Smallholding
What day is it?
Friday 11 July, 2014
OK, I've now lost track of the days :-)
Wednesday, we split off the seven gimmers, Crovected them and took them up to the bloke we buy our hay and straw from. He's fenced off a nice wee paddock for them and his youngest laddie's going to keep an eye on them for us. It's a bit long, so he's going to top it as well. It's a good sheltered paddock so I might winter some sheep up there too.
No idea what we did the rest of the day, but we were busy. I milked Annie; she's very good but I could get zilch yesterday. She was much better today and I'm going to try making some soft cheese tomorrow.
TJP Day 11 Max Dudley and wood
Tuesday 8 July, 2014
Been a few days since a diary entry - it's now Tuesday and the previous one was Thursday. I can't remember what we did on Friday - some general tidying and preparation for the weekend's courses, I guess. We had an Introduction to Smallholding on Saturday and a Sheepkeeping for Beginners on Sunday. We enjoy doing courses - we've met a lot of lovely folk and many of them keep in touch through TAS or by coming and saying "hello" at the Festival and other events.
We have lodgers! Max and Dudley, my chum's two Labradors, are here for two weeks while she's on holiday. They're lovely dogs - well mannered and friendly - but those tails! And they're just at Meg's head height, poor wee soul. They wouldn't bat Tess with their tails - well, maybe once.
TJP Day 6 Sheep and weeds
Friday 4 July, 2014
Day 6 (Thursday) was about bringing our forty sheep home from rented grazing. OMG, how did it get to be forty? We've got a sheep course here on Sunday and it would be poor if we had no sheep here.
Took us three trips, but it all went smoothly. Before we brought the last group home, we moved Storm, George and Charlie into a fresh paddock where they are up to their bellies in grass. It's only six weeks until we bring Storm back to run with the cows. Tempus fugit :-)
Other than the sheep transporting, Dan did some general tidying up, cut the grass and so on before taking time for some well deserved relaxation, with Tess, Felix and Blossom.
The July Project Day 5
Wednesday 2 July, 2014
Yay! Day 5 of the July Project and it's only the 2nd! Needless to say, "the plan" is undergoing some adjustment :-)
The new guttering for the barn extension is coming on Friday (our neighbour has a roofing company so he's getting it for us at a good price) so putting it up is now Friday's job. Dan's sorted out sleepers for the IBCs to sit on BUT plumbing them in will have to wait until the contactor has been here to concrete the floor. Phone call for me to make in a minute :-)
The July Project Day 3 and 4
Tuesday 1 July, 2014
Well, Day 3 (Monday) was quite interesting.
I milked Annie for the first time. The delay (her calf is a month old) was because I couldn't get my head round the logistics, but thanks to a prod from Sally in't North, I got my bum in gear. Annie was very good, I reckon. Her two front quarters are much easier to milk, being larger and more accessible, than the back ones so I might leave them for Rosie (the calf). The other problem is that I'm not the most dextrous peson in the world - and my left had is really just for decoration :-( Still, I'm sure if I persevere, I'll get better.
The July Project Day 2
Sunday 29 June, 2014
Well, we finished the electric fence and it works. Ponies have been on the track this evening but there's quite a lot of grass on it, so access will continue to be restricted for a wee while. Smokey's still lame :-(
Renovation of electric fence completed.
Today's job was to move the pile of stones from the spot where the trailer usually sits to the orchard, where they are going to be used to make tree guards. The round stones and the wee scrappy bits are going on the other stone pile for - well, who knows :-) So at close of play today, about half of the stones have been loaded. They'll go up to the orchard in the morning, be unloaded and the rest taken up after.
The July Project Day 1
Sunday 29 June, 2014
So day 1 of the July Project was 28th June - it's always good to get a head start :-)
The July madness
Thursday 26 June, 2014
Most of you with smallholdings will appreciate the need for an eight day week / 30 hour day. Even with me here all the time, there's always a long list of non-routine jobs to be done (although, to be fair, it's shorter than it was four years ago). However, Dan's real business is quite quiet mid-summer, so he's decided to work from home from tomorrow until 4th August!!!
I know he's hoping to do some cycling and to make some improvements to the TAS site, but mainly we'll be working together on the smallholding. Bliss (for me anyway :-)).
Our anniversary
Thursday 15 May, 2014
It was four years ago yesterday that we got the keys for Dalmore.
It's been a lot of work but we now feel we're at the end of the beginning and here's to the next forty.
If we get a chance this weekend, we'll try and do a "before and after" photo shoot :-)
As one job gets done, so does another
Sunday 7 July, 2013
Steve has been here this week building a dry stone wall between the fruit garden and the barn, thus replacing the scabby chicken wire that was there to keep any wandering livestock off the strawberries.
Early stage dry stone wall, Meg inspecting
Dan has been sorting out stone for Steve, from the large mound that was… - actually, I can’t remember where it came from but it was large, stony and weedy and a bit of an eyesore.
