Brassicas / Squashes / Udder
Posted: Monday 2 May, 2022
Monday 25th April
Dammit, the fox has taken four meat chicks. This is entirely our fault for not securing the run well enough. Done now
Finally, planted out the brassicas; a summer cabbage, a winter cabbage and three types of sprouts.
Brassicas finally planted out.
The courgettes and squashes sprouting and there are small signs of dahlias coming through.
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Courgettes and squashes.
Gracie managed to get out of her halter. Again. She’s a real wee Houdini, but doesn’t do any harm apart from raising Euro’s blood pressure.
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Gracie, Houdini.
It was quite cool this evening, so instead of putting the heating on, we lit the fire. Braw.
Toasty.
Tuesday 26th April
I’m really pleased with these tubs of tulips and wallflower. And the scent is beautiful.
Tulips and wallflower.
Weeded the bed for the beans, courgettes and squashed. Gave the hens in the polytunnel the bucket of weeds. All gone in mnutes.
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Weeds for the hens.
Wednesday 27th April
Potted on early purple spouting broccoli and sowed more Gardener’s Delight tomatoes in different compost. The first lot have barely germinated.
Blizzard’s udder is looking better. Because she’s just weaned the three other quarters were quite firm but they’re softening up nicely and the wound on the quarter with mastitis doesn’t look too bad at all. They have access to one of the paddocks but can come back in for hay and water – and to keep poor Grey company – anytime.
Blizzard's sore udder.
Thursday 28th April
Bought more lamb milk for Spot and Notspot – what a bloody price. In fact, feed is getting scarily expensive.
Dan’s on strimming and grass cutting in preparation for the tour on Sunday. He’s harrowed all the paddocks once and now has the topper on to give the rushes a whack before the grass gets going. Looks like a bonfire is developing - sadly won't be ready for Beltane. The black plastic is preparing the new comfrey bed.
Growing bonfire.
We’ve jumped the gun a bit and moved the hens back into their henhouses. We won’t have time over the weekend and they need to be out. The polytunnel is going to need some restoration.
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Hens out. Finally.
Friday 29th April
It’s Bryn’s seventh birthday today. He had raw steak and egg for breakfast. Twice. Because Gwenna doesn’t like raw meat. Apart from chickens’ feet. Strange wee dog.
Happy hens this morning. I received a message today asking how “Barry” was. Who’s Barry? Then I remembered that the bantam cock we have was called Barry before he grew into his name, Napoleon. The Little General. It was nice to be able to tell his previous owner that all was well and send them a photo.
Our treeman, Duncan, brought us a load of firewood, swapped for sausages.
Maple for firewood.
Trip to the skip this afternoon, so the place is looking OK. Apart from the pleasure of meeting folk and sharing what we do here, the best thing about tours is that it makes us tidy up.
Saturday 30th April
Injected a bit of work -life balance today with lunch at the DCA with Dan and then the new Downton Abbey movie. Dan passed on the movie and went shopping for his Portugal trip.
Dan banged in some fence posts between the two Ditch paddocks; the cows got over it yesterday. Blizz was looking longingly into Laing’s Field, which has loads of grass (we had it reseeded two years ago when the owner told us we could have it for as long as we wanted) that we can’t use anymore. Bitter, me?
The pigs are settling in.
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Sunbathing pigs.
Rain started about 3pm and was still falling at 10pm; light but welcome.
Sunday 1st May
A bit cooler today -in fact, a whole lot cooler. The pigs are not impressed with rain. The hens seem a bit taken aback as well. The morning was spent baking for the tour in the afternoon, while Dan and Andy prepared for this week’s comfrey orders.
Enjoyed the tour; glad we’re stopping them. The sun came out at 2pm.The lambs didn’t want to feed and the pigs were skittish. One flock of hens escaped. And my feet hurt. Still, there’s a few spare muffins.
And here's Diesel. Being strange. As usual.
Diesel. Why there?
