Smallholding
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.
Trampoline / Pigs / Vegetables
Monday 2 July, 2018
Monday 25 June
The good weather continues. The grass in the fields has stopped growing though. Still, it’s long enough to hide two calves.
Spot the calves.
I thought I had made a mess of my lamb registrations but it’s not as bad as it first seemed and it’s easily fixable. Ordered the tags I need and will get them sorted next time they are in.
Royal Highland / Lamb ID / Flowers
Monday 25 June, 2018
Monday 18 June
Cool, cloudy and breezy. Vet here to take blood sample from Bug and we decided to start Smokey on steroids to see if it will help his breathing. Dan will pick the drug up tomorrow when he picks up the Heptavac.
Tuesday 19 June
Warmer than yesterday with rain this afternoon. Spent most of the day pottering in the vegetable garden, doing bits and pieces, and mowing the lawn. The back garden looks OK.
Garden
Poorly car / Dogs / Baycox
Monday 18 June, 2018
Monday 11 June
Cloudy with light rain this morning. Surprisingly, the cows asked to come in this morning, so it seemed churlish to refuse. Ace was fantastic. All in, wee bit of sugar beet, a rub on the brush and back out again. No milking today.
Tuesday 12 June
Been overcast and thundery today.
What a relief – correct passports for the two steer calves arrived today. Thank you to BCMS for sorting out my muddle!
Took Bryn and Bertie for their annual check-ups and boosters. Bryn was 17.5kg and Bertie was 5.6kg; both are fine. Got the schedule in for Kinross Show on 11th August – there are companion dog classes. I’d like to show Bryn and Gwenna. Dan won’t go but hopefully I’ll be able to find someone to chum me.
Open Farm Sunday / Dead lamb
Monday 11 June, 2018
Monday 4 June
The good weather continues – wish it would rain now, but none forecast. Walked the fields this morning and the thistles in two paddocks are pretty grim, so the topper is on the tractor and John’s going to top the them and Laing’s Field. We’re considering spraying with GrazonPRO. We don’t like spraying but no amount of topping seems to be making any difference.
Tuesday 5 June
No6’s white ewe lamb is a bit off colour tonight – nothing specific, just ears down. Will see what she’s like in the morning.
