Cattle away / Stumpery / Bowhouse - The Accidental Smallholder

Posted: Monday 10 June, 2024

by Rosemary at 2:52pm in Smallholding 16 comments Add your own

Monday 3^rd June

Glorious day, sunny and warm with a brisk but warm breeze.

Farrier was here this morning; Mickey’s feet looked long, to me, but Scott said they were OK, they just grow differently to Smokey’s.

I brought the cows and calf in, with access to the wee paddocks, ready for tomorrow. I’ve got all the paperwork ready to go, along with all the bits and pieces we’ll no longer need.

Dan went off to play snooker at lunchtime, then we watched the Gibralter v Scotland game at the pub.Not the best performance but noone got injured.

Tuesday 4^th June

Drizzle overnight then about 9.30am, the heavens opened. By 10.30, the sun was out but it’s still very windy.

And Rosedean Shetland cattle herd came to an end, with our last two cows and a steer calf going off to Guardswell Farm to join the rest of the Rosedean Herd in their new home. Sadly, all bull calves this year, so no Guardswell calves to register yet, but with five going to the bull this summer, there surely will be next year.

Great to see the girls, Blizzard, her daughter, Rora, granddaughter Baby and great-granddaughter Bronte, and their calves, reunited. Last year's calves - two heifers and two steers - will rejoin the herd soon.

I think Anna and Digby will become huge champions of the Shetland cattle breed and Dan and I wish them both all the very best.

We met many good people through Shetland cattle, who had the best interests of the breed at heart and understood how the breed needed to move forward. Breaks my heart that the SCHBS just couldn’t be bothered to act and now the breed seems to be going backwards, at a time when it should be going forwards and capitalising on the surge in regenerative farming. Anyway, not my monkey, not my circus.

Dan and Andy caught up with comfrey orders this afternoon. I had two Zoom calls this evening, but only after cleaning out the trailer. Rora must have been empty by the time she got to Guardswell.

Wednesday 5^th June

Weird weather; very changeable. Sunny and warm, heavy showers and a constant strong breeze.

Turns out the crows weren't stealing eggs. Some of the hns have been laying in the willow. Dan found a nest of 15 eggs. We now have a glut.

Stash of eggs.

Thursday 6^th June

Still that wind, thunder and sun. We decided that waiting for a calm day to sow the annual flower seeds in the two remaining unplanted flower beds at the front was no longer an option. So we sowed them, raked them in and put the sprinkler on for a wee while. I hope we’re not too late.

Made muck tea and fed the leeks; will feed the brassicas at the weekend.

Friday 7^th June

Alistair dropped off 36 sheep – ewes and lambs – this morning. Mickey was very interested. I’m sure he hasn’t seen sheep before, or certainly not for a very long time.

Mickey and Smokey eye up the sheep.

Dan did some strimming and trimming of the ivy, then we were off to Hampden for the final Euro24 warm up – Scotland v Finland. I swithered about taking a jacket – so took my waterproof with the fleece lining detached. Wish I’d left it in and put thermals on. A balmy June evening it was not. Boys played well though; looking forward to next Friday now. Fingers crossed everyone stays fit.

Saturday 8^th June

Got home at 1.30am. The roads were packed. Football? Swifties?

Sunny today, but so windy. And cold if you’re out of the sun and in the wind. Sheep all pleased to see me this morning – I had nothing for them, so must have been a bit of a disappointment.

Bit weary today, both of us, but we cheered ourselves up by placing the stumps in the stumpery and planting the four ferns and three hostas. The hostas have been well munched where they were; I’m not sure they’ll survive in the stumpery. All a learning process.

Getting started.

Placing the plants.

First pass pretty much finished.

Dottie supervised, from her wee cardboard nest. She'e very undemanding but likes to be with you if you're working outside.

Dottie, supervising.

I planted out the last few petunias and sprinkled the pots with garlic – it’s supposed to deter slugs.

Big list of jobs for tomorrow, but I’m away all day at Bowhouse Market on the RBST Scotland stand so they'll just have to wait until next week

Dottie caught a mouse.

Sunday 9^th June

I spent the day at Bowhouse, helping to man the RBST tent there for Open Farm Weekend. It was sunny and we were sheltered, so the fact that I forgot to take a jacket wasn’t so important.  So much good work going on at Balcaskie Estate.

Alice and I had a browse round the market; I bought handmade soap and Scotland the Bread wholemeal flour, although I won’t be baking much if I’m not allowed to eat it. I’m going to try replacing white plain and SR with their fine wholemeal in all my usual recipes and see how it works.

Tired tonight but got caught up watching “Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams”. I always liked him, when he was playing.