Smallholding
Pumpkins / Gracie / Blizzard's calf
Monday 11 October, 2021
Monday 4th October
Lovely morning; no calf yet. I’ll do a 2am check now until she’s calved.
A few showers in the afternoon. Started giving he hens soaked corn in the afternoon. Audrey and Dusty went to bed on their own for the first time.
Tuesday 5th October
Still no calf.
Wednesday 6th October
No calf. Horrible wet night forecast, so brought the cows in. Saves my jammies getting wet on the night-time checks. They can go out during the day though.
Cattle / Ewes / Bantams
Monday 20 September, 2021
Monday 13th September
Beautiful sunrise and another lovely day. The hen house for Sheldon, Amy and Penny has arrived from Jim Vyse Arks.
New hen house.
Tuesday 14th September
Annie and Rosie, just because. Rosie is almost sound.
My lovely Annie.
Beetroot / Caterpillars / Tap
Monday 13 September, 2021
Monday 6th September
We had a visit from Landscape Resource Centre yesterday – Henry Maitland – with his spiker machine to break up the pan in our fields. I’m torn between wanting it to stay nice weather wise and wanting see if it’s made a difference.
Henry and his spiker.
Also on Sunday, Bean and his chum escaped back to the field beside the ewes; the loony Shetland lamb got under the fence, so we had to let Bean through to join them.
Bulls / Greengages / Lynbreck Croft
Monday 6 September, 2021
Monday 30th August
It was a sad day today as we said goodbye to our bull, Ace. It’s never easy but there are animals I’ve been far happier to see go than this big boy. I guess that’s farming though. I hope he’s got Rosie in calf.
Pottered about in the garden and potted up the wallflowers that came at the weekend. The containers they’re going in are still full of dahlias and scabious.
Lit the stove for the first time this autumn - it's a kind of comfort thing.
Pigs / Pots / Steers
Monday 30 August, 2021
Monday 23rd August
Sunrise was 5.55am today; by Thursday, I’ll be up before the sun rises. Just a thought.
Curtains up in the dining room – yay! Then some paperwork; moved Bean and his chum into the caravan paddock (where there is so much grass), then off to Brechin to pick up the flat trailer from Duncan Mackintosh (great service as always) and on to Forfar to collect a tonne of layer pellets.
Who needs the gym when there's a tonne of pellets to be unloaded?
Jam / Polytunnel / Keys
Monday 23 August, 2021
Monday 16th August
Cool morning, warm afternoon. Did all the outstanding paperwork except contacting the bank about access to the account of a voluntary organisation I’m involved with. I just have feelings of such despair with these things. I know it’s probably a sign of getting old, but it was so much better when there was a branch in the village with nice, helpful staff.
To cheer myself up, I made up my seed list and ordered my vegetable seeds for next year. I also want to buy some bulbs but I’m faffing over what to order. It’s pathetic really.
Willow / Lambs / Flagpole
Monday 16 August, 2021
Monday 9th August
Cool, sunny with rain overnight. There’s s definite feeling that we’re into “late summer” now.
Pretty much a full on office day, with quite a lot of Festival stuff to be done. I don’t quite know how this happened – I was only supposed to be doing the online cattle show and the goat show. Hey ho. Interfering old bag syndrome, I guess.
We did wean the lambs so it’s quite noisy. But not as bad as weaning calves though; I hope the Quietwean work when we get to that time of year.
Rora / Rain / Squashes
Tuesday 10 August, 2021
Monday 2nd August
Today saw Rosie, Bronte and Rora return to the herd. Rora headed for her mum to suckle but Blizzard said, quite firmly, “Not on your Nellie”. So I guess she’s weaned now. Next job was to clean out the field shelter ready for – whomever.
On the first day of his holidays proper, Dan cut the grass and strimmed all the edges. Looks very tidy.
The calves have chewed the end of the hose. Now the water comes out in four directions, as I found out this afternoon when I got a cold shower.
Rosie / Storm / Lammas
Monday 2 August, 2021
Monday 27th July
Hot, muggy. Rosie is in season and she’s lame, which gives me a dilemma – I want her served but I can’t bring her in with Ace because the mats get slippy if they are wet and if he mounts her and she slips, she could do serious damage. So I’m hoping she’ll be better tomorrow. The gods love an optimist.
Tuesday 28th July
Still hot and muggy – we’re just waiting for the rain.
Rosie is still lame and still in season. We’ve bought a new bull. He’s called Hartons Grey, born mid-April. I like him a lot and his dam looks like a good cow. Now I have to arrange for Ace to go to the abattoir, which is making me sad.
Drone / Vegetables / Polands
Monday 26 July, 2021
Monday 19th July
Annie is fine this morning, so I’ve put her back with Ace and Rosie. I’ve let Rora out with Blizzard into the wee paddock by the barn, but will bring both in at night so Rora’s lessons can continue. It’s so quiet!!
Sheldon looks better today; he’s eating and drinking without encouragement. Fingers crossed. The remaining twenty hens seem fine, but I’m well over a dozen eggs a day down. I’ll try and get another twenty if I can.
