Smallholding
Yogi / Yorkie / Mullein
Monday 10 September, 2018
Monday 3 September
Don’t know what happened last night but the electric fence in Sheepfold had taken a hammering. Sorted now. While I was out sorting the fence, I took some time to look at the sward – not a lot of grass but lots of ribwort, yarrow, clover. Poorly lamb seems better today but I’ll keep him in a bit longer.
Bug thought Blizzmight want to share. She didn't.
Shares?
Seaweed / Coriander / Lambs
Monday 3 September, 2018
Monday 27 August
Making my monthly shopping list and tidying up the store cupboard – found some out of date apricots and a bag of muesli mix that we don’t like much so Dan made flapjack. Result!
Processed the first twelve meat birds – these were mainly cockerels, a few days past 12 weeks old. Total weight, cleaned 48kg, ranging from 3.38kg to 4.48kg. It’s been a good year. Planning to kill and process the remaining 13 next weekend.
I rescued a particularly dozy toad that leaped into the henhouse as I was closing it up tonight. Dan rescued five from the drain out on the road because the toad ladder has broken.
Willow / Vegetable Garden / Bryn
Monday 27 August, 2018
Monday 20 August
No sign of Annie bulling again so hopefully she’s back in calf – she’ll be due about the 9th of May, if so.
Gwenna has had terrible scoots, so Dan took her to the vet this evening. Apparently there’s a bug going round, so bland diet, and anti-nausea jab and a paste to “firm her up”. She seems fine in herself.
Started sorting out electric fence bits for Laing’s Field. It’s all a mystery to me.
Flower Show / Cheese / Lambs
Monday 20 August, 2018
Monday 13 August
Wet today, but not cold. Cleaned out the upright freezer – bit of a bonus for the pigs as there was quite a lot of fruit that we clearly were never going to use. Emptied the big freezer, checked the stock, pulled out the empty freezer and cleaned behind it. That meant all the other freezers had to be done too – but the result was worth it.
Dan made mozzarella and ricotta –we’re having friends round for a film and pizza night on Friday, so the mozzarella will be used then.
Farm walks / Camembarry / Honey
Monday 13 August, 2018
Monday 6 August
John topped two paddocks this morning – mainly to take off the thistle flowers. Some of these were quite short and he had to cut a bit lower than I would have liked – just as well we’re getting a bit of rain now to bring the grass on. Moved the tups to Home paddock. Four have slightly squitty bums and are under observation.
Did my paperwork and some prep for the Smallholding Scotland meeting with ScotGov officials tomorrow.
Tuesday 7 August
Rainy and cool today, but brightened up later. Woke up at 3am, unable to get back to sleep panicking about the Festival, the ScotGov meeting, squitty lambs and hay. Not good.
Boots / Calves / Queens
Monday 6 August, 2018
Monday 30 July
Warm and sunny with showers – watch the grass grow. Ace is courting Annie again – 21 days after their first “romance”. This is good news and bad news – bad news that she didn’t hold last time but good news if she holds this time – because that will move her due date to 10th May, by which time, the cattle will be turned out. If she comes back in another three weeks, I’ll be gutted.
Blizzard is giving almost 18 litres of milk a day. Cheese making will be starting very soon. Gwenna is doing her best to help with the milk lake.
Dead calf / Milk / Muck
Monday 30 July, 2018
Monday 23 July
Had a good bit of rain today, which was most welcome. Dan scythed one of the poultry paddocks – he likes doing it. He also picked more blackcurrants, while I picked some beetroot. It all needs to be up now. Did some weeding – the pea bed now looks much better.
Tuesday 24 July
Very hot and windy today, drying up all yesterday’s rain. Made more blackcurrant jam and more three fruit marmalade. It's our Brexit stockpile.
Our Brexit stockpile.
Marmalade / Vegetables / Smokey's bath
Monday 23 July, 2018
Monday 16 July
The dry, sunny weather continues. We launched our new website www.dalmore.org today – very pleased with it. It’s aimed at the local market – food, yarn, courses. Dan picked blackcurrants – we have a bumper crop this year. Met my chum Carol for tea then went on to a meeting about the implications of Brexit on food and farming. It was all pretty depressing.
Tuesday 17 July
Made two batches of blackcurrant jam and one batch of cordial. It should have been three batches of jam but I wasn’t concentrating and tipped the sugar in before I’d cooked the fruit. We’ve discovered that the drained fruit remains after the cordial is made is delicious with yogurt. Picked strawberries – the last of the early ones and the first of the late ones. Cooked some for breakfast.
Grass / Cherries / Peas / Sink
Monday 16 July, 2018
Monday 9 July
We had a wee smidge of rain – I do mean a smidge – overnight and it’s been cooler and cloudier today. So much more pleasant, in my view.
Paperwork day – so I started to look at last year’s income and costs – it’s not making happy reading. This year will be worse as hay for the coming winter has doubled in price – and while it might be good quality, I hazard that the cows won’t eat half as much. And doubling the price of beef and lamb isn’t an option.
Barn alterations / Ace / High summer
Monday 9 July, 2018
Monday 2 July
Still hot, dry and sunny. I guess this is not going to be good news for winter forage. Sheepfold is very dry but we have a bumper crop of clover.
Corgi in a very dry Sheepfold.
Dan made some alterations to the barn, which will give the ponies (now) and the cattle (in winter, if the weather is good) access to the outside. There’s a gate to go on and the fence to replace the hurdles to be put up but it’s a step in the right direction.
