Smallholding
Leo / Calves / Veg garden
Monday 26 November, 2018
Monday 19th November
Grey and overcast – looks like winter might really be coming, although it’s not really cold.
Spent some long overdue time in the veg garden – manured bed 2 and covered it and weeded most of bed 1. Sowed sweet peas in the greenhouse and cleaned out one henhouse.
Finally baked the Christmas cake I started last week – the longer soaking won’t have done any harm – and started the Christmas puddings.
Dan was off to visit Andrew Whitley at “Scotland the Bread”.
Ruaridh / Rocky / Sheep
Monday 19 November, 2018
Monday 12th November
Back from holiday at 10.30pm. No disasters while we were away. No sign of Blizzard coming back into season, so hopefully she’s in calf, due 30th July. Nine yellow bums out of eleven.
Tuesday 13 November
Nice day to welcome us back – sunny and pretty warm. Mucked out the cows after milking and put down fresh bed. Not quite sure how the mats and bedding are going to work out. Put in a new bale of hay – looks like one is lasting six / seven days.
Cattle / Festival follow up / Holiday prep
Monday 5 November, 2018
Monday 29 October
Took our last three tups to the abattoir this morning; they’re a bit small, but I don’t have the grass to keep them longer.
Spent the rest of the morning tidying the house, which always suffers in the run up to the Festival, and catching up with washing, then the rest of the day sorting through the boxes that came back from the Festival – by the end, we’re all exhausted and stuff gets boxed any old how, so it all has to be emptied out, cleaned and repacked.
Festival
Monday 29 October, 2018
Monday 22 October
Sunny, warm but with a rising wind. Time taken with Festival work. It’ll be like this for most of the week.
Tuesday 23 October
Sunny, mild and windy. More Festival stuff.
Wednesday 24 October
Sunny and the wind has dropped a bit. Sadly we had to have Bug put to sleep today. He was awful sore this morning and was reluctant to walk. Lucy, our vet, was terrific. We had discussed this a couple of weeks ago and I guess she wasn’t surprised to get the call. It was very peaceful. We will miss him hugely – he was such a character. Lucy thought that perhaps his kidneys were failing as his blood pressure was very low, so I think we made a timely decision. She was saying how having limited or painful mobility is psychologically very stressful for horses, being flight animals. Anyway, he’s at peace now.
Sheep / Mats / Weaving
Monday 22 October, 2018
Monday 15 October
Lovely and sunny today but it’s paperwork day, so was inside looking out. Also had loads of Festival stuff to do.
Took Diesel to the vet for his annual check up – clean bill of health.
Had a RHET premeeting for a school visit next week. Gave a talk at Auchterhouse SWI – lovely evening.
Tuesday 16 October
Did more Festival stuff. Why don’t folk reply to emails, even to say “no”?
Seed order arrrived
Pork / Mats / Steers
Monday 15 October, 2018
Monday 8 October
Wet and miserable, but at least the wind’s dropped and it very mild. Did the weekly paperwork and finalized the arrangements for the pigs and the lamb coming back.
Blizzard has a sore foot – near fore – but she let me clean it and spray it with AB and it seems a bit better.
Urquhart is looking lovelorn. He’s spending a lot of time gazing through the fence at the ewes, who are two fields away. They are not gazing back.
Plums / Rocky / Honey
Monday 8 October, 2018
Monday 1 October
It’s raining. It’s now over two months since Blizz had her dead calf and I haven’t seen her come into season yet. Unless Ace has changed his technique – he’s usually pretty obvious in his courtship – she’s not been bulling. Not worried – yet. She’s still giving about 20 litres a day – it’s been pretty constant since day one. With the pigs away, we’re kind of coming down with milk. Dan’s planning to start making more cheese.
Lambs / Pigs / Manure
Monday 1 October, 2018
Monday 24 September
What fantastic weather for this time of year. Long may it continue – makes the winter feel much shorter.
Took six tup lambs to the abattoir this morning. Not my favourite job.
Electrician was here putting up a new light beside the outside WC
Tuesday 25 September
Spent most of the day doing Festival and Smallholding Scotland stuff.
Blizzard is still milking well.
Blizzard, my best girl.
Apples / Lucy / Rash
Monday 24 September, 2018
Monday 17 September
Moved from Cumbria to Northumberland today - got reacquainted with Winnie (Rosedean Windward), her calf, Aubrey, and Paddy the steer. And our chums, Foster and Debra. Went to a talk by their vet – very good and free beer and hot beef rolls included.
Blizzard in now behaving fine for Tara, but Lucy’s leg is much worse. Decision taken to have her PTS on Wednesday
Tuesday 18 September
Sadly, Lucy had to be PTS this morning. She was down in the field and couldn’t get up. Very sad. We're very grateful to our neighbours, John and Alan, who were absolute stars moving the body to where it could be uplifted. Gutted for Tara.
Brownies / Cider / AGMs
Monday 17 September, 2018
Monday 10 September
Windy with sunny showers, Still warm. Started to pickle shallots, process apples and roast tomatoes
The calves pushed through a poor bit of fence on to the ditch banks. It was between our land and Laing’s Field and if the gate was shut it was fine. The most surprising thing was that they hadn’t gone through it earlier. Shoo’ed them back and Dan installed some decent rails.
Tuesday 11 September
Very windy but dry and sunny. Went to see the physio about my sore neck. Got exercises to do.
