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Scoot / Roo / Skippy

Monday 26 April, 2021

by Rosemary at 11:19am in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 19th April

The morning started cloudy but the sun soon came out and it was warm again.  It’s just cold overnight so I guess the soil isn’t warming up too well. And of course, it’s bone dry.

I potted up the dwarf French beans and put them in the polytunnel to keep the greenhouse clear for Dan and Andy to process comfrey.

Kit’s lambs are proving to be a bit of a trial and expert escapologists.

VAT return and year-end completed and off to the accountant. Yay, yay and thrice yay!

Tara and I took the ponies out for a walk and a “picnic”.

Afton / Polytunnel / Peas

Monday 19 April, 2021

by Rosemary at 1:31pm in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 12th April

Finally confirmed that the steer / heifer swap is on this week. Wednesday, in fact.

Wednesday 14th April

So, Afton went off to the Selbie Hill herd and Harvie joined ours. He’s a bit wee and skinny but I’m sure he’ll fill out. It all went rather well; we confined Afton to the far end of the shed and let the three steers out, after doing them with Closamectin. They had a gallop around the stockyard before heading out. They have a bale of hay and a licky bucket. When Harvie arrived, he went straight out, then Afton was loaded – she went on quietly at the second attempt. Job done.

Rooster / Caravan / Polytunnel

Monday 12 April, 2021

by Rosemary at 8:54am in Smallholding 1 comment Comments closed

Monday 5th April

Cold, cold, cold. Wind sweeping from the Steppes and scouring all before it. Sunny though, and dry. So not really complaining.

And so it’s the end of another year, so all the paperwork has to be gathered for the accountant. I always get a bit stressy about this, although I guess I’m better than some of their clients. At least I don’t dump a box of receipts and invoices on their desks. Bank accounts and cash dealt with, just waiting on the credit card bill, then I can get the VAT return done and the accounts closed off. I’ll do our personal tax stuff at the same time, and then it’s all done. And breathe.

Cluckdown / Appleblossom / Mowing

Monday 5 April, 2021

by Rosemary at 9:04am in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 29th March

Today was a day of going for hay, doing paperwork, addressing envelopes and shopping but for various reason everything got a bit muddled and the envelopes didn’t get done. Early start tomorrow.

Dan thinks all the bee colonies have died. Alistair, a beekeeping friend, has offered us a nuc, since we gave him one when he was starting.

Tuesday 30th March

Set my alarm for 6am to make a start on the envelopes; stopped at 7am to do the morning round – hens out, sheep fed, ponies in for their breakfast, hay out for sheep and cattle and cattle out, then my breakfast. Then off to the post office for stamps, finished the envelopes and mucked out the cattle. Very productive morning.

Peas / Tomatoes / Fencing

Sunday 28 March, 2021

by Rosemary at 7:05pm in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 22nd March

Frosty this morning, but lovely once the sun came up, but still a cold wind.

Once the chores were done, I addressed envelopes for the first comfrey orders going out this week because Royal Mail are rubbish. After lunch, I had a pile of election leaflets to put out – very good for getting my daily steps up and seeing bits of the town I haven’t seen before.

envelopesOoh, writing with a pen. What a novelty!

Rhubarb / Roo / Ace

Sunday 21 March, 2021

by Rosemary at 6:18pm in Smallholding Comments closed

 Monday 15th March

March 15th is the day the Rural Payments Single Application Form (SAF) opens to farmers. I was tempted to stay up last night until midnight plus 1 minute and complete it then, but I waited until a more reasonable 10am.  That’s it done for another year.

I took the dogs and walked the fields taking soil samples for pH, potash, phosphate and magnesium testing.  I did three samples – Sheepfold, our five-acre field and Laing’s Field. I more or less followed the W pattern. I think. Dropped them off at the SAC office in Forfar, along with the soil corer and we should get the results next week.

Mulching / Weeding / Mutton

Monday 15 March, 2021

by Rosemary at 9:21am in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 8th March

Steven was planning to be here today to scrape Sheepfold but he was otherwise engaged – it’s still a bit wet to be honest. Dave Laing, from whom we rent the 10 acre field, came down for a look and he’s going to run the mulching mower over it for us to take the rushes down.

Quick trip to East Pitkerro and a mega pile of paperwork, but all done.

Tuesday 9th March

Finished weeding the second flower bed at the front of the house and rewarded myself by taking Smokey for a walk. 

Orchard / Bonfire / Aurora

Sunday 7 March, 2021

by Rosemary at 4:43pm in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 1st March

Paperwork day, so in the office. March seems to be coming in like a lamb.

Blizzard is almost sound. Which is great because I got the bill and the antibiotic was over £50.

Started feeding Roo, the BFL expecting triplets, and Niamh, because she’s old.  Roo is the least friendly of the BFLs, so shedding off the two of them was a wee bit of a pantomime but it got done. I’ve kept them in the wee tup paddock overnight and will feed them again in the morning – hopefully, she’ll realise quite quickly that coming in is a good thing.

Duck / Greens / Couch

Monday 1 March, 2021

by Rosemary at 11:30am in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 22nd February

Lovely spring day again. Linda found a basket of unidentified bulbs in the greenhouse so has planted them in pots. I think some are double tulips, so if they come, they will be lovely.

Picked up two bales of hay for here and a bale of hay and a bale of straw for East Pitkerro, to take down later in the week.  I’ve tidied out the area where the ponies tie I and the hay is stored and it certainly looks much bigger. I’m wondering if we should concrete it as we planned or put down some sort of gravel bed and rubber mats.

Snowdrops / Sunshine / Spring cleaning

Monday 22 February, 2021

by Rosemary at 4:30am in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 15th February

The thaw is well underway now. The ditch is high but running freely.  I let the cattle out this morning but it’s going to be too wet to let them out again for a wee while.

ditchHigh but flowing.

Got the farm maps out and was pleased to see that we can take Home paddock for a pond (officially) and wildlife area without taking us below the 3ha minimum area for agricultural support. Contacted the firm that built the ponds at the golf course.

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