Smallholding
Rooster / Caravan / Polytunnel
Monday 12 April, 2021
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
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
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.
Ooh, writing with a pen. What a novelty!
Rhubarb / Roo / Ace
Sunday 21 March, 2021
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
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
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
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
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.
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High 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.
Snow / WC / More Snow
Monday 15 February, 2021
Monday 8th February
Forecast for heavy snow – hopefully we’ll miss it. Being so close to the sea, we’re a little microclimate and quite often the forecast for here turns out to be inaccurate – and usually not so bad.
Graham is getting on well with the WC
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The new WC is coming on.
The hens are right off their lay – no eggs in the caravan this afternoon.
WC / Manure / Rhubarb
Monday 8 February, 2021
Monday 1st February
It's St Brigid’s Day or Imbolc - the breaking of winter and the start of spring. Aye, right.
A further rummage in the pantry has flushed out three jars of Old Dowerhouse Chutney from 2015 and eight jars of not-very-good strawberry jam. I couldn’t think what to do with them until Dan reminded me that we used the others (there was a lot) when we cooked rhubarb for freezing – one jar of strawberry jam per batch of rhubarb. No additional sugar required and a lovely flavour. Sorted.
