You are currently browsing the monthly archive for October, 2007.
Has anyone seen one of these?
He decided to lure me away. Promises of a romantic night in an ancient manor house. Being wined and dined. Lazy morning (no animal checking) and colossal breakfast.
What girl could resist?
Then came the rub: ‘Well actually, I really do have to be at the national hedgelaying championships’
‘What – all day?’
‘Yess…ish. But then we’ll go home!.’ Grrr…eat. Read the rest of this entry »
At the moment we are in the middle of the red deer rut. It began last Wednesday morning when I first heard, and then saw, a young stag with a small group of hinds cavorting in the early morning mist in the field behind the cows.
This week is Devon Hedge week.
We haven’t celebrated the beauty and diversity of our hedges this year by opening the farm or holding a hedge event because last year when we did the heavens opened with a vengeance and all our hard work was rewarded with but a handful of brave souls. To cap it all, the seasonally decorated barn full of delectable autumn goodies was flooded, the sheep went walkabout, cattle bawled hideously and hid under the trees and stress levels reached new dizzying heights - making it a thoroughly miserable affair!
A different story this October. The sun is shining; the stock content; and we walk around our hedges and admire their glory in solitary splendour. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s difficult not to trot out trite, naff, clichéd metaphors about the week’s autumn magnificence.
To read part one and two of the Shorts story click Shorts in the category section on the left hand panel.
I looked at the trailer and felt daunted and helpless - didn’t know where to begin - doubts and uncertainties raged about in what little insides I had left. I should explain, I was about seven months pregnant. Sitting down on the dusty cobbles I began to cry: emotions, overblown by pregnancy hormones, didn’t need much encouragement. Read the rest of this entry »
Luckily Pavla needed me to hold the shop reins yesterday and not today.
This morning, after I’d rushed about showering, laundering, bed and bread making in the dark (such mornings and I don’t mix), I peered out to make sure I could see in front of my nose, donned overalls, boots, tried to control raucous dogs and made for the truck to begin the morning stock check. Read the rest of this entry »
Every year I sell some of my cows and heifers. Generally it’s a handful of my yearling heifers and a few cows from the main herd.
Heather’s a young down calving heifer who’s up for sale. She’s due to calve in the next few weeks with her second calf. Yesterday when I checked the cows she looked very imminent. Her vulva was engorged and she was holding her tail high, her bones were soft and her udder was beginning to fill. I decided to bring her back up to the farm to keep an eye on her. Read the rest of this entry »
Sheep…
Sheep…I’m writing about sheep.
I’m telling you about harnessing and marking up the tups, sorting out the groups of ewes, colours, counting, feeding, watching …and all those things that help make my lambing easier and less stressful.
Pictures too. I’d taken some interesting ones.
But the silence is white noise in my ears. Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve just heard some news that’s sadened and upset me.
This morning I phoned Mike to book in my Christmas steer and some lambs. After the usual, good humoured tongue-in-cheek banter about my fluffy inadequacies, he turned serious…
‘You’m heard the white stag’s been shot?’ Read the rest of this entry »
Part two of the Shorts story, if you remember I was just about to go into the cottage.
I walked up to the front door, hesitating for a moment before turning the knob to breath in the leathery sweetness of cow dung that hung in the air… Read the rest of this entry »
We have had two days of the most perfect autumn weather. Cold misty mornings, bright sun-filled days, and colder clearer nights. I’m shocked, though, by the speed with which the days are drawing in. I don’t mind the darker evenings as much as the dark mornings – getting up when it’s still pitch black is hard and I never get used to it. Read the rest of this entry »
What a busy, hectic time…
A gloriously large muddle of people, babies and animals centred in and around the kitchen. Yes, we do have more house than just a kitchen but it’s the kitchen that’s the heart and the room everyone tends to gravitate to. The orchestration of cooking and clearing in this ever moving, circulating throng requires the skill of a rugby winger speed-weaving up the field with the ball (this rugby analogy for all those following the world cup!). Read the rest of this entry »
