Smallholding
Courses / Meat chicks / Honey
Monday 4 June, 2018
Monday 28 May
Clear blue skies and sunny. Rain forecast for Wednesday / Thursday, so I hope it does. Dan was up and out with the paint roller before breakfast, so that’s the walls done – just the windowsill to do now.
I did a bit of housework then cleaned the living room window and washed all the pictures, ready to go back in. We don’t use the room very much – our routine tends to be work, dinner, chat round the dining table and bed.
John harrowed Home. I did some weeding.
Shearing / New queen / Topping / Calving
Monday 28 May, 2018
Monday 21 May
Weather still good – i.e. warm and dry. Woke up stressing about grass.
Ace seems fine in his pen. He can see the cows and they come round to touch noses every day. Still, we’re planning to make his pen a bit bigger.
Rosie’s calf is a bull – and has been named Rocky. She came down to the barn today at milking but didn’t come in. There’s no rush.
Went to register Rocky and discovered I’d made an error with the registrations. Two calves, two errors – not good. To be fair, the first error caused the second one but I’ve emailed BCMS and pled insanity.
8 years at Dalmore / Meet Rocky / Dead lamb
Monday 21 May, 2018
Monday 14 May
Eight years in! Can’t believe we’ve been here eight years – and yet it feels like we’ve been here forever.
At the start, we used to joke that we were on a ten-year plan, but actually I think we were pretty close to the mark.
By the end of this year, we’ll have replaced every fence except the one round the front garden and it’s been refurbished. Every building has been upgraded in some way. It’s easy to forget how much we’ve done.
Meet Ruaridh / Mucking out / Foot trimmer / Lame lambs
Monday 14 May, 2018
Monday 7 May
Sunny but cooler than yesterday. Since it’s a bank holiday, Dan’s working on the renovation of the outside toilet and John’s running water to Laing’s Field.
I’m doing paperwork. But the swallows are back and nesting in the byre, so the door has to be kept open now.
Tuesday 8 May
Up early to move the cows to fresh grass, to find they had moved themselves and Annie had calved – a nice red and white bull calf, that we’re calling Ruaridh.
Read more on Meet Ruaridh / Mucking out / Foot trimmer / Lame lambs
Beltane / Courses / Rats / Cattle
Monday 7 May, 2018
Monday 30th April
Finally gave in and got the vet out to look at No14’s lamb’s eye. Thankfully, the eye itself is fine. The vet put two staples in it, which have to come out in ten days.
That done, the pair could go out to play. It’s a very leapy lamb.
New hens are settling in, we use treadle feeders and it's on the training setting at the moment (brick on treadle).
New hens, Spike, and the treadle feeder.
Lambing over / New hens / WC refurb / Harvesting
Monday 30 April, 2018
Monday 23rd April
Sunny but really windy – out of the wind it’s really nice.
No2 lambed – a black tup and a white ewe. Did it all by herself; nice lambs, no entropion and all are well. Sadly, they’re going to be stuck inside until No14 lambs.
Popped up to Forfar for some feed. Took the opportunity to drop off my entry forms and “goods” for the forthcoming poultry sale and horse sale.
Met Ruth Watson, who started the fantastic “Keep Scotland the Brand” campaign. Very impressed.
Read more on Lambing over / New hens / WC refurb / Harvesting
Birthdays / Planting / Clouties / Mucking out
Monday 23 April, 2018
Monday 16th April
Dan has embarked on a tidying of the workshop. He may be some time.
I visited a local primary school today to talk about wool (they’re doing a topic on Mary Queen of Scots, so it was about wool as a fabric of the time). We also discussed sheep keeping and dog worrying.
And I made cheese apple and walnut mini loaves.
Tuesday 17th April
Wet overnight but clearing mid morning. I’m writing this on Saturday and have no idea what I did on Tuesday.
Lambing / Fencing / Pressed Flowers / Cheddar
Monday 16 April, 2018
Monday 9th April
Mild and cloudy, after early morning sun. Turned out No. 5, No. 6 and Winter with their lambs. Still a bit bothered about Winter’s boy, but if he struggles, we’ll bring them back in.
Turning out the lambs.
Spent most of the day doing paperwork and the year-ends. Be glad to get them finished. Ran off entry forms for the forthcoming poultry sale and horse / tack sale at Forfar – planning a clear out!
Lambing / Steamed Pud / Fencing / Pig Prep
Monday 9 April, 2018
Monday 2nd April
Dry and sunny start, but getting colder and windier, with a stiff east wind. Sleety showers by evening feeds.
Came out this morning to a surprise – No. 8 had lambed in the field. Not sure what had happened – she had one black lamb with her and there was a white lamb about 3m behind her, not licked and very cold.
She’s a first-timer and I guess she had the black one, had the white one and the black one’s wandered off and she’s followed him.
Lambing starts / Fencing / Dishcloths and cards
Monday 2 April, 2018
Monday 26th March
Another lovely spring day, but it’s not forecast to last so housed the three ewes due 1st / 2nd April, and Winter, because she’s very calm and will settle the other three who are less well handled.
Popped to Forfar for more licks – bloody sheep are inhaling them – and some shopping for us.
Dan worked in the orchard for a wee while then helped me bath Annie with the pressure washer. She was absolutely fine and we got a lot of muck off her. We tried the washer on me first, to make sure it wouldn’t hurt her.
Read more on Lambing starts / Fencing / Dishcloths and cards
