The Beef Mountain
Posted: Monday 21 November, 2016
Monday 14th November
Today was beef collection day. With two beasts totaling 750kg deadweight, Stuart, our butcher, had told us to bring a trailer as it wouldn’t all fit in the car. Dan was there with trailer at 8am. And we needed it.
It was the worst day for it to be 14C – we would have preferred a hard frost! :-)
Anyway, made up the 20 beef boxes that had been sold; fifteen were being picked up today. The other five went in one of the freezers – then we looked at what was left. And Dan went off to Curry’s to buy a fifth freezer. Anyway, with much pushing and shoving, it all went in a freezer.
Mountains of beef.
TBH raising the cattle and sheep is a breeze compared to selling the beef and lamb; first of all there’s the stress of selling it then when it comes back from the butcher, there’s a moment when you think “OMG are there enough steaks and joints for all the boxes!” followed by “Am I ever going to sell this?” Bizarre.
Tuesday 15th November
Spent today catching up on the normal Monday paperwork and doing invoices from yesterday.
Wednesday 16th November
Did some baking – a coupe of fruit loaves.
Thursday 17th November
Went out for a coffee and a catch-up with Janet. Came back and did a few wee jobs that had been on my list for a while and then weeded in the veg garden for an hour. Determined to do an hour a day until it’s done.
Friday 18th November
Cold today – a proper frost, so weeding has been suspended until the ground thaws a bit.
Took Bug for a walk; he was very good. Winnie’s halter training is proceeding slowly – she’s very good natured (she reminds me of Annie) and I confess I am tempted to keep her.
Got an email to say our sheepskins are ready for dispatch.
Saturday 19th November
Cold again today. I’ve been emptying and refilling the hens’ water at night to save lugging water in the morning.
Dan’s been fencing – not weather for digging holes but he did persevere and get the final strainer in the Triangle.
Went to a BBQ tonight – felt a bit of a fraud as it had been a group effort to clear out a barn – we were “the blisters”, coming out when the work was done.
Sunday 20th November
Still frosty. Dan did a bit more fencing. I went for hay, to the skip and to Astwood to move cattle and sheep and to take the sheep a fresh licky bucket.
Started an AllBran loaf and a cherry sultana loaf and made banana chutney.
