Collision / "Ermintrude" / Harvest - The Accidental Smallholder

Posted: Monday 26 August, 2024

by Rosemary at 9:49am in Smallholding 1 comment Add your own

Tuesday 20^th August

Home again. Thoroughly enjoyed spending some time with family; it’s been too long, and I hope they feel the same.

The trip didn’t quite go as planned after a camper van ran into the back of me in queuing traffic on the M6 on Sunday. Thankfully no-one hurt and our car is driveable, but a bit scary. Now to sort out the insurance.

I had a lovely breakfast in the Westminster Tea Rooms, on Lord Street (Southport) – all dark wood, 1920s music, silver teapot and strainer, and waitresses in black and white. Highly recommend.

Also highly recommend Hickory Smokehouse in Southport and not just because my great-nephew (!!) works there.

Tortuous drive home – lots of HGVs and heavy rain showers. Stressy.

Murdo was here today, so two of the three remaining paddocks were harrowed and thatch removed. Just Home left to do again.

Murdo did a great job of replacing the rails between the two top paddocks. Dan’s done more bed creation in the front garden and lifted about half of the potatoes. They’re in the barn drying off before being bagged.

We have two squash ready but split, so they’ll go for soup.

Smokey likes his brush.

Smokey's brush.

Wednesday 21^st August

As readers will know, we’ve been doing A LOT of work on our front garden - so you can imagine my horror when I opened the curtains this morning to see Mickey and Smokey munching on our beautiful “Blush Noisette” climbing roses.

By the time I got round with a halter, they were back in the field, grazing quietly and feigning innocence. I did briefly wonder if I was hallucinating. But the gate had been left open. Not much damage done, thankfully. And the gate is securely closed now.

Mickey looked like bloody Ermintrude, with his bunch of roses sticking out of the side of his mouth. Sadly, no photo.

Thursday 22^nd August

Mild but very windy; light rain this morning. The runner beans have blown over - thankfully, still rooted.

Runer beans down.

Dan had some work to do and I went to visit with Lorna then outside in the afternoon.

Additional troughs. Ten gathered round two wee troughs. Smartypants has the 6ft one to herself.

Smartypants.

We put away the cattle gates, so the barn is now ready for the ponies for winter – although they already use it during the day. They got an early pass to the grass while we sorted it out.

Dan lifted more tatties and I weeded the pea bed; minerals to go on but it doesn’t need manured, so we’ll get the cover on in the next few days.

Heavy rain forecast to tonight.

Friday 23^rd  August

Quite a lot of rain overnight and still raining at 6am, but dried up and the sun came out mid-morning. Very blowy. Dan went off at 10am to help Martin eartag piglets. I did housework. Cooper eats sheep nuts. Nuts is the word.

Cooper's nuts.

Saturday 24^th August

Bit of a changeable day, weatherwise. Cool first thing, feeling autumnal, then warmer and sunny with a couple of heavy showers.

Alistair and Imogen came round to weigh the ewe lambs and do nasal swabs for Maedi Visna testing – not to see if they have it, but to see if they are genetically resistant.

The black ewe lamb is, by a mile, the smartest. She was at the gate at 6am, bleating for breakfast. Wish I’d elected to feed them at 4pm now.

Dan finished lifting tatties then went back to his bed creation in the front garden.

Last of the tatties lifted.

He’s decided he wants to build a roundhouse of sorts in the wood, where the yurt was, So the sitooterie is being relocated to the other side of the garden.

I weeded and lifted the last of the beetroot.

Dottie helping with weeding.

Last of the beetroot lifted.

I found a Heuchera in the sunken garden. Split onto four and all seem to have taken.

Found Heuchera.

And the greengages are ripe. And lots of them. Possibly my favourite crop.

Greengage.

I also ordered my first seeds for 2025 from Seeds of Scotland. Aiming to support small independent businesses this year, as much as possible.

Sunday 25^th August

Cool, breezy and sunny this morning. Dan went off to play football. I read some political stuff and depressed myself. Party conference next weekend. I’m praying for uplifting.

Rain in the afternoon and evening, offset by a delicious fish pie for dinner. Might have over indulged in the greengages.