Month: September 2020

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Michaelmas Day

A lovely splash of colour, Michaelmas Daisies flower at the end of summer and long into autumn, fighting against the dark days of winter. Traditionally Michaelmas Day marks the end of the harvest and the start of the new cycle of farming, goose fairs were often held with the luxury of eating a goose fattened on the stubble left in the fields. It’s the last days of picking blackberries as the fruit often turns sour as October approaches. Fixed stock wire to the lower paddock gate so that the ouessants can graze there next week without escaping. A hot air balloon was drifting along the ridge at Bulbarrow as dark rain clouds advanced from the west, a sunny day with warm sunshine and the promise of rain tomorrow.

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Cycle to Ower

A lovely sunny ride from Norden to Ower and back across Rempstone Heath, sandy in parts, not hilly, super sea views and coffee and biscuits on the beach. Before Poole existed, Ower, in the Isle of Purbeck, was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ‘Ora’. Ower Quay was the principal port for Portland in the 18th Century, so timber was brought in and the local Purbeck stone and marble was loaded and taken away. The roadway to the sea crossed private land so every Shrove Tuesday the locals presented the owner with a pound of peppercorns to make sure this valuable trade route remained open, a custom which remains in place today although the quayside is long gone. A chilly misty start to the day, 4* and the grass felt crispy underfoot, warm sunshine later with the promise of rain.

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Strawberry Beds

All the plants that had been in pots for the last few months are now settled in the raised bed, a lot of them had thrown out new runners so the empty beds along the row can be filled before Christmas, I hope, ready to give a bumper crop next year. Made an attempt at making a hay feeder for the sheep, think I’ll have to move on to Mk II as some modifications were required. Mowed the grass in the meadow strip, the hedge will need watering if it doesn’t rain in the next couple of days, and will scatter some poppy seeds. William appeared to limp last night so had his hooves checked, all appeared ok and he’s fine today. A warm sunny day with light winds.

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Dorset Oak

This lump of oak was destined to be cut into rings but the chainsaw found the task too difficult. It’s found a new vocation as a testament to the visitors who have the inclination to carve the date and their initials in its trunk with the tools provided. Traditionally, guests have written on our toilet wall with interesting and varied contributions that remain, or fade over time, depending on which pen they select. Hopefully the oak will last a lot longer. Flying between the tall trees is the green woodpecker who is squawking louder than ever, he stops and feeds on the ants in the lawn on his way past. A cooler day with strong winds and cloudy sunshine. Pulled carrots and picked tomatoes.

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Winter Feed

The hay bales are ready to fill a hungry gap if the grass stop growing in the paddocks and the sheep need a supplementary feedstuff. Grown locally they’re a grassy meadow mix that is softer than the hard dry grass which was cut in the last month. If kept dry the bales will last for five years and still be good to eat. Sitting on top is a bunch of apple tree shoots that were cut today, they’ll be hung in the roof of the workshop and, if still edible, fed to the donkeys as a treat when the paddocks are too wet to be used and they can’t browse the hedgerow. A breezy day with warm sunshine and no rain, watered the beans which are still flowering. Picked tomatoes and a water melon.

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Ouessants

The donkeys have never played with the orange horseplay ball so it’s now in the ouessant’s paddock. Digby treads on it and gives it a headbutt to move it around. Pixie and Walter like to watch and run around in circles. The red football isn’t as popular, maybe in a couple of weeks? The worm test results are back from the lab, the tapeworm we found in the field and put in a jam jar is not an issue for the adult sheep as they develop immunity, and they’re only a problem for lambs if they are losing weight. There’s no evidence of roundworm so no treatment required, the sampling and testing will be repeated in December. A cool showery day with rain later. Picked runner beans

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Salvias

The bright pink salvias are creating an early autumn display of colour in the border with the wild geraniums, most of the daisies have finished and been cut down and added to the bonfire pile. It rained a lot last night, all the waterbutts are full again and the stable yard was easy to clean. Donkeys hadn’t made a mess in the stable overnight, I think that’s the first time ever, it made mucking out easy. Spread fertilizer along the hedges and borders to make the most of the last weeks of growth before the first frosts, most of the field hedges are being cut to reveal more of the views across the valley. A cooler breezy rainy day with a cloudy sunset.

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Donkey Worms

Two bags of poo ready to be double bagged, packed in a leakproof container and posted to the Donkey Sanctuary for a worm count. William and Toby look healthy and generally have a low worm burden but a test is recommended every six months, some donkeys are ‘high shedders’ so 20% of them carry 80% of the worm burden. Our vet will let us know the results and recommend treatment in a week or two. Worming mixtures lose their effectiveness if used too often so we need to be cautious. A misty start to the day with only the tree tops visible in the valley, the sun was warm when it broke through with light rain at dusk. More watering, rain is forecast for tomorrow.

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Autumn Equinox

A balloon landed in the vale just before dusk, it had been burning a lot of gas to gain height but landed in a ploughed field a couple of miles away, the mist was already gathering so the view from the basket would have been very mellow. The sun was a vivid red as it set, it made the sky glow a dusky pink. A lovely sunny day, cycled 15 miles and then had a pub lunch, a Hummingbird Hawkmoth bumped into me in their garden, something I’ve never seen before. They like bright sunshine and nectar rich flowers and will often return to feed from flowerbeds at the same time of the day; sadly the moths don’t survive our winter so this one will have migrated from France. The equinox is at 2.30pm, at this time the sun is above the equator and day and night are of equal length.

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Toby

The bicycle tyre was a welcome birthday present, he wasn’t sure whether to play with it or not so I picked a few sprigs of mint and put them inside to encourage him. He found them ok, and once eaten he stepped over the tyre and moved on to drinking his water and rolling over in the avenue. Maybe he’ll come back to it, the tyre is hanging on the post with his collar. The sheep have worms, very evident from the poo in the field so a sample has gone to the vet. Pasture management is a challenge, ideally the various paddocks would be left fallow for two years to make sure the worms don’t re-infest livestock. Not an option for us so a worming programme is necessary. A hot sunny day, more watering.

dav
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Black Sheep

Arrived at the gate together, Walter, Digby and Winnie, expecting their treat mix, they don’t have it every day but the sound of a gate opening is enough incentive for them to gather round just in case. Cut the hornbeam hedge and gathered together another bonfire pile, cut the hornbeam which is much too dry and already losing its leaves. Watered the hedge, picked runner beans, courgettes, tomatoes and blueberries. Went to turn off the electric fence that’s stopping the donkeys grazing the acorns to find it hadn’t been turned on! Useful to know it serves its purpose whether on or off. A cool start to a sunny day with a fresh warm wind.

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Water Melon

This is the first time I’ve grown these in the greenhouse, they can never have enough water to drink and it does look like they’re doing well. Not sure how to tell they’re ready, a smaller fruit did fall off the plant and it was sweet and juicy so maybe all of them are good to eat regardless of size. One of the tomato plants grew out of the side window and now has blight which is spreading to the other plants inside which is a pity as the tomatoes will have to be picked before they’re all ruined. The donkeys are enjoying eating the hedge, it’s reasonably wide so they can’t reach the other side. A cool start to the day, warm and sunny later, picked a courgette that’s more like a marrow.

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Birthday Boys

As it’s not known when the donkeys were born their birth date is noted on their passport as 1st January, so the day they arrived here from the Donkey Sanctuary is their birthday, and it’s today! They had a special treat of apple and carrot ice lolly and were given a new toy to play with – a bicycle tyre. It’s hanging on one of the posts next to their plastic red collars; I’ll know in the morning whether they’ve touched it. They don’t play with the car tyre that’s available so I hope this is more successful. A lovely sunny day with warm sunshine and a freshening wind that made the bike ride along Sweet Briar a breeze.

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Bonfire

A mound of garden rubbish was burnt in an hour or so leaving nice fluffy ash that can go on the compost heap. The cutting of the hedges that the donkeys haven’t grazed will create another bonfire pile, the ground elder and perennial weeds always go in the bin for the fortnightly collection. A local farmer has supplied a few dry hay bales for the sheep to nibble over the winter when the grass stops growing, if they stay dry the bales will be good to eat for the next five years. A very foggy start to the day, the sun was slow to break through but when it did the temperature rose quickly. Lazy lunch at the Baker Arms in Child Okeford.

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Stable Clean

All the straw has been taken out and put in the gateways to help with the mud in the winter, it gets trodden in and disappears over the course of a year so no straw goes on the compost heap. The floor has been washed with a few buckets of disinfectant solution and the top of the kickboards get very dusty so have been cleaned, the cobwebs appear overnight and then gather dust as well. Donkeys are particular about the water they drink so William and Toby often prefer to drink from a bucket outside rather than from the water trough in the stable. A hot day, a few gusts of wind would have helped dry the floor. Picked runner beans and tomatoes.

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Cycle Ride

10 miles, mostly up, sometimes down, in glorious sunshine from Milton Abbas to Bingham’s Melcombe and back via Gallows Corner. The yew hedge at Bingham’s was planted by Henry VIII, yew was planted to keep out livestock and supply the wood to make longbows. Gallows Corner is at the junction of six green paths that lead to local droves, barrows and ridgeways and Hilton Church has medieval paintings of the apostles that were rescued from Milton Abbey. The terrain was varied and sometimes technically challenging and needed concentration, a lovely ride. Walked the donkeys up and down the avenue, the sheep stayed in the shade, panting until the day cooled. More watering, no rain in the forecast this week although the dew is much heavier in the mornings.

Gallows Corner
Yew Hedge
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Apple Harvest

There’s a good crop of Bramleys that will need picking soon, the windfalls are more than sufficient to keep us supplied with flavoursome stewed apple. The eating apple Beauty of Bath was the first to ripen, then there was a smaller crop of Ellison’s Orange. Ribston Pippen is still being picked and Darcy Spice will ripen last and keep longest. The Conference pears can be eaten off the tree or poached and the majority are given away. A lovely sunny and warm day with light winds; picked and watered the runner beans which are producing even more blossom. Picked tomatoes and a small water melon.

Bramley Apple
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Farrier

It’s eight weeks since William and Toby had their feet checked by the farrier; Donkeys should be walking on hard surfaces all the time to wear down the front of their hooves and keep them flat, ours spend a third of their time on straw or grass so a bit of trimming and rasping was required. They each had a ginger biscuit to start off with and the farrier put two more on top of a post for when he’d finished. At some point Toby knocked these off the post so he snaffled both of them while our attention was focused on William – lucky Toby! A warm sunny day, watered the hedge, picked tomatoes, basil, nasturtium leaves, apples and pears. Nearly forgot to mention that it’s National Chocolate Day – hooray!

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Silage

The field behind us has been harvested for silage, the yield is down but it couldn’t be left any longer, the combine did the cutting two days ago and yesterday the neat rows were turned and gathered ready for the bailer which finished the job in an hour today. Walked through the sheep paddock several times, managed to give all of them a scratch apart from Winnie who ran off and was bleating for Digby to join her. Considered additional space and waterproofing for the Model 1 sheep shelter as they don’t all fit in the original space. A sunny cloudy day with a chilly wind and another bright red sunset. Picked blueberries and a cucumber.

dig
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Seasoned Oak

The oak tree that fell into the paddock had seasoned while still standing so the logs can be burnt this year, moved them all to the side of the garage where they should stay reasonably dry before being stacked outside the boot room just before bringing inside. The larger pieces that won’t fit into the woodburner will be used as tables or supports for bird baths. The silver birch behind the rail is doing ok, it was planted to replace the horse chestnut which has sprouted again so will need to be pruned. Cycled 8 miles on quiet roads near Wimborne, a sunny warm day with a lovely red sunset.

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William

Loves grass and likes browsing the hedgerow, this is the willow he’s eating, both donkeys have to stretch to reach it and seem to know when they’ve had enough. Sat outside and had lunch at The Baker Arms in Child Okeford, tasty food as always and excellent service, the cyclists that stopped for refreshments were on their way to Bournemouth from Bath, next stop was Blandford Forum. They were pleased to hear that most of the hills were behind them – well, maybe! Mowed the lawn and topped up the strawberry beds with compost, second coat of paint on the kitchen walls. A warm sunny day with light winds.

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Strawberry Beds

Delivered and assembled at the end of July they’re now being filled with donkey poo and then topped up with compost. The plants in the pots are producing lots of new plants so I should be able to fill these beds before the winter. Mowed the meadow strip and moved the new grass to the back of the compost heap so that the middle section can be removed. Started painting the kitchen. Poppy went to see the vet for her regular thyroid test which came back normal so she’ll keep taking the same medication, a new early indictor test for kidney problems gave a result that’s a little high so a urine test will be carried out in a few months time. A warm sunny day with light winds. Picked tomatoes and pulled a few carrots.

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Cycle Ride

A lovely 17 miles from The Stocks Inn at Furzehill to Manswood, Horton Tower and up to Chalbury along quiet roads, bridleways and narrow forest tracks. Manswood reputedly has the longest thatched building in Britain comprising eleven estate cottages and an ex-post office although this is disputed because of a similar set of buildings in Suffolk. Cut the long grass alongside the meadowstrip hedging, some of the wild flowers which have now set seed were taller than the plants. The intention is to mulch with donkey manure to give the hedge a feed before winter and that means digging out the compost heap. A warm and sunny start to the day with rain later, picked and ate the runner beans.

Horton Tower
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Worms

The Can O Worms wormery lives in the shed and produces excellent liquid fertilizer and worm cast compost all year round. The worms like living in eggshells and love eating cardboard and anything sweet, like apples. They don’t like acidic waste like citrus or onions and regulate their numbers according to the amount of food available. What’s left after they’ve finished eating is the plastic from the teabags and the gluesticks from the cardboard boxes. The lambs bounced around the paddock today and Nola joined in, donkeys watched, nodded and went back to eating grass. A mild day with light winds and the odd shower. Picked tomatoes, conference pears and ribston pippin apples. Watered the beans.

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Pixie and Toby

Walked over to the dividing fence and stared at each other for a while before Toby put his head down and Pixie poked her head through and licked his nose several times, they both like the contact. There was a squashed frog outside the stable, must have been trodden on by one of the donkeys, hope it’s not a favourite migration route. Tied up the spare stock wire in the lower paddock, will bring it up in the trailer, it’ll be useful somewhere. A lovely warm sunny start to the day with light winds, colder by early evening. Picked tomatoes and a cucumber, voted for the Dorset Remedy Oak to be the Woodland Trust tree of the year.

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Fallen Oak

The oak has been removed from the ditch and elements of the trunk arranged as a seating area, that lower corner of the bottom paddock is the warmest and always a place to linger as the hedges offer protection from the strongest winds. Skyward pointing limbs have been shortened and now there is no danger of the remaining pieces rolling over and squashing a sleepy sheep! I’ve started wearing slippers again, the nights are definitely colder although the sun still has warmth. It’s time to fill some buckets with water and leave them in the greenhouse, they’ll warm up nicely during the day and then release their heat slowly overnight which will help maintain an even temperature. Picked a few tomatoes.

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Ouessants

Definitely more approachable than when they arrived, the lambs like a good scratch under their chin and even the ewes are touchable near feeding time. Walter and Digby like to run around together in the paddock, Digby bounces around with all four feet of the ground and Pixie joins in with them occasionally. Their paddock adjoins the avenue where the donkeys are free to roam and they interact through the fence. Walter licked William’s nose, he didn’t move away so must have liked it. The runner beans have more blossom, which is great, just have to step inside the tangle of stems to pick them. A warm mizzly start to the day with rain in the afternoon so no watering, no swallows either.

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Roses

These may be the last blooms of the summer, I hope they’ll flower again before Christmas after a prune, the petals on the red rose are really thick and the sun dazzles around them. The grass in the paddocks has turned a bright shade of green since the thunderstorms and is growing well, a sprinkling of donkey and sheep poo must have helped; the rain came too late for the fields opposite, there’s not enough grass for the customary second cut as there are large bare patches, so no more hay this year although there may be a cut for silage in November. A low lying mist started the day which cleared quickly in the morning sun, watered the runner beans and the greenhouse before cycling.

sdr
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Green Logs

A chilly start to the day with the valley bathed in rolling pink mist. Moved the green oak logs to the old stone crate ready for use in a couple of years time, they will be well seasoned by then. The nasturtium on top will give seeds for next year’s plants. Heard the green woodpecker when poo picking in the paddock, he appeared on the lawn early evening to eat the ants but no swallows today, maybe they have moved on. Trimmed the new growth off the rampent pumpkins and cut back some of the larger leaves to encourage ripening of the fruits. The runner beans are not quite as green as last month and the tomatoes are paler as well despite regular feeding, day length is shortening and the nights are cooler, it feels like Autumn is on it’s way.

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Cycle Ride

20 miles along Dorset lanes in sunshine and light winds with a stop at Manswood for refreshments and at the waterfall at Witchampton to look at the waterfall – we disturbed a kingfisher further along the river; a lovely flash of blue. From a distance the hay bales in the fields resembled French knots. Didn’t see any swallows today, filled up the bird bath for the wren which was singing loudly in the wisteria. A glorious sunset lasted for over an hour, enough time to turn off the electric fence in the bottom paddock and water the greenhouse and the runner beans.