Smallholding
Rugby / Beef / Green raddle / Sycamore
Tuesday 5 December, 2017
Monday 20th November
Very wet this morning – must have been a lot of rain overnight – and it’s been pretty persistent all day, although it’s not hugely cold. So glad that we managed to get the cattle in over the weekend.
Lucy bagged the best spot in the field shelter.
Lucy, boss equine.
Farewell to Winnie and Paddy / Scotland the Bread flour
Monday 4 December, 2017
Monday 27th November
Nice morning but cloudy at lunchtime and with a rising wind.
Did the usual bill paying and paperwork then made mincemeat. Christmas is coming!
Tuesday 28th November
Mild and sunny today. Put a halter on Paddy, our steer calf, today for the first time.
Paddy and Blizzard.
Read more on Farewell to Winnie and Paddy / Scotland the Bread flour
Tupping / Smoking / Steers housed / Cattle in for winter
Tuesday 28 November, 2017
Monday 13th November
Grey and wet here but none of the snow other places have had.
Niamh has a very yellow bum; she’s seven past in April and didn’t lamb last year, so I wasn’t sure if she’d be OK this year. But hopefully she will be.
Tuesday 14th November
Damp and cold again. Up early this morning and made egg custard tarts.
Egg custard tarts, yum.
Read more on Tupping / Smoking / Steers housed / Cattle in for winter
Tupping underway / Bug improving / Florentines / Forfar FM
Tuesday 28 November, 2017
Monday 6th November
Frosty start – really enjoying this good, dry spell though. Caught up with paperwork this morning then up to Astwood to check the sheep.
Found one ewe couped – could see the legs waving in the air when I arrived. She obviously hadn’t been over long and was fine once I turned her the right way up.
Four yellow bums – including the two that he “surprised” yesterday, so I’m not sure if they are genuine yellow bums or pretendy ones.
Read more on Tupping underway / Bug improving / Florentines / Forfar FM
Barn floor laid / Cattle winter quarters / Tup out
Wednesday 22 November, 2017
Monday 30th October
Ooh, big frost this morning, freezing the water to the fields but it clouded over by lunchtime. Still nice and dry though.
Dan shoveled even more Type 1 into the barn floor.
Bug was a bit lame this morning.
Much sheep flirting going on at Astwood, which is good.
Tup teasing.
Read more on Barn floor laid / Cattle winter quarters / Tup out
New field for cattle / Barn progress / Tup moved
Monday 20 November, 2017
Monday 23rd October
Utterly miserable here today – as dreich as it gets, but at least not cold or windy.
Fed the steers in the catching pen, ready for Wednesday.
Blizzard is behaving like she’s in season – or at least, Ace is behaving like Blizzard is in season. Had an email exchange with the vet – and the manipulation of the uterus during the ultrasound could have caused a release of prostaglandin, which brings cows into season.
Apparently, palpation of the uterus is sometimes used on organic dairy farms to bring cows into season – but the palpation associated with an ultrasound would be much less than in those circumstances. Prostaglandin is also the hormone that’s used to stop unwanted pregnancies L
Read more on New field for cattle / Barn progress / Tup moved
Cows in calf / Barn prep / Baking / Tupping prep
Monday 30 October, 2017
Monday 16th October
Wet and miserable here today. Jane was out to trim Bug’s feet so he’s looking better all the time. He seems to quite like his boots.
I was up early this morning so made spiced iced buns – they were pretty random in shape, but tasted lovely, with cinnamon icing.
Tuesday 17th October
Very windy today but grateful that we’re not being hammered like Ireland and other parts of Scotland.
Alistair, our vet, was out today to scan the four cows and all are in calf, so that’s good news. Especially for ACE!
Read more on Cows in calf / Barn prep / Baking / Tupping prep
To Bute / Pork / Apple pressing / Tree survey
Monday 23 October, 2017
Monday 2nd October
Wet and windy today. Spent the day in the office with routine paperwork but also had the foreword for a new book on smallholding to write.
Met with Martin and Dan to discuss future plans for the Festival.
Started feeding some straw to the cattle.
With the wind, we’ve a lot of windfall apples and pears so Dan juiced some of the apples. It’s lovely juice.
Dan, Paul and I had a look at the barn and firmed up on the plans for that. It will be top priority after we get back from holiday. Time wears on and I really want the cattle in by 1st November.
Bugs feet / Home cooking / Apple harvest / To-do list
Friday 6 October, 2017
Monday 25th September
Pretty dismal here today. The roofers arrived to repoint the chimney and do some minor roof repairs but were rained off; they came back when it cleared up in the afternoon, and the work is now complete.
Vet came to X-ray Bug’s sore feet this morning and to take a blood sample to check for Cushing’s and Equine Metabolic Syndrome. He was tested two years ago and was fine, but Robert wants to check again. The X-rays will help Jane, the trimmer.
Read more on Bugs feet / Home cooking / Apple harvest / To-do list
Apiary / Barn / Wood store / Gwenna's ear / Bug lame
Monday 25 September, 2017
Monday 11th September
Not as nice as forecast – and we need to cut the front lawn so that the pup can negotiate it safely – and visibly. The vegetable garden needs cut too. Hopefully, tomorrow.
Spent an oddly satisfying couple of hours cleaning the ponies’ field and digging ragwort.
Gwenna is proving to be a bin raker and scatterer of paper!
Processed more apples and roasted more tomatoes.
Roasted tomatoes for freezing.
Read more on Apiary / Barn / Wood store / Gwenna's ear / Bug lame
