Flowers / Calves / Lambs - The Accidental Smallholder

Posted: Monday 14 June, 2021

by Rosemary at 9:59am in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 7^th June

Another glorious day. Had a cheeky wee smallholder’s lie-in, then took our daughter swimming. Then some paperwork. How can it be a month since the last credit card bill came in? But it is.

Dan and I had a happy hour weeding in the veg garden before dinner.  Three of the four transplanted blueberries have survived he move. Mixed blessing as their expected demise would have given me space for loganberries and tayberries. I’ll find a space somewhere.

Linda gifted me two well grown lavender plants form her garden to supplement my lavender bed. She’s put a load of surplus geraniums in one of the West range beds and they’re doing well.  They’re suppressing the weeds, which is great.

Despite the poor spring, the pears and plums have set fruit.

Plums.

Bumper pear crop in the making.

Tuesday 8^th June

The pigs are doing well but aren’t making much impression on the grass in the pigpen.

Our threeOxford Sandy and Blacks, now four months old.

Pig pen.

John the Tractor came and took away the broken PTO shaft – hopefully he can repair it, as I’d rather not shell out several hundred quid for a new one.

The good weather continues; sprinkler on in the veg garden this evening.

Wednesday 9^th June

We’re going away for two nights – I seem to have spent the whole day preparing to go, inlcuding cutting the vegetable garden grass. Left another two days, it would have been diffiuclt to mow. We're leaving some areas unmown for the insects.

Grass cut, mostly.

The nice men from the garage came and picked up the car; it’s having the brake pipes done and I’ve asked them to valet it while it’s in. The seat covers and boot liner make a huge difference but a good clean will be most welcome.

Lambs are looking well. Hard to believe Roo's twins were snatched from death. Loving the BFL lambs. Even Dan thinks they’re braw.

Roo and her twin ewe lambs.

Single BFL ewe lamb.

Kit's lambs, Scoot and her twins.

Saturday 12^th June

We got home just after lunchtime; the rest of the day has been spent catching up. How does that happen? Dogs and cats happy to see us.

The car has been returned. I don’t think it was this clean when we bought it. Looks fab.

We’re now into Euro2020 so spending time watching football.

Double trouble - Baby and Bronte.

Rosedean Aurora.

Sunday 13^th June

Dan took the muck trailer away to empty it then he got to work in the polytunnel – all weeded, the tomatoes tied up and the cucumber supports in. Best done before mid-morning!

The weeded polytunnel.

I spent the morning in the garden weeding and planting out some cosmos in the front beds.

Sadly, we had to cull one of the meat birds this evening. She was having diffiuclty breathing and as soon as I picked her up, she died. Dan opened her up and she wasfull of fluid, so guessing a heart problem. Dogs had chicken for their tea.

Some photos of the garden, just because.

The bed along the side of the house.

The beds at the front of the house.

Bulbs going back on the patio, but clematis, roses and bedding plants coming away.

Meg's place; lavender bed behind, with some self-sown poppy and me-sown night scented stock. Black elder and "Meg" rose. Our old collie, Meg, is buried here. "Rest now, your watch is over".

West range: this bed is pretty choked with griound elder but it will probably have geraniums in it soon.

West range: ivy, pyracantha, vinca, geraniums (which looked great but the sheep ate them. Hoping they come back).

West range: Geranium, Welsh poppy, helebores, ivy and fern. And corgis.