Puddles / Eggs / Festival

Diary

Posted: Monday 16 October, 2023

by Rosemary at 9:20pm in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 9^th October

Final run in to the Scottish Smallholder Festival 2023. Awake at 3am, up at 5am. Notes made and back to bed for a bit.

Let the cows out; it’s been mostly dry today, although the fields are still very wet, but it’s been warm and sunny, so best to make the most of it.

Home It's a bit wet.

The hens, now in their winter quarters, have found the nest box Dan made for them last year – in which they laid exactly zero eggs. Doing better this year.

eggs Finally found the nest box.

Switched Merlin on while I was out with the dogs this afternoon; Robin, Blue tit, Song thrush, Greenfinch, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Blackbird, Chaffinch and maybe not surprisingly, give the amount of water, Black-headed gull.

Vet phoned with Thomas’s blood test results. One test on his liver showed a very slightly raised level, but other liver tests, kidneys, thyroid and bloods were normal. We’ll have him retested when he goes for his annual check-up in November, but at least we have a benchmark. We’ve changed his food, so maybe it’s a simple as that.

Tuesday 10^th October

Car in for a valet. The bloke will be able to see where he’s been. I have even washed the dog sling / cover thing for the back seat.

Blizzard’s steer calf is a bit bawly. He and she seem fine, but will keep an eye on them. The cows appear to be boycotting the cow shed, in protest at being kept in over the weekend. I was doing them a favour.

More Festival stuff.

Thursday 12^th October

So I’m off to Edinburgh, staying in the hotel adjacent to the Royal Highland Centre to get a sharp start tomorrow.

Friday 13^th October

Twelve hour day setting up for the 2023 Scottish Smallholder Festival. But we’re good to go, I think. I surely hope so. Just hope folk turn up.

Saturday 14^th October

Wow! What a day! Too many thank yous. Absolutely exhausted – started at 6.30am and got home just before 8pm. And a long day in prospect tomorrow.

Sunday 15^th October

No rest for the wicked! Laura and I off to the SNP National Conference in Aberdeen; picked her up at 8.30am; home just before 9pm. We stayed to watch the premiere of Lesley Riddoch’s new Nation film on Denmark. Quite the eye-opener.

Just had a quick look at the Festival boxes – but didn’t touch them today.