Dan and I had a happy hour weeding in the veg garden before dinner.  Three of the four transplanted blueberries have survived he move. Mixed blessing as their expected demise would have given me space for loganberries and tayberries. I’ll find a space somewhere.

Sunshine / Cows / Broken PTO

Monday 7 June, 2021

by Rosemary at 8:44pm in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 31st May

First job this morning was to dose the lambs with white wormer to protect them against Nematodirus; the NADIS report said we were a red area.

I rode Smokey. Actually put on the saddle and bridle and rode him in the field. I think he was a bit surprised. So was I.

Tuesday 1st June

Dan started topping Laing’s Field. It takes about four hours, so he’ll do an hour after work until it’s done.

Tara and I took the ponies for a walk.

Gardens / Shearing / Blood tests

Monday 31 May, 2021

by Rosemary at 10:38am in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 24th May

We had more rain overnight and the day was cool, damp and drizzly. We ate the last of last year’s apples this morning – we cooked and froze tonnes (well, it felt like tonnes) in the autumn. I fear we may not have a good a crop this year. Some of the apple trees look rough and the poor weather will have affected the number of pollinators.

Wednesday 26th May

(No, I'm not sure what happened to Tuesday either)

Finally plucked up courage to plant up the tubs for the back door. And one hanging basket.

What's happened to summer?

Monday 24 May, 2021

by Rosemary at 7:10pm in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 17th May

Nice morning, but rain started at 4pm.

Picked up two bales of hay. Took the faecal sample to the vet; as I arrived, Alistair was leaving, but he took the sample back to get it sent off.  Ken arrived with diesel and to collect the weight thing off the front of the tractor.

Did some paperwork then had a snooze. Was woken by the rain!

Dan went off to empty the muck trailer because I’m going for a tonne of layer pellets tomorrow. It’s all time critical because the car’s going for an MOT on Thursday and the trailer’s going for a service next week.

Pigs / Rhubarb / Mucking out

Monday 17 May, 2021

by Rosemary at 4:42pm in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 10th May

Definitely, finally, feels like spring. Warm, sunny showers, a light breeze. Braw.

Office day but did sow grass seed in Sheepfold where Dan harrowed yesterday, and put a tape across to divide the field into two unequal halves. I thought it would be nice to see what grows if it’s not grazed.

Found a dead hen in the field shelter – she must be four years old and must have just keeled over while scratching in the straw.  Not a bad way to go. And we had to cull one of the new batch. She’s been looking off for a couple of days, then looked better, but was plainly struggling today.

Bronte / Pigs / Rushes

Monday 10 May, 2021

by Rosemary at 10:36am in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 3rd May

Nice start to the day but by late afternoon, it was like November – heavy rain and strong wind (or in the words of the BBC, a brisk breeze!). Dan made some modifications to the cheep run to make it a bit less exposed – I was going to bring them back in.

The cows came in by themselves mid afternoon. Rosie’s not going to go until her due date of the 10th, the question is when will she go. The weather for the week isn’t great. The lambs are all tucked up at the back of the field shelter.

Annie's calf / Alice's lamb / Pig ark

Monday 3 May, 2021

by Rosemary at 12:07pm in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 26th April

Rain forecast fro today but only a few showers. Annie surprised us by calving this afternoon. Her due date was 4th May, but I think if I looked back, early calving has become the norm. I saw little legs below her belly while I was doing evening chores and the legs were running about – which is good. Sadly, Ace was pummelling the calf, so we bought him in and left the girls out overnight.  I’m 99% sure it’s a heifer.

calfAnnie and her very new heifer calf.

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