Smallholding
Harebells / Apples / Desks
Tuesday 18 August, 2020
Monday 10th August
Cloudy and warm. Determined to get through all the office jobs this morning. I’ve been invited by a local breeder of Irish Moiled cattle to see their breed society’s system of cattle assessment and classification. Very pleased.
That was good – three hours with an assessor looking at Beef Shorthorn and Irish Moiled cattle. I now have a better understanding of how the system works.
Leeks / Araucana / Holiday
Monday 10 August, 2020
Monday 3rd August
My wee white Araucana is very lame. I caught her last night and sprayed her foot with blue spray. This morning, I bathed her foot in disinfectant and resprayed it. She's the last remaining of five i bought two years ago.
Tuesday 4th August
Heavy rain all day. The cats have been driving us mad – it’s like having four grumpy kids in the house. Did the outside essentials then retired to the office to do Shetland cattle stuff.
Onions / Omelette / Boots
Monday 3 August, 2020
Monday 27th July
Pretty heavy rain pretty much all day so did paperwork, went shopping, picked up Penfold’s antibiotics at the vet and went to the feed store for pig food and chick pellets. I’ve bought enough chick pellets to do them until we kill them.
A chum of ours came and took three of our old hens from the group we’ll be culling this autumn. They’ll live out their natural lives chooking around in her garden.
Ragwort / Dahlias / Pears
Monday 27 July, 2020
Monday 20th July
Strange day, weather-wise – sunny with very heavy showers. Still will help the grass grow. Finally got round to picking blackcurrants – put some out for sale and planning to do a bush a day for five days. Any that don’t sell, I’ll freeze. Plenty courgettes coming – and selling a few. Hope to get enough income to pay for this year’s seeds, new strawberries and raspberries.
Tuesday 21st July
Rebecca’s home so we rode this morning to Barry; Smokey was coughing a lot so I got off and walked for a bit, then remounted (with the help of some steps). I’m going to get the vet to have a look at him next week when she’s here anyway.
Picnics / Birthdays / Diesel
Monday 20 July, 2020
Monday 13th July
Showery today. Dan did his comfrey orders and I had an office day. I’m determined not to prevaricate about paperwork any more (I know the road to Hell is paved with good intentions). I took Penfold to vet; bloods taken, will get the results Wednesday. He’s gone form 5.1kg in October to 4.5kg now. That’s quite a lot.
Tuesday 14th July
Punnets for fruit finally arrived; I put some courgettes out for sale. Blackcurrants and gooseberries to follow. I took Smokey into the field in hand because I didn’t have much time. He was still spooky but started listening and thinking a bit better.
Courgettes / Cordial / Afton
Monday 13 July, 2020
Monday 6th July
Lovely sunny day, bit of a breeze – perfect drying weather. Mucked out the barn this morning, then poo picked. Office work after that, then post office with the comfrey orders.
Hung out a washing in the brisk breeze – and the clothes pole snapped. We put in four round wooden poles when we moved here and one has obviously rotted. My clothes line is now reduced by 50%. Dan thinks we have a spare one somewhere. I need a new line anyway, so the drying green will be refurbished.
Toscana / Albie / Bunnybelly
Monday 6 July, 2020
Monday 29th June
Pretty changeable today – some heavy showers, some light ones and some sun. And thunderstorms!
Last night there were two wee cucumber plants from the seeds I sowed last week; this morning there was one wee cucumber and a big snail on the second one. More sown and in the propagator.
Dan dried and wrapped the Toscana and started some Lancashire. The five camembert are drying now.
Toscana / Camembarry / Strawberries
Monday 29 June, 2020
Monday 22nd June
The forecast said, “light cloud”, which I guess, on average, was what we had although it panned out as heavy showers and full sun.
Dan’s wine soaked Toscana is now wine soaked.
Toscana cheese, soaking in wine,
The cattle came in fine at milking, so he’ll be able to make more on Wednesday. Afton has terrible scoots; she seems fine in herself so I’m hoping it’s just the effect of the new grass both directly and indirectly through her mother’s milk. Jings, hope it doesn’t have the same effect on us!
Lavender / Plums / Swiss Roll
Monday 22 June, 2020
Monday 15th June
Mild, still and misty. Good start to the morning; early round done by 6.30am then off for hay at 8am. Took the ponies round Barry – buses, lorries and bus stops (it’s scary when you can see yourself apparently)
My new bake ware arrived; fair braw. And a rack to store the trays in, so a happy half hour was spent reorganising the cupboard. Not quite finished yet.
New baking tins. And a storage rack.
Cheeps / Electric fence / Calves
Monday 15 June, 2020
Monday 8th June
Dry, intermittent sun but cold and windy. I’m not a fan of housework but neither do I like to see the house too dirty – or untidy. I tend to be pretty tidy generally – a place for everything etc. etc. Normally, after lambing, I do my spring cleaning. With the coronavirus outbreak, that’s been somewhat curtailed – because a good bit of the task is taking stuff to the laundry. Including the settee covers. To protect the settee – or Tom and Diesel’s bed, as it’s also known – I put some vet bed down – and on the IKEA chair that is Bertie’s preferred sleeping place. So this morning, I thought I’d wash the covers on the dogs’ beds and the vet bed. I might have put it on to protect the settee, but I should have vacuumed first – SO MUCH cat hair! Oh well, at least I could see where I’d been with the vacuum cleaner. All lovely now – I’m sure the cats don’t recognise it. Windows next.
