Jane’s very sensible. I know this. She has an uncanny ability to calm me; I know this too. An important trait to look for in a partner, although I’m certain it didn’t make the list when an overwhelming need to marry her developed in me, some years ago. I got in yesterday evening saying that […]
Daily feeding of hay and straw in the field is now underway and although we know this will last for only a matter of days, it is a bit of a pain. Not wanting to drive across the ground every day we are wheelbarrowing feed across one field – not exactly a brilliant solution in terms of time […]
At this time of year we aim to be completely prepared for winter. All winter feed is in, water supplies insulated against the coming frost, shed clean and tidy. For once I think we can tick all of those. By now (early November) we are just putting off the inevitable day when the herd comes […]
Something really exciting happened! The Red Poll Cattle Society’s Chairman visited recently and agreed that although we have, up until now, been unable to claim pedigree status for some of our animals; we can now. And that’s great news. The reason for this (and here I have to suggest that those not of a cattle tendency […]
Monday evening saw Hexton WI step over the border into Bedfordshire and venture as far as Gravenhurst. We were delighted to welcome to the farm, a dozen wonderful women who were interested, funny, challenging and generous with their enthusiasm for what we are doing. We started out with a bit of a chat and a lot of […]
If I were let loose in a 12 acre field of chocolate sponge, topped with chocolate fudge icing, surrounded perhaps by irregularly distributed fresh strawberries and really good vanilla ice cream in delicate mounds, I would, I am certain, spend as much time as our cattle, lying uncomfortably, panting, groaning and shifting my weight to avoid pressure […]
Thanks to everyone who ordered beef, we have sold out of everything – good for us but less so for those who missed out. Next availability will be later in the summer so please keep in touch by adding your email address to our mailing list – click here for a form. We are looking […]
Two calves last Tuesday. Or at least Shiny produced a lovely but quite small heifer sometime during the previous night and Chilli a larger and energetic heifer during the morning whilst I was preparing some pea sticks. Both are doing well now that we have got past the annual worry that they won’t find mum’s […]
It’s still very dry although we did have a drop of rain over Thursday and Friday nights which produced some puddles; something of a novelty. The Environment Agency have started to put out drought warnings. All worrying, but we just carry on and assume that things will adjust. In 2010, we brought the herd indoors during the last […]
Here I go again – droning on about the weather. It’s a cliché I know; but if the weather doesn’t actually rule our lives, it’s a pretty powerful aristocrat. The spring of 2011 was hot and dry around here, which meant our cattle were out on grass without danger of poaching soft ground. However, the grass […]