Harvest; Farmers Market; Festival; Sore throat
Posted: Tuesday 13 September, 2016
Monday 5th September
Paperwork day and it’s no very warm. Too early for the central heating but definitely considering lighting the stove.
Tuesday 6th September
Yesterday I was thinking about lighting the stove; today it’s sweltering. All the animals are pechin’; poor Smokey’s sides are heaving. It’s looked really stormy but it’s come to nothing.
More Festival stuff today – all P&W and livestock entries in the spreadsheets ready to go in the catalogue.
Wednesday 7th September
Woke up with a raging sore throat :-(
Had to cull a hen from the caravan flock and another of the Sassos had gone off its legs – not the happiest start to the day.
Sun came out later but I had an appointment at the bank then more Festival stuff, so didn’t see much of it until I went out to feed at 5pm.
Dan harvested tomatoes from the polytunnel and made roasted tomato sauce for the freezer. We eat a lot of the tomatoes fresh but most end up in the freezer to see us through the winter.
Polytunnel tomatoes.
Roasted tomatoes for sauce.
Noticed that the hens have found the comfrey in the orchard. It's grown really well this year and has been covered in bees, now the hens have it as a dietary supplement!
Hen-pecked omfrey.
Having a smallholding day on Friday, so have been listing wee jobs that need doing. One of the nice things about autumn coming is that the hens go to bed at a reaonsbale time. That and “Poldark” :-)
Thursday 8th September
Feeling rough :-( And it’s absolutely tipped rain. Still, we needed it.
The calves are looking well – Paulo’s a real chunk.
Rosie and Paulo.
Although Rosie didn’t give much milk to the machine, she plainly has plenty for her calf.
Friday 9th September
We got a pile of windfall “Grenadier” apples today, an early cooker which crops heavily – they look fab and cook to a beautiful fluff.
The pigs get the peelings and some not so nice windfalls.
Pigs enjoying windfall apples.
Was looking at Near Ditch today – you sure can see where the poultry pen has been.
The fertilised strip where the meat chickens have been.
The planned smallholding day disappeared into Festival stuff,
Saturday 10th September
It was Meg’s 16th birthday today. She’s an amazing dog – even though her sight and hearing aren’t the best now, she still likes to get out and about with us.
Meg at 16.
She was like a whippet in her young days; just ran for fun. She’s always been a bit anxious though, with a slightly worried look :-)
John and I were at Forfar Farmers’ Market today with some sheep – Teddy and Winter – and selling Rosedean Ryelands yarn. Sold some and had lots of interest in the yarn and the sheep. I don’t know how many kids gave the two sheep some cake and petted them and took photos of them.
Winter and Teddy at Angus Farmers' Market.
The sheep were plainly tired and kept going back into the trailer to lie down but were scared they missed anything, so came out if anyone stopped to look at them. Gotta love Ryelands :-)
Went for two bales of hay – Lindsay and Julie have bought two Toggenburg goat kids for the boys. They’re called Gertrude and Matilda (the goats, not the boys).
Sunday 11th September
Lovely day today. Dan’s lifted all the spuds - Charlotte, Anya, Desiree and Royal - and cut more comfrey.
2016 potato harvest.
I’ve mown the grass in front of the house and most of the vegetable garden. New rule for next year – nothing lies on the paths between the raised beds, like netting and bricks. Makes mowing a nightmare plus the bricks (for holding down netting etc) are just a harbor for slugs and snails. I’d guess our resident thrushes are currently gorging themselves.
Finally got the trailer to the skip – hurrah!
No sign of Annie coming back into season – not sure Rosie repeated either – I think Mak’s just hopeful. Blizzard was served two weeks ago, so will be watching her this week.
Been working on my health and welfare plan for the sheep for the coming year; decided to try a white wormer and test for resistance. If we have a problem, we’ll use a yellow wormer, which we used in 2015, then a clear one. Following another cycle of yellow and clear, we’ll use one of the new generation wormers to reduce the risk of resistance.
Thank goodness for a helpful vet!
