Cheeps / Steers out / Tidy up - The Accidental Smallholder

Posted: Sunday 27 March, 2022

by Rosemary at 8:04pm in Smallholding 1 comment Comments closed

Monday 21^st March

The good weather continues. Finished setting up the box for the meat chicks and took myself off to Harbro for chick crumbs and a spare bulb for the heat lamps. I have two lamps on while they are tiny – just in case a bulb blows. It happened once and we lost a few because they crushed into the corner of the box to keep warm.

The steers at East Pitkerro needed hay and bedding so we turned them out. Boy, were they happy. Tomorrow we’ll have to move them to the right field but for today, they can just tear around and get the tickle out of their feet.
 

Tuesday 22^nd March

Sunny, up to 10C – just lovely. Didn’t get a whole lot done but we did manage to get the steers moved to the right field. Licky bucket out and hopefully, they’ll be happy there. Loads of grass.

Steers being turned out - remarkably calm.

Wednesday 23^rd March

The house sign at the end of the road looks rather nice; I meant to cut back the heathers last year but never got around to it. Sadly, we're not the home of Rosedean Ryelands any more.

Our house sign.

Thursday 24^th March

Smokey’s Spring casting is now well underway – Dan brought some hair round and the spuggies weren’t long in snaffling it for their nests.

Spuggies and horse hair.

Friday 25^th March

Collected this year’s meat chicks this afternoon in Perth – fifteen of them. Got them settled in their box, where they will be for the next three weeks of so before going out into the field box.

Cheeps.

The steers have decided they like their old field, even though it has far less grass - but it does have chooks to listen to.

Hmm, naughty steers.

Saturday 26^th March

It’s Dan’s birthday. As a special gift, he was allowed to start putting in the fence to divide the pig pen. It was pretty big, so we’re taking a third to plant more comfrey and some wildlife friendly shrubs and trees. He and Andy renovated the old log splitter, ready for rehoming.

I started the Spring tidy up – swept up the two patios, round the back door and bin store, weeded the herb bed by the greenhouse and made a start on the flower bed along the side of the house. Loads of bumble bees around and Dan’s honey bees were very busy too.

Herb bed before.

Herb bed after.

I have thyme, chives and parsley sown to refill it.

Tom found a good spot for a nap.

Tom, sunbathing.

And so did Diesel. That’s a tray of Lego.

Diesel is so weird.

Sunday 27^th March

Turned into another lovely day -up to about 15C, although it was misty early on.  We need to stop changing the clocks – it doesn’t make the days any longer!!!!

After breakfast, off to East Pitkerro to put the steers back in the right field and repair the gaps. They were pretty obliging at moving. Then it was into the garden - Dan potted up peas and comfrey, planted a couple of climbers (honeysuckle and Clematis montana) along the new picket fence.

I finished tidying the bed along the side of the house and did one of the two beds at the front. We’ve been talking about making some changes to the “decorative” garden this year – it’s always been bottom of the property priority list. We don’t actually USE the front garden; no-one goes to the front door unless they are lost - and we sit out in the back garden, which isn’t too bad – we want to add a BBQ /kitchen area and maybe some paths and of course now it’s fenced, the dogs can be out unsupervised. Which is great. And it’s not. Because Gwenna makes beds.

Gwenna's "bed".

I had a plan for more beds at the front with a fence, a rose arch and a gate out to the woodland area, but I’m not so sure now. Going to the library on Wednesday to get a pile of gardening to seek inspiration. There are old fences to come out plus two rhododendrons and two really  messy brambly bits, then we'll see.